Young Rascal: (Wagner)

Young Rascal

(Wagner)

As a young boy he hated school, 

was a bad pupil and thought only of theatre,

sent off to boarding school, as master of stories

all the teachers used him to get learning from their pupils.

"A story from Richard if you're done in ten!"

would send them scampering for paper and pen.

Longing always for theatre and music,

Young Richard skipped school and spent days in an attic

Writing with fury the story poem in his head, 

a poem that he set to music with joy.

but he finished it not for his parent soon found, 

that their young rebel son wasn't learning at the school.

And his sister came to fetch him home.

At home, he took a new interest to greek,

and while failing in school, he learned greek with a passion

and translated The Homer and Iliad to german,

astounded his teacher, his parents, and family, 

and then went right back to writing his play.

He set it to music by studying composer,

and a friend at the opera had it played there for him.

But oh, the embarrassment, and oh the shame,

the audience left laughing at poor Richard Wagner.

Little was it known, or even suggested,

that the Wagner who wrote the composition of shame,

would be the Wagner who composed the "Ride of the Valkyries"

"The Love feast of the apostles" and the many other compositions.

That fill the modern opera house and the theatres of today.