Learn to Play Tom Lehrer’s “So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)”

BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIS-SHANNON | FROM THE WINTER 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE

Not many people can say they taught mathematics at Harvard while also having ten songs banned from the BBC. Then again, there was only one Tom Lehrer. In August, the man many regard as one of the finest satirists of the 20th century passed away at age 97. From Cold War antics to lampooning Boston’s pigeon-control methods, Lehrer was witty, wry, and scathingly hilarious.

While not a household name, his brief musical career left a lasting mark, influencing the likes of Weird Al Yankovic and Randy Newman. Though he stepped away from touring in the mid-1960s, he continued to perform occasionally and even taught a course in musical theater alongside his mathematics classes at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Lehrer may not have played the ukulele himself, but his songs fit the instrument beautifully—just as the tunes of the era they echo do—and they can make a lively addition to your repertoire. His satire drew heavily on early 20th-century Broadway traditions, from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Fats Waller. One striking example is his Cold War–era number “So Long Mom  (A Song for World War III),” which shows those influences both rhythmically and harmonically.

The introduction sets the tone, and from it we can build an accompaniment pattern for the rest of the song. The piano opens with a classic oom-pah rhythm—bass notes on beats 1 and 3, chords on 2 and 4. On ukulele, you can capture that feel by plucking the E string on the bass beats and strumming the chord on the backbeats. Some players do both motions with the thumb, while others alternate thumb and index. A simpler approach is to brush partial strums across the G and C strings on beats 1 and 3, then strum fully on 2 and 4. In the second measure, you can also echo Lehrer’s piano by adding the same bass walk-up.

The rest of the song moves along in the style of a Tin Pan Alley number, alternating verses and refrains with a touch of Broadway flair. Most of the chords will be familiar, but there are some lovely harmonic turns that echo the Great American Songbook. For instance, the F chord shifts to F7 to lead into Bb, then cycles smoothly through F (I)–D7 (VI)–G7 (V/V)–C7 (V). 

A particularly charming spot comes when the arrangement moves through different chords with a root note of F (F, F9#5, F6, and F7), creating tension and release—something you can suggest on ukulele by letting the C string carry that motion as you strum.