Yip Harburg

Born Edgar Yipsel Harburg, he was a Hollywood lyricist and poet, most notably wrote the lyrics for Somewhere Over the Rainbow and It's Only a Paper Moon[1]

"The House of God never had much appeal for me. Anyhow, I found a substitute temple--the theater."[2]

ATHEIST

Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree;

And only God who makes the tree Also makes the fools like me.

But only fools like me, you see, Can make a God, who makes a tree

MUTUAL ADMIRATION

"Speaking of the Common Man," said Lincoln,

"God must love him."

And the Common Man, he must love God--

He made so many of Him.

Small Comforts

Before I was born, I seemed to be

Contented with being non-be-able;

So after I'm gone, it seems to me

My lot should be not less agreeable.

From volumes of poetry Rhymes for the Irreverent (1965) and At This Point in Rhyme (1976) [3] Currently published by The Freedom from Religion Foundation