wow - Tom Lehrer captures today's politics from 50 years ago

[rurallib]

If you have newer heard of Tom Lehrer he is a math professor and in an earlier life a musical satirist in the late 50s - early 60s.
Way, Way ahead of his time. Much of his stuff still holds up.
Here is one I had never heard until just now - enjoy. I think you can see lots of application to politics:

Selling out
Is easy to do
It's not so hard
To find a buyer for you

When money talks
You're under its spell
Ah, but what do you have when there's nothing left to sell?

Selling out (I'd rather call it compromise)
Is easy to do (Sometimes you have to close your eyes)
It's not so hard (Being rich is no disgrace)
To find a buyer for you (Put on your shoes and join the race)

When money talks (It has a very soothing voice)
You're under its spell (It's up to you to make the choice)
Ah, but what do you have when there's nothing left to sell?
(Before you know it there'll be nothing left to sell)

You can't always break the rules
People who try are fools
When you get older
Maybe then you will see

I've always found ideals
Don't take the place of meals
That's how it is and how it will always be

It's so nice to have integrity
I'll tell you why
If you really have integrity
It means your price is very high

So remember when you start to preach
And moralize
That we all are in the game and brother its name is compromise

Selling out (I'd rather call it compromise) [It's so nice to have integrity]
Is easy to do (Sometimes you have to close your eyes) [I'll tell you why]
It's not so hard (Being rich is no disgrace) [If you really have integrity]
To find a buyer for you (Put on your shoes and join the race)[It means your price is very high]

When money talks (It has a very soothing voice) [So remember when you start to preach]
You're under its spell (It's up to you to make the choice) [And moralize]
Ah, but what do you have when there's nothing left to sell?
(Before you know it there'll be nothing left to sell)
[That we all are in the game and brother its name is compromise]

[hobbit709]

1. He was right about a lot of things in his songs.

[dipsydoodle]

2. I've still got 10" 33rpm vinyl of that and others

kicking around somewhere from those days.

[graham4anything]

3. Two things about Professor Tom Lehrer, who has lived on because of Dr. Demento's show

number one-

he didn't continue in this profession and went back to being a full time professor because what he was doing he considered juvenile and not productive

number two-
he came back onto the scene later on directly because of the mass exposure with Dr. Demento, meaning in essence

he sold out

I love him anyway. Even though he has played his angle nicely.

Reminds me of Mike Nesmith, the least important part of the hit making singles group The Monkees (phrased that way on purpose).
For years he disavowed the Monkees, making one or just a couple of reunion appearances.
It was beneath him.
Besides, he was rich off his mother's invention of Wite-Out. Made millions

except that wite-out is obsolete now.Juxtaposed with Davy Jones death and voila, instant monkees reunion.
What a sell-out himself.


As Tom Lehrer wrote "we will all go together when we go", and if playing Lehrer songs remmeber his most famous
"Poisonin' pigeons in the Park", and "She gave it to him"

The lesson of Prof. Tom though is not literal in his songs. It is he gave us humor, wit, satire and little respite from the insanity of the hate in life.
Tom Lehrer bought a little love into the world. I love Professor Tom Lehrer.

Wish he had kept going and didn't think this college stuff was something he needed to grow out of.

and this quote from wiki(along with the paragraph directly under this in my post-

Lehrer quoted a friend: “Always predict the worst and you’ll be hailed as a prophet.”



BTW-for those 6 degreess of seperation fans (of which I am most certainly not)-
a little WELL KNOWN trivia about Prof. Tom Lehrer
and I will quote and cite it so those can't say I made this up-(fact is stranger than fiction folks, but this is well known to any Dr. Demento fan, and I love the good doctor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lehrer
Lehrer earned his AB in mathematics (magna cum laude) from Harvard University in 1946, when he was nineteen.[7] He received his MA degree the next year, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He taught classes at MIT, Harvard, and Wellesley.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. A genius and a visionary. n/t

[roamer65]

6. You bet he was!

I heard he finally stopped the satire songs because he simply got disgusted with how bad things were becoming.

A true visionary.

I like what he said about Bu$h and his minions...that he did not want to satirize them, he wanted to vaporize them.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. I'm surprised he's still around , frankly. He had me LMAO in the early 70's.

He was sort of passe even then. But not to me.

My fave:

"Zat's not my depahtment, says Vernher Von Braun."


Hey, young 'uns: investigate!

[DreamGypsy]

5. The song appears on the Rhino 3 CD collection The Remains of Tom Lehrer

released in 2006. It's the 2nd to the last song on disc 3.

Definitely not my favorite song of Tom's musically, but the lyrics are good.