Piddle, Twiddle, And Resolve; Till Then

[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