Soon after the boy was born,
to Carl and Franziska Nietzsche,
the parents planned his career:
he will become a preacher!

But he disliked the idea,
and eventually ran for cover,
deciding, ill-advisedly,
to be a wisdom lover.

His first book, The Birth of Tragedy,
didn’t end up well for Fritz.
It was completely rubbished
by Ulrich von Wilamowitz.

Nietzsche was quite pissed off,
at one point he even said “Shit!”
But fortunately his other book
soon became a great hit.

Also sprach Zarathustra
brought him enormous glory,
and even after hundred years
it’s still a success story.

Its most shocking announcement
is certainly the death of God,
the cause of his demise unknown.
Perhaps it’s the firing squad?

Then there’s eternal recurrence,
another bombastic claim.
Then there’s eternal recurrence,
another bombastic claim…

Philosophers bang their heads
about what he meant to say,
but the idea is really simple:
something like the Groundhog Day.

His earth-shattering concept
well known to every fan
is of course the notion
of Übermensch, or superman.

But watch out, you’re mistaken
about Nietzsche’s true intent
if you think he had in mind
somebody like—Clark Kent.

Another catchy idea
is no doubt the will to power;
if you don’t understand it
try reading some Schopenhauer.

Recalling Nietzsche’s face,
specially his mega moustache,
he did look as if he was heading
for a nasty mental crash.

He suffered from egomania
and delusion of grandeur,
although this may have been
just his desperate cri de coeur.

He thought his major works
had a huge audience to reach,
and should be translated in all languages
a million copies in each.

The crisis came to a head
with someone whipping a horse,
a behavior that Nietzsche
could in no way endorse.

He wept and hugged the animal
throwing himself around its neck.
After that event he never
played again with a full deck.

Then his sister Lizzie
took him in her care,
but meddled with his texts
changing bits, here and there.

For all Nietzsche’s admirers
this circumstance is pure bliss,
since any embarrassing passage
can now be blamed on sis!