# That'll teach you! Songs that are lessons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 9, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555 "2025-12-09T15:32:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/1 "2025-12-09T15:32:43Z")
Songs that actually teach you specific things, like Tom Lehrer’s “The Element Song” for instance. They don’t have to be comedic, though. For instance, I recall a song from Golden Bough’s \*Winter’s Dance" album, “Logs To Burn” [Bing Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=logs+to+burn+song&mid=416AD04E2E720B382EB2416AD04E2E720B382EB2&mmscn=stvo&FORM=VIRE) Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/2 "2025-12-09T15:39:15Z")
My entire understanding of American History up to the fourth grade was based on the songs of Johnny Horton. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/3 "2025-12-09T15:39:36Z")
The Hokey Pokey teaches you how to do the Hokey Pokey ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/4 "2025-12-09T15:40:53Z")
A life lesson _nobody_ needed…but it fits. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/5 "2025-12-09T15:40:56Z")
[A Firefly’s Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxMSf7T_30) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/6 "2025-12-09T15:42:20Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TUHgGK-tImY/maxresdefault.jpg "Ylvis - Trucker's Hitch [Official music video HD]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/7 "2025-12-09T15:44:59Z")
Do these two count? They’re not like a lesson at school, but teach you valuable skills. Tool - Die Eier von Satan (teaches you how to bake hash cookies) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/82XqhHYwB-Q/maxresdefault.jpg "TOOL - Die Eier von Satan (Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82XqhHYwB-Q) The Clash - Know Your Rights (teaches you what you’re rights are. Joe Strummer introduces the song with “This is a public service announcement, with guitars!”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1EKCAE1vDzY/maxresdefault.jpg "The Clash - Know Your Rights (Remastered)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EKCAE1vDzY) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/8 "2025-12-09T15:47:49Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > The Hokey Pokey teaches you how to do the Hokey Pokey On that note, the **Time Warp** should also count. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YC1E8yVJIS4/maxresdefault.jpg "Rocky Horror Picture Show The Time Warp (music video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC1E8yVJIS4) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/9 "2025-12-09T15:50:39Z")
Oh, yes. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/10 "2025-12-09T15:52:34Z")
> **[The Monarchs Song](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/horrible-histories-song-the-monarch-song)** > > Easily remember EVERY King & Queen of England with this catchy song. All together now - William, William, Henry, Stephen... ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/11 "2025-12-09T15:53:10Z")
There are countless dance songs from the 1960s that purportedly teach you how to do the latest dance. If you haven’t actually seen someone do those dances and just relied on the lyrics the result would probably be hilarious. That’s my YouTube idea for the day. Feel free to steal it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/12 "2025-12-09T16:15:31Z")
Weird Al [_“Word Crimes”_](https://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/13 "2025-12-09T16:15:38Z")
Nearly everything I know came from Schoolhouse Rock! songs. [Schoolhouse Rock! - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock)! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/14 "2025-12-09T16:16:36Z")
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the _[Schoolhouse Rock!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!)_ videos. I watched them every Saturday morning from age 5 to 7 and learned a lot from English grammar to math to American history and civics. I later got the videos on DVD for my son (and for nostalgia’s sake). ETA: ninjaed by one minute! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/15 "2025-12-09T16:21:34Z")
After _Schoolhouse Rock!_ came _Histeria!_ A sample: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S9pyNbtwImQ/hqdefault.jpg "Histeria's Shakespeare") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9pyNbtwImQ) ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/16 "2025-12-09T16:25:54Z")
Let’s not forget: ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/buqtdpuZxvk/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/buqtdpuZxvk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDbuqtdpuZxvk ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/17 "2025-12-09T16:26:40Z")
When I read the thread title what first came to mind was Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’, though it appears the thread is shaping up to be about songs that are actually teaching lessons as in a school setting, not morality-play type songs where the lesson is, in this case “don’t ignore your kids while they’re growing up, or they will abandon you in your old age”. Well, they’ll probably abandon you anyway, but you don’t have a chance in hell if you ignore them as kids. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5u-KWa3tL-0/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/5u-KWa3tL-0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RD5u-KWa3tL-0 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/18 "2025-12-09T16:27:54Z")
No morality plays or “love sucks!” songs, please. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/19 "2025-12-09T16:32:02Z")
Actually, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/20 "2025-12-09T16:33:28Z")
I guess “Doe, a deer” teaches you the scale? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555.md?page=2)