The Clock Was Tickin Lyrics - Singles - Brandon Flowers

The teacher had you write a letter, you were eight years old 

About the man that you'd become and the positions you'd hold 

But this was long before you and Jackie Geronimo 

Met in the Prelude Park at midnight 

Now when it came to bells and whistles, Jackie did not lack 

And when she kissed you on the kisser, boy, you kissed her back 

Now you tell her that you love her and she cuts you slack 

When you drink with your buddies on the weekend 

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on 

You spend your whole life droppin' 

Nickels in the bucket, wakin' up at dawn 

And while Jackie bestowed the joys of fingerlickin' 

The clock up on the wall was tickin' 

You got yourself a job cleanin' hospital floors 

But Jackie had a baby, then she had five more 

They'd pay you just enough to drag your ass to the store 

To buy bread, milk and Better Homes and Gardens 

Jackie flips the pages and she dreams little dreams 

A cottage in the country built with real wood beams 

There's a baby in the bedroom, he's startin' to scream 

She holds him though he probably won't remember it 

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on 

Sometimes dreams are all you got 

To keep you goin' when the day gets long 

And you gave up so many just to make a livin' 

That clock up on the wall was tickin' 

Now the kids are all grateful when they left the nest 

And Jackie wasn't perfect but she did her best 

You seize the opportunity to get you some rest 

But you can't sleep on account of screamin' grandkids 

The golden years are meant to leave a gleam in your eye 

You're startin' to discover it's a great big lie 

They'll work you like a dog 'til you quit or you die 

But you can't quit 'cause Jackie needs the benefits 

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on 

They say patience is a virtue 

But the doctor says she don't have long 

You stood up and tried your damnedest not to listen 

But that clock up on the wall was tickin' 

When they told you to clear the room, that's when it hit you 

You watched as the caravan took your sweetheart away 

The arguments and fights and money troubles seem so worthless 

As the kids throw yellow roses on her grave 

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on 

The house is quiet now and everythin' inside 

It seems to know she's gone 

There's a picture of you both sixteen years old just kissin' 

And that clock up on the wall was tickin' 

You always thought she had a chance 

And it was somewhere hidden 

Now you've come to the conclusion that she never did 

Not a chance, that is