The Free Software Song

[The file free-software-song.au is a recording of Richard Stallman singing this song. It is also in Ogg Vorbis format.

This song is in a rhythm of 7/8; those unaccustomed to odd rhythms often take the unevenness to be a mistake. The meter can be analyzed as slow-quick-quick or 3-2-2.

Also available in Ogg Vorbis is another song, inspired by this one but mostly different, sung by the band Fenster (4.5M), and a heavy metal version by Jono Bacon (2 MB) .]

A rhythmic version of free software song in ogg and mp3 formats by Thor.

[To the melody of Sadi Moma:]

     Join us now and share the software;
     You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.
     x2

     Hoarders may get piles of money,
     That is true, hackers, that is true.
     But they cannot help their neighbors;
     That's not good, hackers, that's not good.

     When we have enough free software
     At our call, hackers, at our call,
     We'll throw out those dirty licenses
     Ever more, hackers, ever more.

     Join us now and share the software;
     You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.
     x2

You can get a typeset score of the song made with GNU LilyPond. LilyPond source for the typeset score is also available.

You can read the story of the writing of the song.

Other humor in the GNU Humor Collection.

Disclaimer:

The Free Software Foundation claims no copyrights on this song.

Sadi Moma

Here is a description of the tune of Sadi Moma, a Bulgarian dance tune, in an ad-hoc form of notation using letters for notes. A dash means the previous note continues. There are seven beats per measure, thus seven characters in each group.

D-CB-A- B-CBAG- G--A--B C--B-BD A--A--- D-CB---
D-CB-A- B-CBAG- G--A--B C--B-BD A--A--- A------

Here is the second voice. (This is not in the sound file.)

B-AG-D- G-GG-D- G--G--- G--G-G- D--D--- G------
B-AG-D- G-GG-D- G--G--- G--G-G- D--D--- E------

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Copyright © 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006 Richard Stallman

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

Updated: $Date: 2006/11/21 10:13:19 $ $Author: ramprasadb $