Japanese Slippers - The Fiery Furnaces

Down at the shell shed the boys are pickin' at their pearls

The hole in my mitten lets the rain get in

I bought 22 ounces from the petrol park, waiting at the light

I’m never gonna make it back in time

So Geraldine and me can begin

Before Mister Raymond and his Japanese slippers comes creepin' in

I sit with the fan on my face and sip shandies all day

I learned to sleep standing up so I don’t have to make the bed

No tobacco for my rolling papers, warm water in my cup

I’ll have wait all morning

Before Geraldine and me can begin

Before Mister Raymond and his Japanese slippers’ll come creepin' in

Loaded up with turkey carpets and green glass diamonds

I drove back and forth for five long rolling moons

And everyday and every night I thought of back at home

And I couldn’t get the notion out of my head

That before Geraldine and me could begin

Mister Raymond and his Japanese slippers’d come creepin' in

Everything is always a little late

Trippin' on those Japanese slippers seems to be my fate

It was my job to cut down all the poplar trees

And I’d sit on the stumps and listen to the finches

And look out at the field and eat honey out of the jar

And wonder why it always seemed

Before Geraldine and me could begin

Mister Raymond and his Japanese slippers would come creepin' in