While at Harvard, Mr. Lehrer began to write songs for his own amusement and that of his fellow students. watches me.”By that time Mr. Lehrer had begun performing his songs in Cambridge, Mass. To his surprise, “Songs by Tom Lehrer,” cut and pressed in an initial run of 400 copies, was a hit. The cover contained a drawing of Mr. Lehrer seated at the piano, with horns coming out of his head and a devil’s tail emerging from his formal attire. (His follow-up album, “More of Tom Lehrer,” used the same image.)