Cipher 2    Spring 2009

This is the *difficult* version of the columnar
transposition cipher. 

After you strip away this
message you should find , using the available
software tool(s), that there are 500 characters
in the message. The words were read into a
completely filled rectangle by rows, the columns
were then permuted, and the result written out by columns.
But note that the columns were written out from bottom to top.

 This cipher is worth 40 points
with additional points to the first four who
solve it. I would recommend that you use one 
of the transposition tools available on our
web site (see ciphers past and present) - such as
column.c written by Jeff Walton. Enciphered are the
lyrics of a song whose lyrics seem to change depending
on who is recording it. Some punctuation has been
omitted.



   akdkr*,tst,cakmiaaitn*ece*ancaiese
   *t**a*meet*oehagdtaawtn*reiidti*rhyd*hwf*
   r**braoiph*kr**ntarnet
   d*opsf*s*remntep**eotbrc**ai**ostf****op*bi*m
   oawkii**fbrteotkhs*sflsie*caimnlt
   tepwenft*vm
   stiai*ysfrniae
   rcap**ierei
   brcwbneedtotcywkrsftsed*nawkheetv*anek**st*
   o*eon*eo*et*etep*hsri
   stetna**dee*s*hlsrp*t
   i*emoaweprhnaef*oa**ogkr**sar
   ep*o*dohie*testks**oaktk*
   e*sd*sltAts
   wefder*tetttbtaid*oh*s*tdcaiye**eak*ayt
   no*neig*sn*tniameisth*
   e*y
   oweakhgdeat*ole*h**s
   gigar
   *tn*atueecnd**lsteo*i***ee*odt*r
   sr*aneystdmwernetv