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<title>The Free Software Song
- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<h2>The Free Software Song</h2>
<address class="byline">by <a href="https://www.stallman.org/">Richard
Stallman</a></address>
<p class="announcement">
You can read the story of <a href="/music/writing-fs-song.html">the writing of the song</a>,
too.</p>
<p>The lyrics of the <cite>Free Software Song</cite> are sung to the melody of the Bulgarian folk
song <a href="#SadiMoma" id="REFSadiMoma"><cite>Sadi moma bela loza</cite></a> <!-- :] --></p>
<div class="lyrics">
<p>Join us now and share the software;<br />
You'll be
free, <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/on-hacking.html">hackers</a>,
you'll be free.<br />
Join us now and share the software;<br />
You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.</p>
<p>Hoarders can get piles of money,<br />
That is true, hackers, that is true.<br />
But they cannot help their neighbors;<br />
That's not good, hackers, that's not good.</p>
<p>When we have enough free software<br />
At our call, hackers, at our call,<br />
We'll kick out those dirty licenses<br <a href="/music/writing-fs-song.html#dirtylicenses">dirty licenses</a><br />
Ever more, hackers, ever more.</p>
<p>Join us now and share the software;<br />
You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.<br />
Join us now and share the software;<br />
You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.</p>
</div>
<p>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
into three subgroups as slow-quick-quick or 3-2-2. Such meters in
Bulgarian music can often be stretched, and some musicians analyze
this song as 3-2-3 instead; however, Yves Moreau, who collected and
taught the dance, endorses the rhythm of 7.</p>
<h3 id="download">Downloads</h3>
<h4>Performances</h4>
<ul>
<li>A <a href="/music/free-software-song.au">recording (.au format)</a> of
Richard Stallman singing this song, also available in <a
href="/music/free-software-song.ogg">Ogg Vorbis format</a>. (If you are
not used to a meter of 7/8, you may perceive it as inability to keep time.)</li>
<li>A <a href="/music/FreeSWSong.ogg">recording (.ogg)</a> of the piece
accompanied by Bulgarian instruments played in traditional style.</li>
<li>A <a
href="https://audio-video.gnu.org/video/stallman_free_software_song_320x240.ogv">
video of RMS performing the song (ogg)</a>, released under GFDLv1.3+ by
the videographer, Julian Coccia.</li>
<li>A <a href="/music/free-software-song-herzog.ogg">recording (.ogg)</a> of
Katie Herzog performing the Free Software Song, released under <a
href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a>.</li>
<li>A <a href="https://archive.org/details/the_free_software_song-cover-by-daniel_kelly">
video of Daniel Kelly</a> performing the Free Software Song,
released
under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC
BY-SA 4.0</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Alternate versions</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://audio-video.gnu.org/audio/Fenster-Free-Software-Song.ogg">
Another song</a>, inspired by this one but mostly different, sung by the
band Fenster (4.5MB).</li>
<li>A rhythmic version of free software song in <a
href="/music/free-software-song-rhythmic.ogg">Ogg Vorbis</a> format by
Thor.</li>
<li>An improvised piano version by Markus Haist in <a
href="/music/markushaist-free-software-song.ogg">Ogg Vorbis</a> format
(1.2MB), released under <a href="/licenses/gpl-3.0.html">GPLv3</a>.</li>
<li>Another rock-like version by Pjj & Hairyone in <a
href="/music/pjj-and-hairyone-freesoftwaresong.ogg">Ogg Vorbis</a> format
(1.6MB).</li>
<li>A Spanish punk variant by ALEC in <a
href="https://www.pc-freak.net/files/free-software-songs/Free_Software_Song_en_espa%c3%b1ol.ogv">
Ogg Vorbis</a> format (1.7MB).</li>
<li>A version with a different structure in <a href="/music/freesoft.ogg">
Ogg Vorbis</a> format (3.7MB) by Robert Kay, released under <a
href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode">
CC-BY-NC-SA</a>.</li>
<li>A version by the band Zweitgolf: <a
href="/music/free_software_song_sunnata.ogg">free_software_song_sunnata.ogg</a>,
released under the GPL.</li>
<li>Here is a metal version by Jono Bacon in <a
href="https://www.pc-freak.net/files/free-software-songs/jonobacon-freesoftwaresong2.ogg">
Ogg Vorbis</a> format (3.9MB), released under <a
href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA</a>.</li>
<li>This rock/metal version is put out by <a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150719082345/http://freesoftwaresong.altervista.org/">
Loneload</a> available in <a href="/music/loneload-free-software-song.ogg">
Ogg Vorbis</a> format (2.2MB), released under <a
href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">CC BY</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://archive.org/details/M00GNU">MooGNU</a>
by the anonymous posters on the 4chan technology image board /g/
is licensed under the
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode">Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.
Available
in <a href="https://archive.org/download/M00GNU/Freedom-catmoognu.ogv">
Ogg Video</a> format (4.5MB).</li>
<li>In 2012, the band Sebkha-Chott released a <em>matricide</em> of the
Free Software Song to celebrate the death of <a
href="https://www.laquadrature.net/en/ACTA">ACTA</a>. It's available in <a
href="https://ia800207.us.archive.org/14/items/Sebkha-Chott_FSFSongIsHip_2012/SC_FSF.ogg">
Ogg Vorbis</a> (2.3MB), or in <a
href="https://ia800207.us.archive.org/14/items/Sebkha-Chott_FSFSongIsHip_2012/SC_FSF.flac">
FLAC</a> (10.1MB), under the <a
href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/License:Free-Art-L-v1.3">Free Art
License, version 1.3</a>.</li>
<li>The <strong>ecantorix</strong> program,
a singing synthesis frontend for espeak, released under the GPLv3+,
features the <a href="/music/free-software-song-ecantorix.ogg">Free
Software Song as an example output</a>.</li>
<li><a
href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFreesoftwaresong_126_mix.ogg">
Yet another version from Wikimedia Commons</a> (967kB) is licensed under
CC0.</li>
<li>A <a
href="https://anonfile.com/93uaA2j5b1/freesoftwaresong_organ-kalimba_ogg">
Kalimba version</a> (Ogg Vorbis format, 690kB) is offered by Vaba
<vaba@riseup.net> under the <a href="http://www.wtfpl.net/about/">
WTFPL</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get a <a href="/music/free-software-song.pdf">typeset score</a> of
the song made with <a
href="https://lilypond.org/">GNU LilyPond</a>. The LilyPond <a
href="/music/free-software-song.ly">source</a> for the typeset score is also
available.</p>
<h4 id="SadiMoma"><cite>Sadi moma bela loza</cite></h4>
<p>Here is a description of the tune of <cite>Sadi moma bela
loza</cite>, 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.</p>
<pre>
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------</pre>
<p>It is also available as an <a href="/music/sadi-moma.abc">ABC file</a>.</p>
<div class="infobox" role="contentinfo">
<hr />
<h3 id="Disclaimer">Disclaimer</h3>
<p>Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation claim no
copyright on this song.</p>
</div>
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<p>Copyright © 1993, 2001-2006, 2010, 2011, 2014-2018, 2021 2016, 2018, 2022 Richard Stallman</p>
<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
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<p class="unprintable">Updated:
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$Date: 2022/08/13 17:02:27 $
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