Systems Engineering Shuffle

[Cold open: banjo boot sequence] One, two— Check the logs, boys. Fiddle says warning, banjo says deploy. [Verse 1] Well the day came in sideways with a flicker and a cough Coffee went cold and the Wi-Fi dropped off Truck in the laneway, forms in the tray Three little fires all asking me to stay I checked the gauge, I checked the book I said, “I’m not that kind of engineer but I’ll take a look” Somebody yelled from the back of the room “Is this a hard crash or just gathering doom?” [Pre-Chorus] I said hold your horses, save your blame Every broken system has a middle name When the lights go dim and the warnings compute Sometimes what you need is a super soft reboot [Chorus] Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle Step left, step right, let the hot mess breathe Graceful degradation underneath your feet Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle No big explosion, no dramatic dispute Just a river-timed rollback and a super soft reboot [Verse 2] Now I’m not that Chris Jones, let the record reflect There’s a lot of us out here with a similar defect One builds software, one tunes phones One disappeared in a spreadsheet zone I’ve seen cloud computing & cannabis Sold as a cure for what’s hazardous But the big bluegrass blueprint said plain in the book “I’m not that kind of engineer but I’ll take a look” [Pre-Chorus] So pass me the fiddle, pass me the broom Clear one corner of the incident room If the whole stack shakes from the roof to the root We’ll document the risk, then super soft reboot [Chorus] Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle Step left, step right, let the hot mess breathe Graceful degradation underneath your feet Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle No big explosion, no dramatic dispute Just a river-timed rollback and a super soft reboot [Bridge: call and response] Caller: Was it a hard crash? Band: Might’ve been Tuesday. Caller: Was it bad luck? Band: Might’ve been loosely. Caller: Who owns the system? Band: That depends on the chart. Caller: Who fixed the banjo? Band: A fella with heart. Caller: Are you that Chris Jones? Band: No sir, different folder. Caller: Are you that kind of engineer? Band: Not quite, but older. Caller: Can you save the whole thing? Band: We’ll reduce the blast. Caller: Can you make it perfect? Band: No, but we’ll make it last. [Final Chorus] Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle Step left, step right, let the hot mess breathe Graceful degradation underneath your feet Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle No big explosion, no dramatic dispute Just a river-timed rollback and a super soft reboot Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle From the server rack down to the gravel road Some loads get lighter when you name the load Do the Systems Engineering Shuffle Big bluegrass blueprint, one last look I’m not that kind of engineer but I’ll take a look [Outro] The logs roll quiet The river runs clean The banjo hums low On the recovery screen Hard crash behind us Boot lights ahead Graceful degradation And the whole band said— Super soft reboot. Super soft reboot. Super soft reboot. By the river.