Born at the end of a Minnesota freeze
Eldest child of Willy and Louise
His little sister died at the age of four
The family posed, led by Louise
Like right out of some kind of Rockwell scene
But Jake couldn't fake it anymore

Nobody heard the hammer fallin'
Sensed that judgement day was callin'
Nobody thought to fear the boy next door
Everybody loves to point their finger
They might as well have pulled the trigger
Nobody stopped to hear the boy next door

Willy later said he really should've known
The boy spent too much time on his own
And what was on his mind, God only knew
One by one the neighbors went away
A gruesome little game Jake taught himself to play
His daddy always said, "find something to do"

Nobody heard the hammer fallin'
Sensed that judgement day was callin'
Nobody thought to fear the boy next door
Everybody loves to point their finger
They might as well have pulled the trigger
Nobody stopped to hear the boy next door

One less mistake to think about
Cause no one read the writing on the wall
So much for case 1239
Covered up, curled up in a ball

One little page in the history of crime
Lawyers made a fortune for their time
Seems an explanation was never found
And I hope this tale won't be misunderstood
Things ain't the same in every neighborhood
But before you go to sleep tonight
Look around

Nobody heard the hammer fallin'
Sensed that judgement day was callin'
Nobody thought to fear the boy next door
Everybody loves to point their finger
They might as well have pulled the trigger
Nobody stopped to hear the boy next door