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Tom Waits — What's He Building In There
Album: Mule Variations
Avg rating:
5.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 529









Released: 1999
Length: 3:16
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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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 Peppertree
He has no children of his own, you see
He has no dog
And he has no friends and his lawn is dying
And what about all 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 T.V. 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
But 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'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?
What's he building in there?
What's he building in there?
We have a right to know
Comments (67)add comment
 Chewie wrote:

But what WAS he building in there?


I imagine it was something completely benign, like a chair or a table, and this song is just ol' Tom being paranoid AF
Posted 5 months ago by Sofa_King    [ Reply ]
"Mayors Income, Tennessee".  Thank you, Tom.
Posted 2 years ago by garyalex    [ Reply ]
What’s this cobblers he’s singing in there.....
Posted 4 years ago by Pioneer_Sing    [ Reply ]
 DJJJJ wrote:
Instantly killed the mood in the office. Everyone was saying "WTF is this??"
This isn't even music. Please don't play weird crap like this again. It kills the vibe.
 Try the mellow mix or the rock mix. I doubt this fits either of those categories!

Posted 4 years ago by kazoo    [ Reply ]
Wake up and smell the neighborhood watch!
Posted 4 years ago by BillE    [ Reply ]
 sajitjacob wrote:
This is a recording of Trump's inner monologue. Also this is brilliant.
 
Just like Trump!
Posted 4 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
Brilliant.
Posted 4 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
This is a recording of Trump's inner monologue. Also this is brilliant.
Posted 4 years ago by sajitjacob    [ Reply ]
 DJJJJ wrote:
Instantly killed the mood in the office. Everyone was saying "WTF is this??"
This isn't even music. Please don't play weird crap like this again. It kills the vibe.
 
Conversely, I LOVE this stuff! Tom paints a picture with his noises. I love taking the path down there.... what's he building in there?
Posted 4 years ago by alisathegreat    [ Reply ]
No, thanks
Posted 4 years ago by raga    [ Reply ]
Instantly killed the mood in the office. Everyone was saying "WTF is this??"
This isn't even music. Please don't play weird crap like this again. It kills the vibe.
Posted 4 years ago by DJJJJ    [ Reply ]
a better "story song" is "No Anchovies Please" by  J Geils band
Posted 4 years ago by t_ujfalusi    [ Reply ]
But what WAS he building in there?
Posted 4 years ago by Chewie    [ Reply ]
Wow, I never heard this before today.  Outstanding in such a twisted way.
Good ole Tom Waits!
Posted 4 years ago by dublanica    [ Reply ]
Man I love Tom Waits!!!
Posted 4 years ago by spacemanspiff    [ Reply ]
Wow, first time I heard this Tom Waits song...I love it!!
Posted 4 years ago by Lenora    [ Reply ]
My all time favorite Halloween song!  I love it!

In-do-neeeeeesia lol
Posted 4 years ago by jelgator    [ Reply ]
What did I just listen to? 
Posted 4 years ago by IAmDaMot    [ Reply ]
 lizardking wrote:
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Whoa, that was a creepy good time!
 
For sure it is.... though it's hard to rate,  I called it an 8, knowing that Good Vibrations was coming next...freaking brilliant...Long Live RP and these only-BillG-can-create playlists!!
 
Love it, brilliant all around. I get why some may not enjoy hearing this track; my equivalent is hearing Bjork's caterwauling. {#Smile}
Posted 4 years ago by bseib    [ Reply ]
That was just plain weird.  7
Posted 4 years ago by Webfoot    [ Reply ]
ummm, ok?
Posted 4 years ago by wolverine    [ Reply ]
This is like an evil version of Ken Nordine’s Word Jazz.
Posted 4 years ago by theirongiant    [ Reply ]
 Namgev wrote:
Reminds me of a lot of Ken Nordine's word jazz stuff that KMCR used to play in the mid-80s. Wild.
 
"Footless... and Fancy Free"

Posted 4 years ago by memoryboxer    [ Reply ]
My first, and still my favorite, Tom Waits album.
Posted 4 years ago by Akazungu    [ Reply ]
wow....
Posted 4 years ago by michel_zws    [ Reply ]
What’s he snorting in there?

{#Roflol}{#Drunk} 
Posted 4 years ago by givendale    [ Reply ]
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Whoa, that was a creepy good time!
 
For sure it is.... though it's hard to rate,  I called it an 8, knowing that Good Vibrations was coming next...freaking brilliant...Long Live RP and these only-BillG-can-create playlists!!
Posted 5 years ago by lizardking    [ Reply ]
1
Posted 5 years ago by stretcher    [ Reply ]
 HectorPascal wrote:
Genius is Tom W. Even more genius is following it with Good Vibrations.

Bill, you are unique.
 

The new player system allows for segue spoilers! Cool, tho.
Posted 5 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
Whoa, that was a creepy good time!
Posted 5 years ago by MrStatenIsle    [ Reply ]
TWILIGHT ZONE worthy!
Posted 5 years ago by khardog145    [ Reply ]
Of course, it's Halloween!! (at least, the day after)!
Posted 5 years ago by rharvey658    [ Reply ]
All the best consulting businesses are in Indonesia. ;-)
Posted 5 years ago by theralph    [ Reply ]
Not much of a Waits fan, but this is worthy of placing on a Halloween Mix! Creepy.
Posted 5 years ago by guthrieandme    [ Reply ]
This is more of a “dark room at the Tate Modern with weird videos” kind of thing that an RP thing. It rolled into Good Vibrations though and that was genius.

Edit: Scooped by Hector. 
Posted 5 years ago by jukes1    [ Reply ]
Genius is Tom W. Even more genius is following it with Good Vibrations.

Bill, you are unique.
Posted 5 years ago by HectorPascal    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of the late great Joe Frank
Posted 5 years ago by Clark_Novato    [ Reply ]
First time hearing this.   Weird but compelling.
Posted 5 years ago by westslope    [ Reply ]
Only on Radio Paradise. sweet.
Posted 5 years ago by hoediddle89455    [ Reply ]
Tom at this Tom-est.
Posted 5 years ago by On_The_Beach    [ Reply ]
 MassivRuss wrote:
The RP rating scale simply is no match for this one. It's a separate dimension.
 
In my 'not-as-vast-as-BillG's-music-collection' I have a folder for "non-music" tracks; if I had this one, it would be there.  This is an 8 for the creepy factor.  TW is freaking cool....and then to segue to Good Vibrations....BRILLIANCE!!  Long Live RP!!
Posted 5 years ago by lizardking    [ Reply ]
The RP rating scale simply is no match for this one. It's a separate dimension.
Posted 5 years ago by MassivRuss    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast. Evil Genius! Is that somewhere in RP?
Posted 5 years ago by mjgrisaffi    [ Reply ]
Ever seen 'The 'Burbs'?  Yup, I thought so, too!
Posted 5 years ago by SpinyNorma    [ Reply ]
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 But there's also enough formaldehyde to choke a horse What's he building in there. What the hell is he building in there? Inquiring minds want to know!
Posted 19 years ago by Darkmatter    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of a lot of Ken Nordine's word jazz stuff that KMCR used to play in the mid-80s. Wild.
Posted 19 years ago by Namgev    [ Reply ]
timandjuliet wrote:
Freakin' demented genius
Thats why this deserves no less than a vote of 9.
Posted 19 years ago by Steve    [ Reply ]
bleah.
Posted 19 years ago by megannnn    [ Reply ]
Avatard wrote:
Me too. A possessed-by-the-devil Shatner. Disturbing.
But a nice change, eh?
Posted 19 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
JCJ wrote:
HAHA!! Exactly! I think he should stick to talking, because i cant stand his singing voice.
Same here
Posted 19 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
Freakin' demented genius
Posted 19 years ago by timandjuliet    [ Reply ]
I love it LOL
Posted 19 years ago by MsJudi    [ Reply ]
I can see a crowd of pitchfork wielding local storming the ramparts..
Posted 19 years ago by Coppertop    [ Reply ]
Love this.... reminds me of my new neighborhood by the river! :)~ I give this a 9. "We have a right to know."
Posted 19 years ago by rgrace    [ Reply ]
I first heard this on NPR about a year ago, great stuff. "...and he used to have a consulting business in IndoNEEEEsia." Great stuff. Weird, but cool.
Posted 19 years ago by TheLoneIguana    [ Reply ]
JrzyTmata wrote:
this is like some demented Dr Suess or something 8O
HAHA!! Exactly! I think he should stick to talking, because i cant stand his singing voice.
Posted 19 years ago by JCJ    [ Reply ]
For a moment, I thought this was William Shatner.
Posted 19 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
this is like some demented Dr Suess or something 8O
Posted 19 years ago by JrzyTmata    [ Reply ]
I'm thinking of William Burroughs' "Spare Assed Annie"
Posted 20 years ago by Schmackdown    [ Reply ]
I have no idea what he is building in there, but I can tell you one thing, I am not going to pay him a visit to find out what it is.
Posted 20 years ago by Darlington    [ Reply ]
one of my kids favourite Tom Waits songs, if you can believe it.
Posted 20 years ago by Nuance    [ Reply ]
Awesome, freakily ambiguous track. Great album. What the hell is he building in there?!?!
Posted 20 years ago by Buzzardcheater    [ Reply ]
I'm scared... hold me!
Posted 20 years ago by red5_bc    [ Reply ]
RichardPrins wrote:
Should be a Halloween track... Great track!
your wish has come true
Posted 20 years ago by BoFiS    [ Reply ]
Should be a Halloween track... Great track!
Posted 20 years ago by R_P    [ Reply ]
Permit or not, I can't help but be reminded of Jeffrey Dahmer. "He was such a nice boy"
Posted 22 years ago by Leslie    [ Reply ]