I was sitting by the bank on a hollow stump
When I thought I heard me a bullfrog jump
Turned around and sure enough there he sat
He said excuse me, buddy
But I've been reading your news
And I'm sorry to say
That I'm a little confused
You being human
Well you'd know where it's at
He said I read where this old world's gonna fold
And all on account of a think called gold
And that's something hard for us frogs to understand
Now you're looking at me like I'm kinda funny
But where I live we don't have no money
So we want to be hip to the happenings here on land
Now I thought I was stoned so I started walking
I mean whoever heard of a bullfrog talking
But then I realized I hadn't been grazing in no grain
So I figured I'd tell him just what I thought
About how gold was sold and how gold was bought
And he'd understand our world when I explained
I said it all started a long time ago
When the people first learned to reap and sow
They got all the things they needed
Right out of the earth
Like how many leaves and how many trees
Would it take to cover up the anatomies
And that's how you figured
How much a suit of clothes was worth
Well then man he learned how to milk a cow
And how to till the soil with a stone blade plow
And he kept so busy
He never had time to do you harm
Then he'd take his produce and all that milk
And go into town and trade them for silk
So his woman
She'd look sharp down at the farm
Well the bullfrog let out a belly croak
Like I'd told him some kind of a joke
And he said I think you're jiving me my man
What me?
I said I know it sounds kinda mystifying
But the truth of the matter is I ain't lying
I mean I ain't talking no bullfrog
You understand?
He said now don't get upset I'm not aging you
You just go ahead, go ahead and continue
And I'll be quiet and try to understand
He said I know about trees and leaves and plants
And milk and silk and the farmer's romance
But what's this thing the call supply and demand?
I said well I grow cotton and you grow corn
And you find your dungarees are all worn
And me well I got to have something to eat
You see?
So I make you some brand new threads
And now you bake me some fresh corn bread
Pretty soon we'll have shops across the street
Well this didn't work, or so we've been told
And at that time they didn't know about gold
So they all agreed
They'd measure their goods in salt
Well that idea had an early ending
Cause they were eating more
Than they were spending
And besides, whoever heard
Of keeping salt in a vault
Well folks said gold was the thing to use
To pay for stuff like from ships to shoes
But it weighed too much
And it looked too good to spend
So round about sixteen hundred and ninety
Somebody started using folding money
And that's the tale, my friend
From end to end
Well I thought it was a damn good explanation
I mean a real attempt at communication
And I only had me schooling up
Until the time I was ten
But the bullfrog right before he hopped away
Well I could have sworn I heard him say
Your world is still in the tadpole stage, my friend