# 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:** 4
**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, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/61 "2025-12-09T19:51:54Z")
Not too much about the actual town in that one, is there? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/62 "2025-12-09T20:00:35Z")
“La Cumbia del Mole” by Lila Downs teaches the recipe for Mexican _mole_ sauce. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OQTKmsnUt0c/maxresdefault.jpg "La Cumbia Del Mole") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQTKmsnUt0c) ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/63 "2025-12-09T20:00:59Z")
Well there’s a little more in the full lyrics. They tell you it’s in the desert. ---
**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, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/64 "2025-12-09T20:01:31Z")
yeah. No. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/65 "2025-12-09T20:20:55Z")
But Kenny Rogers doesn’t actually **teach** his listeners when to hold, when to fold, etc. He just says that we need to learn these things. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/66 "2025-12-09T20:27:41Z")
Some relationship advice from Billy Joel, who sounds like he’s talking to his slightly younger self: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/p0pM5dm--yQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Billy Joel - Tell Her About It (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0pM5dm--yQ) ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/67 "2025-12-09T20:39:10Z")
Multi-generational lesson plan: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dQOaUnSmJr8/maxresdefault.jpg "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Teach Your Children (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQOaUnSmJr8) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/68 "2025-12-09T20:46:29Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The sun is a mass of incandescent gas. Which is actually incorrect – the sun is a plasma, not a gas. They Might be Giants actually recorded another song later to correct this error: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sLkGSV9WDMA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBvAsjTBGZhQAJyXKgKQA4ekG9sPg "They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/69 "2025-12-09T20:48:17Z")
“Edgar Allan Poe” from Snoopy the Musical has some facts about the life of Poe (if you only listen to Linus’s part). [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i1hCuTK4gUY/hqdefault.jpg "Snoopy The Musical 03 Edgar Allan Poe") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1hCuTK4gUY) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/70 "2025-12-09T20:52:17Z")
More They Might be Giants – they’ve done a lot of these (heck, they recorded two entire albums of educational songs for kids). The Alphabet of Nations: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e6h7LEru69U/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGDYgWChlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDdIdoUVEEt-T1KDoNyDfb1Mok70w "Alphabet of Nations - They Might Be Giants") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6h7LEru69U) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/71 "2025-12-09T21:19:55Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > 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. One possible exception might be The Dangle. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hRrXLvXJu3w/maxresdefault.jpg "Do The Dangle") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRrXLvXJu3w) ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/72 "2025-12-09T21:26:11Z")
On that topic, there’s “Little Known Facts” from the musical _You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown_. Sung by Lucy to Linus with commentary by Charlie Brown. The song begins: “D’you see this tree?/It’s called a fir tree/Because it gives us fur/For coats/It also gives us wool/In the wintertime.” Well, okay, the facts are little known for a reason. But there’s a very strong teaching component in there, to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/73 "2025-12-09T21:36:04Z")
“[Oliver Cromwell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBPf6P332uM)” by Monty Python actually helped me remember dates in World History class, as I knew he was born in 1599 and died in 1658 (September). ---
**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, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/74 "2025-12-09T21:39:15Z")
“Jacob and Sons” from _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_ is still the catchiest way to learn the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel: > Reuben was the eldest of the children of Israel > With Simeon and Levi, the next in line > Naphtali and Issachar with Asher and Dan > Zebulun and Gad took the total to nine > > Jacob, Jacob and sons > Benjamin and Judah, which leaves only one > Jacob, Jacob and sons > Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/75 "2025-12-09T21:56:13Z")
Let’s not forget “Swingin’ the Alphabet“ by The Three Stooges which was my first exposure to phonics. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bgmdnxtz3Bo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBZTGGoSSGCjc5bDwXVn3SGL98MLA "The Three Stooges - Swingin' The Alphabet (1938).avi") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgmdnxtz3Bo) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/76 "2025-12-09T22:14:27Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Queen’s '39 is a neat little ditty about relativistic space travel, and makes an attempt to explain time dilation. > > For so many years are gone > Though I’m older but a year One of the saddest songs ever. _Your mother’s eyes from your eyes cry to me_ ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/77 "2025-12-09T22:16:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I set a course just east of Lyra > And northwest of Pegasus > Flew into the light of Deneb > Sailed across the Milky Way > **On my ship, the Rocinante** > Wheeling through the galaxies > Headed for the heart of Cygnus > Headlong into mystery Oh boy. I thought that the ship in The Expanse (scl-fi book & TV series) was named after Don Quixote’s horse. It’s probably a reference to this song. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/78 "2025-12-09T22:22:27Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u-s62ZdMjKE/maxresdefault.jpg "Don't Let The Good Life Pass You By") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-s62ZdMjKE) Then, there’s that insipid song by Harry Nilsson, which I won’t link to. But then… how else would we know to put the lime in the coconut? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/79 "2025-12-09T22:26:52Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Well, okay, the facts are little known for a reason. “I make 'em up!” One of my favorite Peanuts strips. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/80 "2025-12-09T22:49:43Z")
Wanna learn the European capitals? Too bad. you’re gonna anyway… ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/w8Oxg9zPUBE/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/w8Oxg9zPUBE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDw8Oxg9zPUBE [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555.md?page=5)