“It’s All Been Done Before”
There are many things in this world
To aggravate a man,
And upset almost everything
That he will try and plan.
He will build castles in the air,
Have prospects by the score,
When everything’s complete he’ll find
Some one’s done it before.
He’ll think that he’s original,
But ere long he will know
The same thing has been done before—
Yes, many years ago.
The author of the novel
Tries to think of something new;
The poet with his lyre,
The same thing tries to do.
The musical composer
Wants something odd and queer;
When they think they are original,
Find they’ve an old idea.
The actor tells a funny joke,
But don’t say any more,
When he finds an actor told it
That was there the week before.
So this thing will continue;
New things are seldom found,
And history will repeat itself
While the world goes ’round.
But with all of Adam’s trouble,
No one could make him sore
By saying, when he did a thing,
It had been done before.