Ginsberg's theorem is a parody of the laws of thermodynamics in terms of a person playing a game. The quote was first attributed to the poet Allen Ginsberg in a 1975 issue of the Coevolution Quarterly It is possible that the quote originates as a slight misstatement of the opening lines of "You Can't Win," by Charlie Smalls, as the copyright date for Small's song is 1974, earlier than the first attribution to Ginsberg. While the song was cut from 1975 Broadway debut of The Wiz, it was performed at the original 1974 Baltimore run of the musical. Even earlier, the phrasing appeared in an issue of Astounding Science Fiction in 1956.