Legal Tender
The B-52's Lyrics

We're in the basement, learning to print
The band is secretly printing counterfeit money in their home basement.

All of it's hot!
The counterfeit money they are printing is high quality and very convincing.

10, 20, 30 million ready to be spent
They have printed millions of dollars in counterfeit money and are ready to use it for whatever they want.

We're stackin' 'em against the wall
They are piling up their counterfeit bills against the wall of their basement.

Those gangster presidents
Refers to past American leaders known for illegal activity or who were suspected of being involved with organized crime.

Livin' simple and trying to get by
Describes how they are trying to live like everyday people, despite their illegal activities.

But honey, prices have shot through the sky
The cost of living has increased significantly and they are struggling to keep up.

So I fixed up the basement with
They have renovated their basement to create a more professional space for their counterfeiting operation.

What I was a-workin' with
They used the resources they had to create a workspace for their illegal activity.

Stocked it full of jelly jars
They are using jars to hold their counterfeit money as they print it.

And heavy equipment
They have invested in high quality machinery and equipment to make their counterfeit bills look realistic and convincing.

Walk into the bank, try to pass that trash
This line refers to their attempt to cash their counterfeit bills at a bank.

Teller sees and says '401(k) quickly cashed'
The teller easily accepts their fake bills and quickly processes the transaction, without suspecting anything.

Our counterfeit currency
Refers to the fake bills they have printed in their basement.

Is our legal tender
For them, their fake bills are just as valuable as real money and can be used to buy anything they want.

We print it in the basement
They continue to print counterfeit money in their secret basement operation.

With our jelly jar blender
They are using a blender made from a jelly jar to mix the ink for their counterfeit money.

We're living simple lives
They are trying to live like everyday people while secretly running their illegal operation.

Just like those gangster presidents
They are comparing their lifestyle to that of past American leaders known for illegal activity or suspected of being involved with organized crime.

Trying to make ends meet
They are struggling to make enough money to cover their expenses.

Despite sky high expenses
The cost of living is very expensive and they are finding it difficult to keep up with the rising prices.

But our secret stash of cash
They have a hidden supply of counterfeit money that is worth millions of dollars.

Is worth millions and millions
Their stash of counterfeit cash is worth a significant amount of money.

Thanks to our basement printing press
They have been able to print large amounts of counterfeit money because of the equipment they have in their basement.

And our crafty skills of forgery
They are skilled at making their counterfeit bills look very realistic and convincing.

So when we walk into the bank
Refers to their attempt to cash their fake bills at a bank.

And try to cash our fake bills
They are trying to pass off their counterfeit bills as real money.

The teller doesn't bat an eye
The teller accepts their fake bills without any suspicion or hesitation.

And quickly hands over the bills
The teller processes their fake bills as if they were real and hands over real money in exchange.

Because for us, our counterfeit cash
They value their counterfeit money just as much as real money and use it to buy whatever they want.

Is just as good as the real thing
For them, their fake bills are just as valuable and useful as real money.

And what we use for everything.
They use their counterfeit money for all of their purchases and expenses, just like real money.