Tom Waits
Lyric guide

What's He Building?

Read What's He Building? lyrics by Tom Waits on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Tom Waits visibility2 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Tom Waits Canonical path: /tom-waits/what-s-he-building Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

What's He Building?

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

What's he building in there?

What the hell is he building in there?

He has subscriptions to those magazines

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, he has no friends and

His lawn is dying

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

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

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

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...

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "What's He Building?"?

Tom Waits performs "What's He Building?", and this lyric page sits inside the Tom Waits catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "What's He Building?"?

Yes. The related section below points to Drunk On The Moon and Starving In The Belly Of A Whale with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Tom Waits?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Tom Waits's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on What's He Building? yet.