Piddle, Twiddle, And Resolve; Till Then

Lyrics

[ADAMS, spoken] Dear God! For one solid year, they have been sitting here! A whole year! Doing nothing! (sung) I do believe you've laid a curse on North America A curse that we here now 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 this with humility in Philidelphia 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 stilled 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 Philadelphia [CONGRESSMAN] Someone ought to open up a window! [ADAMS, spoken] Good God! (sung) 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! [ABIGAIL] John, John, is that you carrying on? John? [ADAMS, spoken] Oh, Abigail, Abigail, I have such a desire to knock heads together! [ABIGAIL, spoken] I know, my dearest, I know. But that's because you make everything so complicated. It's all quite simple, really (sung) 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 Abby has the measles And I'm coming down with flu They say we may get smallpox [ADAMS, spoken] Uh, madam, what else is new? Abigail, in my last letter, I wrote you to organize the ladies to make saltpeter for gunpowder. Have you done as I asked?   [ADAMS, spoken] Why have you not? More urgent, madam? [ABIGAIL, spoken] No, John, I have not John! I'm afraid we have a more urgent problem. [ABIGAIL, sung] 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 war on?" Say the tradesmen with a grin Well, we will not make saltpeter Until you send us pins!   [ADAMS, spoken] Pins, madam? Saltpeter! Saltpeter! Saltpeter! Saltpeter! 'Peter! 'Peter! 'Peter! 'PETER! Done, madam. Done Oh, as soon as I'm able Every day, my dearest friend (sung) Till then I am As I ever was And ever shall be Yours Yours Yours Yours Yours Saltpeter, John   [ABIGAIL, spoken] Pins! Pins! Pins! Pins! Pins! Pins! Pins! ...Pins Done, John Hurry home, John Don't stop writing. It's all I have (sung) Till then Till then I am As I ever was And ever shall be Yours Yours Yours Yours Yours Pins, Abigail [CONGRESS] For God's sake, John, sit down