[Verse 1] In nineteen forty-eight the story starts to grow Workers shared the wealth as companies let profits flow But documents and data tell a different tale today Primary sources show us how prosperity slipped away [Chorus] Read the charts and graphs, they never lie Trade agreements, wage gaps reaching for the sky Corporate concentration, markups climbing high Primary sources tell us how and tell us why Evidence in numbers, patterns we can see From the golden age to inequality [Verse 2] Import penetration charts show foreign goods rush in Manufacturing jobs moved out while services begin Job polarization data splits the middle class High skills up, low skills down, the center couldn't last [Chorus] Read the charts and graphs, they never lie Trade agreements, wage gaps reaching for the sky Corporate concentration, markups climbing high Primary sources tell us how and tell us why Evidence in numbers, patterns we can see From the golden age to inequality [Bridge] NAFTA documents, trade policy shifts College wage premiums, employment drifts Corporate profit margins, concentration ratios These artifacts reveal what every worker knows [Verse 3] Education matters more in wage distribution trends Technical workers rise while factory labor ends Market concentration measures show the corporate squeeze Fewer firms control more, competition starts to freeze [Chorus] Read the charts and graphs, they never lie Trade agreements, wage gaps reaching for the sky Corporate concentration, markups climbing high Primary sources tell us how and tell us why Evidence in numbers, patterns we can see From the golden age to inequality [Outro] Every chart's a witness, every graph's a clue Primary sources guide us to what's really true From prosperity's peak to the struggles we face The evidence shows us we can find our place
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