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I just got off the phone, having spoken with my 82 year-old mother in Tulsa, OK. I found myself explaining to her much of what I had just said. So, I sat down and put this little bit of nonsense together over the past half-hour…out of respect for those who are having trouble keeping up with the vernacular of all the new high tech gadgetry. It’s fresh off the press, so be careful not to smudge the ink as you nit.

Hi-Tech Geek

© Feb 2004, Alan D. David BMI

(v1)
Things have changed the past twenty years
Sometimes I can’t believe my ears
Nothing means what it used to do
Sometimes I just don’t have a clue

(v2)
Before Bill Gates, or there about
Windows were things we all looked out
Now it’s software to bug the users
Of all them personal confusers

(Chorus)
I speak German, French and Dutch
But today that don’t mean much
My language skills are old and weak
Cause I haven’t mastered High-Tech Geek

(v3)
For years a cell had been a place
For criminals who lost their case
But now they’re tiny telephones
That damn near everybody owns

(v4)
For many years I had CD’s
Paid four percent, less bankers fees
But now they’re discs, flat and round
That store our music, pix, and sound


(Bridge)
I’ll never learn, there ain’t no way
The language changes ev’ryday

Repeat Chorus


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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

[This message has been edited by sideman66 (edited 02-28-2004).]

[This message has been edited by sideman66 (edited 02-29-2004).]

much like McDonalds, I'm Lovin' It... there is only one thing to say.. try criminals who'd lost their case... as always use or refuse.

see you when i make it...

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Nick

Howdy Nick,

Don't think I've had the pleasure before. And welcome to JPF.

Glad you like this one. Your suggestion is grammatically correct, where my line is not. Let me give that one some thought...I kind of like the "street speak" vernacular, as I wrtote it. But, if your suggestions garners the favors of the coming critiques, it will change.

Appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Looking forward to hearing from you some more in the future and seeing some of your lyrics.

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Howdy Alan,

Hey, I can relate to this one. Most computer stuff has to not only be explained to me...but has to also be translated into MacSpeak..which is a whole other language. Is funny though..I got this great new software program this week for doing cd labels..and it works on both PCs and Macs...there were only about 5 steps for installing it on the PC..and for the Mac, there was only a one step process for installation. So go figure.

The only word I felt might wanna be changed was this one...
My language skills are old and WEAK
Not sure that language skills could actually be meek. JMO of course.

Fun stuff here.
Bobbie

And Howdy Back Atcha, Bobbie!

I have a brother who lives in Branson who calls me once a week on average asking me about various computer related issues. But, he's coming along pretty good...after 2 years, he has thoroughly mastered the task of turning it and off with limited assistance. I rebuild mine every 6 to 8 months. I'm not an expert, but I get by okay. I'm still trying to explain the digital answering machine to my mother. She simply cannot fathom the idea of making a recorded message without a tape.

Yep, that Mac talk is a dialect of it's own...much like the difference between American & British english.

As far as your recommended change, I originally had "weak" and then changed it (see that "this message has been edited..." note?). That's the only change I made, beside a typo. So, I guess it's back to "weak".


Thanks for taking a look and suggestin'. The best to you and the Dawg,

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

The kids all think I'm a freak, went wel for me that line Alan, and I like the cell line as is.
Don't know what the CD's are in the bank line. Must be a topside thing I guess.
I would have liked to see a bit more on the puter line rather than going to Cds. They are not real geek fodder to me.
Lotta fun in there though and floats good.
Graham

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http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhendersonmusic.htm

Fun song, Alan! I kept thinking you'd run out of really good comparisons, but you didn't. "Personal confusers" - that made me laugh. That double "all" in the last two lines of V2 made that part hard to sing, IMO, though. I agree with Bobbie on the meek/weak issue.

Thanks for the smile this morning.

Erica

Graham,

As always, my world is btter when you drop by to visit. Let me think a bit on your suggested line...I like it quite a bit, but have become comfy with the one I wrote, as I just modified it according to the suggestions of Bobbie and Erica. But, I will come back to this in a while and see if I still feel the same.

Regarding the CD references in v4: Here in the States, the banks offer a savings option called Certificates of Deposit, quickly having become known as CD's. You agree to depost so much money with the bank at a predetermined interest rate (Re: "less banker's fees") for a predetermined period of time. they issue you a certificate as proof of the deposit and the agreed upon terms. To my knowledge, it is a banking instrument unique to the U.S. Banking system. Then,when the compact disc came to be, the acronym took on a new meaning, further confusing things. I don'tknow about Australia, but here in the States, it seems that we are more and more becoming a society in love with an acronymic language.

Hope that clarifies, rather than further confuses, you. Again, thanks for dropping by and the kind words.

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Hey Alan,

I know just what you mean. When I moved to Utah 6 years ago, I bought a practice, and though I was the owner, I was the only one who didn't have a cell phone. I had decided to be the last one to use the internet, but my wife convinced me to go online, to her dismay. If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't have been writing songs the past 2 years. The language in this may be a little tame for a real commercial song, but it sure resonates with me.

Bill

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We too often throw around the word "great" like it was a frisbee, instead of the manhole cover it should be.

Erica,

Glad I could put a smile on a pretty face. if you go back and look, you'll see I made the change suggested by you and Bobbie. ANd, it is an improvement...thank both of ya!

As far as running out of comparisons...not for a while. I could have written at least a couple more verses, but decided not to abuse all you fine folks for too long at a time.

Also, i changed the "double all" lines that you mentioned. I had the same reservation about it last night when I posted it, but couldn't come up with anything better at the time. See what a good night' sleep can do for ya! Let me know if you think it reads ny better now.

Thanks for the insight and much too nice words.

BTW, haven't been to Bemidji since the late 80's. But it was a nice visit. It's a very pretty part of the country.

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the chuckle. These days there probably are very few souls out there who can't relate to this one. Really love that "personal confusers" line. This one really hit home with me because my Road Runner broadband connection recently went down for about two months. I endured many, many hours of geek speak talking to their technicians of all nationalities, before they finally sent one of their "business class" techs to my home and nailed down the problem. It's enough to make a person's brain encounter a fatal error!

Larry

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www.taylormadesongs.com

Larry,

Just went back and saw your reply. Sorry I missed it earlier. Probably, my brain was having one of those fatal errors! Glad you enjoyed the read, but sorry about your Internet connection pooping out on ya.

Fortunately, I have a bit of skill with computers and I can usually fix what goes wrong.

Thanks for dropping in and glad you liked it.

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Enjoyed the read, Alan! I definitely can relate to this, although I do try to keep up with the times!

As far as nits, v1 line 3 -- I don't believe "do" is correct at the end of that phrase and it sounds awkward to me. You could just drop it and keep your rhyme, but not the meter. Speaking of meter, the meter of lines 3 and 4 in v2 (although I really like those two lines!) doesn't seem to match your other verses, mainly the last word in each of those lines. Your stress in the other verses is on the very last syllable or word, and in those two lines, the stress is on the second last syllable and the last syllable "drops off". Sometimes that does work out when you put the music to it, but it didn't seem to work for me as is. The only other thing I noticed is that you have "sometimes" leading off two lines in v1, but I don't think it's a real problem. Overall, I like this, Alan! Those were the only things that struck me as I read through -- hope they help!

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Mary Lou

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/mlsudkampmusic.htm

Well, Howdy Mary Lou,

How nice of you to visit. Glad that you enjoyed this overall. I appreciate you taking time to read and suggest. And here are my thoughts about your kind suggestions.

As far as begining two lines with "somtimes", it's a good point. How about if I change line 4 to read: "It seems I just don't have a clue." That might work...ya think?

Regarding the trailing "to" in line 3 of the first verse...I guess that one bothers me a bit less than it does you, although you may be more grammatically correct (I really don't know!). But, I am certainly open to a better idea there if you, or someone else, can come up with one.

As far as the meter in the 2nd verse, that has bugged me from the first time I wrote it. I have rewritten line three at least 3 or 4 times. And you are right about it. "Software" seems to be the problem word there. Again, open to suggestions. In line 4, the word "personal" is slurred, when sung, to be very close to 2 syllables, so that seems to work okay for me.

If you have some good ideas about the problem areas you mentioned, please send them my way...I need all the help I can get!

Thanks so much for taking the time to give this a thorough look. Appreciate your thoughts and input.

Alan

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When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Hello Alan,

I like what ya did here.
Good job.

Calvin

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewartmusic.htm

Good going, Alan. As one of the technically Impaired, I enjoyed this alot. TD/Tim

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If the Muse fits, wear it

Just wanted to see you with 1,2, 3 and say well done again. Cheers, Judy