Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin (You Were Right)


On the newsstand at the station
There it was, a publication
With a bold prevarication
Where it asked “Was Darwin Wrong?”
Darwin stands among the giants
Of our modern view of science
So, in answer and defiance
I’m replying in this song:

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin, take a look around today—
You might recognize the path we took, cos you showed us the way.
We will celebrate your influence with unabashed delight;
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin, you were right!

Variation in the features
Of all sorts of nature’s creatures
Was a sign of God, for preachers,
But you thought you’d take a look
It’s descent and not creation
That explains the population
So we start the celebration
For the guy who wrote the book

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin, take a look around today—
You might recognize the path we took, cos you showed us the way.
We will celebrate your influence with unabashed delight;
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin, you were right!

From the South Pacific Islands
To the bonny Scottish Highlands,
In the oceans and the dry lands
We can see the evidence.
From diversity most splendid,
We infer that we descended;
It was you who comprehended
And your impact was immense!

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin, take a look around today—
You might recognize the path we took, cos you showed us the way.
We will celebrate your influence with unabashed delight;
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin, you were right!

Well, the theory you created
Has, for decades, been updated,
But it shouldn’t be unstated
That it all began with you
That’s the way with any theory
Though detractors may grow weary
As they try to make folks leery
But they can’t deny it’s true

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin, take a look around today—
You might recognize the path we took, cos you showed us the way.
We will celebrate your influence with unabashed delight;
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin, you were right!

Yeah, it’s still a day early here in Cuttletown, but it’s been Darwin Day in Darwin for over 7 hours now!

I think the song is self-explanatory. If anyone finds a tune for it, let me know; I have one, but not one I am happy with.

Comments

  1. says

    that was brilliant! this is the first time I’ve read your blog – got here from other atheist blogs and what a way to start!PS can almost hear the tune in my head but cant quite name it, arghh.

  2. says

    To suppose that a scientist should be venerated 200 years after his birth seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.Yet reason tells me that Darwin deserves it. Plus, I’m sure he’d love this song!(Naturally, selection of an appropriate tune to adapt this to song is the next step.)

  3. says

    Just found you via Blog 4 Darwin. I went to a christening recently in a sweet little English country church… imagine my surprise when the first hymn was not an old-fashioned favourite, but went:”Who put the teeth in the shark’s mouth? Who put the sting in the bee? Who put the spots on the leopard?Who made the world we see?It couldn’t have been an accident! It must have been God!”I couldn’t believe they thought we were going to sing totally creationist words! No one questioned it at all. I didn’t make a fuss because it was my friend’s day but I certainly did not sing… so get on with writing a tune to yours for use at humanist christenings!

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *