They’re rioting in Africa,
They’re starving in Spain,
There’s hurricanes in Florida,
And Texas needs rainThis whole world is festering with unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans, The Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don’t like anybody very muchBut we can be tranquil and thankful and proud
For Man’s been endowed with a mushroom-shaped cloud
And we can be certain that some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off…and we will all be blown awayThey’re rioting in Africa, There’s strife in Iran
What Nature doesn’t do to us will be done by our Fellow Man
That was written by Sheldon Harnick more than 40 years ago. No, it wasn’t the Kingston Trio or Tom Lehrer.
hahaahahahaha. I would have sworn that was an “unknown” Tom Lehrer.
Lehrer used it in his act (and recorded it). The Kingston Trio heard it performed by Lehrer at The Hungry I, incorporated it into their own act, recorded it, and had a big hit with it. But Sheldon Harnick—who would later write the lyrics for Fiddler on the Roof, The Apple Tree, She Loves Me!, The Rothschilds, and others wrote it.
We would like to perform this (sadly) still relevant song at a staff meeting. Does any one have the sheet music?
Please send either as an attachment or fax: 516-883-7927.
Many thanks to whoever…
Jessica
Port Washington Public Library
Tom Lehrer attributed it to someone — does anyone have the concert recording? It was a little different. He could not fail to fit the tune! They’re rioting in Africa.
They’re starving now in Spain.
They are out of work in Michigan.
In Kansas they need rain.
and the rest was quite different but I don’t remember it. Sigh.
This song was recorded by Marai and Miranda on a record called Song I taught my mother. Another songs on this record was Oh how lovely cooks the meat. I’m fairly sure that this record came out in the mid 50’s I would hear it on a radio program called The midnight special f
from WFMT in Chicago.
I looked up the recording title and it does come from 1955 but the singer is Charlotte Rae. It is available at Amazon.com.
They’re rioting in Africa,
They’re banrupt in Greece,
They’re fighting in Afgahnistan,
O will it never cease.
The U.S. Economy is doing not so well,
We can’t keep our S&P from going straight to hell.
The Chinese will own the world
Before this all is done,
Yes, they will have won the war
And never, ever fired a gun.
But we should be tranquil and thankful and proud,
for we’ve been endowed with a toxic waste cloud,
The globe’s getting warmer with each passing day;
Pollutants are everywhere,
We cannot get away.
There’re hurricanes in Port au Prince,
There’s strife in Iran,
What nature doesn’t do to us
Is being done by our fellow man.
we uswd to sing this at summer camp as far back and further than 1963….
Charlotte Rae’s album is wonderful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUy7jF2fA5I
Certain lyrics are said to have been “written by Sheldon Harnick more than 40 years ago” Maybe so, but that would be early 2006; Lehrer recorded it almost a decade earlier. In any case, whether Lehrer wrote the lyrics he pretty clearly wrote the music, which has made the song so irresistible.
Cindy, your lyrics need to be on Prairie Home Companion.
Sheldon Harnick wrote the song in 1949. Kudos to Cindy Taubert.
Plus ca change………….!
Thanks to Robert Boles & actors/crew for reviving the music of TOMFOOLERY @ TAP in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Still plenty of contemporary ‘issues’ to be poked!