Tesla

by John Flansburgh

Tesla
Brought the X-ray photo to the world
Brought the AC power to the world

Here is a mind that can see across space
Here is a mind soaring free
Sound turns to light and light turns to waves
And waves turn to all things perceived
Maybe that knowledge would drive one insane
How can that knowledge be tamed?

Tesla
Ushered the radio wave into the world
Ushered the neon light into the world

The Hotel New Yorker, he's dead on the floor
The body of Nikola lies
With just his papers, no family to tell
Out of the windows birds fly
Under an X-ray of Mark Twain's skull
The plan for the death-ray's design

Tesla
Brought the radar detection to the world
Ushered remote control into the world
Ushered the bladeless turbine into the world
Ushered the neon light into the world