I was born

way back

In 1986

I'm an old man now

but I remember how it used to be

and now my grandchildren ask me:

Grandad, they say,

can you tell us what it was like

in the days of the Internet,

you know, before SOPA?

And I tell them:

When was that? Let me see ...

some time back

in the early XXI century

I remember when the Internet was free

Behind my keyboard, people let me be

See, there used to be a thing called Freedom of Speech

We had freedom to teach each other, freedom to preach

We had freedom to share culture and circulate ideas

Without the state trying to interfere, enter fear

We lost that freedom, not freedom as in free beer

But the freedom to be free from fear, even here

In the UK, the fact that I am from England

Isn't a matter that matter that matters to our new masters and kings

I was a chap who could sing and distribute my music

And like minded citizens could listen to it

I couldn't afford an orchestra

I was a poor performer

In more ways than one, so I found an alternate formula

Reintrepreted the media around me

Satirised the leader lies on found beats

Talked shop on top of a sample rock band

At least we used to, until rap got banned

At the SOPA

SOPA Cabana

The place where SOPA

SOPA can ban ya

We're at the SOPA

SOPA Cabana

the place where SOPA

SOPA can ban ya

You didn't have to act twisted to get your ass blacklisted

Just annoy a big business and get fisted

They had a vested interest in congress

If one messed with them, then there'd be one less

Our representatives never represented shit

so the Internet was history, this was the end of it

I remember it like it was yesterday

I guess that day, I was too lazy to investigate

The escapades of another state's government

Now I'm left to pay because the covenant

that they signed that day, and ratified a law

Zipped our mouths and took away our appetite for more

I can't do much about now about the way it is

But if I can go back and change things I'd say this:

Truth is beauty

at least it used to be

And If you do disagree with this

then you can sue me

In the meantime I will keep on using YouTube

Even if it means I need to find a new medium

IRC, darknets,

so digital's down now?

I'll use pigeons and smoke signals

[Stop SOPA]

[Stop SOPA, the Internet is ours]

[Unite for our Internet]

[The Internet is ours]

[Government censorship protecting you from reality]

[SOPA Dis I don't like]

[If you criticized China for their Internet, then why do you want to censor our Internet]

[Stop the war on the Internets]

[You have no right to censor what isn't yours Stop SOPA]

[Stop SOPA!]

[The Internet is by the people for the people]

[SOPA Stop Online Privacy Act]

[Free Open internet for the people]

[SOPA is against humanity]

[To STOP us sharing is the same as to STOP us talking]

[Stop Sopa Like right now]

[The Internet is ours]

[SOPA? So wrong]

[All your internets are belong to us]

[You can't stop our freedom]

[Don't let the Internet take a SOPA to the knee]

[Song by DAN BULL - (douglby)]