I just ordered a Tom Lehrer CD

any Tom Lehrer fans here?

I have all his stuff on my ipod and listen to it constantly.

Poisoning Pigeons in The Park!

There is no one like him for political satire.

Sadly, he retired, which left a hole in the piano/political humorist world for the godawful Mark Russell...

"New Math" is one of my favorites by TL

thanks for the reminder

Mark Russell is not worthy to shine Lehrers shoes

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0039TD73G/amzng-20/

Features one disc with 26 "Greatest Hits", and a DVD which is evidently a 17-song concert in Oslo from 1967.

And just $12.99... what a bargain!

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...and Tom Lehrer was played quite a bit.
.
I'd have a hard time picking a favorite, though "The Masochism Tango", ironically,
probably beats all the others.
.

MiddleFingerMom!

Picking a favorite TL song is like picking a favorited child. Believe me, picking a fvorite child is easier after they are grown and gone LOL

( just kidding , I love every one of the little grubs)

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...is one of my top 5 favorite books.
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Although it's edged out (very slightly) by another of his.
.
When visiting my sister sometime in the 1980's, she brought out a book and
said, "You're gonna LOVE this."
.
I read 15 pages or so into it and wondered if she knew me at all. It SUCKED!!
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Five years later, I picked it up again... and it immediately and thereafter
became my favorite book -- "Still Life with Woodpecker".
.
I'm a sucker for an outlaw/princess love story.
.

And I have a CD or two.

Being brought up Catholic, my fave song was naturally, The Vatican Rag.

First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head with great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!

when I'm writing.

"Quiet-ly! Quiet-ly! Quiet....L-Y!"

"...six parts gin to one part vermouth. . ." - Bright College Days

:thumbsup:

Both my husband and I adore that hilarious man!

He really knew how to write 'em!

:thumbsup: :rofl:

somehow I just knew that you would be a Tom Lehrer fan!

I love "We'll All Go Together When We Go."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWReXPcuFg0
She's My Girl

:D

and has for quite some time.

The piano accompaniment on this song begins with a theme from Haydn's Emperor quartet. The quartet may be obscure, but the theme is not. Someone put words to it: "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles". TL changes the time signature from 4/4 to 3/4 (like a waltz).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDEsGZLbio&annotation_id=annotation_849563&feature=iv

is "Ach du lieber Augustine".

Did anyone else notice this?

Don't call his piano playing demonic.
Call it, rather, ironic.
Of the humor it's one of the causes,
Like the German accent,
and the pauses.

Pollution
National Brotherhood Week

and on, and on...

I will be driving down the street and hear some story of racial strife and break out into National Brotherhood Week
...... 'too bad it doesn't last all year!'
ETA -
As a catholic who couldn't keep his religion through 8th grade, I just loved Vatican Rag from the first.
Well it is-
'time to transubstantiate!'

thought he was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. I knew all the lyrics to both of the first two albums by heart (except the elements song, which was too much of a tongue-twister for my little self.)

My "Party Piece" was Rikity-tickity-tin. . I used to knock the grownups dead!

...to drive home the message of brotherhood. This year, for example, on the first day of the week Malcolm X was killed which gives you an idea of how effective the whole thing is."

I might know a few of his bits. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=470ybIz4WC0

About a maid I'll sing a song. Sing rickety tickety tin
About a maid I'll sing a song, who didn't have her family long
Not only did she do them wrong, she did every one of them in
them in, she did every one of them in.

One morning in a fit of pique (sing rickety tickety tin)
One morning in a fit of pique, she drowned her father in the creek
The water tasted bad for a week, and we had to make do with gin
with gin, we had to make do with gin

Her mother-in-law she could never stand. Sing rickety tickety tin
Her mother-in-law she could never stand, and so a cyanide soup she planned
The poor woman died with the spoon in her hand, and her face in a hideous grin
a grin, her face in a hideous grin.

She weighted her brother down with stones. Sing rickety tickety tin
She weighted her brother down with stones and sent him off to Davey Jones
All they ever found were some bones and occasional pieces of skin
of skin, occasional pieces of skin.

She set her sister's hair on fire. Sing rickety tickety tin
She set her sister's hair on fire and as the smoke and flame rose higher
Danced around the funeral pyre playing a violin
olin, playing a violin.

One day when she had nothing to do (sing rickety tickety tin)
One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two
And served him up as an Irish stew and invited the neighbors in
bors in, and invited the neighbors in.

And when at last the police came by (sing rickety tickety tin)
And when at last the police came by, her little pranks she did not deny
For to do so she would have had to lie, and lying she knew was a sin
a sin, lying she knew was a sin.

And just one thing before I go (sing rickety tickety tin)
And just one thing before I go -- there's something I think that you ought to know
They had no proof, so they let her go, and they say that she's tall and thin
and thin, they say that she's tall and thin.

My tragic tale I won't prolong. Sing rickety tickety tin
My tragic tale I won't prolong. I hope you liked my little song
You've yourself to blame if it's too long: you should never have let me begin
begin, you should never have let me begin.

His favorite Lehrer song is "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2If9bVJJLY

I'm partial to the "Masochism Tango".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sal4xRAmonI

And of course, "We Will All Go Together When We Go" is always so uplifting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI

thread (yesterday): Who's Next?

although as a kid watching Mr. Russell I thought he was just peachy....until I heard some of TL's stuff. At least Mr. Russell gives credit where credit is due.

:hi:

"The Elements"
"The Old Dope Peddler"
"Lobachevsky"
"The Masochism Tango"
"The Hunting song"
"A Christmas Carol"
"It Makes A Fellow Proud To Be A Soldier"
"We Will Go Together When We Go"
and my top fave
"Poisoning Pigeons In The Park"

("Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" was a favorite) but was still shocked to discover, years later, that he also wrote and sang "Silent E" on The Electric Company. I'd heard the song plenty of times but for some reason never realized it was Tom Lehrer singing the tune! :blush:

Who can turn a can into a cane?
Who can turn a pan into a pane?
It's not too hard to see
It's Silent E

Who can turn a cub into a cube?
Who can turn a tub into a tube?
It's elementary
For Silent E

He took a pin and turned it into pine
He took a twin and turned him into twine

Who can turn a cap into a cape?
Who can turn a tap into a tape?
A little glob becomes a globe instantly
If you just add Silent E

He turned a dam - Alikazam! - into a dame
But my friend Sam stayed just the same

Who can turn a man into a mane?
Who can turn a van into a vane?
A little hug becomes huge instantly
Don't add W, don't add X, and don't add Y or Z,
Just add Silent E

first you get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries,
bow your head in great respect and ..

Genuflect! Genuflect! Genuflect!