What was there before the big bang...?

Nothing existed only God and the void. Atheist will disagree but then again their Atheist.

The big foreplay

The ONE. This has been done before. In the far future the universe will implode to a tiny speck than do it all over again and again and again worlds without end Amen.

the big bang never happened and there was only God

A dinner and some wine.

There must have been something

but something can't come from nothing

nothing can't produce one small tiny little atom

and something can't invent itself

A singularity.....if you can even rationally talk about before. You probably can't.

No one knows for sure but experts like Stephen Hawking & Sir Roger Penrose think that another universe existed -one of an infinite number which die & are reborn eternally. Watch & learn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEIj9zcLzp0

Oh, now we're scientists, are we?

I don't know, do your own research.

Asking quantum mechanics questions in the religion section isn't a good idea. Google it.