This is the opening track on the 2002 album "Brontosaurus" by Da Vinci's Notebook, and the song they opened with when I saw them live last night. It could loosely be considered to fit in the filk genre, but is performed a cappella with handclaps, and the tune is taken directly from the traditional song "The Fox". The feel of the tune is somewhere between Irish and bluegrass, with high open fifths in the harmony and a two-note rhythmic bass line. The handclaps are on the off beats (second and fourth), making the song perfect for square dancing or a reel.
Richard Bob Greene of The Bobs produced the song and fills in the low bass line as a guest artist. He is also credited with the "eef'n n oof'n" that comes in during the fifth verse, approximating a bhodran. Bernie Muller-Thym is the only member of Da Vinci's Notebook not credited on this song.
lyrics:
Workin' on a laptop, close to the end
of a job I've been doing since half past ten
I don't believe that it's frozen again,
the system has gone down-o, down-o, down-o;
I don't believe that it's frozen again,
the system has gone down-O.
So I took it down to the help desk guy,
and I said "make it better or I'm gonna cry."
He said, "I'm sorry, your computer has died,
and the data can no longer be found-o, found-o, found-o."
He said, "I'm sorry your computer has died,
the data can no longer be found-O."
To the roof with the laptop I did go
over to the edge and I gave it a throw,
and when it arrived seven stories below
it really made a mighty fine sound-o, sound-o, sound-o,
and when it arrived seven stories below,
it really made a mighty fine sound-O.
Well, that didn't do enough to ease my pain
so I went down to Dulles and I got on a plane
Sayin' "This is all Billy Gates's fault,
and I'm gonna be trackin' him down-o, down-o, down-o."
Sayin' "This is all Billy Gates's fault,
and I'm gonna be trackin' him down-O."
Touched down in Seattle and got off the plane
Hit Starbucks to get out of the rain
Paid all of my dough for a thimble of joe
full o' foam and the cinnamon brown-o, brown-o, brown-o,
Paid all of my dough for a thimble of joe
full o' foam and the cinnamon brown-O.
When the Gates found out about my plan
he packed up his bag, turned tail and ran
Megalo-man took it out on the lam
and hid way underground-o, ground-o, ground-o.
Megalo-man took it out on the lam
and hid way underground-O.
Well the Gates been a-runnin' ever since that day,
he thinks he can hide but he can't get away.
When I finally find his little skinny behind
Gonna kick it all over this town-o, town-o, town-o.
When I finally find his little skinny behind
Gonna kick it all over this town.