The Unix Sysadmin Song

Harley Hahn Quotations

October 1995

Below, is the The Unix Sysadmin Song that I wrote in 1995 for my book "The Unix Companion". (The song is on page 253 of the book.)

The song is sung to the tune of the "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" from the Gilbert and Sullivan play Pirates of Penzance.

Over the years, The Unix Sysadmin Song has become popular, and people around the world sing it every year on System Administrator Appreciation Day (the last Friday in July).

To be sure, this is an amusing song, even in isolation. However, what you see below is actually part of a longer, more humorous discussion, related to the Unix mail programs (as they were in 1995).

Once you have read (or sung :-) The Unix Sysadmin Song below, please take a moment to at the following page where you will see the song in its original context.

The Origin of The Unix Sysadmin Song

Unix Sysadmin:

I am the very model of a modern Unix Sysadmin,
I've information relevant to programs in slash usr bin,
I know the tricks of emacs and the vi bugs historical,
From a to ZZ upper case, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too with matters of the interface,
I understand commands of pine, and how they hurt the human race.
About the pico editor I'm teeming with a lot o' bosh —
With many cheerful facts of how it's dumber than a Macintosh.

Chorus:

With many cheerful facts of how it's dumber than a Macintosh.

Unix Sysadmin:

I'm very good at showing users how to pick the best of tools,
I know I should avoid the nerds who hang out in the vestibules;
In short, in matters relevant to programs in slash usr bin,
I am the very model of a modern Unix Sysadmin.

Chorus:

In short, in matters relevant to programs in slash usr bin,
He is the very model of a modern Unix Sysadmin.

The Origin of The Unix Sysadmin Song