Down in the Basement

It’s all down in the basement
On that I’d lay a bet
When the dish ran away with the spoon
I know just where they went
They’re all down in the basement
They’ve got knick-knacks, ruck-sacks, a bag full of bones
A stranger smoking in the corner beneath a naked bulb
A table missing a leg groaning under a heavy load
Of Christmas lights, scrap iron and a fishing pole
They’ve got books in every language from Portuguese to Mandarin
Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin man
Bo Peep’s sheep, Miss Muffet’s curds and whey
If you listen close you’ll hear a voice from a hole in the wall say…
They’ve gotta record player skipping through a song
And Venus de Milo’s hands start clapping along
There’s water dripping from a pipe to a tobacco tin on the floor
The mice on the freezer are doing to dosey-doe
They’ve got the Bee’s knees, the Cat’s pajamas
Rain coats, overalls and grease-stained bandanas
There’s a hundred pound anchor holding back an old hound
The ghost of Townes Van Zandt is lurking around
You can hear screaming at night from the top of the stairs
Ain’t no one been down there for twenty-nine years
Except for my Granddad who did it on a bet
And whatever he saw he hasn’t spoke of it yet