[Verse 1]
Back in forty-eight when the nation was healing
Prosperity spread like a wonderful feeling
Workers and owners both shared in the gains
Data tells stories of sunshine through the rains
CBO tables show income distribution
After-tax dollars paint a clear contribution
[Chorus]
CBO tables tell the tale
Piketty Saez shows the scale
BLS wages, productivity too
Three data sources showing what is true
Income shares and compensation trends
Look at the data, see where it ends
[Verse 2]
Thomas Piketty teamed with Saez and Zucman
Tracking the top shares, showing what's been
One percent, ten percent, how much they hold
Wealth concentration, the story unfolds
From nineteen-fifties through present day
Top income shares show us the way
[Chorus]
CBO tables tell the tale
Piketty Saez shows the scale
BLS wages, productivity too
Three data sources showing what is true
Income shares and compensation trends
Look at the data, see where it ends
[Bridge]
Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps the count
Real wages rising, by what amount
Productivity climbing through the years
But compensation lags, data makes it clear
The gap between output and worker pay
Growing wider day by day
[Verse 3]
Three sources painting pictures of our time
Income distribution, the economic climb
After-tax dollars from the CBO
Top income shares that researchers show
Real wages tracked by BLS
Together they reveal our nation's test
[Chorus]
CBO tables tell the tale
Piketty Saez shows the scale
BLS wages, productivity too
Three data sources showing what is true
Income shares and compensation trends
Look at the data, see where it ends
[Outro]
From broad prosperity to concentration
Data sources guide our investigation
CBO, researchers, and BLS
Help us understand our economic test