Framed
Todd Snider Lyrics

HANGING AROUND DOWN ON SOMETHING TO DO STREET
I'm idle and wasting time on the street, looking for something to do.

I'M LIKE THE FIRST DOLLAR BILL THAT THEY FRAME
Just like they frame the first dollar bill a business earns, I feel stuck in obscurity and unrecognized for my potential.

WATCHING MEDIA COVERAGE OF MEDIA COVERAGE
I'm observing the overwhelming amount of attention the media gives to insignificant events and people.

OF SOME KID WHO CAN'T MAKE PEACE WITH FAME
The media is fixated on a young person who struggles with the attention and pressure that fame brings.

IT MUST BE TOUGH, MAN
I can only imagine how difficult it would be to deal with the paparazzi and maintain privacy amidst fame.

THE PAPARAZZI AND STUFF, MAN
I sympathize with the endless swarm of paparazzi and the pressures of living in the public eye.

OVER SERVING MY COUNTRY UNDER GENERAL MALAISE
I served my country during a period of general dissatisfaction and apathy towards the military.

HE SAID HE WASN'T MAKING PEACE UNTIL THEY PAID HIM A RAISE
My commanding officer refused to work towards peace until he received a pay increase.

HE SAID THAT KILLING WAS PAYING LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW
My commanding officer spoke about war as if it was a profitable venture, which I couldn't comprehend.

IF PEACE PAID WE'D HAVE IT MADE BY NOW
If peace was profitable, it would have already been achieved.

WE'D HAVE IT NEW AND IMPROVED BY NOW
If peace was a commodity that could be sold, it would have been innovated and improved upon over time.

IF IT PAID ANY
But of course, peace is priceless and not something that can be bought or sold.

I TOOK A BETTER JOB POURING FLUORIDE IN THE WATER
I found a more stable job, although a mundane one, where I added fluoride to the water supply.

FOR THE SON OF THE BILDERBEG'S ONLY DAUGHTER
I worked for a wealthy family, serving their son who was the grandson of a member of the powerful Bilderberg Group.

I SAID HOW DO YOU KNOW
I asked how she knew I was the right person for the job.

SHE SAID YOU KNOW HOW YOU JUST
She replied that sometimes you just have a gut feeling.

KNOW SOMETHING IN YOUR GUT
You instinctively know the right course of action just by feeling it.

THAT YOU JUST GOTTA TRUST
You have to trust your instincts and take action accordingly.

WELL IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT
She admitted that her hiring me was not based on a gut feeling, but rather on the fact that I was from a poor background.

WE ARE JUST RICH AS ALL FUCK IS ALL
She admitted that their wealth was the sole reason behind my employment, as they had no need for the money that the job earned them.

SETTING THE LONDON BANK ASSOCIATION LIABLE RATE
I was falsely accused of manipulating the LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) by the London Bank Association.

FRAMED FOR CALLING OUT THE UNITED STATES
The accusation was a way to silence me, as I had spoken out against the United States.

ALL TIME PRISON TIME WARTIME ECONOMY
We live in a society where war is constant and the economy is dependent on it, resulting in a prison-like existence where we're all trapped in the cycle of violence.

NOW IT ALL SEEM SO FAR OFF OF THE WALL TO ME TO ME
Everything seems so crazy and absurd to me now, as I've been unfairly accused and targeted by those in power.

I'M WATCHING EVERY DOLLAR MAKE CHANGE BUT ME
I'm struggling to make a living while watching the powerful get richer, without any opportunity for myself to improve or progress.

I'VE BEEN FRAMED
I've been falsely accused and labeled a criminal.

I'M LIKE THE FIRST DOLLAR BILL ON THE WALL
Just like the first dollar bill a business earns, I'm being used as an example and framed as a warning to others.

FRAMED
The repetition of the word 'framed' in the final line emphasizes the injustice done to the artist and their stigmatization as a criminal.