[Verse 1]
Back in forty-eight prosperity was shared
Factory workers and college grads both fared
The same in wages, benefits, and dreams
But then the winds of change split at the seams
Computers came and changed the working game
High-skill workers rose, low-skill felt the pain
[Chorus]
SBTC and polarization
China shock hit every station
Winner-take-most domination
Finance grew across the nation
Four big forces changed our fate
Split the middle, rich and great
[Verse 2]
From the East came cheaper goods and trade
China's factories put ours in the shade
Supply chains stretched across the ocean wide
American workers pushed to the side
Offshoring jobs to save on every cost
Communities and families were lost
[Chorus]
SBTC and polarization
China shock hit every station
Winner-take-most domination
Finance grew across the nation
Four big forces changed our fate
Split the middle, rich and great
[Verse 3]
Network effects made giants even stronger
Scale economies helped big firms last longer
One platform wins and takes it almost all
While smaller competitors began to fall
Technology amplified this winner's game
Few at the top claimed fortune and fame
[Bridge]
Financialization grew and grew
Profits rose while wages stayed subdued
Banks and markets took a bigger share
While working families struggled everywhere
[Verse 4]
From the golden age to inequality
Four forces changed prosperity
Skills and tech divided high and low
Trade with China dealt a major blow
Markets concentrated power at the peak
Finance grew strong while workers became weak
[Final Chorus]
SBTC and polarization
China shock hit every station
Winner-take-most domination
Finance grew across the nation
Four big forces changed our fate
From shared wealth to separate
[Outro]
Understand these forces, learn their names
They transformed America's economic games
From forty-eight to now the story's told
How broad prosperity lost its hold