Bye-Bye Mr. Corporate Pride

(a retelling of Don McLean’s American Pie, and a commentary on today’s state of affairs.)

 

A long, long time ago

I can still remember

When my leaders seemed to give a damn.

And I knew if I gave my all

Then I might climb instead of fall;

And maybe I’d retire with a plan.

But February makes me shiver.

Soon newspapers won’t be delivered.

Budget cuts and layoffs.

401s won’t pay off.

I can’t remember if I cried

When I saw more colleagues cast aside.

I’ve just gone numb down deep inside

Because the dream has died.

 

And bye-bye, Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

Now the middle class is drinking whiskey and rye,

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

Once hippies sang of peace and love

But religious zealots shot that dove.

A great divide has taken hold.

Now do you believe in mind control?

Will a holy war save your mortal soul?

And does the book of Human Rights have loop holes?

Now you claim you’re a religious fool,

But your words are just a jester’s tool.

You’re actions don’t reveal

That you’re heart shaped words are real.

When your mentor joined the unemployed

And could no longer help you became annoyed;

You treat him just like a hemorrhoid

Now that the dream has died.

You started singin’

 

Bye-bye, Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

Now the middle class is drinking whiskey and rye,

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

Now for decades we’ve been riding high,

All reaching for that piece of pie;

We could smell it, touch it, taste it too.

We all tried to live like kings and queens

In castles well beyond our means,

And CEOs grew fat on me and you.

Oh, but while we all were looking down

Employers stole our fragile crowns.

Foreclosures took our homes

‘Cause we couldn’t pay our loans.

And while board rooms called for gains “today”

They let tomorrow slip away;

Now we’re the ones who have to pay

And say the dream has died.

 

Bye-bye, Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

Now the middle class is drinking whiskey and rye,

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

Deflected, dejected, insurance claims rejected

Health care costs are frequently inflected

Their rising and infections’ spreading fast.

We’re landing flat on our backs

As these bail-outs call for some ready cash

But the bankers, on the sidelines keep their stash.

While a stimulus is up for votes

We find ourselves in tattered coats

That can’t keep out the cold

As our lives are bought and sold.

As the workers try to get our yield,

The lenders still refuse to deal

And nothing is left for us to steal

And now the dream has died.

We are singin’

 

Bye-bye, Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

Now the middle class is drinking whiskey and rye,

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

Oh, and pre-retirees are in last place

A working group that’s lost in space

With no time left to start again.

So come on, Barrack be nimble, Barrack be quick.

The economy is deathly sick

And we can’t go on; we need this thing to end.

Despite Bin Laden and his trail

We knew this country could prevail;

And then came corporate Hell.

It’s worse than terror’s spell.

When flames outshined the morning sun

A brand new era had begun;

But who knew Bin Laden could be outdone?

And now, the dream has died.

Now he’s singing

 

Bye-bye, Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

Now the middle class is drinking whiskey and rye,

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

I went out for a bite to eat

From the local diner, down the street,

Looking forward to a slice of apple pie;

But the place was dark and empty.

I should’ve known they couldn’t stay.

When the plant shut down the town began to die.

The other shops had closed as well.

No one to buy, now no one to sell.

It’s just the way of business;

Trim some jobs, outsource the rest.

And the churches, mosques and temples, too,

Each try to tell us what to do,

But who can say just what is true

Now that the dream has died?

Now we’re singin’

 

Bye-bye Mr. Corporate Pride

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

The middle class is drinking whiskey and rye

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.

This’ll be the day that I die.

 

We’re all singin’

 

Bye-bye Mr. Corporate Pride.

Pushed my Chevy to the levy ‘cause the gas tank ran dry.

The middle class is drinking whiskey and rye

Singing this’ll be the day that I die.