Yet Another Song Book by Tom Lehrer

by Tom Lehrer

A new collection of songs by the American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician. His pithy and humorous songs often parodied popular musical forms, such as the famous “The Elements”. Lehrer’s work typically is also noted for its black humor in songs such as “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”. In the 1960s, he produced a number of songs that dealt with social and political issues of the day, particularly when he wrote for the U.S. version of the television show That Was the Week That Was. The popularity of these songs has far outlasted their topical subjects and references. Lehrer quoted a friend’s “Always predict the worst and you’ll be hailed as a prophet.” In the early 1970s, Lehrer largely retired from public performances to devote his time to teaching mathematics and musical theater history at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

311 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2020

About the author

Thomas Andrew Lehrer was an American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, who later taught mathematics and musical theater.

He was best known for the songs that he recorded in the 1950s and 1960 (while also lecturing on mathematics at Harvard among other colleges). Many were satirical, such as "Fight Fiercely, Harvard," a suggested fight song for his alma mater. Some dealt with social issues of the day, such as "Pollution" and "I Wanna Go Back to Dixie" (a highly unflattering view of the South during Integration), while others were offbeat black humor ("Poisoning Pigeons in the Park").