singer-songwriter
, satirist
, pianist
, mathematician
and polymath
. He has lecture
d on mathematics
and musical theater. Lehrer is best known for the pithy, humorous songs that he recorded in the 1950s and 1960s.
His work often parodies popular song forms, such as in "The Elements
", where he sets the names of the chemical element
s to the tune of the "Major-General's Song
" from Gilbert and Sullivan
's Pirates of Penzance. Lehrer's earlier work typically dealt with non-topical subject matter and was noted for its black humor, seen in songs such as "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park".
Andrew Wiles gently smiles,Does his thing, and voila!Q.E.D., we agree,And we all shout hurrah!As he confirms what FermatJotted down in that margin,Which could've used some enlargin'.
I would like to state at this time that I am not now and have never been... a member of the Boy Scouts of America. Their motto is, as you know, "Be Prepared!" and that is the name of this song.
Don't solicit for your sister, that's not nice,Unless you get a good percentage of her price.
If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind,And you come across a Girl Scout who is similarly inclined,Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared. Be prepared!
I always like to make explicit the fact that before I went off not too long ago to fight in the trenches, I was a mathematician by profession. I don't like people to get the idea that I have to do this for a living. I mean, it isn't as though I had to do this, you know, I could be making, oh, 3000 dollars a year just teaching.
I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky.In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize! Plagiarize,Let no one else's work evade your eyes,Remember why the good Lord made your eyes,So don't shade your eyes,But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize...Only be sure always to call it please "research".
In all probabilityI'll lose my virilityAnd you your fertilityAnd desirability,And this liabilityOf total sterilityWill lead to hostilityAnd a sense of futility,So let's act with agilityWhile we still have facility,For we'll soon reach senilityAnd lose the ability.