Tom Waits – What's He Building? Lyrics - Genius

Music IQFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign Up2What’s He Building?Tom WaitsProducersKathleen Brennan & Tom WaitsTrack 8 onMule Variations Apr. 16, 19991 viewer70.6K views22 Contributors

What’s He Building? Lyrics

Waits has spoken many times in interviews about this track: The Man Who Howled Wolf, 1999 *Guess it’s the rat theory: There’s too many of us, and we’re going crazy because of the proliferation of the human… Read More What's he building in there?What the hell is he building in there?He has subscriptions to those magazinesHe never waves when he goes byHe's hiding something from the rest of usHe's all to himself, I think I know whyHe took down the tire swing from the pepper treeHe has no children of his own, you seeHe has no dog, he has no friends and his lawn is dyingAnd what about all those packages he sends?What's he building in there?With that hook light on the stairsWhat's he building in there?I'll tell you one thing, he's not building a playhouse for the childrenWhat's he building in there?Now, what's that sound from underneath the door?He's pounding nails into a hardwood floorAnd I swear to God, I heard someone moaning lowAnd I keep seeing the blue light of a TV showHe has a router and a table sawAnd you won't believe what Mr. Sticha sawThere's poison underneath the sink, of courseBut there's also enough formaldehyde to choke a horseWhat's he building in there?What the hell is he building in there?You might also likeI heard he has an ex-wifeIn some place called Mayor's Income, TennesseeAnd he used to have a consulting business in IndonesiaBut what's he building in there?He has no friends, but he gets a lot of mailI'll bet he spent a little time in jailI heard he was up on the roof last night, signaling with a flashlightAnd 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 know2EmbedCancel

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AboutSong Bio2 contributors

Waits has spoken many times in interviews about this track:

The Man Who Howled Wolf, 1999

*Guess it’s the rat theory: There’s too many of us, and we’re going crazy because of the proliferation of the human manifestation. You go down the freeway, and all of a sudden there are 350,000 new homes where there used to be wilderness. They all have to go to the bathroom somewhere, they all want toys for their kids, they all want eggs and bacon and a nice little car and a place to vacation. When the rats get too plentiful, they turn on each other.

Mule Conversations, 1999

Yeah, it’s kind of tipping my hat to Ken Nordine, who was a big influence on me. And I’ve listened to him since I started recording. Ken lives in Chicago. He has a peculiar imagination and tells remarkable stories. This one started out as a song, and I wasn’t able to get it to fly as a song, so I just took the words and started saying them. And it all just kind of came together. It’s just what we all do to each other, I guess, as neighbors living in an apartment building or on a block, wherever you are. We all know two or three things about the people we live around and we put them together and create a story. He said he was from Tampa, but yet he’s got Indiana plates. Gee, what’s that about? He wears all his clothes inside out. He walks backwards. He shaved his head, only on one side. We all do that, I guess; it’s just wondering about those things.

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Ask a questionWho produced “What's He Building?” by Tom Waits?When did Tom Waits release “What's He Building?”?Who wrote “What's He Building?” by Tom Waits?Mule Variations (1999)Tom Waits

1. 1. Big in Japan
2. 2. Lowside of the Road
3. 3. Hold On
4. 4. Get Behind the Mule
5. 5. House Where Nobody Lives
6. 6. Cold Water
7. 7. Pony
8. 8. What’s He Building?
9. 9. Black Market Baby
10. 10. Eyeball Kid
11. 11. Picture in a Frame
12. 12. Chocolate Jesus
13. 13. Georgia Lee
14. 14. Filipino Box Spring Hog
15. 15. Take It with Me
16. 16. Come on Up to the House
17. 17. Buzz Fledderjohn
18. 18. Big Face Money

CreditsProducersKathleen Brennan & Tom WaitsWriterTom WaitsLabelANTI- Records & Epitaph RecordsTurntablesMark ReitmanRecording EngineerOz Fritz & Jacquire KingMixing EngineerOz Fritz & Jacquire KingMastering EngineerChris BellmanPercussionJeff SloanReedsRalph CarneyVocalsTom WaitsRecorded AtPrairie Sun Recording Studios, Cotati, CaliforniaReleased onApril 16, 1999What’s He Building? CoversWhat's He Building? by MuseTagsRockDark AmbientMusique ConcrèteElectroacousticIndustrialPoetry (Literature)ExperimentalSpoken WordExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up