In eighteen hundred and twenty-four, lived a man of great repute;
This good man founded the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
His aim was to furnish his country with men
Who could build better bridges than those they had then,
Now a thousand or two such men pass in review,
And we'll give all the honor due
To Stephen Van Rensselaer,
A noble man with a grand career:
An A.B. from Harvard and an LL.D. from Yale
He saw the need of such an institution
So he straightway proceeded to establish a good one.
And its world-wide fame will perpetuate the name
Of Old Stephen van Rensselaer.