h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Arthur W. E. O'Shaughnessy(1844-1881) wrote many forgetable verses
and one great ODE
thirty years ago I heard it set to music.
We are the Music Makers, and we are the dreamers of Dreams
Wandering by the lone sea breakers,
And sitting by the desolate streams;
World Losers and world forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever it seems.


With Wonderful deathless ditties
And out of a fabulous story
We built up the world's great cities
We fashion an empires glory


One man with a dream at pleasure
Shall go out and conquer a crown
And three with the new song's measure
Can trample an empire down

We in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth
Built Ninovah with our sighing
And Babel itself with our worth.
And oer'threw them with prophesying
to the old of the new world's worth
Each age is a dream that is constantly dying
Or one that is coming to birth {:'-)}