Pick It Up Lyrics - Stan Ridgway

A signal swings and the lights turn off 

And a missing man begins to cough 

And no one knows the lost ones from the found 

And lady luck, well, she can't explain 

To a hardened coin or a bill, the game 

It seems everything changes hands when it hits the ground 

They said it's dog eat dog, cat eat mouse 

And mouse eat cheese and the cheese just smells 

The warning systems ring but help won't come. 

And all the calling cards and the walking sticks 

And the hidden punches and the coward's kicks 

Say we got a big mouthful now 

Chorus: 

Pick it up and put it in your pocket 

Or somebody else will 

Pick it up and put it in your pocket 

Or somebody else just will 

Repeat as necessary 

Now the world's a road and for miles around 

On every inch of unclaimed ground, hide rewards for some but all the rest 

Spin a creepy wheel or they trip the stair 

While the new school boys just can't play fair 

In a place that leaves it's money in it's mess 

Chorus repeat 

Now an old man with a paper bag 

And a list so long on a dirty rag 

Checks each item that he will throw or keep 

But he'll never thank the coin that's bent 

Or a greenback bill that a stranger sent 

But he'll pick 'em just the same 

And then he'll thank the street 

He turns and says it's dog eat dog 

And cat eat mouse 

And mouse eat cheese 

And the cheese just smells 

Now I don't wanna seem to say 

That the time ahead won't be okay 

But the scale is loaded down 

With the weight of sixteen tons 

And the ones that have 

Tell the ones that don't 

To tell the ones that can't 

About the ones who won't 

And there's no place left here 

'round to run 

Chorus repeat endlessly