I got it from Agnes (Friday WTF)

This post doubles as both a Friday WTF video and a belated 80th birthday tribute to the great singer/songwriter/pianist/satirist/mathematician Tom Lehrer. The reclusive Lehrer only wrote 37 songs in his whole career - Weird Al Yankovic once described him as "the J.D. Salinger of demented music". But the songs he did write were, well, I'll let the following video speak for itself.



As a special bonus, and in light of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the USA this week, let me also include one of Lehrer's most famous songs, The Vatican Rag:



Yes, he made a rhyme with "Kyrie Eleison". That alone should be clear proof of Lehrer's genius.

If you'd like to hear more, and I know you do, Youtube is well stocked with Lehrer's work. It's all good , but here are a few specially recommended picks:

• The Element Song (By the way, kudos to whoever included the Metal Men in this video)
  
• We'll All Go Together When We Go
• National Brotherhood Week
• So Long, Mom (aka the World War III Song)
• the Masochism Tango