Lyr Add: National Brotherhood Week (Tom Lehrer)

Subject: Lyr Add: NATIONAL BROTHERHOOD WEEK (Tom Lehrer)
From: Haruo
Date: 14 May 02 - 01:38 AM

In a thread called "Arma virumque cano - in honor of Oldad Hal Eaton" that I began on BaptistLife.com May 12, Tom Lehrer came up.

Jane wrote,

Forgetting Latin is preferable to mutilating Latin, a la PDQ Bach... ;-)

Et expecto resurrecreation;
Et in unum Dominos and checkers;
Qui tollis peccata mundi morning.


Mea culpa kyrie elei-
Sonny Tufts et Allah in Pompeii;
Donna nobis pacem cum what mei;
Agnes and her sister, Doris Dei...

To which I replied with Lehrer's Vatican Rag from memory, which led Jane to bring up National Brotherhood Week, which led me to discover that, although the Digitrad has a good 30+ Lehrer lyrics in it, it ain't got National Brotherhood Week, so I went ahead and looked it up elsewhere. Not sure why it's not in the DT, but if it's for want of a copy with line breaks, here:

National Brotherhood Week
by Tom Lehrer

Oh, the white folks hate the black folks,
And the black folks hate the white folks;
To hate all but the right folks
Is an old established rule.

But during National Brotherhood Week,
National Brotherhood Week,
Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to cheek.
It's fun to eulogize
The people you despise
As long as you don't let 'em in your school.

Oh, the poor folks hate the rich folks,
And the rich folks hate the poor folks.
All of my folks hate all of your folks,
It's American as apple pie.

But during National Brotherhood Week,
National Brotherhood Week,
New Yorkers love the Puerto Ricans 'cause it's very chic.
Step up and shake the hand
Of someone you can't stand,
You can tolerate him if you try!

Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics
And the Catholics hate the Protestants,
And the Hindus hate the Moslems,
And everybody hates the Jews.

But during National Brotherhood Week,
National Brotherhood Week,
It's National Everyone-Smile-At-One-Another-Hood Week.
Be nice to people who
Are inferior to you.
It's only for a week, so have no fear;
Be grateful that it doesn't last all year!

This site gives the tune as a background midi (at least for IE browsers).

Liland

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: National Brotherhood Week
From: Haruo
Date: 15 May 02 - 09:35 PM

refresh (why it isn't there?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: National Brotherhood Week
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 16 May 02 - 12:01 AM

G'day Liland,

I think it just fell through the hole in Max's server (or whatever ate the Mudcat for a day or so). I just got hold of the boxed set The Remains of Tom Lehrer ... 3 CDs that give every recorded version (studio with piano, live performance with piano (and introductions) ... and studio with various orchestras). That's all packaged up with a titchy little CD case-sized book with all the lyrics, the interviews, the history and even one of the Mad Magazine "Tom Lehrer Pages"!

It's from Warner Archives / Rhino Records ... but I don't have it here at work, so I can't give you the number - however, it's certainly essential for any hopeless Tom Lehrer fan.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: National Brotherhood Week
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 May 02 - 09:58 AM

Bob, I hope you bought it from our favourite CD shop, or otherwise you'll have paid too much. (Mojo music in the Hunter Arcade at Wynard, for other Sydney based 'Cats)

The Mad cartoon illustrates 'The Hunting Song' - it's perfect. Takes me back a decade or 2 to when I used to read Mad regularly.

Liland - Rhino - R2 79831

Sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: National Brotherhood Week
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 17 May 02 - 12:06 AM

G'day Sandra,

Actually, mine was a gift from a friend up in the Blue Mts ... I haven't had a chance to go down to Mojo for a while ... probably lucky for me, as I might have ended up with 2 sets - having been quite taken with the book you showed me from your set!

Regards,

Bob Bolton