A Burslem boy, a potter's son
He shows great talent 'til smallpox comes
A broken knee, a broken dream
He can't turn clay on the pedal wheel
But it only encourages a curious mind
Others build Josiah's designs
And so begins a legacy
Shaped by Josiah's disability
Josiah loses a leg and has to see
The doctor cut it off, just below the knee
With laudanum from lettuce hearts
He watches as his shin departs the rest of his leg
Josiah loses a leg
But a wooden leg does not define the man
Josiah made pottery like no other can
A marketeer, a salesman, an entrepreneur, a Lunar Man
He married a cousin and they raised eight kids
Charles Darwin was a grandson of his
He developed canals to improve trade
He was an abolitionist for the freedom of slaves
Josiah! You're an inspiration
A pivotal figure in the industrial revolution
You're the model of a perfect man
A potter's son, a Lunar man