Two Digits for a Date Song

more or less)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale Of the doom that

is our fate. That started when programmers used Two digits

for a date. Two digits for a date.

Main memory was smaller then; Hard disks were smaller, too.

"Four digits are extravagant, So let's get by with two. So

let's get by with two."

"This works through 1999," The programmers did say. "Unless

we rewrite before that It all will go away. It all will go

away."

But Management had not a clue: "It works fine now, you bet!

A rewrite is a straight expense; We won't do it just yet. We

won't do it just yet."

Now when 2000 rolls around It all goes straight to @#%&, For

zero's less than ninety-nine, As anyone can tell. As anyone

can tell.

The mail won't bring your pension check It won't be sent to

you When you're no longer sixty-eight, But minus thirty-two.

But minus thirty-two.

The problems we're about to face Are frightening, for sure.

And reading every line of code's The only certain cure. The

only certain cure.

(key change, big finish)

There's not much time, There's too much code. (And

Cobol-coders, few) When the century is finished with, We may

be finished, too. We may be finished, too.

Eight thousand years from now I hope That things weren't

left too late, And people aren't then lamenting Four digits

for a date. Four digits for a date.