# The Retpolines Song

> By Jose E. Marchesi

(The melody is Leapy Lee's "Little Arrows")

=> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRCvTe-BsNc Youtube video with melody

	There's a chip, an Intel chip
	Predicting branches in the CPU
	And it's aiming them at some place
	But the question is at where
	Is it here or is it there
	It's hard to tell until they're hit
	But you'll now it when they miss
	'Cos they stall a little bit
	
	Here they come pouring out of GCC
	Retpolines for the kernel and for that JIT
	You've got to recompile it again
	Recompile it again
	Retpolines in your programs
	Retpolines in your tests
	After you run make you'll find
	Those retpolines everywhere
	Retpolines that will call and return once
	And call and return once again
	Retpolines that confuse that proof of concept
	Every now and then
	
	WOOOOOOOooooooohhhhhh the cache
	
	Some folks sell stock and others patch
	But there ain't nothing they can do
	And some folks put on lfences
	But the spectres go straight through
	So you see there's no escape
	So why not face it and admit
	That you love those retpolines
	When they slow you a little bit
	
	Here they come pouring out of GCC
	Retpolines for the kernel and for that JIT
	You've got to recompile it again
	Recompile it again
	Retpolines in your programs
	Retpolines in your tests
	After you run make you'll find
	Those retpolines everywhere
	Retpolines that will call and return once
	And call and return once again
	Retpolines that confuse that proof of concept
	Every now and then
	
	Retpolines in your programs
	Retpolines in your tests
	After you run make you'll find
	Those retpolines everywhere
	Retpolines that will call and return once
	And call and return once again
	Retpolines that confuse that proof of concept
	Every now and then
	
	Retpolines in your programs
	Retpolines in your tests
	After you run make you'll find
	Those retpolines everywhere
	Retpolines that will call and return once
	And call and return once again
	Retpolines that confuse that proof of concept
	Every now and then