Penny Wise (Pennywise)

Lyrics

There's an old sayin'.
Penny wise...
...Pound foolish.
Stephen King, he knew a thing or two about bad accounting.

Folks in Derry, Maine, they count their change.
Worry 'bout a scuff on the linoleum.
Patch the screen door, check the gas mileage.
Keep a tight ledger on what the neighbors owe.
Every little cent accounted for.
Yeah, they watch the pennies.
Lord, they watch the pennies so they don't have to watch the sky.
Or the cracks in the street.

October, '57. Rain comin' down in sheets.
A little boy named Georgie, in a yellow slicker his momma got on clearance.
Chasin' a paper boat his brother made.
A simple thing. Cost nothin' but a sheet of newsprint and a little wax.
He's watching that boat like it's the only thing in the world.
A penny's worth of fun in a five-and-dime world.
He follows it right to the gutter's mouth.

Yeah, down in Derry, they penny wise.
But the thing in the storm drain, it wants a bigger prize.
You save a dollar on a raincoat, think you got it made,
While the real debt's collectin' down in the shade.
It ain't about pounds, it's about what you lose.
They call him Pennywise.
He's the tax you can't refuse.

Every twenty-seven years, the books come due.
A town full of people with selective memory.
They'll complain about the price of milk, the cost of a movie ticket.
But the kids on the posters at the five-and-dime?
That's just a cost of business. A write-off.
They're so busy lookin' down, countin' the cracks in the sidewalk,
They forget to look for what comes crawlin' out of 'em.
Pound foolish. That's the word.

And you hear that voice, smells like cotton candy and the grave.
Askin' if you want a balloon.
A bright red balloon.
And in that moment, what's a penny worth?
What's your whole damn wallet worth?
When your little boy is lookin' into those yellow eyes.
The proverb wasn't about money.
It was a warning.

Yeah, down in Derry, they penny wise.
But the thing in the storm drain, it wants a bigger prize.
You save a dollar on a raincoat, think you got it made,
While the real debt's collectin' down in the shade.
It ain't about pounds, it's about what you lose.
They call him Pennywise.
He's the tax you can't refuse.

Yeah.
Pennywise.
We all float.
Go on, balance the books now. See what you got left.