It all begins when the gates open.

Sodium ions flood into the single brain cell through the gates of channels linking the exterior and interior of the neuron. Other channels along the length of the cell follow suit, opening more gates to allow more sodium ions in. A deluge of positively-charged atoms overtakes the single cell.

Other channels follow the precedence, though they selectively permit calcium, not sodium, ions to join the influx. The excess positive charge soon beckons the potassium channels to open and, with gusto, potassium ions flee from the interior of the cell.

There is only so much room on the train. Some people have just got to go.

All of this ion exchange has produced an electrical current that races along the membrane of this single brain cell. The spark soon hits the end of the neuron and induces the cell to release little packets of chemicals. The little packets had previously sat unperturbed within the cell; now, they hasten to merge with the membrane and dump their contents into the space just outside of the brain cell. These chemicals—neurotransmitters—float across the space and settle into receptors located on neighboring brain cells.

Once these chemicals have latched onto the waiting receptors on the neighboring cells, these brain cells in turn open gates so sodium ions can rush in.

Soon, many neurons are alive with electricity, rapidly exchanging the currency of sodium, calcium, and potassium with the surrounding fluid environment.

An entire section of the thin layer of gray matter (called the “cortex”) that sits on the surface of the left part of the brain soon alights with electricity. Without conscious awareness, the collection of brain cells connects words with their meanings. The sparks within this collection in the cortex then transforms these unspoken words into sounds and ensures that these sounds are actually words. Finally, the electricity spreads to the cortex located in the front of the brain to trigger the production of these individual sounds.

She’s not fully attending to the perfect coordination of the muscles controlling her lips, tongue, and throat that has resulted from all of this electrical activity surging through her head.

She only opens her mouth and sings, “He’s a cold hearted snake, look into his eyes….”