Piddle, Twiddle, And Resolve

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? 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] Oh, good God! [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] Then why in heaven's name do you stay there? Come home to Boston, John, it's only 300 miles. If you left tonight you could be here in only eight days [ADAMS, spoken] How can I do that, Abigail? I'm no further along now than I was when I first came here! [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 that the King had collected 12,000 German mercenaries to send against us. I asked you to organize the ladies to make saltpeter for gunpowder. Now have you done as I asked?   [ADAMS, spoken] Well why have you not? By treating sodium nitrate with potassium chloride, of course! Will it be done then? More urgent, madam? [ABIGAIL, spoken] No, John, I have not Because you neglected to tell us how saltpeter is made! Oh, yes, of course! 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