Tom Lehrer - A Christmas Carol

[@toshirodragon]

Tom Lehrer is a national treasure.

[@annbush1826]

The most brilliant man of a generation, he combines Dorothy Parker’s caustic wit, Ogden Nash’s rhyming with his own high intellect and concert pianist level talents. He has generously put these albums on the internet!

[@Sergei_Ivanovich_Mosin]

I swear his songs will never stop being relevant

[@oxyharmonic]

I don't think he was insane in the slightest. this is the most sensible christmas song i've heard in ages.

[@Frigid_Knight]

Someone from church asked me to put together a mix tape of Christmas songs for a Christmas dinner this year. I doubt she knew something like this little number would make it's way in.

[@TheHutchy01]

I have a feeling they didn't ask you last year.

[@richardportman8912]

Well thanks.

[@d-brothers3112]

Don't tempt me

[@tednoon3526]

Well played!!!

[@Frigid_Knight]

@@d-brothers3112 too late

[@sfs2040]

This song came out in 1959. My how times have NOT changed with the commercialism.

[@E-102_Gamma]

"The more things change..."

[@livedandletdie]

..."The more the sameness of things will be known"

[@sokinrev]

sfs2040 I remember it since 1955-56.

[@TheLocomono9]

truly a legend

[@aramilalpha1]

This dude is both awesome/insane He was a mathematician by trade, and incidentally was brilliant at turning a tune.

[@drkyre]

And he is still live and kicking in Santa Cruz...

[@elliotskydel875]

Uh, he's still alive.

[@joyunicycle]

My music teacher sang this and it was awesome to not only hear the audience of all ages laugh, but we were probably the only two in the whole building who knew who Tom Lehrer is!

[@paulbennett4548]

The ultimate Christmas song, even more fitting these days. I sing it each year to my Family, even my great Grandchildren are complaining. Wonderful!

[@ladyxera5231]

I love how he drops a little hors d'oeuvre of scatological humor on us, just so we don't think he's losing his touch

[@twistedtachyon5877]

Drops it on *you* maybe... I steer clear when passed from above. ;)

[@uremove]

"The best present I received was a gift certificate - good at any hospital - for a lobotomy" Makes it almost worth having to endure Christmas just so it could feature in a Tom Lehrer song!

[@reneelaventure7925]

HA!

[@HenryAlliance]

I've been singing this one since I was a child.

[@arronz5325]

Same

[@flawlessmeans]

I GREW UP ON TOM, MY OLDER SISTER HAD A CHANCE TO SEE HIM IN CONCERT,I WAS SO UPSET AT BEING TOO YOUNG TO GO!

[@arronz5325]

I also grew up on him

[@Sunflowers159]

I love his songs. I have a book of them - complete with music notation.

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

So what? 😉😅🤣😂

[@RedheDude]

This song pretty much sums up my entire range of emotions for this season.

[@dehdeh55]

People have been complaining about the over-commercialization of Christmas for a long time, and Lehrer caught this with beauty and wit. Note the weaving of beloved song tunes into the clever satire so it all fits. It sounds good.. Respond to awesome/insane- I agree he was awesome, but believe that he was a good deal more sane than most.

[@G6JPG]

"The world is full of people who, through no fault of their own, are sane." (I forget where I got that.) I agree, TL is more sane than many.

[@PeterHAdams]

Always liked Lehrer's sense of humor.

[@KariSinkko]

Merry purchases to one and all.

[@scottburton9701]

A certifiable classic!

[@scottburton2218]

This song is just as relevant today as it was back in the day.

[@juliebiddle1636]

Even more so. I think he would be astounded at how much MORE commercial it has become.

[@flumpyhumpy]

Lehrer's songs are timeless. Particularly his political satire. "Send the Marines" has perfectly described US foreign policy for over 50 years.

[@folderolofdestiny4236]

That is because no one has done anything about flying reindeer poop.

[@davidlafleche1142]

@@folderolofdestiny4236 Even better: Green Christmas by Stan Freberg. And my all-time favorite: Christmas at Ground Zero by Weird Al.

[@lucigaiah]

" Christmas time is here, by golly, Disapproval would be folly, Deck the halls with hunks of holly, Fill the cup and don't say "when." Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens, Mix the punch, drag out the dickens, Even though the prospect sickens, Brother, here we go again. On christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to rob him all the more The other three hundred and sixty-four. Relations, sparing no expense'll Send some useless old utensil, Or a matching pen and pencil. "just the thing I need! how nice!" It doesn't matter how sincere it Is, nor how heartfelt the spirit, Sentiment will not endear it, What's important is the price. Hark the herald tribune sings, Advertising wondrous things. God rest ye merry, merchants, May you make the yuletide pay. Angels we have heard on high Tell us to go out and buy! So let the raucous sleigh bells jingle, Hail our dear old friend kris kringle, Driving his reindeer across the sky. Don't stand underneath when they fly by."

[@phill531]

Still as funny as it was back in the early 60s :O)

[@juliesongbird1]

going to include this in our Christmas Eve program for the lighter touch!

[@marciajacobs1105]

Love him so much! Unbelievably brilliant!

[@DaekoTan]

"God rest ye merry merchants may ye make the yuletide pay!"

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

He was an expert in many things. I read a mini bio yrs ago. Fascinating dude .

[@TheMikester307]

I first heard this in College around Christmastime---wonderful!

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

My favorite Christmas song for three decades.

[@goodkawz]

If you like Lehrer's Christmas Carol, you might also like Stan Freberg's "Green Christmas".

[@davidlafleche1142]

Loved it !!! "Green Christmas" was so nasty, it got almost NO airplay for over 20 years.

[@redk1ng75]

Lehrer and Freberg both have/had cajones you could see from orbit. Absolute heroes.

[@1000g2g3g4g800999]

It's that time of year again.

[@6020e3]

Fantastic. Tom Lehrer is such a brilliant satirist, too bad he is not known by too many people. You should also try Eric Idle's "Fuck Christmas", it always reminds me of Lehrer's song.

[@themadlibrarian2933]

Try "Christmas at the Airport" by Nick Lowe

[@kathleenferguson3296]

Wow. "Not too many people"? I grew up on his music, and Everybody sang his stuff!

[@Shindai]

What a legend, wonderful wit

[@carolynsibley1882]

Wonderful still in 2020 thanks Ben and the Quarantine Choir for teaching us this one ☝️

[@theskyehiker]

The man was a genius. At some point he decided he couldn’t continue. I hope he is comfortable.

[@kkhohoho1]

It's that time of the year again. Tis the spirt of the season...

[@DuckStalker13]

I sung this in a choir a few years ago. It was awesome

[@BNK2442]

Watching this on Christmas.

[@neringaklimanskaite7576]

Šiandien diena jums rodo nykštį! Galit kaip toj dainoj😊

[@bobross4449]

It’s Black Friday you know what time it is

[@ebs8786]

All fans of the great Tom L might enjoy this 2013 interview with him, his first interview in decades. www.prx.org/pieces/104334-tom-lehrer-at-85

[@enjoiNirvana]

This was great

[@blathermore]

His indifference to religion reminds me of P.G. Wodehouse and being a devout Christian, I decided that people who are sitting on God's lap already don't really need more religion. I go by the life, not the words.

[@fatuusdottore]

Tom Lehrer

[@Vitance]

How appropriate-before the video would start I was forced to watch an ad for a smart phone or something with Christmas music in the background. -__-

[@goreth01]

@tedmania4: Don't count on it. I like Tom Lehrer, but I first heard about this one on Richard Dawkins' homepage. Christmas is whatever you make of it. I'm an atheist but I think it makes for a good occasion to celebrate with the family. Merry Christmas!

[@THE-HammerMan]

This man was a genius!

[@peterr7321]

Also he was a mathematician at Harvard university!

[@rebelscum7870]

Yup

[@smegmacheez]

Tom Lehrer's ''A Christmas Carol'' and lrving Berlin's ''White Christmas'' is proof that Jews write the best Christmas songs.

[@americanaviator676]

@56Packman Actually, I bet it hasn't changed for a long time even prior.

[@mind_onion]

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[@RobertBalto]

I propose we go carolling this Christmas with this song and a donation box to the Humanist society

[@18martyk]

A perfect tribute to the over-commercialism of Christmas. Bravo, Tom!

[@privetprivetprivet]

@GoblinKnightLeo i realize i'm responding to old comments, but still: Jewish ethnicity and nationality exist as much as the religion, Judaism. Traditionally, you are a Jew either if your mother was Jewish or if you converted. If your mother was Jewish but you didn't believe in Judaism, you were still a "Jew", as were your children. Now some definitions have changed, but there are many atheists that still identify as "Jewish". The wikipedia article called "Who is a Jew?" covers this in detail.

[@frankvalentich5410]

Merry Christmas, everyone. I won't say anything about 2022 for fear of incurring Murphy's wrath, but I hope you're all alright.

[@yaceya]

Well, technically, there was a "Santa Baby" song written 1953, as a bit lighter version, but of the very similar attitude regarding Christmas as it is celebrated in consumer society.

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

Yep! Good memory!

[@carolynsibley1882]

Still relevant 🤩

[@scorekeepn]

I have Lehrer's triple album. How did you like the photo of him with the piano and the seat belt at the Grand Canyon?

[@SullivanKatie]

This should be played in every Argos in the world!

[@Twil1ght2000]

Brilliant!

[@SteveGoldfield]

From the photo, I suspect that this is from a concert, I think in Norway, which is available on a DVD.

[@AJNorth]

This recording is from the album "An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer," made on March 20-21, 1959 in the Sanders Theater at Harvard (during live performances).

[@lynette.]

Still as on the button as back then.

[@waytoobiased]

more accurately, our societal addiction to spending money for no good reason has continued, and probably gotten even worse since the 1950s. this song feeling so evergreen is not a good look for our society

[@TOR1Hershman]

Master Lehrer, the absolute apogee of satire . I bet he'd like me wee parody of "Here Comes Santa Claus" .

[@jack002tuber]

2020 loves this song

[@privetprivetprivet]

@blackMAMBA724 i realize i'm responding to old comments, but still: Jewish ethnicity and nationality exist as much as the religion, Judaism. Traditionally, you are a Jew either if your mother was Jewish or if you converted. If your mother was Jewish but you didn't believe in Judaism, you were still a "Jew", as were your children. Now some definitions have changed, but there are many atheists that still identify as "Jewish". The wikipedia article called "Who is a Jew?" covers this in detail.

[@ODeltan]

Christmas... Christmas never changes

[@zak0937]

Quote from "The Fallout Christmas Carol"

[@Puellile]

Given how long ago Abraham is meant to have existed, by this time he'll either have no descendants left or be the ancestor of most of the world.

[@estpst]

Listening in 2018

[@privetprivetprivet]

@blackMAMBA724 no. First of all, I suggest you read up a little before arguing. The torah is one of three section in the tanakh, aka the hebrew bible. The tanakh is more or less the old testament. Also, Jewish law comes from the Halakha, which is in part based on the tanakh. A convert is a Jew with the Jewish law applying fully to him (with a few exceptions).I suggest you start by reading the wiki articles "who is a jew?","tanakh","halakha",if you dont want to get yourself a good book on judaism

[@privetprivetprivet]

@blackMAMBA724 well, christianity is a whole different story from Judaism. Some of the appeal was that conversion to christianity is much simpler, and Christians dont follow the many strict rules of Judaism (kosher, Shabbat, etc.). But you cant really argue about Judaism without some background, so I suggest you read a bit about it, it really is interesting. And I really need to get around to reading the quaran some day...

[@Languslangus]

🎅

[@diddles4746]

my primary school teacher taught us this song and claimed he wrote it himself, he just changed a few words 😂

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

That may fall under Jewish law, I'll admit. I'm not familiar with much of Jewish law. However, the idea of Jews as a race began with the Spanish Inquisition. I know that much for a fact. I would have thought that Jews would not want to perpetuate an idea that was formed for the express purpose of persecuting them.

[@fatuusdottore]

@mabarry3 YES. He totally should. I love him. xD

[@MisterJeffy]

The zooming pictures are obnoxious.

[@timothy3732]

Yes they are. WTF was his problem with that shit?

[@waytoobiased]

2008 KZbin editing was quite a bit different

[@BabyBop999]

Is there irony in the fact that you double posted this?

[@RobertBalto]

I find the thumbs up feature to be rather lame...but I just gave you one on here because I would actually give you one in person hahaha

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

Hm, wonder how many 'fingers' he's been given....😅🤣😂

[@chrisbell1993]

Baah Humbug - Brilliant..... If you like this try "The Element Song" Tom Lehrer

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

Oh, yeah. It's been updated by a couple of his fans. Equally entertaining.

[@georgemontgomery6275]

Brilliant. Wish I could forward this to Facebook.

[@juliebiddle1636]

You can. Just copy the URL and paste it into a post.

[@blueskymhb25]

Don't stand under when they fly by!!!!!

[@mrbobmanbob]

I don't particularly remember that, no.

[@DoctorGibbon]

2019

[@FungusMossGnosis]

@siragwatkins Interesting, but not quite true... Shane MacGowan ("Fairytale of New York") for example, isn't Jewish. There are others....

[@arstgkneio]

can we do this instead of rap?

[@celticsaga]

XDDD this is great!

[@privetprivetprivet]

@blackMAMBA724 what? A guy from england can become Jewish by conversion, as can anybody else. Its a fundamental principle in Judaism: you don't need to be related to Abraham, anyone can convert. Also, Israelite doesnt equal Jew, an Israelite is someone living in Israel. There are many Muslims, Christians, and Druze living in Israel, as well as atheists with non-Jewish ancestors.

[@MrsMurphy414]

Yes, it has... It's even worse now... :-/

[@blackMAMBA724]

@privetprivetprivet o i think we have a misunderstanding. I accept Judaism as both an ethnicity and a religion. my only point was that some guy from england with no bloodline connecting him to abraham and the rest of the jews can't properly become Jewish since he's not a descendant of abraham. but ya i agree that an Israelite who doesn't believe in god is still Jewish.

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

@privetprivetprivet You are referring to a tradition, not to a definition. Besides which, the point I'm trying to make is that having Jewish ancestors does not make one Jewish, because there is no longer a nation of Judeah. If there was, it would be a nationality. The idea of Jews being "the children of Abraham" requires that Abraham have really existed, and there is even less evidence that he did than there is that Jesus existed.

[@Triniwomaninred]

haha...nice

[@JoeRailfan]

Lehrer! Thou shouldst be performing at this hour: / America hath need of thee: she is a fen ...!

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

...and a bog, a marsh. A cesspool, perhaps....😉

[@waytoobiased]

anticapitalist icon

[@thedroplett214]

man. i want the lyrics. is too damn funny. :)))

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

The Droplett Christmas time is here, by golly Disapproval would be folly Deck the halls with hunks of holly Fill the cup and don't say when Kill the turkeys, ducks, and chickens Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens Even though the prospect sickens, Brother, here we go again On Christmas Day, you can't get sore Your fellow man you must adore There's time to rob him all the more The other three hundred and sixty-four Relations, sparing no expense, 'll Send some useless old utensil Or a matching pen and pencil! "Just the thing I need. How nice." It doesn't matter how sincere it Is, nor how heartfelt the spirit Sentiment will not endear it What's important is the price. Hark, the Herald Tribune sings Advertising wondrous things God rest ye, merry merchants, May ye make thy Yuletide pay Angels we have heard on high Tell us to go out and buy! So... Let the raucous sleighbells jingle Hail our dear old friend Kris Kringle Driving his reindeer across the sky Don't stand underneath when they fly by!

[@tonan63]

seldome is one as wise as this elementary dude.

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

Now THAT'S funny!

[@MURDERPILLOW.]

0:55

[@blackMAMBA724]

@GoblinKnightLeo Judaism is explicitly defined as: those who are the sons and daughters of Abraham. The story is that God gave Abraham and all of his family the gift of being his chosen people since abraham loved god so mush that he would've given his only son's life for god. So it is a classification of people and exclusive to only those people. You can marry a Jew and then convert since technically you'd still be family but random ppl can't properly convert to judaism.

[@G6JPG]

Dictionaries record how people _use_ language, not how it _should_ be used. As such, I fear you'll find they record both usages - probably all three, if you include the historical geographical use as well as the religious and racial. (I fear you'll also find the prejudicial/disrespectful uses.)

[@codemaster2k]

Burp !

[@wahkeema]

Actually...it's both. It's the only classification of people that is both an ethnicity and a religion.

[@blackMAMBA724]

@privetprivetprivet i misused the word israelite, true. I've never read any form of the torah, but i've been told that it practically the same as the old testament of the bible. so in the bible im almost certain that God told Abraham that his sons and daughters would be his chosen people/Jews. And later Jesus saved all the gentiles. So doesn't that mean that you must be a descendant of abraham to be Jewish?

[@justdom80]

@Dyslexica Well, Your lord and savior doesn't really drive the economy. commercialization means jobs, and that is what we really need now. Oh, and in all likelihood, there is no god. Yay Tom Lehrer!

[@privetprivetprivet]

@GoblinKnightLeo there is no definition of "Jewishness". Orthodox Jews consider other people to be Jews by the rules in the halakha, ie matrilineally or by conversion. You can say you are not a Jew, but others will consider you Jewish. You can be Jewish and embrace Jewish culture while being an atheist and rejecting the religion.While there is less evidence for the existence of Abraham than of Jesus, if you don't believe that Jesus was a real historical figure, i'm not continuing this discussion

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

Irving Berlin wasn't Jewish. he was an atheist

[@SgtCancer]

The shopping centres are getting violent this time of year... 56Packman is right. Nothing has changed since then.

[@blackMAMBA724]

@privetprivetprivet wow, now i'm thinking that there is no point to jesus. If anyone can convert to judaism then there is nothing special about christianity. ppl can just choose not to be a gentile. and don't be so quick to say ppl are ignorant about a topic. I've got the bible and quaran under my belt and i thought the old testament and having a couple of jewish friends would provide enough insight for a general discussion on judaism. I was at least referring to abraham for evidence.

[@lordlynchy]

@Saiaton KNOB