Lyrics The Little Mouse - Malvina Reynolds

The Little Mouse

A little mouse got into the wires
At the central clearing house in Buenos Aires
One little mouse short circuited the computers
Says a press dispatch from Reuters
Hooray for the little mouse
That mucked1 up the clearing house
And threw the Stock Exchange in a spin
And made the bankers cry
So much for the electronic brains
That run the world of banks and aeroplanes
And if one little mouse can set them all awry
Why not you and I?
Spoken:
Then there was another item in the papers
About a bank’s computers
That messed up the accounts
So the farmer’s checks all bounced
So his business fell apart
And it nearly broke his heart
So he took the bank to court
And they gave him an award
Of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars
The bank appealed and on due consideration
The higher court doubled the compensation
So if a computer does it to you
You can sue, or chew the wires through