Tom Waits — Eyeball Kid

Well, Zenora Bariella and Coriander Pyle They had sixteen children in the usual style They had a curio museum and they had no guile All they ever wanted was a showbiz child The seventh of December, nineteen-forty-nine They got what they'd been wishing for all of the time He grew up in a trailer, by the time he was nine Rolled off to join the circus, telling fortunes on the side Hail, hail, the Eyeball Kid Well, the first time I saw him was a Saigon jail Cost me twenty-seven dollars just to go his bail I said, "Your name will be in lights, and that's no doubt But you just got to have a manager, that's what it's all about" Yeah, yeah, yeah "The people would point, the people would stare I'll always be here to protect you and to cut down on the glare I know you can't speak, I know you can't sign So cry right here on the dotted line" Hail, hail, the Eyeball Kid Well, he was born without a body, not even a brow I made the kid a promise, I made the kid a vow He's not conventionally handsome, he'll never be tall He said, "All you got to do is book me into Carnegie Hall" Hoo He's just a little bitty thing, he's just a little guy But women go crazy for the big blue eye "How does he dream, how does he think When he can't even speak and he can't even blink?" I said "Hail, hail, the Eyeball Kid" Hail, hail, Eyeball Kid Hail, hail, Eyeball Kid Give it up and throw me down a couple of quid Everybody wants to see the Eyeball Kid Hoo [auction chant, applause, "I'm a good boy"] They say, "How does he dream, how does he think When he can't even speak and he can't even blink?" We're all lost in the wilderness, we're as blind as can be He come down to teach us how to really see Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah So give it up and throw me down a couple of quid Everybody wants to see the Eyeball Kid Give it up and throw me down a couple of quid Everybody wants to see the Eyeball Kid Give it up Give it up Give it up and throw me down a couple of quid Everybody will want to see the Eyeball Kid Eyeball Kid Eyeball Kid Ooh, Eyeball Kid