Startup Sounds Revisited

Songs & lyrics track by track

Startup / Hard Drive - lyrics

Start up and take a hard drive
Backup or you won’t arrive
If you wanna take it downtown
Then you gotta keep your windows down

Don’t give up, it ain’t over yet
It’s time to start thinkin’ different

Start thinkin’ different

She’s bondi blue, a two-door
Powered by a G4
See-through to the inside
It’s all on board, what a ride

Don’t give up, it ain’t over yet
It’s time to start thinkin’ different

Start thinkin’ different

Some think they own the road
they tell you which way to go
I don’t care what they say
I’ll get there in my own way

Flying down a back street
With Einstein in the back seat
Picasso riding shotgun
We’re listening to Dylan

Don’t give up, it ain’t over yet
It’s time to start thinkin’ different

Start thinkin’ different

Some think they own the road
they tell you which way to go
I don’t care what they say
I’ll get there in my own way

Start up and take a hard drive
Backup or you won’t arrive
If you wanna take it downtown
Then you gotta keep your windows down

Don’t give up, it ain’t over yet
It’s time to start thinkin’ different
Start thinkin' different

Start thinkin' different

Here's to the crazy ones

Track 1: Startup / Hard Drive

In the early 1960s, groups like The Beach Boys sang songs about hot rods and motor bikes. Why not sing about your Bondi blue iMac? Not sure how I came up with the perversion of a Bo Diddley beat. This song features several of the Think Different characters.

Neutron Bombed-Out Zone (All Gave Up) - lyrics

Last night I dreamed I was flying
over a valley so low
Puzzled by what I was eyeing below
Buildings abandoned and empty
Windows were shattered and dark
And there were plenty of places to park

They all gave up
Looks like they’d rather stay home
It’s like a neutron bombed-out zone

Corporate headquarters moved northward
Manufacturing moved overseas
Now the people who put things together
live in trees
Still some are telecommuting
bumper to bumper on-line
Met the new boss’s image last Thursday
over wine

They all gave up
Looks like they’d rather stay home
It’s like a neutron bombed-out zone

School is a click and a drag now
Conversation’s been replaced by chat
Did my shopping, my laundry, my loving
while I sat
Your party depends on your platform
Bandwidth determined by class
Needs and desires are all served
behind glass

They all gave up
Looks like they’d rather stay home
It’s like a neutron bombed-out zone

Thoughts all dissolve into numbers
Buzzing around in my head
Pixel by pixel I’m drawn back
to my bed
Morning light shines through the window
Cutting the air that is cool
The neighborhood’s all off to work
All off to school

Then I wake up
I think I would rather stay home
In my neutron bombed-out zone

Recording Startup Sounds in 2001

Track 2: Neutron Bombed-Out Zone (All Gave Up)

Emptiness and abandonment created by a turn of the century dotcom burst bubble.

This track was mastered by Myles Boisen.

QuickDraw Bill - lyrics

This is the story of Quickdraw Bill
The legend of his life
He aimed for glory and you know he will
be remembered for the time

He would write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

Into the valley rode a tall young man
Just yesterday it seems
Blue eyes a’blazin’ with two lightning hands
a’wrestlin’ with his dreams

He would write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

He joined the outlaws down at number three
Pirates of the west
Insanely great is what they had to be
To help them with their quest

He would write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

Heard one day he almost lost his head
and all that was inside
I still remember, that is what he said
Regions were his pride

He would write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

He played his last hand and he played it well
A wild card up his sleeve
Worked his magic and he broke the spell
Then paid off his dream

He could write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

This is the story of Quickdraw Bill
The legend of his life
He captures glory and makes it stand still
An image pure and bright

He could write into the night
Until the break of day
Poured his soul into the code
We still live by today

Bill Atkinson as QuickDraw Bill

Track 3: QuickDraw Bill

Bill Akinson was a key member of the original Macintosh development team as well as an accomplished photographer and deep thinker. He deserved his own song. I was deeply influenced by the feel of "Ghost Riders in the Sky", written by Stan Jones in 1948. I exchanged emails with Bill and sent him a Startup Sounds CD. As thanks he sent me one of his prints. It has been hanging on our wall all these years. After Bill passed in 2025, I was contacted by his daughter inquiring how to get Startup Sounds. I remixed Quickdraw Bill and released it as a single and made a video for YouTube as a result. Here is the link: QUICKDRAW BILL YOUTUBE VIDEO

E-Centric - lyrics

There’s not a single reason
why I should feel this way
But it happens every time
Guess it’s just because I’m
more e-centric every day

I’m tappin’ on the keyboard
Singing in my mouse
I’ve got one thing to say
before they take me away
Is there a disk doctor in the house?

But even with my antics
I can’t seem to catch her view
If she were based on logic
then I might have a clue

I’m very well connected
but not so well to do
Dot, dot, dot, forward slash
Let me check on my cache
before I get back to you

But even with my antics
I can’t seem to catch her view
If she were based on logic
then I might have a clue

I’m very well connected
but not so well to do
Dot, dot, dot, forward slash
Let me check on my cache
before I get back to you

There’s not a single reason
why I should feel this way
But it happens every time
Guess it’s just because I’m
more e-centric every day

More e-centric every day

1996 holiday card by Lynn Garnica

Track 4: E-Centric

This one was influenced by Beatle Paul. The picture I chose is our 1996 holiday card created by Lynn Garnica, my partner and fellow Apple fanatic. It features Santa Woz as well as a green Grinch Bill Gates emerging from the trash.

Poor Sad Mac - lyrics

Poor sad mac, he wanders all around
Pulls from his pocket such a frown
Crashes and he plunders
all through my neighborhood
They tell me that sad mac will
forever be no good

Poor sad mac, born in a plastic age
A time when the world still thought in beige
Crafted and molded just like a piece of art
An orphan, exploited
It’s enough to break your heart

But when duty calls him
He straps on his sword
Becomes such a mighty warlord
Millions may challenge
but millions will fall
Mac claims a victory over all

Poor sad mac, maligned by many a tongue
Some say that his last song has been sung
They slander and slam him
every chance they get
They sit there all dripping
yet dare say he is all wet

That when duty calls him
He straps on his sword
Becomes such a mighty warlord
Millions may challenge
but millions will fall
Mac claims a victory over all

Poor sad mac, destined to rise again
Reborn for the new millennium
His memory protected
Strength one hundred fold
Spiritually connected
Colors bright and bold

Poor sad mac, he wanders all around
Pulls from his pocket such a frown
Crashes and he plunders
all through my neighborhood
They tell me that sad mac will
forever be no good

Track 5: Poor Sad Mac

This song was more John Lennon influenced. In the late 90s, there was a Mac advocate who called himself MacKiDo. In those days, it just made sense the use of swords might be needed to save Apple.

Running out of the Past - lyrics

I’ve seen scenes made of dreams
Late night movies up on screen
The entire crew and cast
running out of the past

Antique stores by the scores
Nothing left on the floors
Those old things move so fast
running out of the past

Is there a present for me
wrapped up in technology
Some folks age naturally
Some do it virtually

Four mop tops, keystone cops
and a giant triceratops
all vanish in a flash
running out of the past

Is there a present for me
wrapped up in technology
Some folks age naturally
Some do it virtually

I’ve seen scenes made of dreams
Late night movies up on screen
The entire crew and cast
running out of the past

Mickey McGowan & John Swerdan

Track 6: Running Out of the Past

I used to buy and sell collectible vinyl records and met a lot of interesting souls. There is no better soul than my dear friend, Mickey McGowan, who's house is a museum when people come to see him. I was thinking of him when I wrote this song. Interesting note: Mickey used to craft shoeware in the early 1970s and was known as Apple Cobbler.

Cyber-Lies - lyrics

I wanna know just why you tell me lies
Walkin’ down the street
Struck by your deceit
Knocked down by your cyber-lies

‘Round and ‘round, ‘round it goes
Where is the truth? Nobody knows
You say you love me, but still you tell me lies

I’m in awe of your abilities
Single minded goals
Your remote controls
The power of your cyber-lies

‘Round and ‘round, ‘round it goes
Where is the truth? Nobody knows
You say you love me, but still you tell me lies

One sunny day I’ll leave you far behind
Far beyond your reach
The practice that you preach
Perfection of your cyber-lies

‘Round and ‘round, ‘round it goes
Where is the truth? Nobody knows
You say you love me, but still you tell me lies

John Swerdan & Alec Palao

Track 7: Cyber-Lies

Another friend I met at a record swap is Alec Palao. He has been nominated for several Grammys related to his work on 1960s reissues. This song was my attempt to write a 1966 garage band song he would like with more modern lyrics. Alec hated the 1980s drum fills on this song, so I edited them out on the new mix.

Kurt Zuver played bass. Ed Reiss played drums. Gary Scheffler played tambourine.

Keep up with the Times - lyrics

It’s not enough to keep up with the times
The road gets rough, I’ll tell you there are times
when all the world is blue, a frozen motion blur
Can’t tell a sparrow from a skyscraper

And that ain’t all, there’s more that I can say
Beneath it all I’d rather spend my day just
walkin’ through the trees, listening to the breeze
Sink my feet into the meadow grass
Walkin’ through the trees, listening to the breeze
Step aside and wait for time to pass

Time to pass now

It’s not enough to keep up with the times
The road gets rough, I’ll tell you there are times
when all the world is blue, a frozen motion blur
Can’t tell a sparrow from a skyscraper
A dark fast moving cloud,
No substance, without form
Precipitating oceans of our tears

Time to pass now

John - Yosemite National Park 2002

Track 8: Keep Up with the Times

I was listening to lot of 1965-1966 Brian Wilson when I came up with this one. On the original mix I attempted to do a Brian on the solo but fell short. The new mix features a trumpet instead. We were doing a lot of hiking at the time so it seemed the natural thing to incorporate.

This track was mastered by Myles Boisen. Kurt Zuver played original bass. Ed Reiss played drums. Gary Scheffler played tambourine. Alec Palao played bass overdub.

Shut the Hell Down! (Acronymity 1.01) - lyrics

I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout my ISP
my POP and my PPC
the DSP on my PDA
the NAB and the NRA
the CEO, the COO, the CFO and an IPO
I got a JPG of an MIA
It was an FTP from the CIA

Shut the hell down

Shut the hell down!

I’m being cleared by the DOJ
the FBI and the FAA
the ATF and the NEA
PTL and the PTA
the FCC, the FTC, the FDA and the DMV
the IRS and the NRC
the AMA and the DOD

Shut the hell down

Shut the hell down!

I have strange dreams caused by ADD
I saw FDR in an SUV
A UFO over NYC sucked SNL out of NBC
Met JFK, RFK, MLK and heard LBJ say
The LDS don’t use LSD
They use DSL out in SLC

Shut the hell down

Shut the hell down!

Shut the hell down

Shut the hell down!

John - Open mic performance

Track 9: Shut the Hell Down! (Acronymity 1.01)

We used to have a talking moose on our Mac in the old days. When we shut the computer down, he would say, "Shut the hell down". I was definately influenced by Bob Dylan's talking blues songs. As far as I remember, the low mumbling was mostly my reaction to several bumper sticker slogans of the time.

Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow (Cloudy Highway) - lyrics

Out on the cloudy highway

Up in the cloudy sky

Watching the world turn sideways

As it goes flying by

Above the earth

A sacred tao

The word is great

The time is now

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow

Out on the cloudy highway

Up where the condor flies

A thought without inspiration

Falls from the sky and dies

Above the earth

A sacred tao

The word is great

The time is now

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow

I’ve been trying to reach you

I’ve been trying to reach you for so long

I’ve been meaning to tell you

I’ve been trying to tell you

I’ve been trying to tell you for so long

But you won’t listen to what I have to say

I’ve been trying to reach you all day

Out on the cloudy highway

Up in the cloudy air

High on a distant skyway

Someday I’ll see you there

Above the earth

A sacred tao

The word is great

The time is now

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow

Bonus Track: Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow

It is said that Steve Jobs last dying words were "Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow" I started this recording almost 50 years ago and finally finished it with new lyrics in 2022.

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