A Man of Modest Means
By William H. Gates III
(c), tm, sm, (r) Bill Gates, patent pending
A Man of Modest Means
I am a man of modest means;
There's not much I ask of life.
Just a billion-dollar monopoly,
A mansion, and my wife.
My wants are simple, my tastes mundane,
There's not much that I demand:
Just a thousand-year Imperial Reign,
And all the water, air, and land.
My business scheme is a simple one:
I looks for good ideas and waits.
And when someone develops one,
I copies it, trademark Billy Gates!
If all goes well and my aim is true,
There no limit to what I'll own --
I'll copyright everything you say,
Because I'll own your phone. [1]
But one must work fast to own it all,
Just as fast as one is able;
Because once I own the telephone call --
I have to work on buying cable. [2]
If all goes well and there is no waste,
There'll be no escaping me;
Because this modest man of modest taste
Will own all that's on TV.
A 90% share, i think is fair,
Of your e-mail, sent at any baud.
And if all goes well, I'll own a share
Of your every prayer to God.
I'm the richest guy around, that's true,
And if all goes well, soon I'll own you.
[1] A reference to a failed effort by Bill Gates to purchase telephone companies.
[2] A reference to the times Bill Gates tried to buy up large amounts of broadcast media as well as cable systems.
The song is by William H. Gates III, a famous musician from Amstrad, Germany (not that snot-nosed punk from Microsoft).