Discover the story of the song > Wernher Von Braun – Tom Lehrer

The song praises a man named Wernher von Braun who helped America become a nuclear power and put a man on the moon. He was a former Nazi, but the song insists he was not hypocritical and was apolitical. Von Braun only cared about the science and engineering of rockets, not where they went after launch. The song suggests that even though some people criticize him, they should be grateful for his contributions, just like the widows and cripples in London who owe their pensions to him. Finally, the song implies that anyone can be a hero like von Braun if they learn to count backwards to zero and different languages.