by Tom Paxton

Oh, the price of gold is rising out of sight,
And the dollar is in sorry shape tonight.
What a dollar use to get us
Now won't get a head of lettuce,
No, the economic forecast isn't bright.
But amidst the clouds I spot a shining ray,
I begin to glimpse a new and better way.
I've devised a plan of action,
Worked it down to the last fraction,
And I'm going into action here today:

Cho:  I am changing my name to Chrysler,
      I am going down to Washington D.C.
      I will tell some power broker,
      "What you did for Iacocca
      Would be perfectly acceptable to me."
      I am changing my name to Chrysler,
      I am leaving for that great receiving line.
      When they hand a million grand out,
      I'll be standing with my hand out,
      Yes sir, I'll get mine.

When my creditors come screaming for their dough,
I'll be proud to tell them all where they can go.
They won?t have to yell and holler,
They'll be paid to the last dollar
Where the endless streams of money seem to flow.
I'll be glad to show them all what they must do.
It?s a matter of a simple form or two.
It's not just remuneration, it?s a lib'ral education,
Makes you kind of glad that I?m in debt to you.

   Cho.

Since the first amphibian crawled out of the slime,
We've been struggling in an unrelenting climb.
We were hardly up and walking
Before money started talking,
And it's said that failure is an awful crime.
It's been that way a millenium or two;
Now it seems there is a different point of view.
If you're a corporate Titanic
And your failure is gigantic,
Down in Congress there's a safety net for you.

   Cho