"Small Change (Got Rained On With His Own .38)" lyrics

"Small Change (Got Rained On With His Own .38)"

Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight
And nobody flinched down by the arcade
And the marquees weren't weeping, they went stark-raving mad
And the cabbies were the only ones that really had it made
And his cold trousers were twisted, and the sirens high and shrill
And crumpled in his fist was a five-dollar bill
And the naked mannequins with their Cheshire grins
And the raconteurs and roustabouts said, "Buddy, come on in, 'cause
'Cause the dreams ain't broken down here now, they're walking with a limp
Now that Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight"

And nobody flinched down by the arcade
And the burglar alarm's been disconnected
And the newsmen start to rattle
And the cops are telling jokes about some whorehouse in Seattle
And the fire hydrants plead the Fifth Amendment
And the furniture is bargains galore
But the blood is by the jukebox on an old linoleum floor
And what a hot rain on Forty-Second Street
And now the umbrellas ain't got a chance
And the newsboy's a lunatic with stains on his pants, 'cause
'Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And no one's gone over to close his eyes
And there's a racing form in his pocket
Circled "Blue Boots" in the third
And the cashier at the clothing store didn't say a word
As the siren tears the night in half, and someone lost his wallet
Well, a surveillance of assailants, if that's what you wanna call it
And the whores hike up their skirts and fish for drug-store prophylactics
With their mouths cut just like razor blades and their eyes are like stilettos
And her radiator's steaming and her teeth are in a wreck, and nah
She won't let you kiss her, but what the hell do you expect?
And the gypsies are tragic and if you want to buy perfume
Well, they'll bark you down like carnies, sell you Christmas cards in June, but
But Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And his headstone's a gumball machine
No more chewing gum or baseball cards or overcoats or dreams
Someone's hosing down the sidewalk, and he's only in his teens, 'cause
'Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And a fistful of dollars can't change that
And someone copped his watch fob, and someone got his ring
And the newsboy got his porkpie Stetson hat
And the tuberculosis old men at the Nelson wheeze and cough
And someone will head south until this whole thing cools off, 'cause
'Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight, yeah
Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight


Writer(s): Thomas Alan Waits
You May Also Like
Dr. John - "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya" They call me, Dr. John, The Night Tripper Got my sizzling Gris-Gris in my hand Day trippin' up, Back down by you I'm the last of the best They call me the Gris-Gris man Got many clients Come from...
Fairport Convention - "Percy's Song" Bad news, bad news Come to me where I sleep Turn, turn, turn again Sayin' one of your friends Is in trouble deep Turn, turn to the rain And the wind Tell me the trouble Tell me once to my ear Turn,...
Phil Ochs - "In The Heat Of The Summer" In the heat of the summer When the pavements were burning The soul of a city was ravaged in the night After the city sun was sinkin' Now no one knows how it started Why the windows were shattered...
Grinderman - "Super Heathen Child" Hey little Moo Moo Light as a rainbow Happy as an asteroid Crashed in the bathtub Yeah sittin in the bathtub Her full of her fingers Her full of her fingers Yeah sittin in the bathtub Says, I'm...
Karen Dalton - "Katie Cruel" When I first came to town They call' me the roving jewel Now they've changed their tune Call me Katie Cruel Through the woods I am goin' Through the boggy mire Straight way down the road 'Til I come...