'Humble Mountain Man' Sir Ed song sweeps internet (+lyrics)

A video grab of the song on YouTube.

He may be gone but he'll live on in our wallets.

That's the message of a song commemorating the death of Sir Edmund Hillary, recorded by New Zealand artist Trillion.

Trillion recorded the song, called

Humble Mountain Man

, on January 12, 2008, the day after Sir Ed passed away.

The music video for the song - which features dozens of New Zealanders holding the five dollar note that bears Sir Edmund's image - is now sweeping the internet.

It ends with a voiceover calling for people to keep a five dollar note in their pocket in case they meet someone who needs it more than they do and carries a link to Sir Edmund's

Himalayan Trust

.

The full lyrics for the song and video are below.

Humble Mountain Man by Trillion

Chorus: You may be gone but you live on in my wallet

You'll never be forgotten in the bottom of my pocket

You've taught us by example - translated back to our inner fibre

And you leave behind a wealth greater than that within a fiver.

He was our superman with a heart of gold

When he was cast they blew apart the mold

A modest champion - who'd walk the extra mile

And never forget to smile

A practical chap - he was quite unique

In '53 he climbed the world's highest peak

Others who tried came to early fates

So Ed and Tensing, left behind their burly mates

They almost made it to the pearly gates

And told the gate keeper - see you at a further date

He gave half a toss, and knocked the bastard off,

With mask and parka off and a nasty cough

And then he blasted off in the Antarctic frost

In a tractor made tough enough to last across

It's not the mountains that we conquer but ourselves he said,

And now he's dead.

So cheers to Ed, and raise our beers to Ed

And all the summits we'll be climbing in the years ahead

(chorus)

The legend of Sir Edmund Percival Hillary

Is pulsing through our heads circuits of capillaries

He climbed mountain tops just for the hell of it

An ordinary man - with no need for embellishment

With pack on back he inched up a tight crack

A few precise whacks of his ice axe

And he was on top of the world looking down over creation

Even queeny lizard breath rose to the occasion

Why can't we all win - we either tackle or run

We're taught - the battle is won when we're packing a gun

It can never be done through military power

The battle's only won in humility's hour

Challenging ourselves beyond the daily grind

Is the only way the darkness ever stays behind

I won't tire or stop 'til my eyelids drop

Keep on striving 'til I rise to the top

Tomorrow all my plans may crumble

But I'll still show respect and stay humble

We could wipe away the tears and turn away

Or listen to the lesson we can learn today

Our knight baffled belief when he wrestled the beast

Now his vessel has ceased, and we're bereft in the grief

From north to south, west and east

May our humble mountain man Ever-rest in peace

(chorus)