"Don't Copy That Floppy"
Performed by M.E. Hart
Lyrics by M.E. 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 the heck are you, anyway?
Yeah. And what are you doing on our computer?)

I'm your emcee, Double Def, D.P.,
That's the Disk Protector for you and the posse,
That's the artists, writers, designers and pro-grammers,
That work up the images for games and grammar,
That lets you learn, but also play,
The games you came here for today.

Now I know you love the games and that's all right to do,
Because the posse who makes 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 then where will it end?
One leads to another, then ten, then more,
And no one buys any disks from the store,
So no one gets paid and they can't make more,
The posse breaks up and then closes 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 shrink, 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.
[Don't copy....]

[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 doors 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 what I'm fighting for.
Don't copy! Don't copy that floppy!

Now let me introduce you, to some of the team,
They'll 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 walkin' 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!

Say 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 buy a disk, you're sayin' to the team,
We respect what you do and what you're workin' for,
We'll keep up our support so you can make us some more,
We'll do the right thing and the future will be clear,
There will be new programs year after year.
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 they're not gonna fade.
The bottom line is, it's all up to you,
There's nothin' more that I can do.
The ball's 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.

-----

Ilene Rosenthal, the co-author of the lyrics, was an attorney at the SPA. Heh.