The Cranial Nerves Song

The Cranial Nerve Song for Med Students and anyone learning the topic!

The lyrics give the functions of each cranial nerve, and also the foramen of exit and pathological conditions of some of them!

Background music (In order) –

• Somewhere over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole)
• Yesterday (The Beatles)
• Every breath you take (The Police)
• Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin)
• I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)
• Build me up, Buttercup (The Foundations)
• Annie’s Song (John Denver)
• Stand by me (Ben E King)

Complete Lyrics –

Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Good Velvet. Such Heaven,
Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Good Velvet. Such Heaven!

Somewhere over the cranial fossa,
Way up high,
Lies 12 cranial nerves that are extremely vital,
But really why/ Why or why?
The olfactory, Optic, occulomotor,
Trochlear and Trigeminal,
Abducens and Facial,
Vestibulocochlear, glossopharyngeal,
Vagus, Accessory and Hypoglossal nerves,
Let’s see what each serves.

Olfactory,
The first cranial nerve, it’s sensory,
Carrying afferent fibres importantly,
It helps me smell the air I breathe.

Then Visually,
The Optic nerve comes very handy,
With afferent fibres to help me to see,
The world around me, so beautifully.

Then nerves 3, 4 and 6 partake,
In every eye movement you make,
Through the Superior Orbital Fissure,
Helps me look around with pleasure,
So I can be watching you.

Occulomotor nerve you see,
Innervates the sphincter pupillae,
And all rectus muscles but one,
With Lower (inferior) Oblique it’s done,
So I can be watching you.

If the Trochlear nerve is weak,
So is the Superior Oblique,
And I can’t look down and out,
And double vision comes about.

To help the eyeball laterally gaze,
The Abducent is used always,
Moving Lateral Rectus all days,
So if you’re moving sideways,
I can be watching you, I can be watching you!

The Trigeminal is next on line,
With three branches, each with functions so fine,
But don’t worry, let’s take it easy.

The Opthalmic branch through the Sup. Orb. Fissure,
Carries sensation like pain and pressure,
Right from the nose tip, to the scalp you put your hair clip.

The maxillary branch through Foramen Rotundum,
Carries senses from upper teeth and gum,
Upto lower eyelids, and roof of pharynx.

The Mandibular branch then thirdly and lastly,
Exit’s through the Foraman Ovale,
But is tricky, it’s both motor and sensory.

Overall Trigeminal has relation,
With mastication and facial sensation,
So don’t worry, Eat and feel and be Happy!

Well the Facial nerve is the next and it’s the seventh,
Emerging out from the Stylomastoid Foramen,
With sensory and motor parts,
Derived from the second (Pharyngeal) arch.

Motor branches for the muscles of facial expression,
And salivary and lacrimal gland innervations,
Sensation to behind the ear,
Taste from the tongues anterior.

Facial Nerve injury,
May cause Bells Palsy,
And things aren’t tasty,
With an injured Chorda Tympani.

Well Vestibulocochlear, now let’s see,
Is a nerve that’s special sensory,
To listen to and hear everything you
Love love love love.

It conveys fibres needed for balancing,
Vertigo comes about with injury,
Then everything spins like you’re crazy in,
Love, Love Love, Loveee!

Glossopharyngeal nerve’s now up,
Both motor and sensory fibres can be found,
With functions profound.

Well then first of all,
It gives taste and all to the posterior tongue,
Feel food slide along.

It helps you (It helps you),
Receive sensory fibres,
From the middle ear and carotid sinus,
And also innervates (innervates)
The parotid gland and Stylopharyngeus.

Vagus is the tenth nerve,
Through the Jugular Foramen,
Sensory to the external ear,
And also the aortic arch,
It causes Bronchoconstriction,
And also slows down your heart,
It controls Vocalization,
And in swallowing takes part.

The eleventh nerve, then comes,
Through Jugular Foramen,
Its only motor, the useful Spinal Accessory.
It controls, Trapezius muscle,
And the sternocleidomastoid,
So shrug your shoulders, if you’ve not got a pathology.

And Lastly, lastly,
The twelfth cranial nerve,
The Hypoglossal nerve,
Helps stick your tongue out, and move it about,
As you please.

That brings us right to the end,
Of the Cranial nerve song,
Lets hope I remember, all the lyrics,
Quite perfectly.

Now I won’t, be afraid,
Of forgetting the twelve cranial nerves,
Just as long, as you sing,
Sing with me.

Let’s start revising, revising,
So sing with me,
Oh sing with me,
Yeah sing, sing with me, sing with me!

Enjoy! =)