A New Argentina

PERON
Dice are rolling, the knives are out
Would be presidents are all around
I don't say they mean harm, but they'd each give an arm
To see us six feet under ground

EVA
It doesn't matter what those morons say
Our nation's leaders are a feeble crew
There's only twenty of them anyway
What is twenty next to millions who
Are looking to you?

All you have to do is sit and wait
Keeping out of everybody's way
We'll--you'll be handed power on a plate
When the ones who matter have their say
And with chaos installed
You can reluctantly agree to be called

PERON
There again we could be foolish
Not to quit while we're ahead
For distance lends enchantment
And that is why
All exiles are distinguished
More important they're not dead
I could find job satisfaction
In Paraguay

EVA
This is crazy defeatist talk
Why commit political suicide?
There's no risk, there's no call
For any action at all
When you have unions on your side

WORKERS' VOICES
Peron! Peron!

CHE
A new Argentina!
The chains of the masses untied!
A new Argentina!
The voice of the people cannot be denied!

EVA
There is only one man who can lead any workers' regime
He lives for your problems, he shares your ideals
and your dreams
He supports you for he loves you, understands you,
is one of you
If not--how could he love me?

MOB
A new Argentina!
The workers' battle song!
A new Argentina!
The voice of the people rings out loud and long!

EVA
Now I am a worker I've suffered the way that you do
I've been unemployed and I've starved and I hated it too
But I found my salvation in Peron--may the nation
Let him save them as he saved me

CHE
A new Argentina!
A new age about to begin!

CHE and SECRET POLICE
A new Argentina!
We face the world together and no dissent within

(The SECRET POLICE lay into CHE)

INDIVIDUAL WORKERS
Nationalization of the industries that the foreigners
control
Participation in the profits that we make
Shorter hours
Higher wages
Votes for women
Larger dole
More public spending
A bigger slice of every cake

PERON
It's annoying that we have to fight elections for our cause
The inconvenience--having to get a majority
If normal methods of persuasion fail to win us applause
There are other ways of establishing authority

SECRET POLICE
We have ways of making you vote for us, or at least of
making you abstain

EVA
Peron has resigned from the army and this we avow
The descamisados are those he is marching with now!
He supports you for he loves you, understands you,
is one of you
If not--how could he love me?

ALL
A new Argentina!
The chains of the masses untied!
A new Argentina!
The voice of the people cannot be, and will not be,
and must not be, denied!

PERON
There again we could be foolish
Not to quit while we're ahead
I can see me many miles away
Inactive
Sipping cocktails on a terrace
Taking breakfast in bed
Sleeping easy, doing crosswords
It's attractive

EVA
Don't think I don't think like you, I often get those
nightmares too
They always take some swallowing
Sometimes it's very difficult to keep momentum if
It's you that you are following
Don't close doors
Keep an escape clause
Because we might lose
The Big Apple
But--would I have done, what I did
If I hadn't thought, if I hadn't known
We would take the country?

ALL
A new Argentina!
The chains of the masses untied!
A new Argentina!
The voice of the people cannot be, and will not be,
and must not be, denied!