Bank vs grads

(stomps, claps building)

ENSEMBLE:

Ladies and gentlemen! Step right up!

Education meets expectation—watch it erupt!

⸻

GRAD (fast, aggressive):

I was told “get a degree, that’s the key to the door”

Now I’m locked in a system I can’t afford

You sold me a promise dressed up as a plan

Now I’m paying for a future that I don’t understand

I did the work, I put in the years

Now I’m drowning in interest, choking on fears

You call it “investment,” I call it a trap

Signed at eighteen—who explains all that?

ENSEMBLE:

OOOH!

⸻

BANK (smooth, controlled):

Let’s get one thing straight—you made your choice

Nobody forced you, you had a voice

We offered a path, you took the ride

Now you mad ‘cause the cost came with the prize?

This is a system—it runs on trust

You borrow the funds, you pay what you must

You wanted the title, the status, the climb

Now you owe the bill—plus interest over time

ENSEMBLE:

Talk that talk!

⸻

GRAD (faster, sharper):

“Had a choice?” That’s funny, let’s break it down—

Go to school or get stuck in a minimum town

Every teacher, every ad, every voice said “go!”

But nobody mentioned the lifelong OWE

You profit off dreams, you package the hope

Then tighten the leash with a financial rope

I’m working two jobs just to stay in place

Tell me—where’s the freedom you said I’d chase?

ENSEMBLE:

HE GOT YOU!

⸻

BANK (cutting, slightly defensive):

You wanted returns—this isn’t a game

Degrees bring opportunity, not instant fame

We manage risk, we calculate cost

Some win big, some take a loss

You blame the system, but play your part

Signed your name—that’s where it starts

We didn’t create ambition or need

We just supplied what you chose to receive

ENSEMBLE:

Hmmmmm…

⸻

GRAD:

You built a ladder with missing rungs!

BANK:

You climbed it anyway—young and sprung!

GRAD:

You knew the fall would break my back!

BANK:

You signed the terms—don’t dodge the fact!

GRAD:

Dreams shouldn’t come with chains attached!

BANK:

Dreams cost money—that’s a match!

GRAD:

You sell the hope then own the soul!

BANK:

We fund the dream—you chose the goal!

⸻

ENSEMBLE (rhythmic):

Who’s to blame? Who’s to blame?

Is it the system or the game?

⸻

GRAD (emotional, powerful):

I’m not asking for a free ride—just a fair start

Not a lifetime sentence for following my heart

If knowledge is power, then why’s it a debt?

Why punish the ones who ain’t winning yet?

You say it’s business—I say it’s lives

Numbers on paper don’t show what survives

We’re more than a balance you calculate—

We’re the future you’re putting in checkmate

⸻

BANK (cold, final):

Emotion don’t balance accounts or books

The world runs deeper than how it looks

We didn’t deceive—you just didn’t read

The fine print defines every deal you agreed

You call it unfair, I call it design

A system of risk, return, and time

You want change? Then rewrite the rules—

But don’t blame the lender for fundi