The bankers lament
by cricketjeff on January 15, 2009. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
i
We met a man who couldn’t pay
And lent him money anyway
The house he bought was tired and old
And hardly worth a pile of gold
But we had quotas to be met
So gave him cash without regret
ii
Consolidation loans may mean
You’ve over used the credit scene
Your credit’s loaded to the hilt
Your house of cards is badly built
But we are paid on bonus schemes
And all of us have golden dreams
iii
It’s not our cash but all of yours
We simply spend it without pause
We’re buying things that can’t be sold
But banks like ours will never fold
It’s not a risk the government
Is guaranteeing all we’ve lent
iv
If we sell shares that we don’t own
And buy them back with cash on loan
And if they lose then we will win
Such recklessness is not a sin
We could just put it on a horse
But gambling is wrong of course!
v
Now here’s a thing I didn’t see
The other guy’s the same as me!
He’s selling things he doesn’t own
And hasn’t even got on loan!
He meant to buy another lot
But seemingly he just forgot
vi
It’s not our fault we thought we knew
Much more than all the rest of you
How could we tell unfettered greed
Was not what everyone would need
It’s rather late that we have learned
That pay like ours should have been earned
vii
The mortgages we thought were good
We didn’t check the way we should
So now I’m standing in a line
And next to me a friend of mine
I’ve sold the mansion and the yacht
A paying job I have not got
English