In the Pre-Container Days

Lyrics

[Intro]
Come on, kids, sit down with me,
I’ll tell you how it used to be.
Back when fixes came our way,
in the pre-container days.

[Verse 1]
We would log into the server,
we knew every path by name.
When a setting caused a problem,
we would simply change the same.
Turn a false into a true one,
save the file and restart.
Five short minutes, issue over,
no approval, no new chart.

[Pre-Chorus]
It may not have been documented,
but at least the thing was fixed and tested.

[Chorus]
In the pre-container days,
small repairs were minutes away.
Change a file, replace a value,
and the system would obey.
In the pre-container days,
we were quick in many ways.
Now they tell us, “Please be patient,
development must build again.”

[Verse 2]
Now the root is read-only,
every folder locked up tight.
Even when you find the problem,
you are not allowed to write.
You may save the logs and data,
on a volume mounted free.
But the one defective setting
stays inside the image peacefully.

[Pre-Chorus]
I see the error, clear as day,
but only someone else may make it go away.

[Chorus]
In the pre-container days,
small repairs were minutes away.
Change a file, replace a value,
and the system would obey.
In the pre-container days,
we were quick in many ways.
Now they tell us, “Please be patient,
development must build again.”

[Verse 3]
So we open up a ticket:
“Tiny change and very small.”
First they need to check the priority,
and decide who owns it all.
Then a branch and then a review,
then the whole thing must be built.
Tests and scans and an approval,
just to change what had been spilt.

[Pre-Chorus]
From one small line, it’s quite absurd,
we build a process no one ever fully heard.

[Chorus]
In the pre-container days,
small repairs were minutes away.
Change a file, replace a value,
and the system would obey.
In the pre-container days,
we were quick in many ways.
Now they tell us, “Please be patient,
development must build again.”

[Bridge]
Back then they said:
“Just make it work.”
Now they say:
“Please write the spec.”
Back then we repaired the system,
now we schedule and inspect.
Then it’s built and then it’s tested,
then it waits for one more sign.
Maybe in the coming sprint,
we’ll get the brand-new image live.

[Breakdown]
Just one small line!
Just one value!
But the root will not allow you.
Just one small line!
No major crime!
Welcome to the modern time.

[Final Chorus]
In the pre-container days,
small repairs were minutes away.
Change a file, replace a value,
and the customer was saved.
In the pre-container days,
we could fix things right away.
Now they tell us, “Please be patient,
there’s another build today.”
In the pre-container days,
not all changes were so safe.
But whenever errors called us,
we could fix them face to face.

[Outro]
Come on, kids, remember well:
There was once a time, they tell,
when we changed the files directly,
right inside production systems.
And sometimes…
they even worked.