[Verse 1] Back in forty-four they made a plan so grand Dollar backed by gold, stability at hand But the world needs dollars for their trade each day How do you supply what everyone needs to pay? [Chorus] It's the Triffin trap, the paradox we face Supply the world's reserves but keep your gold in place The more dollars you send, the weaker you become When foreign claims pile up, the confidence is done Triffin trap, Triffin trap Something's gotta snap [Verse 2] Uncle Sam must run deficits to provide Dollars flowing out like an endless tide But every dollar sent is a claim on gold And the vault's not growing as the story's told [Chorus] It's the Triffin trap, the paradox we face Supply the world's reserves but keep your gold in place The more dollars you send, the weaker you become When foreign claims pile up, the confidence is done Triffin trap, Triffin trap Something's gotta snap [Bridge] France and Britain watching, doing the math Foreign dollar claims on a dangerous path More paper promises than gold can back The system's bound to crack [Verse 3] By the sixties everyone could see the signs Foreign dollars exceeded the gold line Rational holders started to doubt Can America pay when they want out? [Chorus] It's the Triffin trap, the paradox we face Supply the world's reserves but keep your gold in place The more dollars you send, the weaker you become When foreign claims pile up, the confidence is done Triffin trap, Triffin trap Something's gotta snap [Outro] Seventy-three the window finally closed The contradiction everybody knows Triffin saw it coming from the start You can't play both parts
← Two Stories Tell the Tale | B) Why “just buy more gold” doesn’t solve it →