I am reposting this song by Tom Waits that I first heard over 15 years ago because it seems particularly apropos now about the greed and selfishness-infested state of the US in our time, especially the first stanza, where I take ‘the ship is sinking’ as a metaphor for the US.

I’d sell your heart to the junk-man baby for a buck, for a buck
If you’re looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch, you’re out of luck, you’re out of luck
The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking, the ship is sinking
There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business.

Someone noticed the remarkable similarity between the voices of Waits and Cookie Monster and made a mashup of Cookie’s scenes from Sesame Street with Waits singing the song. For me the words carry even more weight when seeming sung by the beloved muppet.

Since it is hard to make out the words sometimes, here are the lyrics.

I’d sell your heart to the junk-man baby for a buck, for a buck
If you’re looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch, you’re out of luck, you’re out of luck
The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking, the ship is sinking
There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.

Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick, it’s a job, it’s a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood, join the mob, join the mob
It’s all over, it’s all over, it’s all over
There’s a leak, there’s a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.
God’s away, God’s away, on business. Business.

[Instrumental Break]

Goddamn there’s always such a big temptation to be good, to be good
There’s always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby, it’s a deal, it’s a deal
The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking, the ship is sinking
There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.

I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby, let her ring, let her ring
It’s all over, it’s all over, it’s all over
There’s a leak, there’s a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business.
God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business. Business.