2025-03-05 - Don't Copy That Floppy By MC Hart

As a high school student, my computer science teacher made us watch a music video titled Don't Copy That Floppy [1]. Little did he know that i would eventually become a dreaded... Linux User [2] dun dun dun.

Here are the lyrics and a link to the music video itself, performed by MC Hart and written by MC Hart and Ilene Rosenthal.

    Did I hear you right, did I hear you sayin'
    That you're gonna make a copy of a game without payin'?
    Come on, guys, I thought you knew better don't copy that floppy!
    [Don't don't don't don't...]
    
    (Wait a minute. Who are you, anyway?
    Yeah. And what are you doing on my computer?)
    
    I'm your MC Double Def DP
    That's the Disk Protector for you and the posse
    That's your artists, writers, designers and pro-grammers
    They pump up the images for games and gramma's that lets you learn,
      but also play
    The games you came here for today
    Now I know you love the game and that's alright to do
    Because the posse who make them, they love them too
    But if you start stealing, there's no more they can do
    
    (But I just wanted to make one copy!)
    
    You say 'I'll just make a copy, for me and a friend'
    Then he'll make one and she'll make one and where will it end?
    One leads to another then ten, then more,
    And no one buys anything from the store
    So no one gets paid and they can't make more
    The posse breaks up and they close the door
    Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!
    
    So let me break this down for you
    D-D-Do-Do-Don't
    
    No Carmen Sandiego, no more Oregon Trail
    Tetris and the others, they're all gonna fail
    Not because we want it but because you're just takin' it
    Dis-res-pec-tin' all the folks who are ma-kin' it
    The more you take, the less there will be
    The disks become fewer, the games fall away
    The screen starts to tweak, and then it will fade
    Programs fall through a black hole in space
    The computer world becomes bleak and stark
    Loses its life and the screen goes dark
    
    [Welcome to the end of the computer age... mwahahahaha..]
    
    But I'm much too strong and you're much too smart
    To let that happen to your chances to explore
    Parts of the new age just behind the door of your minds
    You're the posse of the future and you hold in your brains what's
      never thought before
    And in time, you'll see just so much more
    That's why I'm here and that's what I'm fighting for
    Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!
    
    Now let me introduce you, to some of the teams
    That will explain a little more about what I mean!
    
    [D-D-Do-Do-Don't...Don't copy that floppy!]
    
    You see, on these disks we have frozen in time
    The creativity of someone's mind
    Do you think, that because, with a flick of a key
    You can copy that game, that the work is free
    This creativity, we protect it by law
    We value so highly, what the mind's eye saw
    Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!
    
    [D-D-Do-Do-Don't...Don't copy.. Don't copy that floppy!]
    
    To do the right thing, it's really simple for you
    The copyright law, it will tell you what to do
    Buy one, for every computer you use
    Anything else is like going to the store
    Taking the disk, and walking out the door
    It's called thiefin', stealin', taking what's not yours
    Is that really where you want your life to go?
    Think about it, I don't think so.
    Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!
    
    Now you see a game you like and you really want to try it
    Don't copy that floppy, just go to the store and buy it
    Think of it this way, okay?
    When you're buy a disk, you're sayin' to the team
    You respect what you do and what you're workin' for
    We'll keep up our support so you can make up some more
    We'll do the right thing and the future will be clear
    There will be new programs here at the end
    Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!
    
    Now you know how the games and the programs are made
    And what you do to make sure that they're not gonna fade
    The bottom line is it's all up to you
    There's nothing more that I can do
    The goals in your court, dribble, shoot, or pass
    I'm sure you'll make your decision with class
    [Don't copy that floppy]
    
    See ya, I'm outta here.

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