[Verse 1] When the data shows we're heading for a fall And the truth threatens to shake up it all Watch the boardroom start to spin the tale Reframing problems so they never fail "It's not a crisis, just a market shift" "Our strategy's sound, just needs a lift" They'll twist the narrative until it fits The story that their ego permits [Chorus] Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse Shoot the messenger when they bring bad news Five defense mechanisms organizations use To avoid the truth they cannot refuse Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse When power structures have too much to lose [Verse 2] Can't solve the problem with the current plan? Turn it procedural, now you understand "We need a committee and a new review" "Let's form a task force, that's what we'll do" Complex challenges become workflow games Following processes while Rome goes up in flames The bureaucracy knows how to handle this When real solutions they'd rather miss [Chorus] Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse Shoot the messenger when they bring bad news Five defense mechanisms organizations use To avoid the truth they cannot refuse Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse When power structures have too much to lose [Bridge] "We need more data, more time to decide" Delay normalization keeps truth aside Spread the choice across a hundred hands No one's accountable when failure lands And when the whistle-blower takes their stand They're naive, biased, part of some dark plan [Verse 3] The messenger arrives with urgent warning But character attacks begin that morning "They're inexperienced, they don't understand" "They've got an agenda, it's all been planned" Responsibility scattered like the wind No single person with skin in the game When catastrophe comes, no one's to blame The system protects itself again [Chorus] Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse Shoot the messenger when they bring bad news Five defense mechanisms organizations use To avoid the truth they cannot refuse Reframe, proceduralize, delay and diffuse When power structures have too much to lose [Outro] Five ways to dodge what you can see coming Keep the machine running, keep it humming But sometimes truth breaks through the wall And even the biggest giants fall
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