Music Makers

Lyrics adapted by Ami Worthen from
Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s 1874 poem, “Music Makers”

We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams.
Wandering by sea breakers, sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers, upon whom the pale moon gleams.
Yet we are the movers and shakers, of the world, forever it seems.

Of the world, forever, it seems.

Chorus:
We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams.
We are the movers and shakers, of the world, forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties, we build up the world’s great cities.
And out of a fabulous story, we can fashion an empire’s glory.
One man and his greed, as leisure, can go forth and conquer a crown.
And three with a new song’s measure, can trample and empire down.

We will trample an empire down.

Chorus

A breath of our inspiration, is the life of each generation.
A wondrous thing of our dreaming, unearthly, impossible seeming -
The soldier, the king and the peasant, are working together in one.
Till our dream shall become their present, and their work in the world be done.

Till their work in the world be done.

Chorus

But we with our dreaming and singing, ceaseless and sorrowless we!
The glory about us clinging, of the glorious futures we see.
Our souls with high music ringing; oh, it must ever be.
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, a little apart, you see.

We’re just a little apart, you see.

Chorus
Chorus
Chorus