# One of The Most Inspiring Public Domain Educators, RIP Tom Lehrer **URL:** https://connect.oeglobal.org/t/one-of-the-most-inspiring-public-domain-educators-rip-tom-lehrer/7875 **Category:** The Plaza **Created:** [July 28, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://connect.oeglobal.org/t/one-of-the-most-inspiring-public-domain-educators-rip-tom-lehrer/7875 "2025-07-28T16:56:36Z") **Posts on this page:** 3 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![cogdog](https://connect.oeglobal.org/user_avatar/connect.oeglobal.org/cogdog/32/2_2.png) [@cogdog](https://connect.oeglobal.org/u/cogdog) #### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://connect.oeglobal.org/t/one-of-the-most-inspiring-public-domain-educators-rip-tom-lehrer/7875/1 "2025-07-28T16:56:36Z")
Alas there is a gap in the world of music and culture in the shape of Tom Lehrer, [his Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lehrer) sadly updated yesterday with his date of passing. Lehrer had placed all of his songs into the public domain at [https://tomlehrersongs.com/](https://tomlehrersongs.com/) with what I suggest is one of the greatest dedications ever, just an excerpt: ![All copyrights to lyrics or music written or composed by me have been permanently and irrevocably relinquished, and therefore such songs are now in the public domain. All of my songs that have never been copyrighted, having been available for free for so long, are now also in the public domain. In other words, I have abandoned, surrendered and disclaimed all right, title and interest in and to my work and have injected any and all copyrights into the public domain. The permission granted includes all lyrics which I have written to music by others, although the music to such parodies, if copyrighted by their composers, are of course not included without permission of their copyright owners. The translated songs on this website may be found on YouTube in their original languages. Performing and recording rights to all of my songs are included in this permission. Translation rights are also included.](https://connect.oeglobal.org/uploads/default/original/2X/4/4adc01b329bb916aaf850cc6128fcf34629afbb8.jpeg) _[https://tomlehrersongs.com/](https://tomlehrersongs.com/)_ Do any of the songs stand out to you, be they familiar or not? I just scrolled and explored a few lyrics, such as [The Professor’s Song](https://tomlehrersongs.com/the-professors-song/) (which includes a version for physics professors and a different one for math profs) – just the first verse here: > If you give me your attention, I will tell you what I am > I’m a genius and a physicist (and something of a ham) > I have tried for numerous degrees, in fact, I’ve one of each > Of course that makes me eminently qualified to teach > I understand the subject matter thoroughly, it’s true > And I can’t see why it isn’t all as obvious to you > My lectures all are masterpieces, excellently planned > Yet everybody tells me that I’m hard to understand > And I can’t think why! Who has any stories of hearing or enjoying or making use of Tom Leher’s works? Mine was my 10th grade chemistry teacher named Blooma Friedman playing the first day of class, on a record player, the Elements song. > **[The Elements (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_(song))** > > "The Elements" is a 1959 song with lyrics by musical humorist, mathematician and lecturer Tom Lehrer, which recites the names of all the chemical elements known at the time of writing, up to number 102, nobelium. Lehrer arranged the music of the song from the tune of the "Major-General's Song" from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan. The song can be found on Lehrer's albums Tom Lehrer in Concert, More of Tom Lehrer and An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer. > The song is also included in... RIP Tom Lehrer and many thanks for leaving a legacy for the world where it ought to be, in the public domain. ---
### Author: ![OERIDEAL](https://connect.oeglobal.org/user_avatar/connect.oeglobal.org/oerideal/32/2677_2.png) [@OERIDEAL](https://connect.oeglobal.org/u/OERIDEAL) #### Post date: [July 30, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://connect.oeglobal.org/t/one-of-the-most-inspiring-public-domain-educators-rip-tom-lehrer/7875/2 "2025-07-30T19:32:31Z")
What a beautiful and inspirational dedication. I’m checking to see if his website is on wayback machine… ---
### Author: ![cogdog](https://connect.oeglobal.org/user_avatar/connect.oeglobal.org/cogdog/32/2_2.png) [@cogdog](https://connect.oeglobal.org/u/cogdog) #### Post date: [July 30, 2025, 9:31pm UTC](https://connect.oeglobal.org/t/one-of-the-most-inspiring-public-domain-educators-rip-tom-lehrer/7875/3 "2025-07-30T21:31:04Z")
Oh it’s definitelt there, but [Lehrer’s original site](https://tomlehrersongs.com/) is not going anywhere, I’d imagine he left things in place for it to be preserved. The internet Archive itself has much media: - [Tom Lehrer Songs Archive](https://archive.org/details/tom-lehrer-songs-archive) - [Tom Lehrer Albums Archive](https://archive.org/details/TomLehreralbums) Plus if you just follow any of the links from these on his name, the archive provides [more than 250 items credited to Tom Lehrer](https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Tom+Lehrer%22) song, albums, recorded performnaces, lyrics, sheet music. The archive is pretty vast!