I read Carla Zilbersmith's blog, carlamuses.blogspot.com, which inspired the song. She's rather inspiring herself.

It's based on a drawing a little girl drew (see also album cover).

This fulfills a stupid promise I made years ago to write a song that was part Dave Frishberg, part Richard Thompson.

A totally sheltered and unable to cope middle-class white kid screws up really badly and is on the run. I don't think he'll make it. Do you?

from the RPM 2009 album, "Spilt Hony" This was an experiment to write a song using one sentence. I ended up with 3 small ones.

I was just imagining a morning at the Waits household.

A fantastical farcical Irish story-song. Broadway Irish.

dedicated to the late great John Martyn