The Masochism Tango (Tom Lehrer)

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• (Posted 2026-02-14)  CPDL #88341: 

Editor: Richard Shakeshaft (submitted 2026-02-14).   Score information: A4, 9 pages, 4.28 MB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes: This is a new edition based on the publicly available copies provided by Tom Lehrer. A preview is available, but name and email are required to download complete free licensed copies.

General Information

Title: The Masochism Tango
Composer: Tom Lehrer
Lyricist: Tom Lehrer
Number of voices: (missing)   Voicing: Unknown
Genre: Unknown, Unknown

Language: Unknown
Instruments: Unknown

First published:
Description: 

Original text and translations

English text

I ache for the touch of your lips, dear,
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear.
You can raise welts like nobody else,
As we dance to the Masochism Tango.

Let our love be a flame, not an ember,
say it's me that you want to dismember,
blacken my eye,
set fire to my tie,
as we dance to the Masochism Tango.

At your command
before you here I stand
My heart is in my hand,
Eugh! it’s here that I must be.

My heart entreats,
just hear those savage beats,
and go put on your cleats
and come and trample me.

Your heart’s hard as stone or mahogany,
that's why I’m in such exquisite agony.

My soul is on fire,
it's a flame with desire,
which is why I perspire
when we tango.

You caught my nose
in your left castanet
love, I can feel the pain yet
love, ev’ry time I hear drums,

and I envy the rose
that you held in your teeth
love, with the thorns underneath,
love, sticking into your gums.

I can never forget
love, how this passion was born.

How I envied the rose
that your teeth used to clench,
love, when I tried something French,
love, all I got was a thorn.

Your eyes cast a spell that be witches,
the last time I needed twenty stitches

to sew up the gash
you made with your lash,
as we danced
to the Masochism Tango.

Bash in my brain,
and make me scream with pain,
then kick me once again,
and say we’ll never part.

I know too well
I’m underneath your spell
So, darling if you smell
something burning, it's my heart.

Excuse me! Take your cigarette
from its holder
and burn your initials
in my shoulder.

Fracture my spine,
and swear that you’re mine,
as we dance
to the Masochism Tango.