Twelve Good Men Poem by Colin Coplin

Give me twelve good men
Twelve good men, and one good woman
Give me thirteen
And let me change the world

One to be a doctor, one an engineer
One will be an architect and one a balladeer (singer)
One will be a sportsman, one an economist
One will be a builder and one a scientist
One will be a farmer, one a fisherman
One a philosopher and one a policeman
And one to be a mother, to teach and watch over them

Give me twelve good men
Twelve good men, and one good woman
Give me thirteen
And let me change the world

One to cure its ills, one to design its thrills
One to plan for tomorrow and one to entertain
One to know the path to victory, one to fund the way
One to build on a dream and one to find the meaning why
One to farm the lands and one to fish the seas
One to question us of ourselves and one to keep the peace

And the woman will nurture and watch over all of them and remind them why they're here

Give me twelve good men
Twelve good men and one good woman
Give me thirteen
And let me change the world

Copyright Colin Coplin 2010 (updated 2023)