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Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Speaker
Jeff Sloan
Jeff Sloan
Percussion
Mark Reitman
Mark Reitman
Turntables
Ralph Carney
Ralph Carney
Reeds
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Darren Kramer
Darren Kramer
Engineer
Heather Fremling
Heather Fremling
Engineer
Holly Ferguson
Holly Ferguson
Engineer
Jacquire King
Jacquire King
Mixing Engineer
Jeff Sloan
Jeff Sloan
Engineer
Kathleen Brennan
Kathleen Brennan
Producer
Oz Fritz
Oz Fritz
Mixing Engineer
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Producer

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
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
[Verse 2]
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
What about all those packages he sends?
[Verse 3]
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?
[Verse 4]
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
[Verse 5]
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 Mayor's Income, Tennessee
And he used to have a consulting business in Indonesia
[Verse 6]
But what's he building in there?
He has no friends, but he gets a lot of mail
I'll 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?
[Verse 7]
What's he building in there?
What's he building in there?
We have a right to know
Written by: Tom Waits
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