What's He Building?

[ElHI]

What’s he building in there?
What the hell is he building in there?
He has subscriptions to those magazines
He never waves when he goes by
He’s hiding something from the rest of us
He’s all to himself, I think I know why
He took down the tire-swing from the pepper tree
He has no children of his own, you see
He has no dog, he has no friends
And his lawn is dying
And what about those packages he sends?
What’s he building in there?
With that hook light on the stairs
What’s he building in there?
I’ll tell you one thing, he’s not building a playhouse for the children
What’s he building in there?
Now what’s that sound from underneath the door?
He’s pounding nails into a hardwood floor
And I swear to God I heard someone moaning low
And I keep seeing the blue light of a TV show
He has a router and a table saw
And you won’t believe what Mr. Sticha saw
There’s poison underneath the sink of course
There’s also enough formaldehyde to choke a horse
What’s he building in there?
What the hell is he building in there?
I heard he has an ex-wife in some place called Mayors Income, Tennessee
And he used to have a consulting business in Indonesia
But what’s he building in there?
He has no friends but he gets a lot of mail
I bet he spent a little time in jail
I heard he was up on the roof last night, signaling with a flashlight
And what’s that tune he’s always whistling?
What’s he building in there?
What’s he building in there?
We have a right to know


Tom Waits, of course, from Mule Variations (1999)

Does it not tickle your Ligottian side, or is it just my imagination?

[The Silent One]

Ah, but what is he building in there :wink:?

[barrywood]

Ah! Makes one wonder what exactly he IS doing in there. Hmmm. Interesting indeed!

[Jubel Brosseau]

I love that track. And yes, the lyrics are quite appropriate. Most of the sort of spoken word tracks on various Tom Waits albums go along similar lines. Quite shiver inducing.

[unknown]

very cool song by Tom Waits

what a great musician

[ElHI]

Of course, as far as I know, Tom Waits wrote this song not to infer that this guy is really doing something wrong, but just to blame the kind of gossipy neighbours who will always think that someone who is not exactly like them is bound to be plotting something evil...

But you can't help imagining that he IS really building some monstrous design: his very special plan for this world maybe...

I think it's called talent!


And by the way, talking about spoken words tracks, there is one on the first Lambchop album, about a guy with "something soft about his features, kind of dusty..." and who keeps buying cans of air-fresheners and deodorizers. I can't remember the title of this track, but it is really good!

[waffles]

This is also my favorite track on Mule Variations.
This reminds that Tom Waits makesgreat background noise for reading TL.
Waits love to use exotic/decrepit instruments that I can easily picture a puppet orchestra playing.

[Dr. Bantham]

Quote Originally Posted by ElHI";p=&quot

Tom Waits, of course, from Mule Variations (1999)

For those of you who have not yet heard this song, it has been added to the Assorted directory of MusicBox.

Enjoy...

[waffles]

Speaking of corporate horror, What's He Building? is part of the soundtrack for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

[The Silent One]

Quote Originally Posted by waffles";p=&quot

Speaking of corporate horror, What's He Building? is part of the soundtrack for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

What to do with slime like the heads of Enron is simple: Send them in for a conference with the temporary supervisor of the local branch of Quine U.S.A. :wink:...