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What Do They Do With The Children?

by Joe Scruggs

on Late Last Night (1984)

I was at the grocery store with my mother
And while we were standing in the checkout line
She said, "stay close to me
Because if you don't, you see
You might get left behind"
But I went to go look at the candy
And when I turned around, my mother wasn't there
I was alone in this big grocery store
And I was feeling kind of scared

And I wondered
What do they do with the children
Who are still in grocery stores when they close?
Do they put you on the shelf by the cookies
With a price tag hanging from your nose?

I was at the picture show with my father
And while we were standing in the ticket line
He said, "stay close to me
Because if you don't, you see
You might get left behind"
But I went to go look at the posters
And when I turned around, my father wasn't there
All I could see was a bunch of people's knees
And I was feeling kind of scared

And I wondered
What do they do with the children
Who stand in ticket lines but cannot pay?
Do they make you hold the door
Wash the windows and the floors
Make you their maid for a day?

I was at the baseball game with my uncle
And while we were standing in the hotdog line
He said, "stay close to me
Because if you don't, you see
You might get left behind"
But I went to go look at the snow cones
And when I turned around, my uncle wasn't there
I looked for his shoes, but it wasn't any use
I couldn't find him anywhere

And I wondered
What do they do with the children
Who get separated from the ones they love?
Do they put you in a "Lost and Found" bin
With the sweaters, the coats and the gloves?

Well, they don't sell children like cookies
And they don't make children sweep the floors
And they don't put you in a "Lost and Found" bin
Of that, I am quite sure.

So, what do they do with the children
Who have left the line
And wished they should have stayed?
Will they say, "It's a shame
That you're lost, tell us your name
And we'll announce it on the PA"?