Tom Lehrer
"So Long, Mom"

This year we've been celebrating the hundredth anniversary
of the civil war and the fiftieth anniversary of the
beginning of world war I and the twentieth anniversary
of the end of world war ii
L in all it's been a good year for the war buffs and
a number of lps and television specials have come out
capitalizing on all this "nostalgia" with particular
emphasis on the songs of
Various wars. I feel that if any songs are going to
come out of world war iii we'd better start writing
them now. I have one here.
you might call it a bit of pre-nostalgia. this is the song that
Of the boys sang as they went bravely of to world war iii.

So long, mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb,
So don't wait up for me.
But while you swelter
Down there in your shelter,
You can see me
On your tv.

While we're attacking frontally,
Watch brinkally and huntally,
Describing contrapuntally
The cities we have lost.
No need for you to miss a minute
Of the agonizing holocaust. (yeah!)

Little johnny jones he was a u.s. pilot,
And no shrinking vi'let was he.
He was mighty proud when world war three was declared,
He wasn't scared,
No siree!

And this is what he said on
His way to armageddon:

So long, mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb,
So don't wait up for me.
But though I may roam,
I'll come back to my home,
Although it may be
A pile of debris.

Remember, mommy,
I'm off to get a commie,
So send me a salami,
And try to smile somehow.
I'll look for you when the war is over,
An hour and a half from now!