Tom Waits – What's He Building in There?

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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 under 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 is he building in there?
What the hell is 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...

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Lyrics submitted by archmastermind, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 03:20


What's He Building in There? song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:whats that tune he's always whistling, really?
    Flag pleytpon October 15, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:The scariest parts of this song to me are the venom that accompanies the words "I'll tell you one thing, He's not building a playhouse for the children...", as if implying the subject is some kind of child abuser, and the last line, "We have a right to know..." which sums up everything wrong with this track. I love it though!
    Flag caspercapoeiraon July 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:The song seems to be about the American government. He asks what the guy is building in there and states we have a right to know. All the things kept from us are our business and being held from us. Each new line is relevant to that topic.
    Flag wrongansweron November 12, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:The song was inspired by the Unabomber. Also features in the opening to the film "Enron The Smartest Guys in the Room" to great effect!
    Flag twigletmaniaon October 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In my opinion the song is about a private man, possibly a bit odd to some of his neighbours, but generally just a bit shy. He's being constantly watched and talked about by people who run away with their imaginations and talk too much- curtain twitchers.

    I also think it's about Tom Waits, himself. People want to know every little detail about him. He's a very private person and his level of success, and cult following draws a lot of attention.
    Flag garethmon October 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've had neighbours like that - trust me, it's not funny! A few years ago there was a big fuss about people growing tall hedges &, this being Britain, there had to be speeches in Parliament & stupid nosey-parker legislation. A TV programme looked at some of these weirdos who liked their privacy - at one point what seemed like a whole village was surrounding one house (along with the TV crew, of course) saying things like "Why do they want to shut us out? What are they doing that they don't want us to see?". Frankly, if I lived among people like that I'd have a fifteen-foot wall with razor wire & some hungry dogs. I think that's what this song is about - the "we have a right to know" attitude.Seriously creepy - the neighbours, not the poor soul in the house.
    Flag morbid moragon June 27, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't know guys. You could be right about people being paranoid..

    But, what if someone subscribed to 'those' magazines, stole the tire swing from the cherry tree, USED TO have a consulting firm in IN-DO-NE-SAAA and always whistling that tune.. not to mention all of those packages he sends out.. It really makes you think..

    What IS he building in there?

    Besides it's like JUST the stranger is imagining it-- because you won't believe what Mr. Stitches saw either!!
    Flag RyanJWon November 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What a song!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I agree with the idea that we should be looking more at the townsfolk than 'he'. All of the information that we're given is either heresay from the reliable 'Mr Stiches' (or 'I heard he was up on the roof last night signaling with a flashlight') or not particularly incriminating ("oh shit his lawn is dying").

    But Waits never gives us a clear answer. There is always an ambiguity. And noone can deny that, although the actions of the man have been recorded to a ridiculous extent, the guy's still pretty sinister. His distance from the other townsfolk and that chilling whistling that closes the song can confirm that his actions are justifiably suspect.
    Flag bandhgoldon September 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He's trying to tell us not to be so suspicious about people just because they don't revial everything about themselves/their lives to everybody. If you don't know you get suspicious, and if there is anything that seems strange you expect the worst. I think the bottom line is that people need and deserve privacy.
    Flag suburbanon September 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Dead on sloop. This is the song that sparked my interest in Tom Waits. I remember seeing the video on mtv (back when I still found it bareable) in the middle of night - I was instantly hooked.

    Of course, the line "what's he building in there?" has turned into a bit of an inside joke. Tends to cause weird looks from the uninitiated though.
    Flag GriZzmoon April 13, 2006   Link

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