The Decemberists
Ben Franklin’s Song (Clean Version)
Electricity
Yeah, you can all thank me
Took some lightning, a kite, and a fat brass key
And they're putting up streetlights in Gay Paris
You’re welcome from our young nation

I’m the only American the French wanna see
They call me a genius, I can’t disagree
They have guns, they have funds
They can set us free
Invest in my reputation

And do you know who the f I am?
Yeah, do you know who the f I am?
Do you know who the f I am?
I am Poor-Richard’s-Almanack-writing Benjamin Effing Franklin

I said, early to bed, boys, early to rise
They make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
Soldiers are fighting for freedom, they have no supplies
So diplomacy happens at night

John debates at the gates of Versailles
He whines and parades and awaits a reply
As I stay up late with a succulent breast or a thigh
Alright, diplomacy happens at night
And do you know who the f I am?
Yeah, do you know who the f I am?
Do you know who the f I am?
I am 76-and-I’ll-Still-Kick-Your-Ass Effing Franklin

One pain that lingers, the hitch in my stride
Is my son back at home who I could not guide
Who sits all alone in a prison cell on the wrong side
Stands against our young nation

So I play my ambassador part with pride
I am known in the world, and the world is wide
To my children, my sins may be magnified, but I’d
Do it all again, no hesitation

And do you know who the f I am?
Yeah, do you know who the f I am?
Do you know who the f I am?
I am Poor-Richard’s-Almanack-writing Benjamin Effing Franklin

(Do you know who the f I am?) Who the f I am?
(Do you know who the f I am?) Who the f I am?
(Do you know who the f I am?)
I am Poor-Richard’s-Almanack-writing
Polymath, bifocal-wearing
Hardened glass-harmonica-playing
Benjamin Effing Franklin