[Verse 1] In nineteen seventy-one the shock was real Nixon froze the wages, froze what we could feel Price controls were written down in black and white Documents that tell us how they stopped the fight Gold convertibility went away that day Primary sources show us how the rules did change [Chorus] Read the documents, find the artifacts Fed statements and the economic facts Seventy-three's the line we need to know When productivity began to slow Primary sources tell the story true Of prosperity and what we're going through [Verse 2] Federal Reserve meeting minutes on the page Inflation data rising, turning a new age Double digits climbing, prices through the roof Charts and graphs and numbers are our living proof These are not just stories someone chose to tell These are real documents that show us heaven and hell [Chorus] Read the documents, find the artifacts Fed statements and the economic facts Seventy-three's the line we need to know When productivity began to slow Primary sources tell the story true Of prosperity and what we're going through [Bridge] Before seventy-three we grew so fast Three percent productivity couldn't last After that watershed the numbers fell One percent growth, the sources tell Nixon's policies, the Fed's response All written down in documents and bonds [Verse 3] Wage and price control boards left their paper trail Presidential orders tell us the detailed tale Interest rate decisions from the central bank Official statements show us who to thank Every policy choice was written down These artifacts survive in every town [Chorus] Read the documents, find the artifacts Fed statements and the economic facts Seventy-three's the line we need to know When productivity began to slow Primary sources tell the story true Of prosperity and what we're going through [Outro] When you want to understand the past Look for sources that were built to last Documents and data, charts and official text These primary sources show us what comes next
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