ABN merger song
In the City, there is a new song circulating around the merger ABN-Amro Barclays. The lyrics are based on Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive".
First we were afraid,
Now we're petrified
Our board knew it was all over
When that damn letter did arrive
They spent far too many days
Pondering what they were doing wrong
They took too long,
Now ABN will soon be gone
And so we'll merge
With Barclays Bank
And all because
Our share price stank
I should have changed my job before,
ABN won't restructure any more
If I'd known for just one second
That we might be heading out the door
As I prepare, to go on my way,
CEO Groenink, surely he can't stay
At least he'll get a lucrative 'goodbye',
We'll just have our P45s, and cry
Oh no, oh me oh my,
We won't survive
Our leaders, they did nothing for far too long,
The strategy proved worthless and went badly wrong
Some say our board didn't know what to do,
Others claim they really didn't have a clue
Oh no, oh me oh my,
We won't survive
With all the plans they had
We still fell apart
Now it's over to Bob Diamond
And his ice-cold heart
I'll spend a few more days feeling sorry for myself,
I'll probably cry, I just can't hold my head up high
I can't see me,
Somewhere new
Over at BarCap,
Feeling blue
I'm just a little person caught up in this merger game,
I did MY job - so I'm really not much to blame
And now I'm saving all my money,
'coz things will never be the same
Oh no, oh me oh my
We won't survive'
First we were afraid,
Now we're petrified
Our board knew it was all over
When that damn letter did arrive
They spent far too many days
Pondering what they were doing wrong
They took too long,
Now ABN will soon be gone
And so we'll merge
With Barclays Bank
And all because
Our share price stank
I should have changed my job before,
ABN won't restructure any more
If I'd known for just one second
That we might be heading out the door
As I prepare, to go on my way,
CEO Groenink, surely he can't stay
At least he'll get a lucrative 'goodbye',
We'll just have our P45s, and cry
Oh no, oh me oh my,
We won't survive
Our leaders, they did nothing for far too long,
The strategy proved worthless and went badly wrong
Some say our board didn't know what to do,
Others claim they really didn't have a clue
Oh no, oh me oh my,
We won't survive
With all the plans they had
We still fell apart
Now it's over to Bob Diamond
And his ice-cold heart
I'll spend a few more days feeling sorry for myself,
I'll probably cry, I just can't hold my head up high
I can't see me,
Somewhere new
Over at BarCap,
Feeling blue
I'm just a little person caught up in this merger game,
I did MY job - so I'm really not much to blame
And now I'm saving all my money,
'coz things will never be the same
Oh no, oh me oh my
We won't survive'

