My mind just keeps awandering
Away back to that time
When we had a five cent nickel
And a ten cent dime

I think about them good old days
When things were fine and dandy
When we didn't pay a quater
For a nickel's worth of candy

A quarter then would buy you
Before the big price climb
A whole pound of chocolates
In Woolworth five and dime

But that was way back yonder
When i was just a youth
Now a quater's worth of candy
Might just fill your hallow tooth

We then had a five cent ice cream
And bananas two for a nickel
Today a nickel will not buy
A rancid old dill pickel

Yes, that was way back yonder
Before the big price climb
When we had a five cent nickel
And we had a ten cent dime

Our quarter has been devalued
It has been alloyed with copper
They did the same thing to a dime
They did the job up proper

Now they've alloyed our nickel
It's not what it used to be
It fell with the dime and quarter
When the mint went on a spree

I remember when the dollar
Was lengthy, sound, and strong
But since inflation's taken over
Well, it's not one forth as long

For the price of just five dollars
And sometimes only four
You could but a suit of overalls
In any dry-goods store

But that was back sometime ago
When things were real sublime
When we had a five cent nickel
And a ten cent dime

Then a man could take ten dollars
Buy a pair of pants and shirt
And have enough left over
For his wife's shirtwaist and skirt

He could also go to market
With a twenty dollar bill
And buy enough of groceries
His kitchenette to fill

Now it takes a twenty dollar note
To buy a pair of shoes
I tell you these high prices
Sure gives a man the blues

When a man goes out shopping
To buy a suit of clothes
It's going to take a century note
No matter where he goes

How can we like this inflation?
And give a man his dues?
Well, it doesn't do a bit of good
For us to sing the blues

Let's put our shoulders to the wheel
And give the thing a roll
A bit of real hard pushing
Might just get us from this hole

Now I think it would be better
And things really would be prime
If we had a five cent
And a ten cent dime