Pick It Up (And Put It In Your Pocket) - Stan Ridgway

A signal swings and the lights turn off

And a missing man begins to cough

And no one knows the lost ones from the found

And lady luck, well, she cant explain

To a hardened coin or a bill, the game

It seems everything changes hands when it hits the ground

They said its dog eat dog, cat eat mouse

And mouse eat cheese and the cheese just smells

The warning systems ring but help wont come.

And all the calling cards and the walking sticks

And the hidden punches and the cowards kicks

Say we got a big mouthful now

Pick it up and put it in your pocket

Or somebody else will

Pick it up and put it in your pocket

Or somebody else just will

Repeat as necessary

Now the worlds a road and for miles around

On every inch of unclaimed ground, hide rewards for some but all the rest

Spin a creepy wheel or they trip the stair

While the new school boys just cant play fair

In a place that leaves its money in its mess

Chorus repeat

Now an old man with a paper bag

And a list so long on a dirty rag

Checks each item that he will throw or keep

But hell never thank the coin thats bent

Or a greenback bill that a stranger sent

But hell pick em just the same

And then hell thank the street

He turns and says its dog eat dog

And cat eat mouse

And mouse eat cheese

And the cheese just smells

Now I dont wanna seem to say

That the time ahead wont be okay

But the scale is loaded down

With the weight of sixteen tons

And the ones that have

Tell the ones that dont

To tell the ones that cant

About the ones who wont

And theres no place left here

round to run

Chorus repeat endlessly