Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/arts/music/tom-lehrer-dead.html

Tom Lehrer, the Harvard-trained mathematician whose wickedly iconoclastic songs made him a favorite satirist in the 1950s and ’60s on college campuses and in all the Greenwich Villages of the country, died on Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 97.

His death was confirmed by David Herder, a friend.

Mr. Lehrer’s lyrics were nimble, sometimes salacious and almost always sardonic, sung to music that tended to be maddeningly cheerful. Accompanying himself on piano, he performed in nightclubs, in concert and on records that his admirers purchased, originally by mail order only, in the hundreds of thousands.

But his entertainment career ultimately took a back seat to academia. In his heart he never quit his day job; he just took a few sabbaticals.

[PJMcK]

1. Lehrer was a terrific satirist

Since I was a teenager, I've loved his songs. I have two of his albums and a published songbook that I still play from. Many friends don't know his work and when I play the music for them, they crack up (even though the material is dated).

"The Vatican Rag," "Who's Next?," "The Masochism Tango," "Poisoning Pigeons In The Park" and "The Elements" are among my favorites.

RIP to a man of his time who shared his cynical ideas with great insight and humor.


ETA:

[FalloutShelter]

3. He was brilliant

I quote his lyrics often.

"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department,"
said Werner von Braun.

[PJMcK]

9. And, of course, Who's Next?

[FalloutShelter]

14. Yes.👍🏻

[Paladin]

2. Started listening to him, more than 60 years ago.

Back then, the local music shops sold his albums under the counter because of the controversial nature of his songs. A great talent.

[Walleye]

4. "We will all go together when we go"

I loved his music and his records. Especially the table of the elements that like you mentioned that one cracked me up every time. And the very essence of dark humor

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Rest in peace, Tom.

I loved his songs.

[Jilly_in_VA]

6. A much greater loss than Hulk Hogan!

He also wrote many songs for "The Electric Company", many of which my kids knew by heart. "Vincent the Vegetable Vampire" was a great favorite that they belted out frequently. Several years ago he released all his songs into the public domain.

RIP, Tom. You gave many of us great joy and a lot of laughs, and our kids wonderful ways of learning.

[Jean Genie]

30. RIP Tom

Indeed! A much greater loss than Hulk Hogan.

[JT45242]

7. This full concert is so awesome

?si=9NLAlZ9r4CL2Hny9

I loved his music. Not sure he would have considered himself a filker, but he inspired generations of Filker satirists.

[TheRickles]

20. Yes, thank goodness it was recorded! He was a great influence on me, and on many, many others.

[electric_blue68]

39. Filks! Loved Star Wars filks, ha!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. 97. He's been around forever. Thanks. NT

[regnaD kciN]

10. .

[DFW]

11. Tom Lehrer was probably the most brilliant American musical satirist of the 20th century.

[Lionel Mandrake]

19. I agree with your assessment.

I was going to post some of his songs, but you beat me to it.

My wife and I heard Tom Lehrer at the Hungry I (a night club) in San Francisco in the 1960s. His act had top billing. The other act that evening was a then-unknown group called the Kingston Trio (!).

There's so much I could say about Tom Lehrer's music and lyrics, but I'll limit my comments to just the first song you posted.

Does anybody but me ever listen, I mean really listen, to the piano accompaniment? I keep asking people if they noticed the musical quotations. The songs quoted are the German National Anthem and "Ach du lieber Augustine". The former occurs at the very beginning of the song. Think: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles." It is disguised by changing the time signature from 4/4 to 3/4. In other words, what was originally a march is turned into a waltz.

I would like to encourage everyone, and particularly musicians, to listen to "Wernher von Braun" again, and pay attention this time!

[Pinback]

31. Thanks for the comments on Lehrer's piano playing.

I knew he was a great musician, but I hadn’t noticed the instrumental satire! Wow, what a talent.

[Hekate]

42. These are still topical as all get out, and a wry pleasure to listen to!

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. A few years ago he released all his compositions to the public domain

So anybody can record or perform his songs, royalty free.

I guess his pension from teaching math at UCSC was enough so that he didn’t need the income from his songs.

[niyad]

13. "political satire became obsolete when kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. From Weird Al Yankovic

Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
https://bsky.app/profile/reichlinmelnick.bsky.social

Al Yankovic
‪@alyankovic.bsky.social‬

Follow
My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.
Photo of Tom Lehrer
ALT
July 27, 2025 at 1:33 PM

My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.

— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic.bsky.social) 2025-07-27T17:33:23.137Z

[edbermac]

16. Still have some of his CDs

And saw a musical in Boston called Tomfoolery based on his songs.

RIP

"If, after hearing my songs, just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps to strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while."

[FadedMullet]

34. The quote that you have used in your post made me laugh. Funny, but also a perfect example of Lehrer's humor.

[CloudWatcher]

17. RIP (and CNN)

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2025, 02:58 AM - Edit history (1)

Front page story of maggot Hulk Hogan passing, not a word of Tom Lehrer anywhere on CNN.

It might be time to add all of CNN to my ad-blocking software, it's just ridiculous.

Edited to add: CNN finally put a story up. I guess it was the weekend and most of them had gone home.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. Didn't know he was still around

RIP

[AllaN01Bear]

21. heard his songs on dr demento

[Gimpyknee]

22. One of his better ones - Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

[jmbar2]

24. Good one!

&t=175s

[Pinback]

33. Flawless.

I’m in awe of this guy’s ability as a lyricist, pianist, and vocalist. His mordant wit will live on.

[Paladin]

36. "And maybe we'll do in a SQUIRREL or two..."

Good stuff.

[MuseRider]

23. I saw him once, I think twice but

I am unsure so we will keep it at once. He was a riot. My Mother who could barely stand me would take me to some concerts because I was a musician and she wanted to see the funny people mostly. It actually worked out well and we had a good time together those few times. He really was a funny guy.

RIP

[Warpy]

25. Had all his LPs at one point

but I never saw him perform, a real pity since his stage patter was legendary. I did hear him on the local PBS stations in Boston from time to time.

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" is an enduring favorite of mine, that one just never gets old.

[Deep State Witch]

26. We did Vids to "Masochism Tango" and "Be Prepared"

Back when my husband and I were doing songvids by putting clips of TV shows to songs, we did two of them to Tom Lehrer songs - Masochism Tango (Farscape) and Be Prepared (Andromeda).

Tom Lehrer was a fucking genius. But please, someone go find Weird Al and wrap him in bubble wrap!

[Susan Calvin]

27. Dammit.

[usonian]

28. Tom Lehrer has graciously gifted us with lyrics and scores to his music.

https://tomlehrersongs.com/category/sheet-music/



Waiver of copyright. THAK YOU, TOM.
WE LOVE YOU AND YOUR WIT AND MUSIC.
https://tomlehrersongs.com/disclaimer/

I, Tom Lehrer, individually and as trustee of the Tom Lehrer Trust 2007, hereby grant the following permissions:

All copyrights to lyrics or music written or composed by me have been permanently and irrevocably relinquished, and therefore such songs are now in the public domain. All of my songs that have never been copyrighted, having been available for free for so long, are now also in the public domain. In other words, I have abandoned, surrendered and disclaimed all right, title and interest in and to my work and have injected any and all copyrights into the public domain.

The permission granted includes all lyrics which I have written to music by others, although the music to such parodies, if copyrighted by their composers, are of course not included without permission of their copyright owners. The translated songs on this website may be found on YouTube in their original languages.

Performing and recording rights to all of my songs are included in this permission. Translation rights are also included.

In particular, permission is hereby granted to anyone to set any of these lyrics to their own music, or to set any of this music to their own lyrics, and to publish or perform their parodies or distortions of these songs without payment or fear of legal action.

Some recording, movie, and television rights to songs written by me are merely licensed non-exclusively by me to recording, movie, or TV companies. All such rights are now released herewith and therefore do not require any permission from me or from Maelstrom Music, which is merely me in another hat, nor from the recording, movie, or TV companies involved.

In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs.

So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money.

NOTICE:
THIS WEBSITE WILL BE SHUT DOWN AT SOME DATE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, SO IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD ANYTHING, DON’T WAIT TOO LONG.
Tom Lehrer

November 26, 2022

[yliza]

29. I got into trouble for singing National Brotherhood Week in the 5th grade lol

I loved his stuff.

RIP Tom Lehrer, your music will live on.

[DinahMoeHum]

32. I've quoted from one of his songs lately. . .

. . .on several posts regarding migrant labor.

It was from the song "George Murphy" (former US Senator from CA)

I replaced "George" with "Trump" and "Mexican" with "immigrant". My revised version:

Should Americans pick crops? Trump says no,
'Cause no one but an immigrant would stoop so low,
And after all, even in Egypt, the Pharaohs
had to import. . . .Hebrew braceros"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rest In Power and In Peace, Professor. Thanks for the music and the laughs.

[struggle4progress]

35. The Irish Ballad

[Hekate]

37. Loved what I heard of Lehrer back in high school in the '60s. Finally bought his collection when I saw it on CDs ...

… at Borders, decades later. My gods that man was brilliant! The first time I heard the Periodic Table put to music was when I got the CDs, and I just knew if I had that back in high school my Chem class experience would have been much better — because for whatever reason I really remember things set to music.

I’m glad he had a long life. Did I mention he was brilliant?

[Jilly_in_VA]

38. When I was in college at UW-Madison

the group I hung out with were insane Tom Lehrer fans. A couple of the guys were taking the first semester of Art History which featured pre-Columbian art, and they actually parodied "national Brotherhood Week"! What I remember is:

Oh, the Olmecs hate the Toltecs,
And the Toltecs hate the Zapotecs,
And the Mayans hate the Aztecs,
And everybody hates Peru!
But during Meso-American Week,
Meso-American Week,
Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl are dancing cheek to cheek!
It's fun to sacrifice
Someone you despise
And let the others hang around and drool!

I told you we were crazy back then. Too much pot.

[electric_blue68]

40. RIP. Vatican Rag, National Brotherhood Week are the two I remember...

Idk if he did a anti-nuclear power song....but I remember the lyrics;
"stand in the fountain, and light up the park"
Referring to the glow from radiation.

I probably heard them through WBAI; a Pacifica Radio station.

[Liberal In Texas]

41. Another one of the greats from my college days has gone.

Loved his satire. At the time there were very few political satirists. A must to listen to while the Vietnam War was raging.

So sad, he was one of a kind.

[DFW]

43. Although TFT are parodists instead of cabarestists, we unashamedly claim Tom Lehrer as one of our main inspirations

Some of our best Lehrer-inspired efforts.
Strangers On The Right:

Wasting Away in Mar-a-Lagoville:

Ring Of Liars:

Dumb Down:

No Business Like No Business:

Without Tom Lehrer as an inspiration, we probably never would have gotten around to doing any of these.

[MurrayDelph]

44. At least he went peacefully. Peacefully. Peaceful-l-y