An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer
07 / 11
Public-domain lyrics

Clementine

Tom Lehrer

One familiar ballad is retold through four contrasting musical caricatures.

An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer Track 7 1959
Public domainSatireSongwritingStorytellingTheatricalPlayful
Complete public-domain lyrics

The author's sheet labels four sections: Cole Porter, Mozart, Bop, and Gilbert and Sullivan. Those labels describe the song's parodic framing, not additional lyric authors. This text preserves all four sections, the deliberately mixed Italian and English, and the closing spoken question; no musical score is reproduced.

I. Cole Porter

In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine,

Far away from the boom-boom-boom of the city,

She was so pretty,

What a pity,

Clementine.

Oh, Clementine,

Can't you tell from the howls of me?

This love of mine

Calls to you from the bowels of me.

Are you discerning

The returning

Of this churning, burning, yearning for you?

II. Mozart

Era leggiera, e come una fairy, e sue shoes numero nine,

Herring boxes senza topses

Sandale per Clementina, si, per Clementina, si,

Per Clementina,

Sandale per Clementina, sandale per Clementin'.

Clementina, Clementina, Cle-e-me-en-ti-na.

Herring boxes senza topses sandale per Clementina,

Herring boxes senza topses sandale per Clementina,

Che sciagura, Clementina, Che sciagura, Clementina,

Cara Clementina, cara Clementina-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

III. Bop

Drove those ducklings to the water --- yep-roc!

Every morning, nine o'clock sharp -- oop-bop! -- beedle-ee-ah!

Stubbed her toe upon a splinter,

Stubbed her toe upon a splinter -- kloo-ga-mop! -- ooh - ooh!

Fell into the foamy brine,

Dig that crazy Clementine! Man!

IV. Gilbert and Sullivan

That I missed her depressed her

Young sister named Esther.

This mister to pester

She'd try.

Now a pestering sister's a festering blister,

You'd best to resist her,

Say I.

The mister resisted,

The sister persisted,

I kissed her, all loyalty slipped.

When she said I could have her,

Her sister's cadaver

Must surely have turned in its crypt, yes, yes, yes, yes!

Now I love she and she loves me.

Enraptured are the both of we,

Yes, I love her and she loves I,

And will through all eternitye.

See what I mean?

Credits

Written by Tom Lehrer

Words by Tom Lehrer, released into the public domain by the author. This is the author-published text edition, not a transcription of a particular performance.

Source & text edition

Author-published lyric sheet · original English words

Tom Lehrer's November 26, 2022 declaration relinquishes copyright in lyrics he wrote. It does not grant rights to third-party music, photographs or album artwork. This edition uses only his words.

Read the author’s lyric sheet (PDF)

View copyright evidence · Author’s public-domain declaration

Retrieved 2026-09-08. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.

Source edition: An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer · Live · 1959-11 · GB

Release data: MusicBrainz · CC0-1.0 · Retrieved 2026-09-07.

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