In an exclusive scoop, Zef brings you the original lyrics from Bob’s legendary Webstock performance on May 25.
Those who were lucky enough to be present at Webstock may notice a few differences from the improvised live performance, including “Flickr’d” substituted for “Google”, and “pointing device” exchanged for “mouse” – just like a good CSS, Bob’s ability to change tags on the fly is now folklore…
The web-times they are a-changin’
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you browse
And admit that the networks
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be Googled to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start collaboratin’
Or you’ll sink like a dot.com
For the web-times they are a-changin’
Come coders and designers
Who prophesize with your pointing device
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t blog too soon
For the click-wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who\’s domain
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be a Wikipedia hack
For the web-times they are a-changin’
Come E-government consultants
Please heed the call
Don’t validate in the doorway
Don’t tag up the hall
For he that gets compliance
Will be he who has usability tested
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your pop-up windows
And rattle your AJAXian walls
For the web-times they are a-changin’
Come marketers and business owners
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your users and your customers
Are beyond your command
Your old code is
Rapidly agin’
Please get out of the Web2.0 one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the web-times they are a-changin’
The line it is drawn
The cursor it is cast
The slow modem one now
Will later be broadband fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the web-times they are a-changin’
6 responses to “Bob’s Webstock Lyrics Uncovered!”
The correct, infitely superior lyrics:
Come gather round web gurus wherever you roam
And admit that for 3 days Webstock is your home
And accept it that soon you’ll be Flickr’d to the bone
If your time here is spent collaboratin’
The user now will be later to win
For the times on the web are a-changin’
Come coders & designers who prophesise with your mouse¬
Finding new ways for the whole world to browse
And don’t speak too soon if it works in Firefox
‘Cos you’ll still need a hack for IE
If you blog it first it could pay off your house
For the web-times are a-changin’
Come table-based layouts, please heed the call
Don’t block up the bandwidth, don’t validate at all
It’s 2006 so please get on the ball
There’s a battle outside and it’s ragin’
Adopting web standards will redeem your soul
For the web-times are a-changin’
Come clients and marketers throughout the land
Don’t criticize what you can’t understand
Your users & customers are beyond your command
Your old ways are rapidly agin’
Google Web2.0 to improve your hand
For the web times they are a-changin’
The sites they are built, the url is cast
The dial up now will later be broadband fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the 1st one now will later be last
For the web times, they are a-changin,
I demand an apology and want 10% of all yours and your families future earnings for the next one million years.
I also demand you stand on the tallest sculpture in wellington and sing the true lyrics through a megaphone three times, once in english, once in maori, and finally in a yorkshire dialect.
I know where you live.
Nice hat.
Tell me you have a video of Bob singing this. This is classic, I’m going to sing it to my firstborn.
Conference video can be downloaded from http://www.webstock.org.nz/recordings.php (The 8×5 session). Bob’s performance is the very last one in the session.
Great song 😉