Bob’s Webstock Lyrics Uncovered!

In an exclusive scoop, Zef brings you the original lyrics from Bob’s legendary Webstock performance on May 25.

Zef & Bob winging it at Webstock 2006 (Photo by Keith Miller).
Zef & Bob winging it at Webstock 2006 (Photo by Keith Miller).

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’