The Masochism Tango Songtext
von Tom Lehrer

Another familiar type of love song is the passionate or fiery variety
Usually in tango tempo
In which the singer exhorts his partner
To haunt him and taunt him, and
If at all possible, to consume him with a kiss of fire. This, uh
This particular illustration of this genre is called
"The Masochism Tango"

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
(Yeechh!)
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 is hard as stone or mahogany
That′s why I'm in such exquisite agony
My soul is on fire
It's aflame 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
Every 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


Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The last time I needed twenty stitches
To sew up the gash
That 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
′Scuse 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 Maso-chism Tango