Gather round while I sing you of Werner von Braun,
A man whose allegiance, is ruled by expegiance,
Call him a Nazi, he won't even frown,
`Ha, nazi-shmazi', say Werner von Braun.
Don't say that he's hypocritical,
Say rather, that he's apolitical,
`Once rockets are up, who cares where they come down,
`That's not my department' says Werner von Braun.
Some have harsh words for this man of reknown,
But some think our attitude should be one of gratitude,
Like the widows and cripples of Old London Towne,
Who owe their large pensions to Werner von Braun.
You too, may be a big hero,
Once you learn to count backwards, to zero.
`In German, or Englisch, I know how to count down...
`Und I'm learning Chinese', says Werner von Braun!
[Tom Lehrer's "That was the Year that Was", 1965]