Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer with Not Enough Drawings by Ronald Searle [Paperback]

Tom Lehrer (Author), Ronald Searle (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1981

The subversive songs of Tom Lehrer, the sardonic piano-wielding fugitive from Harvard, have corrupted generations of Americans since he first began recording and performing in the 1950s. His uniquely depraved wit has been forced again on an unsuspecting public' via Tomfoolery, the stage revue based on his ever-trenchant observation of the American scene. This new songbook, with old favorites unavailable for years as well as never-published songs, is the most comprehensive ever assembled. It contains the words, tunes, piano accompaniments, and guitar chords for these thirty-four classics:

The Irish Ballad

Fight Fiercely, Harvard!

Be Prepared

The Old Dope Peddler

The Wild West Is Where I

Want to Be

I Wanna Go Back to Dixie

Lobachevsky

The Hunting Song

I Hold Your Hand in Mine

My Home Town

L-Y

When You Are Old and Gray

The Wiener Schnitzel Waltz

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

A Christmas Carol

Bright College Days

In Old Mexico

She's My Girl

The Elements

The Masochism Tango

National Brotherhood Week

MLF Lullaby

The Folk Song Army

Smut

Send the Marines

New Math

Pollution

So Long, Mom

Who's Next?

Wemher Von Braun

We Will All Go Together

When We Go

I Got It from Agnes

Silent E

The Vatican Rag

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The subversive songs of Tom Lehrer, the sardonic piano-wielding fugitive from Harvard, have corrupted generations of Americans since he first began recording and performing in the 1950s. His uniquely depraved wit has been forced again on an unsuspecting public' via Tomfoolery, the stage revue based on his ever-trenchant observation of the American scene. This new songbook, with old favorites unavailable for years as well as never-published songs, is the most comprehensive ever assembled. It contains the words, tunes, piano accompaniments, and guitar chords for these thirty-four classics:

The Irish Ballad

Fight Fiercely, Harvard!

Be Prepared

The Old Dope Peddler

The Wild West Is Where I

Want to Be

I Wanna Go Back to Dixie

Lobachevsky

The Hunting Song

I Hold Your Hand in Mine

My Home Town

L-Y

When You Are Old and Gray

The Wiener Schnitzel Waltz

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

A Christmas Carol

Bright College Days

In Old Mexico

She's My Girl

The Elements

The Masochism Tango

National Brotherhood Week

MLF Lullaby

The Folk Song Army

Smut

Send the Marines

New Math

Pollution

So Long, Mom

Who's Next?

Wemher Von Braun

We Will All Go Together

When We Go

I Got It from Agnes

Silent E

The Vatican Rag

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1st edition (October 12, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394749308
• ISBN-13: 978-0394749303
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Lieder & Art Songs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book has good selection at a good value., July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer with Not Enough Drawings by Ronald Searle (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book a great deal, and here is why. There are thirty-four songs of his in this book and in most of the songs the piano part is very close to what Tom Lehrer played on his albums. The book contains piano, guitar chords, and the vocal score. I highly recommend this book over the hardback book, "The Tom Lehrer Song Book." This other book only contains twelve songs and I believe it costs more. You will get every cent of your money's worth with "Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer." The only reason I don't give it five stars is that it does not have all of his songs.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Lehrer's muse is not inhibited by taste... thankfully, September 4, 1999

By 

djh (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer with Not Enough Drawings by Ronald Searle (Paperback)

For anyone that has ever heard a Tom Lehrer song and become an instant devotee this book will assuredly help his retirement fund - and good luck to him. For many, Tom Lehrer was (and still is) one of the best and blackest satirists of the 1940's - 1960's. The humour and vitriol in his songs is as fresh as ever in this book and you too will find yourself wanting to Poison Pigeons in the Park, Be Prepared, dance either the Masochism Tango or the Vatican Rag and generally All Go Together When We Go.

There is no neat way of explaining Tom Lehrer thankfully. Just buy it.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but I was expecting more, March 23, 1999

By 

G. Sager (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer with Not Enough Drawings by Ronald Searle (Paperback)

I liked the book, as a whole, but if you are planning to buy it, the songs, OEDIPUS, ALMA, MAKES A FELLA PROUD TO BE A SOLDIER, CLEMENTINE are missing. Also, in MY HOME TOWN the line omitted in all recordings is also omitted. A last comment, many of the scores are different from those used by Mr. Lehrer in performances.