# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/121 "2025-12-11T17:59:38Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > As well as how to dispose of trash on Thanksgiving Day, when the dump is closed: > > > …we came to a side road, and off the side of the > > side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the > > cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile > > is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we > > decided to throw our’s down. Shouldn’t that be how _not_ to dispose of trash on Thanksgiving Day, because that led to the 27 8X10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one to be used as evidence against them. Plus they had to pay $50 and pick up the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/122 "2025-12-13T20:41:06Z")
It’s really a song that teaches you about unintended consequences. ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/123 "2025-12-13T21:34:42Z")
[Conjunction Junction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyjKgz9tKg) from Schoolhouse Rock. It always bothered me that the railroad cars in the cartoon were moving around on thier own without a locomotive to pull or push them. Billy Joel’s [We Didn’t Start The Fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g&list=RDeFTLKWw542g&start_radio=1) is quick overview of the events of circa 1950 - 1990. ---
**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 13, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/124 "2025-12-13T22:02:52Z")
> [@X.L.Lent](#): > > Billy Joel’s [We Didn’t Start The Fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g&list=RDeFTLKWw542g&start_radio=1) is quick overview of the events of circa 1950 - 1990 It’s first and foremost a blatant rip-off of “[It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OyBtMPqpNY)”, which is the much better song anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/125 "2025-12-14T01:01:50Z")
“Time”, by Pink Floyd The passage of time, wasted potential, and the urgency to live meaningfully before life passes by. ---
**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 14, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/126 "2025-12-14T01:25:37Z")
That’s a good one! And Roger Waters was still in his twenties when he wrote it, much wiser than he is in his old age. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/127 "2025-12-14T02:18:12Z")
[Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgxmlw43pw) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/128 "2025-12-14T03:26:25Z")
Think about direction… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bLaSXpqp__E/hqdefault.jpg "R.E.M. - Stand (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLaSXpqp__E) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/129 "2025-12-14T03:59:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Wanna learn the European capitals? Too bad. you’re gonna anyway… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/w8Oxg9zPUBE/maxresdefault.jpg "John Finnemore's Capitals of Europe Song - Sing-along version, with Flags") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Oxg9zPUBE) I’ve been coping with The Prevailing Political Poopfest by listening to a John Finnemore playlist, so I’ve heard this a couple dozen times. I think I’m ready to recite the capitals to win on Jeopardy (ok, maybe just a bar bet… as long as I can sing it). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/130 "2025-12-14T05:10:43Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Plus they had to pay $50 and pick up the garbage. In the snow! ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/131 "2025-12-14T14:44:32Z")
Not necessarily a good lesson… ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gLTr4-eEYgc/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/gLTr4-eEYgc?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDgLTr4-eEYgc ---
**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 14, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/132 "2025-12-14T16:19:51Z")
Utopia taught listeners about The Seven Rays: _Take one beam of light_ _Prism acquire_ _Break the white light down_ _Seven rays appear, seven rays appear_ _Take the seven rays_ _Pure as fire_ _Focus anywhere_ _White light will appear, white light will appear_ ---
**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 14, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/133 "2025-12-14T18:03:01Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B07WIKUKoMc) is a _ **very** _ obscure song about aluminum, and what it can be used for. Here’s a less-obscure one. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/urglg3WimHA/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/urglg3WimHA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDurglg3WimHA (it has a great twist.) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/134 "2025-12-14T19:38:15Z")
There is a KLF Grim Up North with it basically just a geography lesson on which English towns are in the north… [https://youtu.be/20XLWEjN9eI?si=80sroHx78ohdQmwX](https://youtu.be/20XLWEjN9eI?si=80sroHx78ohdQmwX) Similarly and a bit more melodically, there’s James Brown Night Train which is just a geography lesson on US cities … [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/l0hcjUkXUmQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Night Train") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0hcjUkXUmQ) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555/135 "2025-12-17T00:56:58Z")
“Memphis Soul Stew” is a recipe for making it. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4Sm9n-6hy6M/hqdefault.jpg "KING CURTIS - Memphis Soul Stew") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sm9n-6hy6M) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thatll-teach-you-songs-that-are-lessons/1025555.md?page=6)