On the Nickel

Tom Waits

10 fans

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car." With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music, Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and has acted in supporting roles in films including Paradise Alley and Bram Stoker's Dracula; he also starred in the 1986 film Down by Law. He was nominated for an Academy Awa… more »


Year:
1980
6:20
36 
#3

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!

Sticks and stones will break my bones
But I always will be true
And when your mama is dead and gone
I'll sing this lullaby just for you
So what becomes of all the little boys
Who never comb their hair?
They're lined up all around the block
On The Nickel over there

So you better bring a bucket
There is a hole in the pail
If you don't get my letter
Then you'll know that I'm in jail
So what becomes of all the little boys
Who never say their prayers?
They're sleepin' like a baby
On The Nickel over there

If you chew tobacco, and wish upon a star
You'll find out where the scarecrows sit
Just like punchlines between the cars
I know a place where a royal flush
Can never beat a pair
And even Thomas Jefferson
Is On The Nickel over there

So ring around the rosie, you're sleepin' in the rain
And you're always late for supper
And man you let me down, let me down again
I thought I heard a mockingbird, Roosevelt knows where
You can skip the light with grady tuck
On the Nickel over there

So what becomes of all the little boys
Who run away from home?
The world just keeps gettin' bigger
Once you get out on your own
So what becomes of all the little boys
The sandman takes you where
You'll be sleepin' with a pillowman
On the Nickel over there

So let's climb up through that button hole
And fall right up the stairs
I'll show you where the short dogs grow
On the Nickel over there

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!

Written by: TOM WAITS

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

Discuss the On the Nickel Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On the Nickel Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/30424334/Tom+Waits/On+the+Nickel>.

    Missing lyrics by Tom Waits?

    Know any other songs by Tom Waits? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    On the Nickel

    368.2K
    2,354     41

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    Which song that has the lyrics "Not sure I told you, but I really like your teeth"?
    A Sharks
    B I Like to Move It
    C Give That Wolf A Banana
    D That's Rich

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Don't miss Tom Waits's

    Upcoming Events

    »
    Tom Waits tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!