The Battle Hymn of the International Subversives
Words ©2011 Holly Tannen
Tune: The Battle Hymn of the Republic

https://hollyblog2.wordpress.com/2024/06/29/676/

There were three gallant Aussie lads who formed a strong alliance
Against the Yankee nukes they were united in defiance.
One said, I’ll tackle NASA – it can’t be rocket science
The truth shall piss them off.

CHORUS:
International Subversives,
International Subversives,
International Subversives,
The truth shall piss them off.

It was a bright October day in 1989
The brass at Cape Canaveral was feeling might fine.
Systems all were Go and everybody was online
The truth shall piss them off.

Back in the antipodes the world was fast asleep
A spotty teenage hacker dude began his midnight creep.
He opened up the system files of NASA for a peep
The truth shall piss them off.

He entered in a backdoor with a simple-minded wank:
Elegant and innocent, a harmless little prank,
And easier to open than his brother’s piggy bank.
The truth shall piss them off.

Suddenly across the screen of every engineer
Flashed a string of crazy code, it filled their hearts with fear:
As one by one they watched their precious programs disappear.
The truth shall piss them off.

There was no joy at NASA, the FBI was vexed.
They swore to one another that the system had been hexed.
The hacker chortled gleefully, “The Pentagon is next.”
The truth shall piss them off.

His mother said, “I think you should go out and get some sun.”
He said, “I’d rather stay here, Ma, I’m having too much fun.”
Then the coppers burst in with a warrant and a gun.
The truth shall piss them off.

He had to put a suit on and he had to go to court.
He tied his hair behind his ears but wouldn’t cut it short,
And just before the trial he hacked the constables’ report.
The truth shall piss them off.

His lawyer said, “My client is as pure as driven snow.
It’s only youthful high-jinks, sure it’s something he’ll outgrow.
He hasn’t damaged anything,” and so they let him go.
The truth shall piss them off.


In a warren full of wombats he was born across the sea
With a fierce and fiery intellect that boggles you and me,
Singing “Courage is contagious, information must be free.”
The truth shall piss them off.