Before attending college, Lehrer graduated from the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. As an undergraduate student at Harvard University, he began to write comic songs to entertain his friends, including Fight Fiercely, Harvard (1945). Those songs later became (in a joking reference to a leading scientific journal, The Physical Review) The Physical Revue. Influenced mainly by musical theater, his style consisted of parodying then-current forms of popular song. For example, his appreciation of list songs led him to set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Major-General's Song".
Inspired by the success of his performances of his songs, he paid for some studio time to record an album, Songs By Tom Lehrer, which he sold by mail order. Self-published and unpromoted, the album, which included the macabre (I Hold Your Hand in Mine), the mildly risqué (Be Prepared), and the mathematical (Lobachevsky), became a success via word of mouth. With a cult hit, he embarked on a series of concert tours and released a second album, which came in two versions: the songs were the same but More Songs by Tom Lehrer was studio-recorded, while An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer was recorded live in concert.
Lehrer's major break into the United Kingdom came as a result of the citation accompanying an honorary degree given to Princess Margaret, where she cited musical tastes as "catholic, ranging from Mozart to Tom Lehrer". This produced significant interest in his works, and helped secure distributors for his material. Ironically, it was in the UK where his music ended up more popular due to the proliferation of university newspapers referring to the material, and the willingness of the BBC to play his songs on the radio (something that was a rarity in the USA).
By the early 1960s, Lehrer had retired from touring (which he intensely disliked) and was employed as the resident songwriter for the US edition of That Was The Week That Was (TW3), a satirical TV show. An increased proportion of his output became overtly political, or at least topical, on subjects such as pollution (Pollution), Vatican II (The Vatican Rag), race relations (National Brotherhood Week), education (New Math), American militarism (Send the Marines), World War III nostalgia (So Long, Mom, premiered by Steve Allen), and nuclear proliferation (Who's Next? and MLF Lullaby). He also wrote a song which satirized the alleged amorality of Wernher von Braun. A selection of these songs was released in the album That Was The Year That Was.
The record deal with Reprise Records for the That Was The Year That Was album also gave Reprise distribution rights for Lehrer's earlier recordings, as Lehrer wanted to shut down his own Lehrer Records. The Reprise issue of Songs by Tom Lehrer was a stereo re-recording. This version was not issued on CD, but the songs were issued on the live Tom Lehrer Revisited on CD instead.
There is an urban legend that Lehrer gave up political satire when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Henry Kissinger in 1973. He did say that the awarding of the prize to Kissinger made political satire obsolete, but has denied that he stopped doing satire as a form of protest, and asserts that he had stopped doing satire several years earlier. Another urban legend held that he had been sued for libel by the subject of one of his songs, Wernher Von Braun, and been forced to relinquish all of his royalty income to Von Braun. However, Lehrer firmly denied this in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. (He had also mentioned Frank Fontaine and Jerry Lewis in "National Brotherhood Week", in an uncomplimentary context, on the same album, but nothing resulted from that.)
When asked about his reasons for abandoning his musical career, he cited a simple lack of interest, a distaste for touring, and boredom with performing the same songs repeatedly. He has observed that when he was moved to write and perform songs, he did; when he wasn't, he didn't, and after a while the latter situation prevailed. It has been frequently observed that, though many of Lehrer's songs satirized the Cold War political establishment of the day, that he stopped writing and performing just as the 1960s counterculture movement gained momentum. Lehrer has stated that he doubts his songs had an impact on those not already critical of the establishment: "I don't think this kind of thing has an impact on the unconverted, frankly. It's not even preaching to the converted; it's titillating the converted... I'm fond of quoting Peter Cook, who talked about the satirical Berlin cabarets of the '30s, which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler and prevent the Second World War."
Lehrer's musical career was notably brief, stating in an interview in the late 90s that he had performed a mere 109 shows, and written 37 songs across his 20-year career. Nevertheless, the cult following that had grown around his music significantly bolstered the effect that he had on a global scale.
In the 1970s, Lehrer concentrated on teaching mathematics and musical theater, although he also wrote 10 songs for the children's television show The Electric Company. (Harvard schoolmate Joe Raposo was the show's musical director for its first three seasons.) In the early 1980s, Tom Foolery, a revival of his songs on the London stage, was a surprise hit. Although not its instigator, Lehrer eventually gave it his full support and updated several of his lyrics for the production.
On 7 June and 8 June 1998, Tom Lehrer performed in public for the first time in 25 years at the Lyceum Theatre, London as part of the gala show Hey Mr Producer! celebrating the career of impresario Cameron Mackintosh (who had been the producer of Tom Foolery). The 8 June show has been his only performance before the Queen. Lehrer sang Poisoning Pigeons in the Park and an updated version of "Who's Next". The DVD of the event includes the former song.
In 2000, a CD box set, The Remains of Tom Lehrer, was released by Rhino Entertainment. It included live and studio versions of his first two albums, That Was The Year That Was, the songs he wrote for The Electric Company, and some previously unreleased material, accompanied by a small hardbound book containing an introduction by Dr. Demento and lyrics to all the songs.
Lehrer celebrated his 80th birthday on April 9th 2008.
Masochism Tango
Tom Lehrer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But much more for the touch of your whips dear,
You can raise welts like nobody else
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Let our love be a flame not an ember
Say it's me that you want to dis-member
Blacken my eye, set fire to my tie
At your command, before you here I stand
My heart is in my hand……eeeaalluch
It's here that I must be
My heart entreats, just hear those savage beats
And go put on your cleats,
And come and trample me
Your heart is hard as stone or mahogany
That's why I'm in such exquisite agony
My soul is on fire; it's a flame with desire
Which is why I perspire when we tango
You caught my nose in your left castanet, love
I can feel the pain yet, love
Everytime I hear drums
And I envy the rose, that you held in your teeth, love
With the thorns underneath, love
Sticking into your gums
You eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The last time I needed 20 stitches
To sew up the gash you made with your lash
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Bash in my brain, and make me scream with pain
Then kick me once again
And say we'll never part
I know too well, I'm underneath your spell
So darling if you smell something burning it's my heart….hic…excuse me…
Take your cigarette from its holder
And burn your initials in my shoulder
Fracture my spine
And swear that you're mine
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Tom Lehrer’s “The Masochism Tango” is a satirical ballad about the pleasures of torture and pain. The lyrics can be interpreted as a humorous metaphor that explains how love is like masochism. The singer is singing about the need for pain to feel the pleasure he associates with being with his lover. Despite the tone of the song, it is clear that the singer is attempting to explain that love can be as painful as it is pleasurable.
The song begins with the singer explaining his desire for the touch of his lover's lips, but more so for the touch of her whips. He goes on to say that she can raise welts like no other and that this is part of the dance that they share called the masochism tango. The singer then asks that their love be a flame that burns hot and bright, not just an ember. He asks that she dis-members him, blackens his eye, and sets fire to his tie as they continue to dance the masochism tango. The singer goes on to explain that his heart is in her hands and that he is willing to do whatever she commands, which implies the power dynamic between the two.
The song continues to describe the singer’s love as exquisite agony, where his soul is on fire and he perspires on the dance floor. He describes the ways in which she bruises him and how his nose became caught in her castanets. He explains how her eyes cast a spell that bewitches him, and he ends by asking her to burn her initials into his shoulder and fracture his spine — all while swearing that he will always belong to her.
Line by Line Meaning
I ache for the touch of your lips dear,
I desire your kisses deeply and crave for your lips on mine.
But much more for the touch of your whips dear,
I crave the sensation of pain you give me with each lash of your whip more than anything else.
You can raise welts like nobody else
No one can give me the bruises and welts on my skin as perfectly as you can.
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
We engage in the dance of intense pain and pleasure, which we call the Masochism Tango.
Let our love be a flame not an ember
Let's nurture our love and keep it burning bright like a flame, rather than letting it just simmer down like an ember.
Say it's me that you want to dis-member
Tell me that you have the desire to take me apart and break me into pieces.
Blacken my eye, set fire to my tie
Give me a black eye, and even set fire to my tie, because it's all part of the pain that we both enjoy.
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
We dance our painful and pleasurable tango together, enjoying every moment of agony and ecstasy.
At your command, before you here I stand
I am here, fully obedient to you, and ready to do whatever you want me to do.
My heart is in my hand……eeeaalluch
I am so eager to please you, that my heart is literally in my hand right now.
It's here that I must be
Being here, under your command and control, is where I truly belong.
My heart entreats, just hear those savage beats
My heart races with excitement, just hearing the rhythm of your savage beats.
And go put on your cleats,
Put on your studded shoes, and come trample me underfoot.
And come and trample me
Just come and do whatever you want to do with me, because I am fully yours.
Your heart is hard as stone or mahogany
You have a heart that's as hard as stone or mahogany, which is why you can cause the exquisite agony that I enjoy.
That's why I'm in such exquisite agony
My suffering is exquisite because of the hardness of your heart and the intensity of the pain you can inflict.
My soul is on fire; it's a flame with desire
I burn with desire for you, and my soul is on fire with the passion we share.
Which is why I perspire when we tango
The intensity of our masochistic dance makes me sweat with excitement, and increase my romantic desire for you.
You caught my nose in your left castanet, love
Once, while we were dancing, you caught my nose in your left castanet, causing me pain.
I can feel the pain yet, love
I can still feel that pain even now, reminding me of the intense pleasure we enjoy together.
Everytime I hear drums
Whenever I hear the sound of drums, my heart races knowing that we will be dancing the masochism tango together.
And I envy the rose, that you held in your teeth, love
I am jealous of the rose that you held in your teeth during the dance, wishing I could be in its place, so close to your lips.
With the thorns underneath, love
Even though the rose had thorns that painfully pierced your gums, you still kept it in your mouth, adding to the excitement and passion of our dance.
Sticking into your gums
The thorns from the rose sticking into your gums, making you suffer as you dance, arouse me even more.
You eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The spellbinding look in your eyes captivates and enchants me, making me feel hypnotized and possessed by you.
The last time I needed 20 stitches
The last time we danced together, you caused me so much pain that I needed 20 stitches to sew up the wound you made.
To sew up the gash you made with your lash
You hit me so hard with your lash, that it made a deep gash in my skin, causing blood to flow profusely.
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Despite the pain you cause me, we continue dancing to the Masochism Tango together, because we both desire it so much.
Bash in my brain, and make me scream with pain
Cause me even more pain, and bash in my brain with your dominance and control, making me scream and moan with pleasure and agony.
Then kick me once again
Even if you've already kicked me several times, kick me again, because it's all part of our twisted love dance.
And say we'll never part
Promise me that we will always be together, dancing our masochistic tango, even if it means living in pain together forever.
I know too well, I'm underneath your spell
I am fully aware that I am under your spell, consumed by our passionate love that is a mix of joy and pain.
So darling if you smell something burning it's my heart….hic…excuse me…
I apologize for the hiccups, but the burning smell you sense is actually my heart, burning with the flame of our intense love and passion.
Take your cigarette from its holder
Take your cigarette from your cigarette holder, and use it to inflict even more pain upon me, as a part of our masochistic love dance.
And burn your initials in my shoulder
Brand me with your dominant initials, leaving a mark of your ownership and control over my body.
Fracture my spine
Break my back and fracture my spine, showing me how completely you own me, body and soul.
And swear that you're mine
Promise me that you are mine, and remind me that our love is intense, even if it means causing me agony and torture.
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
We both find pleasure in the pain of our dance, because it is what brings us together even closer as lovers.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@myfavstuff3147
Lyrics
I ache for the touch of your lips, dear
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear
You can raise welts
Like nobody else
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Let our love be a flame, not an ember
Say it's me that you want to dismember
Blacken my eye
Set fire to my tie
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
At your command
Before you here I stand
My heart is in my hand
(Yeechh!)
It's here that I must be
My heart entreats
Just hear those savage beats
And go put on your cleats
And come and trample me
Your heart is hard as stone or mahogany
That's why I'm in such exquisite agony
My soul is on fire
It's aflame with desire
Which is why I perspire when we tango
You caught my nose
In your left castanet, love
I can feel the pain yet, love
Every time I hear drums
And I envy the rose
That you held in your teeth, love
With the thorns underneath, love
Sticking into your gums
Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The last time I needed twenty stitches
To sew up the gash
That you made with your lash
As we danced to the Masochism Tango
Bash in my brain
And make me scream with pain
Then kick me once again
And say we'll never part
I know too well
I'm underneath your spell
So, darling, if you smell
Something burning, it's my heart
'Scuse me!
Take your cigarette from its holder
And burn your initials in my shoulder
Fracture my spine
And swear that you're mine
As we dance to the Maso-chism Tango
@nataliaciotucha4153
I ache for the touch of your lips, dear
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear
You can raise welts
Like nobody else
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Let our love be a flame, not an ember
Say it's me that you want to dismember
Blacken my eye
Set fire to my tie
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
At your command
Before you here I stand
My heart is in my hand .
(Yeechh!)
It's here that I must be
My heart entreats
Just hear those savage beats
And go put on your cleats
And come and trample me
Your heart is hard as stone or mahogany
That's why I'm in such exquisite agony
My soul is on fire
It's aflame with desire
Which is why I perspire when we tango
@nataliaciotucha4153
You caught my nose
In your left castanet, love
I can feel the pain yet, love
Ev'ry time I hear drums
And I envy the rose
That you held in your teeth, love
With the thorns underneath, love
Sticking into your gums
Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The last time I needed twenty stitches
To sew up the gash
You made with your lash
As we danced to the Masochism Tango
Bash in my brain
And make me scream with pain
Then kick me once again
And say we'll never part
I know too well
I'm underneath your spell
So, darling, if you smell
Something burning, it's my heart . . . (hiccup)
'Scuse me!
Take your cigarette from its holder
And burn your initials in my shoulder
Fracture my spine
And swear that you're mine
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
@samevans1289
Masochist: "Hurt me!"
Sadist: "No."
@_.Reichtangle._
The worst pain 😭😂
@stingerjohnny9951
Damn, I’ve been FOILED!!!
@collegemaster5683
Ooh... reverse card
@sefidwhite4391
It's actually painfull for some sadists too because we actually want to hurt them(;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)
@silvercandra4275
I did this to my ex once.
@ilaya4183
"Fracture my spine, and swear that you're mine" is one of the most romantic lyrics ever written
@squeersquid1107
YES
@ghostie3707
Completely agreed.
@clementwolf4081
@@ghostie3707 someone get me a old camera ....we need Golmaz and Morticia dancing to this