Are you confused about the economy? Well have no fear!
I'm going to explain the American economy right now

The dollar just think of it like
a promise from the government
But the value of the dollar
has to be there to be relevant

The value of the dollar comes from
China and Iran
When they put their cash reserves
in a U.S. dollar plan -

They buy treasury bonds from
The Federal Reserve
We say "we owe you extra money
cause you gave us some of yours"

That's a big part
of the National Debt
All the interest that we
haven't paid to China quite yet -

And a hundred other countries
Cause we're such a good investment
The whole world gives us money
We say "Hey we'll pay you interest!"
This is how money is created from air
Bank bailouts, federal budgets
Money isn't really there -

It's an I.O.U., remember dollars are a promise
When you borrow from a bank
It's not from other depositors

The money for your loan
Gets created on the spot
Then they put it in your name
Gamble on your life and body -

But if you lose your job
Then you were a bad bet
If a million lose their jobs
Then we have a recession

Here's the dirty secret
Your labor's too expensive
Wall Street wants you spending money
But they never want to pay you -

In your life cash and credit
They are very different things
But your credit's someone else's cash
Once it leaves your name
This is why money is debt
And your debt is good for
Wall Street prosperity -

And economic growth since the 1970s
Is consumers getting credit
Without wages increasing

So when they talk about the housing crisis
They never say we need to lower housing prices -

We need better devices
To afford high prices
Meaning higher debt lower interest
Cause you're underpaid to begin with

That's the cycle we're in
We don't understand so
All we can do is question

[Chorus]
Mama economy make me understand
All the numbers why Daddy's on a welfare plan
'Turnin thirty forty fifty gotta move in with my parents
And the stocks go up but the jobs disappear
Because wages barely grew for 40 years
When you buy stuff
They delay the cost of ownership

You can't afford it
so they make it to depend
On endless small transactions
Which is like renting

You pay more for printer ink
Than you do for gold and
More for bottled water
Than you do for oil

Razor blades are made to
Oxidate
So you're forever in debt to them
Just to shave

It's a type of socialism
called market socialism
The best designed product
Meets a need and doesn't last

We subsidize waste
With landfills and holidays like
Earth Day teachin' kids:
Recycle please

+Kids won't learn in school
we live one worldview
neo-liberal economics
In all of our politics

They don't ask why corporations
are human citizens
Or why grandma pays more taxes
Cause she lacks stock dividends

Or why private bankers
Print the public money
Or why democracy is broken
Cause their leaders won't be cutting

Loopholes or subsidies
For constituent industries
Putting legislative bodies
In a deep freeze

So the Ph.Ds and the G.E.D.s
Cry with Ayn Rand down at the temp agency

Sayin' "we believed in
Meritocracy
But there's more to the story--
Answer me!

[Chorus]
Mama economy make me understand
All the numbers why Daddy's on a welfare plan
'Turnin thirty forty fifty gotta move in with my parents
And the stocks go up but the jobs disappear

Mama economy make me understand
All the numbers why Daddy's on a welfare plan
'Turnin thirty forty fifty gotta move in with my parents
And the stocks go up but the jobs disappear