Written and arranged by richard marx 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 couldnв't fake it anymore Chorus: Nobody heard the hammer fallinв' Sensed that judgement day was callinв' 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 shouldв'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 Chorus 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 wonв't be misunderstood Things ainв't the same in every neighborhood But before you go to sleep tonight Look around Chorus