Intermediate · Clever Songs

N Apostrophe T

Tom Lehrer

A child persuades a grouchy hermit to say yes. All three verses appear with character-labelled lyrics; spoken replies stay spoken rather than being given invented melody notes.

Make a little progress

  1. Listen once and watch where the notes meet the keyboard.
  2. Set playback to half speed. Hear the right hand on its own.
  3. Choose two bars and switch on the loop.
  4. Add the left hand when the phrase feels familiar.

About this arrangement

Words and music by Tom Lehrer, permanently released into the public domain in 2022. Melody transcribed from his official score. Notated melody with a newly written simple bass and chord pulse. Written verses and endings expanded. Constant practice tempo; expressive directions and instrumental fills are simplified. No external recording.

The onscreen note guide simplifies notation. For the complete notation, open the source sheet music.

Source and music credits ↗