Mama Economy Lyrics - Singles - Tay Zonday

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 more 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 

neoliberal 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 

Meri-tocracy 

But there's more to the story-- 

Someone answer me! 

[Chorus]