[Verse 1] Back in seventy-three the golden age fell apart Oil prices climbing, inflation got its start The old rules crumbled, the system hit the wall When institutions matter most, they make or break us all [Chorus] When the golden age cracked, nineteen seventy-three Same shock, different outcomes across land and sea Institutions shape the way that prices rise and fall Unemployment's dance depends on who's in charge of it all When the golden age cracked, cracked, cracked away The rules we lived by couldn't make inflation stay [Verse 2] Canada felt the tremor, America did too But how they handled crisis showed what good frameworks do Some countries saw their jobless lines grow longer every day While others kept employment stable through the economic fray [Chorus] When the golden age cracked, nineteen seventy-three Same shock, different outcomes across land and sea Institutions shape the way that prices rise and fall Unemployment's dance depends on who's in charge of it all When the golden age cracked, cracked, cracked away The rules we lived by couldn't make inflation stay [Bridge] Central banks and labor laws Government response with cause Same oil shock but different results Strong institutions, fewer faults Weak ones let the chaos spread Economic pain and mounting dread [Verse 3] The lesson learned from that historic economic break Is institutions matter for the choices that we make When similar disasters strike across the global stage The framework that you're built upon determines your next page [Chorus] When the golden age cracked, nineteen seventy-three Same shock, different outcomes across land and sea Institutions shape the way that prices rise and fall Unemployment's dance depends on who's in charge of it all When the golden age cracked, cracked, cracked away Good institutions help economies find their way [Outro] Seventy-three taught us all How institutions break or stand tall When the golden age cracked away
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