Living Alone

Loudon Wainwright III

You sit at a desk and you squirm in a chair

You stretch out on a couch, you could fall asleep there

But you lie in your bed and you try not to think

You put on your bathrobe and you stand at the sink

And then you look into the mirror and you unplug the phone

You re-read the letter, you're living alone.



You clear out a closet and you listen to a clock

You wipe off a table and you pick up a sock

And then you put up your feet and you stand on your head

You hate what you did and you regret what you said

And then you gaze at a spapshot and wait for the tone

You talk to yourself, yeah, you're living alone.



You were always alone, but you just didn't know it

You tried living with someone but then you had to blow it

And if there's one thing you learned after living with her

Is that you're not the man now that you never were.



So you turn up the heat and you fight off a cold

You thumb through the Bible as you sit there on hold

But you're your own boss you can do as you please

Open a window and let in a breeze

You sit down to dinner, yeah, you cooked your own

You light a candle, you're living alone.



You think about her and how did it end

Your cleaning lady has become your very best friend

You're back in your hometown, you're living in fear

They wonder where has he been and why is he here

You're watching the reruns of the Twilight Zone

Your life in a nutshell, you're living alone.



You were always alone, but you just didn't see it

You tried to be someone different but you just couldn't be it

And if there's one thing you learned after all of it

Is that you're usually fired before you can quit.



What you need is a dog, some goldfish or a cat

A boa constrictor and a laboratory rat

The end is at hand now and you have the means

A roll of toilet paper and the right magazines

Your parents are dead now and your kids are full grown

You're 53 now, you're 53 now, you're 53 now

You're living alone.