[Verse 1]
Nineteen forty-four, pine trees and conference chairs,
Forty-four nations climbing marble stairs,
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, the dollar pinned to gold,
IMF to catch you when the currency folds,
World Bank laying bricks where the bombs left holes,
Two new engines built to steady shaky souls.
[Chorus]
Mon ami, c'est l'économie du monde,
Power and trade move main dans la main,
On ne peut pas tout garder, tu comprends,
Globalization, démocratie, souveraineté,
Choisis-en deux, mon coeur, c'est la moitié de vérité,
Choisis-en deux, voilà le mystère du jeu.
[Verse 2]
Forty-seven, GATT penciled tariffs down,
A handshake treaty wearing a modest crown,
Fast forward, ninety-five, it finally grew a spine,
World Trade Organization, the rulebook redesigned,
Two thousand one, the dragon joins the line,
China's at the table, the whole math realigns.
[Chorus]
Mon ami, c'est l'économie du monde,
Power and trade move main dans la main,
On ne peut pas tout garder, tu comprends,
Globalization, démocratie, souveraineté,
Choisis-en deux, mon coeur, c'est la moitié de vérité,
Choisis-en deux, voilà le mystère du jeu.
[Verse 3]
Ricardo said don't try to make it all yourself,
Trade what you're best at, leave the rest on the shelf,
Comparative advantage, opportunity's quiet cost,
Both countries gain, but nothing's ever lossless,
Factory gates in Ohio slowly, slowly close,
While shoppers way out west save money on their clothes.
[Bridge]
Kindleberger watched the thirties come apart,
No lender of last resort to play the steady part,
Somebody's gotta referee the open game,
Britain held the whistle, then Uncle Sam became,
Hegemonic stability, the theory stays the same:
Without a captain standing watch, the whole system drains.
[Verse 4]
Two thousand eight, the mortgage towers cracked,
Lehman hit the pavement and the whole globe felt that,
Hollowed-out factories, borders start to shout,
Populists rising up, hollering "let us out,"
Trade took the blame for every shuttered door,
Rodrik's trilemma knocking, knocking evermore.
[Chorus]
Mon ami, c'est l'économie du monde,
Power and trade move main dans la main,
On ne peut pas tout garder, tu comprends,
Globalization, démocratie, souveraineté,
Choisis-en deux, mon coeur, c'est la moitié de vérité,
Choisis-en deux, voilà le mystère du jeu.
[Outro]
La crise, la colère, le vote qui gronde,
Open the border or hold the line so tight,
Tu ne peux pas avoir les trois toutes les nuits,
Bretton Woods, GATT, Ricardo, Kindleberger's clue,
C'est l'économie du monde — et maintenant, tu sais quoi faire.