Copying lyrics from Pandora to your clipboard

You may have noticed that Pandora gives you (everyone? just subscribers?) the ability to view the lyrics of songs. For example, when I view "Not Going Anywhere" by Keren Ann, it gives me the full lyrics for the song (note: not every song has its lyrics in the Pandora database).

Pandora has been clever about how they display the lyrics. They actually don't come down with the page. The page uses AJAX to download the lyrics after you download the page. It then populates the correct place on the page with the lyrics. It also changes the mouseover properties so that you cannot use your browser to highlight those lyrics. Because the lyrics are populated dynamically, saving the page doesn't work either.

Well, I thought that was lousy. If the lyrics are displayed in plaintext on my browser, I should be able to at least highlight them. If they really wanted to prevent me from doing that, they'd build a GIF/JPG/PNG on their end and send me the lyrics in that, right?

So I figured out that I could use Firebug, the Firefox add-on, to do what Pandora didn't want me to do.

1. Start Firebug.
2. Start the "Console."
3. Use the pull-down menu on the "Console" tab to "enable" the Console.
4. Issue the JavaScript command

   alert(fullLyrics.innerHTML)

   on the console.
5. A dialog box should pop up with the lyrics. Use your mouse to copy them to your clipboard.
6. You can then disable the Firebug console using that same pull-down menu.

That worked for me. It should work until they change the names within the JavaScript.

"Don't Be Upset" by Jeffrey and Jack Lewis

Great lyrics and a fun little song...

i took my darling out to the aquarium
sea creatures stared at us and we stared back at them
my baby freaked when she peeked at that 8-legged blob with a beak
she was too scared to speak
i said don't be upset it's only an octopus
don't bother it and i'm sure it won't bother us
please don't be upset my darling, please don't get upset
my baby came riding to meet me one time
on the crowed last car of the downtown-bound 9
she was brave but she caved
when the train was delayed
it was just the last straw in her hard busy day
i said don't get upset 'cuz it's not a catastrophe
nothing will happen and soon you'll be back with me
please don't be upset my darling , please don't be upset
my gal's got a headhache, her ankle is hurting too
boots she bought gave her a rash & her winsdom tooth
is coming in and it's damp out and she's having cramps and she's so mad at me cuz i didn't shave
i said don't be upset i know you're feeling sensitive
i'll try to be kinder and be more attentive
please don't be upset my darling please don't get upset
darling i said, i'm gonna be 27 soon
i've only got rejection letters and a sense of impending doom
i think it's too late for me
all the comic companies hate me
and i try but it's always the same
i guess my art is just lame and it's strange but still somehow i'm
always not suiting their needs at this time
and she said ........don't be upset,
you know that you're wonderful
just keep on trying ...(actually what she really said was)
all you ever wanna talk about is your self and your comic books and your album and your tour
and everytime i see your friends they just ask me where you are again and it hurts
it makes me feel like dirt
i'm just gonna write where you are on my shirt
and i said don't be upset, don't be in a bad mood
let's just go to a show and hang out and feel good
come on please don't be upset my darling, please don't be upset, i'll do anything baby, just don't be upset

What's wrong with engineers?

"Love Affair" (Regina Spektor) lyrics

There was a love affair in this building
The kind of love affair
Which every respectable building must keep as a legend
Slowly festering through an innocent "by the way"
Or "have you heard"
He was perfect except for the fact that he was an engineer
And mothers prefer doctors
And lawyers

Yet despite this imperfection
He was clean-looking and respectable-looking
And you'll never find a mother
Who doesn't appreciate a natural man
So he grew healthy aloe vera plants by the window
Healthy teeth in his mouth
Healthy hair on his head
He grew healthy wavy brown hair on his head
The kind, the kind that babies always go for
With sticky little fingers

I have healthy hair and teeth and wavy brown hair. I don't know about the baby thing...

I'm pretty sure my aloe vera plant is dying too...

I suppose it is true that mothers rarely like me...