Labour Arbitrage

[Verse 1] Northern wants a future More than paper mills and prayer So we built some tech jobs And kept our young folks there Colleges kept teaching Communities leaned in tight We all sang the same old tune Let’s make a good life right [Pre-Chorus] Train ’em up Keep ’em home Make the north worth staying for Experience stacks up Wages climb Then somebody cracks the door [Chorus] Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage That’s the name of the game Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Different miles, same flame We finally made the jobs worth keeping (That’s when keeping them got dear) Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Well, there it is right here [Verse 2] The shop grew past a handful Into something folks could trust Experienced engineers With their sleeves rolled up in dust Every hire made the case for it Every year the proof came due What we set out to create Was exactly what came true [Pre-Chorus] Skills got sharp Teams got strong The payroll went up too A local win A tidy chart And a bigger bill came through [Chorus] Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage That’s the name of the game Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Different miles, same flame We finally made the jobs worth keeping (That’s when keeping them got dear) Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Well, there it is right here [Verse 3] Somebody opened Excel And discovered Eastern Europe The column lit up cheerful Like a sunrise on a cooper Now the math was plain as rain And the jokes all wrote themselves A workforce priced by success In a spreadsheet on a shelf [Pre-Chorus] Not a crime Not a spite Just a balance sheet in flight What we built Made us dear And that’s the punchline here [Chorus] Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage That’s the name of the game Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Different miles, same flame We finally made the jobs worth keeping (That’s when keeping them got dear) Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Well, there it is right here [Bridge] So we’ll launch another program To develop local skills We’ll announce it at the college By the highway near the mills We’ll train another generation Give the north another shot And when they’re good enough to matter We can optimize the lot [Final Chorus] Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Raise a glass and clap Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Now the circle’s snapped We finally made the jobs worth keeping (That’s when keeping them got dear) Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage And the future’s crystal clear Well, I guess that’s globalization And I understand the math It’s just funny seeing twenty years Come driving down that path [Outro] Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Same old tune, new year Labour arbitrage Labour arbitrage Now pass that spreadsheet here