Album: 1776: The New Broadway Cast Recording

Piddle, Twiddle And Resolve Till Then

Adams:

I do believe you've laid a curse on North America

A curse that we now here rehearse in Philadelphia

A second flood, a simple famine

Plagues of locusts everywhere

Or a cataclysmic earthquake

I'd accept with some despair

But, no, you sent us Congress.

Good God, sir, was that fair?

I say it with humility in Philadelphia

We're your responsibility in Philadephia

If you don't want to see us hanging

From some far-off British hill

If you don't want the voice of independency

Forever still

Then God, sir, get thee to it

For Congress never will

You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve

Not one damn thing do we solve

Piddle, twiddle, and resolve

Nothing's ever solved in

Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy

Philadephia!

They may sit here for years and years in Philadelphia.

These indecisive grenadiers of Philadelphia.

They can't agree on what is right and wrong

Or what is good or bad; I'm convinced

The only purpose this Congress ever had

Was to gather here specifically

To drive John Adams mad!

You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve

Not one damn thing do we solve

Piddle, twiddle, and resolve

Nothing's ever solved in

Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy

Philadephia!

Congress:

Someone oughta open up a window!

Adams:

Oh good God!

Abigail:

John, John, is that you carrying on, John?

Just tell the Congress to declare independency

Then sign your name, get out of there and

Hurry home to me

Our children all have dysentery

Little Tom keeps turning blue

Little Abbey has the measles

And I'm coming down with flu

They say we may get smallpox

Adams:

Madam, what else is new?

Abigail:

There's one thing every woman's missed in

Massachusetts Bay

Don't smirk at me, you egotist; pay

Heed to what I say

We've gone from Framingham to Boston

And we cannot find a pin

"Don't you know there's a war on?"

Say the tradesmen with a grin

Well, we will not make saltpeter

Until you send us pins!

Both:

Till then, till then

I am as I ever was and ever shall be

Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours

Adams:

Saltpeter, John

Abigail:

Pins, Abigail

Congress:

For God's sake, John, sit down