So Long, Mom (A Song For World War Iii) lyrics

Song information

Artist: Tom Lehrer
Album: That Was The Year That Was

Lyrics

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 so all 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 the 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 some 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!