Thunder and lightning attended your birth,
God’s message to you to inherit the earth:
To conquer with genius for all you were worth;
All in your dreams.
Like a lion poised to rush from his den,
And defeat all abusers of the pen,
And bring divine wisdom for the good of all men;
New ideas, new machines.
The Martinian system, a new guiding light,
To put all ignorance and false prophets to flight:
If Newton was wrong, then you must be right;
Maybe in another life.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the medals and the madness, your genius shone through.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the mockery and the sadness, was a glimpse of the real you.
Stephenson and Davy stole your dream,
Though your Safety Lamp was best it would seem:
A magnificent man in your flying machine;
Broken dreams and bones.
While your devoted wife sewed her heart out for you,
You chased your half-hidden, unsolvable truths:
So many years wasted in the season of youth;
Quickly fading away.
Her star burned out, leaving you to survive,
On a diet that barely kept you alive:
Man can’t live alone on ambition and drive,
Loneliness and pain.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the medals and the madness, your genius shone through.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the mockery and the sadness, was a glimpse of the real you.
The pamphlets you wrote, the false medals displayed,
The tortoiseshell cap in your twilight days;
Only seen by others as proof of your craze,
Yet precious to you.
Bard of skill from Bardon Mill,
Curer of all earthly ill:
Respect is due; your light shines still,
Here’s to you.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the medals and the madness, your genius shone through.
Oh, William, William, you were really something;
In between the mockery and the sadness, was a glimpse of the real you.
(Gary Miller)