[Verse 1] Nixon slammed the window shut in August seventy-three No more gold for foreign banks, no convertibility Bretton Woods came crashing down, the peg dissolved away Floating currencies unleashed, still dancing wild today [Chorus] When the golden standard fell, fell, fell Everything transformed and we can tell Wages stopped their upward climb Profits soared while workers' buying power died Structural breaks don't heal with time Since nineteen seventy-three the rules have changed our lives [Verse 2] Productivity kept growing but the paychecks stayed behind Capital could cross all borders, labor stayed confined Manufacturing packed its bags for cheaper distant shores What was made in Michigan got made in Singapore [Chorus] When the golden standard fell, fell, fell Everything transformed and we can tell Wages stopped their upward climb Profits soared while workers' buying power died Structural breaks don't heal with time Since nineteen seventy-three the rules have changed our lives [Bridge] Financialization bloomed like weeds Banks became the dominant seeds Speculation replaced production lines Casino capitalism by design [Verse 3] Canada felt the ripples too, the auto pact unwound Resource exports ebbed and flowed with global markets' sound Debt and deficit became the fiscal normal state What seemed temporary proved to be our permanent fate [Final Chorus] When the golden standard fell, fell, fell Neoliberalism cast its spell Wages stopped their upward climb Profits soared while workers' buying power died No return to Keynesian times Since nineteen seventy-three we've lived by market rhymes [Outro] The golden anchor lost its hold A different story now unfolds
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