They say there’s nothing new
The freshest thoughts just tweak the old
They say nine basic plots
Form every story that’s ever told

1. Good Sam must face a beast
   That’s come to crush his farm and kin
   He somehow finds a way
   To overcome all odds and win
2. Poor Sam has not a dime
   Until he finds a hidden chest
   The gold will make him rich
   To keep it, he must be his best
3. To spare his dying town
   Sam has to travel far away
   To find the magic dust
   And bring it home to save the day
4. Sam’s friend from out of town
   Will soon be dead without Sam’s aid
   Sam goes and helps his friend
   He comes home wiser, less afraid
5. Sam is just a normal guy
   He meets a girl. They fall in love.
   Will his mother ruin it?
   No! All ends well. They rise above.
6. Sam had a special gift
   He used it for his evil gain
   He ruled with iron fist
   ‘Til heroes rose and he was slain
7. Sam’s life was hard and cruel
   He was the rudest man you’d find
   Until he met the girl
   Who helped him change and be more kind
8. Sam is helpless to resist
   The evil power that rules o’er all
   He tries to break away
   But no one can, Sam’s left to fall
9. Sam goes on holiday
   There’s a been a murder at the inn!
   He tries to solve the case
   Though it has zilch to do with him.

The same old stories flow
Through all the tales we tell these days
But still we feel the need
To find our own words, our own ways

For true art doesn’t lie
In the invention of the wheel
But in who’s allowed to steer
And how its turning makes you feel