Tom Waits - "What's He Building?"

"What's He Building?" by Tom Waits from the album 'Mule Variations', 1999
Directed by Lex Brand (creative by KesselsKramer)
Official Site: www.tomwaits.com/
Official Store: tomwaitsstore.com/
Facebook: / tomwaits
Twitter: / tomwaits
#tomwaits #mulevariations

[@franciscomanrique2302]

“We have the right to know” is honestly the most unsettling line of the song.

[@hashkat]

Justification can be a scary thing

[@SC-ev3xh]

You get it

[@savethezombies]

Yea, I always thought so too. Out of everything, that is the most ominous. Makes you think "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" (Twilight Zone).

[@hereticaldoctrine]

This is a song?

[@boneytony5041]

@@hereticaldoctrineHave you been talking to mr. Stitches?

[@oscargustaverejlander.]

Always thought this was from the perspective of an individual projecting something dark and secretive within themselves. Bloody genius poetry. My dad used to quote it when I was a kid to freak me out haha.

[@benjaminfrances]

I think you're exactly right, I can relate to the character of this story :)

[@breadispain454]

@@benjaminfrances its the unibomber bro

[@savethezombies]

Tell your dad he's awesome.

[@chucklesfarley]

YES

[@chucklesfarley]

I first listened to this in 1998 when the album was released. I also thought it was about the insanity that breeds in cookie-cutter suburbs and gated communities... and then some non-conformist moves in...not like the rest of the clones.. You have a good dad.

[@Grinlathak]

I always appreciated Tom writing this song about me.

[@MitchellMaichak-ze7mr]

Are you the observed , or the OBSERVER ???

[@levi1929]

Ok….what are you building in there?

[@lilhimer3361]

What ARE you building in there? We "have a right to know."

[@Missjunebugfreak]

One of the best creepy songs Tom has ever made.

[@Kayytia]

In what way is this a song

[@Asaenz2468]

@@Kayytia it’s more of a poem

[@hashkat]

@@Kayytia In what way isn't it?

[@MartinJohnZ]

@@hashkat I think a 'song' involves somebody 'singing'. This is more a piece of spoken word with some mysterious background noises, combined with some blurry images. I don't hear anyone 'singing', so I don't think it's a 'song'. It's a great piece of art, though.

[@FedeMayhemile.]

@@MartinJohnZ It doesn't objectivelly require singing nor the traditional song structure, this one's a poem because it doesn't really have a melody just atmospheric background noises without any other compositional element, but he has many 'spoken word' 'songs', like '9th & Hannepin' or 'Circus', that count as such because they have an instrumental composition with a melody, and btw, what about rap then?, hah.

[@petercollin5670]

As a guy who lives in a small town and is always building something, I see the narrator of this song as being the creepy, scary one!

[@davidl570]

What IS Peter building in there??

[@MartinJohnZ]

I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, DON'T YOU?

[@dazedelectro]

We have the right to know

[@HannibalOrJustRex]

Yeah, right. We saw this predictable response coming from a mile away as an attempt of yours to sow confusion. You're not turning this around on us. You're up to something and we can only assume that it's some kind of ominous.

[@DirkjeA]

Ofcourse the narrator is the creepy one, didn't you hear him whisper 'We have a right to know"? People who are claiming the right to know everything are the ones you should fear.

[@alexroselle]

in what blessed, alternate timeline did this get played on MTV? How different a time that seems now.

[@UncannyLiving]

Some say this our true reality and we will never have the capacity to reveal it. Hidden behind a wall of inability that can only be broken down by the sanctum of rectification, we will persevere and discover the sheathed realm.

[@oliverheidelberg]

This was never played on MTV

[@EdmonScott]

This was back when MTV2 swore that they would be 24 hours of music. I miss those days

[@AstonishingSodApe]

@@EdmonScott Yeah, and they actually had music to fill it.

[@anaelhonings8683]

As a teenager, I remember seeing that video on MTV and really loving it! In those days, Björk, Tricky, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Tool, Nick Cave, Ruby, Massive Attack were regularly played amongst other brilliant creepy stuff and at night, you had shows like Alternative Nation, Headbangers Ball, ...

[@DirkjeA]

By far the most haunting and creepy story-songs I have ever heard. And indeed, like some said below, the creepiest is the idea the narrator is the villain in this, as he says 'we have a right to know' .... Beautiful...

[@MitchellMaichak-ze7mr]

It's a singular voice that says " WE "

[@jonathan19947]

Only Tom can make a spoken track with clever rhymes sound catchy

[@abraxasjinx5207]

I love him.

[@nexusSix_237]

Sounds like one if the stories you'd read in Scary Stories to tell in the Dark

[@therespectedlex9794]

That does actually sound nice.

[@Deedee-ee1sg]

This would make a good chiller thriller!! It's one of the creepiest songs EVER!

[@divinefallfromgrace]

Fun fact:- Muse used to use this piece as the Intro to their live shows 😁

[@lelekoJumboJet]

Yep, back in the early 2000s… Hullabaloo era!

[@DjBlaze3d]

I like the part where he said "What's he building in there"

[@QthaWord]

Whatever I like that part more!! (Edit bc I'm high and made tiepoe)

[@markmeleady]

I must have missed that part.🤔

[@YourMom777-x3x]

“I need lives for the master!” RENFIELD

[@MartinJohnZ]

I think I missed that part.

[@matthewh4684]

Yes! Yes, and then, "what the hell is he building in there?" I like that part as well, don't you, friend?

[@beauabbott7154]

this mans music is insane but i’m starting to fall in love

[@BiffBallbag]

That’s part of what makes him so great

[@TheeTyler]

this is strangely addicting to listen to

[@berndahrens7021]

``They used to have a consulting business. In Indoneeesia ! ``

[@lilhimer3361]

That makes it sound so much more foreign and exotic... and mysterious. Love that part.

[@SeanJSlomka42]

I will never hear the word "Indonesia" the same again.

[@LateGrabber]

@@lilhimer3361bruh no 😂

[@LateGrabber]

@@lilhimer3361it isn’t exotic; he’s exposing the fact that creepy rich white people have been exploiting Asian countries for years and doing horrible things to children.

[@juss2133]

While I live in apartments, I live at the end of the balcony/building, and don't speak to anyone nor say hi to the neighbors. Nothing against them, I'm just a solitary person. Funny thing is, I do work at a cemetery and while sometimes they see me leave squeaky clean to go to work, sometimes I come back covered in mud. This song does make me wonder what goes through their minds when they see me since I always dress in black when I'm not wearing my work clothes.. Mind your business though

[@bigtommy9715]

A weekend sports radio station played this one day and I’ve never forgotten it

[@Carnnix]

Listening to this in 2024

[@garyoak4175]

What's he building in there?

[@rawrats24]

Listening to it in 2025

[@fivehead6675]

Everyone is either listening to something or watching something in 2024. Wow, what a year.

[@Janika-xj2bv]

​@@garyoak4175 We have a right to know

[@dopestonelion3357]

Inn Doe Nee Sha. Good shrooms too 😝

[@PeaceDweller]

This song/video inspired me to question everything 20 years ago.

[@PizzadrianYT]

I heard this at a bar with my friend Keith and it was so funny I let my 12 year old listen to it, and now we listen to it 5 times a week! 😅

[@sclogse1]

It would be fun to sneak up on Tom on the crapper at some restaurant and start whistling that tune outside the stall door...

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

I want this played at my wedding.

[@MrJpmcmenamin]

First dance

[@Caligulita]

I will marry you for this.

[@AlphaCentauri24]

I first heard this as a voiceover in the documentary "Enron - The Smartest guys in the Room" about the Enron fraud. There were only 2 lines but those lines and this voice just stayed with me every time I rewatched that documentary (btw it is a really good docu). Finally, I decided to check out the origin of this voiceover.

[@stephanieknox7522]

Same! I love it!

[@jmcieslak0]

Yes was great to hear this + God's Away on Business in the credits, great selections

[@europeanwar]

same here

[@vbswami]

have loved this song for years

[@5disguised]

@Ben Kallerup I’m confused to it sounds like a poem but everyone calls it a song? Doesn’t make sense.

[@ScreenMasterMCU]

@@5disguised It is technically a song.

[@leaks2.073]

​@@ScreenMasterMCUNO! It is a an interlude not more. This has nothing to do with a song. Where is the melody, the Rhythm?

[@QuiteDan]

DJs won't take my request at the club >:(

[@nataliewn]

LMAO

[@user-em2pe3rf4h]

Tom is the rarest of musician birds. It's impossible to put his music into any one box... these are the the types of musicians I like most. Oysterhead is another good example. Tom's a good actor as well...

[@realgregpumpo]

I really really like this video. The imagery is perfect

[@EphemeralProductions]

probably the creepiest song of the 1990s, at least to me. Tom is a genius!

[@MrBriPoppy]

Imagine MTV playing this now.

[@jerryhajek1291]

...playing it @ midnight, every night, disguised as a PSA....No, but intriguing....*L*

[@bigtommy9715]

The imagery really captures the tone perfectly Great job

[@rexyproductions1661]

Literally every spy on 2fort when there's at least one engineer on the enemy's team

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Lmao you just turned this into something hilarious

[@bagds0]

This is good. Makes me feel intrigued. It’s a good feeling.

[@Paul_Hinton]

I love this, the whole album is amazing. Jacquire King and Tom Waits - a brilliant team.

[@chordsarewhereitsat]

The moment you realize the villain of the song is actually the narrator chills you to the bone.

[@deathifight7408]

Hoes he the villain?

[@crybunny]

wait sorry explain please?

[@mystry..]

@@crybunnyhey really random but do you have discord?

[@davidnissim589]

@@crybunny The neighbor is probably just a regular person, but the narrator is stalking him. That's why he knows so much about the neighbor's habits

[@jadedandbitter]

Yep, basically a dangerous male Karen making a mountain out of a molehill.

[@nicklose3631]

Just walked out to check the mail and right at that moment, a window on the side of the house directly across the street exploded from the inside out. This song was the first thing that came to mind…

[@plwglbrth]

I'll tell you one thing, he's not building a playhouse for the children

[@helamanwilson1196]

Finding this for the first time in 2021, my conclusion is that the late 90s rural US cosplay scene was *wild*.

[@joannabowen635]

...HEARD THIS on radio week b4 Halloween....! Tom's got his finger on the wrist etc. of America...

[@andywallace1220]

This was amazing 2 decades ago, and it still is....

[@doctordirk6316]

First heard this on BBC6 music before it went down the pan!

[@ArmorofTruth]

You're gonna feel pretty dumb if he is actually building a playhouse for the children, Thomas.

[@MartinJohnZ]

Well if he IS building a playhouse for the children, he could just TELL us, so that we would KNOW, or am I WRONG?

[@Nate-cg9mm]

Or you'll feel pretty stupid if that "playhouse" is actually a jungle gym of death 🤷‍♂️

[@davidnissim589]

@@MartinJohnZWe have a right to know…

[@jonshum6232]

"playhouse"

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

Idk, the the guy has no friends but gets a lot of mail...whatever that means.

[@timothygutkin5711]

I'm actually living this right now got an abandoned mansion across the street and a caretaker been living there he's literally doing everything you hear on this

[@ctdieselnut]

We have a right to know.

[@crystalpapers6590]

But what's he BUILDING in there? What the HELL is he building in there??

[@SlapthePissouttayew]

'What's he Building?' was my first exposure to this genius on the now defunct 97X. Been diggin' on Tom and building stuff in here ever since...

[@brianartillery]

I have always thought that Tom Waits was wonderful. This creepy, creepy, (but laugh out loud funny) track confirms it.

[@MrHawkmoon269]

Some have said similar, I used to think this was about someone doing something nasty in their house, but I was told it is really about a nosy neighbor. The whistling reminds me of the quiet bit in Jaws while they are waiting for the the shark to come back, anyone else?

[@Pauldjreadman]

I first heard this on the John Peele. I was sold.

[@jeffersonpower3356]

To find the mysterious beauty in the darkness of utter paranoi...Wow what a genius this man is!

[@DemonTom]

This song is about neighbors feeling they have the right to know about everyone's business. There were couples like that in my old neighborhood. "So I noticed you painted the Living Room Pink.." There was a guy who lived by himself that I used to deliver Papers to. He was seldom home, but when it came time to collect my fee, he always gave me a big fat tip. Personally, I never cared about what he was doing. He was a nice man, if you got to know him. I was more fascinated by the fact he completely heated his house with firewood. THAT was cool to 13 year old me. 😆

[@GamerCall]

Imagine tipping someone for delivering newspapers lmao

[@merchantfan]

After COVID, we're all this guy

[@MICROCLEAN100]

Thanks!!!!!

[@SlapthePissouttayew]

First heard this on 97X WOXY right before they shut down. Loved it then, love it now.

[@PalmettoGD]

It bothers me that we will never know what he was building in there

[@punklover99]

This would make a great mini series

[@27JOHNNEIL]

Genius at work here

[@ramones53rd3rd]

I got my friends high and played this for them, freaked them the hell out

[@chrisjernigan1912]

Your friends are weak

[@jerryhajek1291]

@@chrisjernigan1912 ...or not used to the current quality of 'consumables and/or inhaled items available'...*sigh*

[@tigerphoenix7121]

You gave me a good laugh there, thank you 😊; What do you do with your enemies 😉 🤣

[@jerryhajek1291]

@@tigerphoenix7121 Stay a step ahead of them and resort to confusion....;) *L* Aerosol LSD if all else fails....

[@thecurlew7403]

His own time machine I fly away oh glory I fly away.

[@PlayNiceFolks]

My favorite

[@gabrielpetersen8528]

Aaaand out comes killdozer.

[@F.A.T.E.S]

Underrated comment

[@danilobcns]

I want this song to play over every single handworks and crafts video on KZbin, except the ones were there's an actual playhouse being built obviously

[@MortonGoldthwait]

He's building that amazing product from Step Right Up.

[@adriancoode1053]

The House picture says it all. The House looks very Sad. Opens your imagination for real😮

[@ctrain3621]

How can you not find this hilarious? Funny asf no cappp

[@douggottlieb]

We have a right to know. The best.

[@EnchiladaBoredom]

That's the best question to ask. I'd like to point the question to the old Roy's drugs building in downtown Visalia.

[@katiewilliams2653]

Me and my daddy love this 😂xxxxx

[@alt8699]

Best thing he's ever done.

[@alaskalynch9917]

Directed by his cousin David Lynch.

[@lo99pez]

Que buena historia para una película. Great story for a movie

[@fangsofthefenrir1349]

Killdozer. Nuff said.

[@LaurentJames]

Très intrigante performance en sourdine.

[@BillyBob-nq2cb]

Always wondered about the meaning of this monologue-esque song so after having it in a playlist I've been listening to for like a year I looked it up and just my luck, just a few months ago a video was released for it. Still don't understand the context of the song but I still like it.

[@notatall2237]

I don't think there's a context and it's open to interpretation. I suppose the feeling it eludes is more important than the meaning. It's quite an interesting poem. It eludes to things like invasion of privacy . Being curious about a strange individial who is an outcast. It also suggests he might be a killer. There are a few literary works and movies that might evoke a similar feeling, such as the movie The Wicker Man and the novella The Tenant(I've yet to read it, this info is from parts I've heard read from reviews). Let me know what you think, we can talk about this piece if you want. I think I didn't touch on a number of points I had noticed when hearing this.

[@infraredradiator]

@@notatall2237 I like playing around with the various interpretation of this. I like the idea that the narrator is a paranoid schizophrenic neighbor that’s creating delusions in his head, trying to connect dots that aren’t there.

[@markjohnson4217]

It's about nosy neighbors

[@markjohnson4217]

@@infraredradiator Yeah the dots are there. Actually it's one dot, Its about people who can't mind their own business, Neighbors will start making shit up about those who keep to themselves. It can be very toxic. A friend of mine has been suffering from this exact kind of 'nosy neighbor toxicity. He has a router and power tools, he is always fixing things and 'building things, doing metalwork. The neighbors are constantly talking about him. When he locked himself out one night, he had to climb up onto the roof with his flashlight to crawl in through a window. His landlord called the police even after seeing clearly that it was him trying to get into his own apt!! There are neighbors like this.

[@davidl570]

@@markjohnson4217 In that case, his landlord's an idiot.

[@Carnnix]

Hits hard late at night ngl 💀🔥🗣️

[@camgood9562]

Great photography, buddy!

[@matthewholt2683]

Mind opening

[@markw999]

This spoken word piece could be taken straight to film with some fleshing out and some character development. This is the Jungian "Shadow" projection taken to it's logical conclusion. Could be a good psychological thriller/horror film.

[@meatbeast540]

I'm going to drive out to Mayor's Income, TN some day...

[@TWISTEDxJOKERII]

Currently watching this while on shrooms lol

[@josephmleczko3097]

It's alive... ITS ALIVE!!!

[@peaceloads1368]

I missed that!!😂😂😂😂😂

[@mayostrain]

He's building a killdozer

[@shurikenmiasma]

I like to think of this as a metaphor for introspection; like the liminal commenting on the subliminal, or ego commenting on the id.

[@Nate-cg9mm]

Genius is, as genuis does. Tomas Gump

[@AndrewB1971]

This is my new favourite creepy song 🙂

[@L33PL4Y]

Where the hell have I heard this? It's gonna drive me nuts until I remember. I swear it was referenced or used in a show or movie or animation or something.

[@silvershamrock5489]

Tik tok but reminds me of bo2 zombies

[@L33PL4Y]

@@silvershamrock5489 huh...?

[@gok1212]

It sounds a ton like the guy from psychonauts

[@MrVulcanator]

It's played in The Smartest Guys in the Room.

[@at_Wild]

The opening of Muse's Hullabaloo live performance maybe?

[@MitchellMaichak-ze7mr]

The " Watched " AND the " watcher " !!!

[@macgyver1279]

I love the oppressiv & mysterios mood 😨

[@rebeccaz994]

This is my neighbor who lives above me!

[@garki1369]

Have you folks seen "The Burbs" with Tom Hanks. It's a good one.

[@jerryhajek1291]

I'm on the fence on 'whom' I should consider more of a 'threat'...the Neighbor....or the Narrator.....

[@boulderbug]

...oh Oh Oh Hell Yes !

[@therespectedlex9794]

As late as 99? I think that's when I heard this. No insult to his originality, but I could believe this was from 1958.

[@Clib-wg5yx]

My favorite part is when he says that he took down the tire swing from the pepper tree

[@lilhimer3361]

That IS diabolical.

[@snapfinger1]

He doesn’t have any friends but he gets a lot of mail.

[@amarah_781]

What is he building there?? A happy home of Robloxia

[@ihs200]

This is more like a poem than a song

[@LuckyDogDave]

This is the opening song in Haunting of the Blog II in Dave's Basement Tracks.

[@kalanyou3275]

I love Tom, wish I could get drunk and play music with him

[@bagds0]

Easier than you might think. Met Tom by complete coincidence during a road trip in SA. We had beers and all the kit we needed. Awesome day!

[@l1ttlebunny_]

i just needed to know what life in the world to come was referencing

[@ponczoszanka]

❤

[@DeniseLaFranceCDNpainter]

Anthem of the curtain-twitchers...

[@Flamewalk]

Man this piece is CREEPY. And it's not the one "who's building", but the narrator who scares the heck out of me.