Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine,
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government,
The man in the trench-coat,
Badge out, laid off,
Says he's got a bad cough,
Wants to get it paid off.
Look out, kid,
It's something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills,
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking that the heat put
Plants in the bed, but
The phone's tapped anyway,
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May,
Orders from the D.A.
Look out, kid,
Don't matter what you did,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't try No Doz,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Watch the plain-clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna sell,
Try hard, get barred,
Get back, write Braille,
Get jailed, jump bail,
Join the army if you fail.
Look out, kid,
You're gonna get hit
By losers, cheaters,
Six-time users
Hanging 'round the theaters,
Girl by the whirlpool's
Looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders,
Watch the parking meters.
Oh, get born, keep warm,
Short pants, romance, learn to dance,
Get dressed, get blessed,
Try to be a success,
Please her, please him, buy gifts,
Don't steal, don't lift,
Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift.
Look out, kid,
They keep it all hid,
Better jump down a manhole,
Light yourself a candle,
Don't wear sandals
And try to avoid the scandals.
Don't wanna be a bum,
You better chew gum,
The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.