The Charges Against Fiat BTC rewrite After “The Cell Block Tango” from Chicago. [EMCEE, spoken] And now, the six merry charges against the fiat system In their rendition of “The Charges Against Fiat”! [ENSEMBLE] Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt! Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt! Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt! Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt! It had it comin’, it had it comin’ It only had itself to blame If you’d have held it, if you’d have spent it I betcha you would have done the same Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt! [THE SAVER, spoken] You know how people have these little habits that get you down? Like the presses. The presses liked to run—no, not run. Print! So I open my savings jar one day, looking for the nest egg I put away, and there’s the central bank lyin’ on the balance sheet, inkin’—no, not inkin’, PRINTIN’! So I said to it, I said, “You print that note one more time…” And it did. So I took the last dollar that still bought something and I threw it in its face. It didn’t even bounce. [THE SAVER & ENSEMBLE] It had it comin’, it had it comin’ It only had itself to blame If you’d have held it, if you’d have spent it I betcha you would have done the same [THE WAGE-EARNER, spoken] Every Friday the same. Same job, same line, same envelope. First week it filled the cart. Next year the cart was half full and the numbers on the envelope never changed. The day it bought nothing but the paper it was printed on, I handed the envelope back and walked out of the line. They didn’t even ask for a receipt. [THE WAGE-EARNER & ENSEMBLE] It had it comin’, it had it comin’ (Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt!) It made us trust its grand design (Print! Clip! Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt!) And then it used us (Print!); and it abused us (Clip!) It broke its word; we drew the line (Bail! Uh-uh! Gold-standard! Debt!) [THE DEPOSITOR, spoken] Now I’m standin’ in the lobby of my little bank the morning they freeze the accounts. Across the street Too-Big-To-Fail gets a government check and the teller hands me a paper sayin’ my losses paid for it. I take the paper, fold it once, and walk out with it still in my hand. They even gave me a free pen. [THE DEPOSITOR & ENSEMBLE] If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen it I betcha you would have done the same [THE INNOCENT, spoken] Mit keresek én itt? They say I starved the real economy by refusing the paper they printed. I refused their paper. I didn’t cause their shortage. I never printed a note. I never spent what wasn’t there. I don’t know why Uncle Sam says I did it. I tried to explain at the Fed— they didn’t understand. They rarely do. [ENSEMBLE MEMBER] But did you do it? [THE INNOCENT] Uh-uh. Not guilty. [THE CONVERT, spoken over ensemble] (It had it comin’) My husband Convertibility and I kept the old promise (It had it comin’) We measured every note against the metal. Year after year, the same quiet check (It only had itself to blame) Well, this one night we were waitin’ for the window to open (If you’d have been there) and the men who closed the window stayed silent. I come back from the vault… There’s Convertibility lyin’ there with a closed sign on its chest. I didn’t black out. I just stood there countin’ the empty drawers until someone told me the promise was over. Then I locked the door behind me and left the key on the step. [THE CONVERT & ENSEMBLE] They had it comin’ (They had it comin’), they had it comin’ (They had it comin’) They had it comin’ all along (It made us trust its grand design) I saw it die, I walked away (And then they used us; and they abused us) How could you tell me that I was wrong? (It broke its word; we drew the line)