Well the oven is broken,
no heat’s coming out
but the landlord’s too old
to be traveling about.
He’s a little deaf
so you may have to shout
and the place is so rundown
that I haven’t a doubt
it’s a rankin’ house,
and there ain’t no trees in the yard.
And the white paint is peeling
off every wall.
And the faucet is dripping,
yeah the water will fall.
And don’t you give the man your money,
cause he’ll take it all.
And the porch is collapsing,
you’d better watch your step y’all.
It’s a rankin’ house,
and there ain’t no trees in the yard.
Well we’ve got five people living
in a three bedroom house
and there ain’t no telling
when the lights will go out.
Two hundred bucks a month for heat
is what we pay,
but we’re breaking every rule,
so what can we say.
If something’s broken, he’ll fix it,
he’ll make it real nice.
Or else he’ll forget it,
and then charge you twice.
And if you’re hearing funny noises
well it’s probably the mice
and the freezer ain’t working
so forget about ice.
It’s a rankin’ house,
and there ain’t no trees in the yard.