Tom Lehrer - Be Prepared

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SPOKEN LIVE INTRODUCTION ON "REVISITED":
You know, of all the songs I have ever sung, that is the one
I've had the most requests not to. I have time for one more here. This one is a little song dedicated to the Boy Scouts of America. (applause) We seem to have a convention here tonight. The Boy Scouts of America, those noble little bastions of democracy, and the American Legion of tomorrow. Their motto is--I would like to state at this time that I am not now and have never been... a member of the Boy Scouts of America--their motto is, as you know, "Be Prepared," and that is the name of this song

SUNG:
Be prepared! That's the Boy Scouts' marching song
Be prepared! As through life you march along
Be prepared to hold your liquor pretty well
Don't write naughty words on walls if you can't spell

Be prepared! To hide that pack of cigarettes
Don't make book if you cannot cover bets
Keep those reefers hidden where you're sure
That they will not be found
And be careful not to smoke them
When the scoutmaster's around
For he only will insist that it be shared
Be prepared!

Be prepared! That's the Boy Scouts' solemn creed
Be prepared! And be clean in word and deed
Don't solicit for your sister, that's not nice
Unless you get a good percentage of her price

Be prepared! And be careful not to do
Your good deeds when there's no one watching you
If you're looking for adventure of a
New and different kind
And you come across a Girl Scout who is
Similarly inclined
Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared
Be prepared!

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Tom Lehrer

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Tom Lehrer (born 9 April 1928) is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. He has lectured on mathematics and musical theater.

Before attending college, Lehrer graduated from the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. As an undergraduate student at Harvard University, he began to write comic songs to entertain his friends, including Fight Fiercely, Harvard (1945). Those songs later became ‘The Physical Revue’ in a joking reference to a leading scientific journal, The Physical Review. Influenced mainly by musical theater, his style consisted of parodying then-current forms of popular song. For example, his appreciation of list songs led him to set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Major-General’s Song”.

Inspired by the success of his performances of his songs, he paid for some studio time to record an album, Songs By Tom Lehrer, which he sold by mail order. Self-published and unpromoted, the album, which included the macabre (I Hold Your Hand In Mine), the mildly risqué (Be Prepared), and the mathematical (Lobachevsky), became a success via word of mouth. With a cult hit, he embarked on a series of concert tours and released a second album, which came in two versions: the songs were the same but More Songs by Tom Lehrer was studio-recorded, while An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer was recorded live in concert.