Shepard, Grissom, Glenn—

Cooper, Schirra, Carpenter, Slayton—

They were the first, the Seven—

And they had the Right Stuff—

They were pioneers packed in a capsule

The size of a phone booth—

Made of parts from an Erector Set and Radio Shack— 

Intrepid explorers, fearless men—

And they chose to name themselves after Mercury—

Eschewing the rest: the ringed, the redder—

The bluer, the larger, the nearer, the further—

 Of all they chose Mercury; and why—

Because it was the first? Because is was the flintiest?—

Whatever the reason, they chose it—maybe it just seemed Right.