[Verse 1] They saw the warning signs but kept on lending Subprime mortgages, the risk ascending The data showed the bubble growing tall But institutional blindness fooled them all Short-term profits drove the trading floor While long-term thinking walked right out the door [Chorus] They could see it coming, see it coming But the system kept on running, kept on running Competitor normalization, regulatory capture station Short-term motivation, organizational separation They could see it coming, but they couldn't stop the fall [Verse 2] Rating agencies with conflicts deep inside Triple-A stamps when they should have denied SEC captured by the banks they watched Fed officials with their judgment botched Risk managers knew but had no power Decision makers lived in ivory towers [Chorus] They could see it coming, see it coming But the system kept on running, kept on running Competitor normalization, regulatory capture station Short-term motivation, organizational separation They could see it coming, but they couldn't stop the fall [Bridge] Lewis wrote it in The Big Short tale Sorkin showed us how they were too big to fail FCIC report laid the facts all bare Systemic risk was floating in the air Information flows but power's in the way Institutional failure led us all astray [Verse 3] When your rivals take the risky bets You follow suit to avoid regrets Mortgage-backed securities piled high While the smart money started saying goodbye Siloed knowledge, fractured command Strategic blindness across the land [Chorus] They could see it coming, see it coming But the system kept on running, kept on running Competitor normalization, regulatory capture station Short-term motivation, organizational separation They could see it coming, but they couldn't stop the fall [Outro] Large organizations make the same mistakes Even when they know what's at stake Information's not enough to change the game When institutional forces stay the same
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