20 Photos Remembering the Genius of Tom Lehrer

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 29, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Tom Lehrer, up until very recently was a noted songwriter, musician, composer, mathematician and satirist. His work has touched the lives of thousands of Americans, and was especially known for his dark, witty musical parodies of politics, science and everyday life. This can be seen in some of his career's greats hits, which include: "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park", and "The Elements" (a rapid-fire song listing the periodic table, made famous again by TV character Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory). And it was not only the Big Bang gang who were inspired by Lehrer's avant-garde satirical style. He influenced Weird Al Yankovic, Bo Burnham and even certain aspects of South Park.

He is a man who gave everything to his craft and in the end (five years ago) gave all of his music for free to us the people to enjoy in perpetuity. Now, that he has passed on, we wanted to take a moment to remind the world what will be missing from this day forth, and what to look out when searching for his spirit in modern satirical music and parodies.

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    Cheezburger Image 10535191552
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  • After his years of success and fame, Tom turned to passing on his passions for music and mathematics. Captured here is Tom posing with the last student he ever taught. It is the sign of a great person, when they take their hard-earned knowledge and experience and share it with the next generation such that they might stand on their shoulders.

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    Cheezburger Image 10535191808
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    TOM LEHRER, the musi cal satirist, was attacked by three men Saturday night, shortly after he and two companions left a North End restaurant. He was treated for facial injuries at Massa- chusetts General Hospital and then released. Later, he dismissed the attack as "a minor incident, with, no cas- ualties."
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    Sony Jom Lhier Songs by More of Tom Lehrer Tom Lehrer TOM LEHRER THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS STEREO wasted An Evening With TOM LEHRER
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    SONGS BY TOM LEHRER/ 25-6216 Songs by Fight Fiercely, Haward •The Old Dope Peddler Be Prepared Cobachevsky Tom Lehrer I Wanna Go Back to Dixie The Wild West Is Where I Want to Be reprise 6216 The Irish Ballad My Home Town The Hunting Song. When You Are Old and gray. The Wiener Schnitzel Watts. All 114 THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS TOM LEHRER/R-6179 TOM LE MORE US MARINES GOING TO VIETNAM at Sodron Du for Danang Area Alma Mahler Gropius how man would be bogs to Bouth Vietnam only b the bases a bag o
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    STEREO Newly Recorded... SONGS BY TOM LEHRER (His Lyrics, His Music, His So-Called Voice, And His Piano) Side One: I Wanna Go Back To Dixie 1:48. The Old Dope Peddler 1:24 When You Are Old And Gray 1:50 The Wild West Is Where I Want To Be 1:58 Fight Fiercely Harvard. 1:18 Lobachevsky 3:04 Side Teo: The Irish Ballad 2:50 The Hunting Song 1:15 My Home Town 2:38 The Wiener Schnitzel Waltz 1:44 I Hold Your Hand In Mine 1:20 Be Prepared The songs on this record are ©1952, 1953, by Tom Lehrer, and he
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    101 More of Tom Lehrer CREO asted With RER reprise RECORDS 6199 POISONING PIGEONS IN THE PARK BRIGHT COLLEGE DAYS THE ELEMENTS A CHRISTMAS CAROL OEDIPUS REX IN OLD MEXICO CLEMENTINE IT MAKES A FELLOW PROUD TO BE A SOLDIER SHE'S MY GIRL THE MASOCHISM TANGO WE WILL ALL GO TOGETHER WHEN WE GO TL102
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    01 the Chat How- ng. Pat Lloyd SIDE ONE: MORE OF TOM LEHRER His lyrics, his music, his so-called voice, and his piano 1. Poisoning Pigeons in the Park 2. Bright College Days 3. A Christmas Carol 4. The Elements (music by Sir Arthur Sullivan) 5. Oedipus Rex 6. In Old Mexico SIDE TWO: 7. Clementine 8. It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier 9. She's My Girl 10. The Masochism Tango. 11. We Will All Go Together When We Go NOTE: The above songs are also available on the 12" LP An Evening Wasted with
    via THEREALOFFICALCAFE
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    STEREO wasted An Evening With TOM LEHRER reprise RECORDS 6199 POISONING PIGEONS IN THE PARK BRIGHT COLLEGE DAYS THE ELEMENTS A CHRISTMAS CAROL OEDIPUS REX IN OLD MEXICO CLEMENTINE IT MAKES A FELLOW PROUD TO BE A SOLDIER SHE'S MY GIRL THE MASOCHISM TANGO WE WILL ALL GO TOGETHER WHEN WE GO
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    Got It from Agnes Infectiously (from Tomfoolery) Words and Music by Tom Lehrer F7 No chord Ab D7 I love my friends,. And they love me,. We're just as close. Gm as we can be.. And just be-cause. we real-ly
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  • Tom was known for being a whimsical guy. But he was not whimsical for whimsy’s sake. It was in his blood, in his heart and in his soul. Which is exactly what you are seeing here. The red circle points to the instructions Tom left for people who would play his song, and each and every one is worth a good giggle.

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    1 of 3 Be Prepared Words and Music by Tom Lehrer G13 Trustworthily, loyally, helpfully, friendlily, etc. mf cresc. poco a poco dim. 1. Be prepared!. (2. Be pre -) pared!. That's the That's the Boy Scouts' march-ing song, Boy Scouts' sol-emn creed, mf G dim Be pre- Be pre-
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    A Christmas Carol Words and Music by Tom Lehrer Merrily mf Christ-mas time is la-tions, spar-ing D7 here, by gol no expense, B Bbm - ly. '11 Dis-ap-pro-val would be folly, Send some use-less old uten - sil, Deck the halls with hunks of holly, Or a match-ing pen and pencil. Fill the cup and ('Just the thing I don't say when. need! How nice!') It
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    The Masochism Tango Painstakingly Refrain Dm Gm Words and Music by Tom Lehrer I ache for the touch of your lips, dear, But much more for the touch of your
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    My Home Town Nostalgically mf Am Dm7 Words and Music by Tom Lehrer I (The) really have a yen guy that taught us math, To Who go back once again, never took a bath, Back Ac-
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    National Brotherhood Week Words and Music by Tom Lehrer Fraternally Eb 1. Oh, the white folks 2. (Oh, the) poor folks 3. (Oh, the) Prot-es-tants B57 hate the black folks, hate the rich folks, hate the Cath-o-lics, And the black folks hate the And the rich folks hate the And the Cath-o-lics hate the white folks. To poor hate all but the right folks is an old es-tab-lished rule. folks. All of my folks hate all of your folks, it's A - mer-ican as ap-ple pie. Prot-es-tants, And the Hin-dus hate the
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    1 of 3 G7 Ecumenically The Vatican Rag Words and Music by Tom Lehrer ff L.H. First you get_down So get down up Св - "on your knees,_ on your knees,- Fid-dle with your ro sa ries,- Fid-dle with your ro sa ries G7 Cdim Dm G9 Bow your head with great re-spect, Bow your head with great re-spect, and and gen-u-flect, gen-u-flect, gen-u-flect! gen-u-flect, gen-u-flect, gen-u-flect!
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    1 of 7 We Will All Go Together When We Go Eschatologically Words and Music by Tom Lehrer Freely Verse Fm When mf you at-tend a fu-ne-ral, It is sad to think that soon-er o' la-ter Fm Db7 C7 D7 C7 Fm. those you love will do the same for you. And you may have thought it tra-gic, Not to
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    Disarmingly Dm Who's Next? Dm Words and Music by Tom Lehrer First we got the bomb and that was good, 'cause we love peace and moth-er-hood. Then f Bb Rus-sia got the bomb, but that's okay, 'cause the bal-ance of power's main-
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    Yaffe charges Heckler with failing consumers Boston Globe (1960-); Oct 24, 1970; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe pg. 3 M YAFFE RALLY-Satirist Tom Lehrer entertains at rally for Bert Yaffe, Democratic candidate for Congress in 10th District. Mrs. Ed- ward Kennedy, wife of Bay State's senior senator, was among the speakers. Story, Page 36, (Ellis Herwig photo)
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    The Wild West Is Where I Want To Be Westerly mf - A long the (Mid the) trail you'll find me sage-brush and the a tempo lop-in' cac- c- tus Words and Music by Tom Lehrer Abo Where the spaces are wide watch the fellers I'll
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