Finnegan The Folk Hero
Momus Lyrics


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In a field of corn
Is a master's shoe
Click the master's shoe
There's a blue-tailed fly
Click a blind man's foot
See a horse's tail
It's down to Finnegan
The folk hero of HTML

This is the tale
Of a clever sod
HTML
Was his gift from God
He slaved all night
Coding the master's site
Never paid a cent
What was his by rights

How the website burns
Since Finnegan fell!
Let's pray that he returns
From web designer hell
He's the only one can fix it
Fix it good and well
Finnegan, the folk hero of HTML

He could stream Quicktime
He could code in Flash
He could make your icons dance with Java
Then empty out your trash
But Finnegan's dead
Rotted clean away
Because the bastard master
Never gave him any pay

How the bastard yells
'cause the website's down
When he taps his URLs
All he gets is '404 Not Found'
By the coffee machine
Screaming Finnegan's name
But the folk hero is dead
And there is no-one left to blame

We've lost our shirts
Now Finnegan's gone
If he had got his just deserts
We could've been cracking merrily on
'cause there was just one man could fix it
Fix it good and well
That's Finnegan, the folk hero of HTML

When the web is quiet
On a moonlit night
There is phantom code
On the master's site
Some say it's spiders




Or a bot from hell
Like hell! It's Finnegan, the folk hero of HTML

Overall Meaning

The song "Finnegan The Folk Hero" by Momus is a tribute to Finnegan, a skilled web designer who was never compensated for his work by his boss, the "bastard master". The lyrics describe how the website that Finnegan designed has suffered since his death, and how his presence is still felt in the code of the website. The first verse mentions a "master's shoe" in a field of corn, which is a reference to the folk song "Jimmy Crack Corn" where a blue-tailed fly is swatted by the master who is then killed by his slave. This creative use of intertextuality in the lyrics adds to the song's depth and complexity. The song goes on to describe how "HTML was his gift from God" and how Finnegan was a master of various coding languages such as Quicktime, Flash, and Java, but was never given payment for his work. The chorus repeats the line "Finnegan, the folk hero of HTML" emphasizing his importance to the success of the website and his lasting legacy.


The second verse talks about how the website has suffered since Finnegan's death and how his absence has left a void that cannot be filled. The imagery of the "phantom code" on the website at night and the mention of spiders and bots gives the song a haunting quality. The song ends with the realization that without Finnegan, the website may never be fixed, and the implication that his boss, the "bastard master" will continue to profit from his work. The lyrics are a commentary on the exploitation of skilled workers in the tech industry and the importance of recognizing and compensating them fairly.


Line by Line Meaning

In a field of corn
This is the setting of the story


Is a master's shoe
The master's property is present in the field


Click the master's shoe
Pay attention to the master's property


There's a blue-tailed fly
A pesky, insignificant nuisance is present


Click a blind man's foot
Take advantage of a disabled person


See a horse's tail
Observe the signs of a problem


It's down to Finnegan
The responsibility falls on Finnegan


The folk hero of HTML
Finnegan is a skilled web developer


This is the tale
The story is about to begin


Of a clever sod
Finnegan is intelligent and resourceful


HTML
The programming language in which Finnegan excels


Was his gift from God
Finnegan has a natural talent for coding


He slaved all night
Finnegan worked tirelessly


Coding the master's site
Finnegan built the master's website


Never paid a cent
Finnegan was not compensated for his hard work


What was his by rights
Finnegan deserved to be paid for his work


How the website burns
The website is in a state of chaos


Since Finnegan fell!
Since Finnegan's disappearance


Let's pray that he returns
There is hope for Finnegan's return


From web designer hell
From a place of frustration and despair


He's the only one can fix it
Finnegan is the only one with the skills to repair the website


Fix it good and well
Finnegan can solve the problem completely


He could stream Quicktime
Finnegan had knowledge in video streaming


He could code in Flash
Finnegan was skilled in Flash programming


He could make your icons dance with Java
Finnegan could create interactive icons with Java


Then empty out your trash
Finnegan could solve computer issues beyond just programming


But Finnegan's dead
Finnegan is not coming back


Rotted clean away
Finnegan's body has decayed


Because the bastard master
The master of the website is a bad person


Never gave him any pay
Finnegan was never compensated for his work


How the bastard yells
The master is angry


'cause the website's down
The website is not working


When he taps his URLs
When the master tries to access the site


All he gets is '404 Not Found'
The site is returning an error message


By the coffee machine
The place where the master stands


Screaming Finnegan's name
The master is frustrated with Finnegan's absence


And there is no-one left to blame
No one is responsible for fixing the website


We've lost our shirts
We have lost everything


Now Finnegan's gone
Finnegan is no longer present


If he had got his just deserts
If Finnegan had been compensated as he should have been


We could've been cracking merrily on
Things could be going well


'cause there was just one man could fix it
Finnegan was the only one who could solve the website's problems


When the web is quiet
During a slow period for the internet


On a moonlit night
In a setting with a romantic tone


There is phantom code
There is mysterious code on the website


On the master's site
On the website Finnegan built


Some say it's spiders
Some speculate the code is just from automated bots


Or a bot from hell
Others believe the code is from a malicious source


Like hell! It's Finnegan, the folk hero of HTML
Actually, the code is from Finnegan's ghost, using his skills even beyond death




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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Aldo Charles


on Morality Is Vanity

I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.