Lyrics When The House Is Dark and Quiet - Barry Louis Polisar

When The House Is Dark and Quiet

Late at night when Mommy and Daddy have gone out
Me and my brother get to scream and jump and shout
'Cause the house is dark and quiet and we’re left all alone
With another teen-age baby-sitter talking on the phone
We tip-toe on our tip-toes and we listen to her laugh
While the water is running, so she thinks we’re in the bath
She tells her friend she’s hungry, so we know just how to tease her;
We go and get the kitty cat and hide it in the freezer
Cindy opens up the door, you should have seen her leap
Then we tell her, «That's the place where the kitty always sleeps.»
She starts yelling and sends us both to bed
But Tim and me don’t listen to a single thing she’s said
Convinced that Tim and I are finally lying sound asleep
She settles on the sofa and turns on the TV
So Tim sneaks to the basement to disconnect the fuse
While I’m up in the attic, thumping in my father’s shoes
While Cindy checks the TV set, examining the plug
I crawl across the living room, underneath the rug
We stand up on the sofa with carrots up our noses
Pretending we are monsters--not wearing any clothes-es
Cindy says she won’t come back, just like Mike and Sue
Melody and Barbara, John and Linda, too
Mom and Dad can’t leave us now, although they feel they must
But we can’t understand why no one wants to stay with us