Written by Tom Lehrer
Intro: Am Dm E7 Am N.C Who made me the genius I am today, The mathematician that others all quote? Who's the professor that made me that way, The greatest that ever got chalk on his coat?verse 1 N.C I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize! E7 Am Plagiarise, Dm Let no one else's work evade your eyes, E7 Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, Am So don't shade your eyes, Dm E7 Am But plagiarise, plagiarise, plagiarise... N.C Only be sure always to call it please, "research".E7 Am Am G Am F Am G One man deserves the credit, Am Am G Am F Am G One man deserves the blame, Am Am G Am F Am G E7 Am and Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name. Oy! Am E7 Nicolai Ivanovich Lobache...verse 2 N.C I am never forget the day I am given first original paper to write. It Cdim Bdim Bbdim Adim Abdim Gdim was on Analytic and Algebraic Topology of Locally Euclidean Metrization F#dim Fdim Edim Ebdim of Infinitely Differentiable Riemannian Manifold. N.C Bozhe moi! Dm E7 Am This I know from nothing. What I am going to do? But I think of great Lobachevsky and I get idea - haha! G7 C G7 I have a friend in Minsk, G7 C Who has a friend in Pinsk, C G7 Whose friend in Omsk has friend in Tomsk G7 C With friend in Akmolinsk. C G7 His friend in Alexandrovsk G7 C Has friend in Petropavlovsk, C G7 Whose friend somehow is solving now G7 C The problem in Dnepropetrovsk. C G7 And when his work is done - G7 C Haha! - begins the fun. G7 C From Dnepropetrovsk to Petropavlovsk, G7 C By way of Iliysk, And Novorossiysk, G7 C To Alexandrovsk to Akmolinsk G7 To Tomsk to Omsk G7 To Pinsk to Minsk D7 G7 To me the news will run, D7 G7 Yes, to me the news will run! G7 And then I write by morning, night, C And afternoon, and pretty soon G7 My name in Dnepropetrovsk is cursed, C When he finds out I published first!E7 Am Am G Am F Am G Am Am G Am F Am G And ever since I meet this man my life is not the same, Am Am G Am F Am G E7 Am And Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name. Oy! Am E7 Nicolai Ivanovich Lobache...verse 3 N.C I am never forget the day my first book is published. Every chapter I stole from somewhere else. Index I copy from old Vladivostok telephone directory. This book, this book was sensational! Pravda - ah, Pravda - Pravda said: "Jeel beel kara ogoday blyum blocha jeli," ("It stinks"). But Izvestia! Izvestia said: "Jai, do gudoo sun sai pere shcum," ("It stinks"). Metro-Goldwyn-Moskva bought the movie rights for six million rubles, Changing title to 'The Eternal Triangle', With Ingrid Bergman playing part of hypotenuse.E7 Am Am G Am F Am G And who made me a big success Am Am G Am F Am G And brought me wealth and fame? Am Am G Am F Am G E7 Am Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name. Oy! Am E7 Nicolai Ivanovich Lobache...E7 Am Am G Am F Am G And who deserves the credit? Am Am G Am F Am G And who deserves the blame? Am Am G Am F Am G E7 Am Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name. Am Dm E7 Am Oy!