When the phone began to ring her hands were in the dishes Her feet were in her slippers and her head was full of wishes She sighed and dried her hands and took the baby from it's cup Lifted the receiver but the caller'd given up She changed the baby's nappy put the dinner on and in Put the garbage out the laundry and when the phone began again She quickly ran to answer it and tripped over the toys Scattered around the kitchen by her tri-bob little boys She lay there in a daze upon the kitchen floor She thought about the fighters who get up and come back for more She thought about his sanity and the book that she was writin' The phone continued ringing and the kids have started fightin' She never reached the phone cause the baby started crying Dinner started burning it was time to do the iron And then once again the phone began "May I speak to Earl" My husband isn't home he's gone out to save the world The oppressed the underprivileged the exploited and the needy If you see him tell him "come on home His dinner's ready"