As a piece of Christmas cheer we bring you a traditional olde English carol. It is believed that this particular carol was sung to programmers by configuration managers to earn additional money during the Christmas season. The lyrics (including mention of Mil-STD-973 and CMM among other themes) are reputed to date back to the 15th century although the author is unknown.

We have been lucky enough to track down a recording of this traditional carol - click the start button...

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Scroll down to read the lyrics - but not before you have listened to the audio above!!

With apologies to "God rest ye merry gentlemen" (and some poetic license taken with the history of CM!)

God rest ye merry, programmers
Let nothing you dismay
Remember to configure
All code you write this day
And save it all by CM’s power
Lest it might go astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy  

In Mil standard 973
First was this concept born
And publish’d to the wider world
Upon this blessed morn
But from developers worldwide
It did receive but scorn
O tidings of ...  

From SEI at CMU
A lead assessor came
And unto certain coders
Brought tidings of the same:
How Pennsylvania was home
To CMM by name.
O tidings of ...  

“Fear not,” said the assessor,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day we see CM, it is
At level two by right
To free all those who trust in it
From Change’s power and might."
O tidings of ...  

The coders at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their programs building
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Pittsburgh straight away
This great CM to find.
O tidings of ...  

Meanwhile some agile programmers
Were iterating sprints
And satisfying the bus’ness
With contin-u-ous int-
egration of their mainlines
And releases a-plent(y)
O tidings of ...  

And ITIL 3 it came along
With greater emphasis
On CM in the scheme of things
For change and for release
That service transition
Was an important beast
O tidings of ...  

Now to CM sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
For CM is important
To keep things safe in place.
O tidings of ...

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Robert Cowham said:

... As has previously been pointed out on these forums, the principles of Configuration Management have been understood throughout civilisation, particularly in the military arena. A http://www.cmcrossroads.com/co.../id,61225/ points out the discovery of timbers from ships from the timeof Nelson and Napoleon showing identification of configuration items and an understanding of the management of configurations which was perhaps one contributing factor to Britannia ruling the waves in that era! Hence the olde English... Robert p.s. Let's not get started on what was required for the pyramids...

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December 26, 2008
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Mr Ed said:

	... I will forgive on this occaision for reasons of poetic license and in honor of the season, but let us not forget "CM" has been around longer than coders. True CM started in the WWII ship building yards, and 973 was the LAST not the first Mil-Std on CM. There are many disciplines under the CM banner, and SCM is only one small part.
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