Songwriter: George M. Green John Mellencamp
Producer: John Mellencamp Don Gehman
[Verse 1]
Well some people ain't no damn good
You can't trust 'em you can't love 'em
No good deed goes unpunished
And I don't mind bein' their whippin' boy
I've had that pleasure for years and years
No no I never was a sinner—tell me what else can I do
Second best is what you get 'til you learn to bend the rules
And time respects no person—and what you lift up must fall
They're waiting outside to claim my tumblin' walls
[Pre-Chorus]
Saw my picture in the paper
Read the news around my face
And now some people don't want to treat me the same
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down
Down, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah
[Verse 2]
Well some people say I'm obnoxious and lazy
I'm uneducated—my opinion means nothin'
But I know I'm a real good dancer
Don't need to look over my shoulder to see what I'm after
Everybody's got their problems—ain't no new news here
I'm the same old trouble you've been havin' for years
Don't confuse the problem with the issue girl
It's perfectly clear
Just a human desire to have you come near
[Pre-Chorus]
Wanna put my arms around you
Feel your breath in my ear
You can bend me you can break me
But you'd better stand clear
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin' down
[Instrumental]
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come rumblin' rumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' tumblin' down
[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah wanna put my arms around you
Feel your breath in my ear
You can bend me you can break me
But you'd better stand clear
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' down
When the walls (When the walls) come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
[Outro]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls
Well some people ain't no damn good
You can't trust 'em you can't love 'em
No good deed goes unpunished
And I don't mind bein' their whippin' boy
I've had that pleasure for years and years
No no I never was a sinner—tell me what else can I do
Second best is what you get 'til you learn to bend the rules
And time respects no person—and what you lift up must fall
They're waiting outside to claim my tumblin' walls
[Pre-Chorus]
Saw my picture in the paper
Read the news around my face
And now some people don't want to treat me the same
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down
Down, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah
[Verse 2]
Well some people say I'm obnoxious and lazy
I'm uneducated—my opinion means nothin'
But I know I'm a real good dancer
Don't need to look over my shoulder to see what I'm after
Everybody's got their problems—ain't no new news here
I'm the same old trouble you've been havin' for years
Don't confuse the problem with the issue girl
It's perfectly clear
Just a human desire to have you come near
[Pre-Chorus]
Wanna put my arms around you
Feel your breath in my ear
You can bend me you can break me
But you'd better stand clear
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin' down
[Instrumental]
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come rumblin' rumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' tumblin' down
[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah wanna put my arms around you
Feel your breath in my ear
You can bend me you can break me
But you'd better stand clear
[Chorus]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' down
When the walls (When the walls) come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
When the walls (When the walls) come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin'
Crumblin' tumblin'
[Outro]
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls
Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits
- Pink Houses
- Walk Tall
- Dance Naked
- Love and Happiness
- Again Tonight
- Paper in Fire
- Just Another Day
- I Need a Lover
- Martha Say
- Wild Night
- Check It Out
- Your Life Is Now
- Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
- Ain’t Even Done with the Night
- Peaceful World
- What If I Came Knocking
- Rain on the Scarecrow
- Rumbleseat
- Lonely Ol’ Night
- When Jesus Left Birmingham
- Jack & Diane
- Hurts So Good
- Cherry Bomb
- Small Town
- Pop Singer
- Jackie Brown
- Teardrops Will Fall
- Thank You
- Crumblin’ Down
- Human Wheels
- Authority Song
- Now More Than Ever
- This Time
- Hand to Hold On To
- Get a Leg Up
- I’m Not Running Anymore
- R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)
- Uh-Huh (1983)
- The Best That I Could Do (1978-1988) (1997)
- Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits (2004)
- Jack & Diane
- Pink Houses
- Hurts So Good
- Small Town
- Check It Out
- Authority Song
- Rain on the Scarecrow
- I Need a Lover
- Cherry Bomb
- Nothing’s for Free
- Cold Sweat (Live)
- Wild Night (Acoustic version)
- Crazy Island
- The Face of the Nation
- Days of Farewell
- Get a Leg Up
- Rodeo Clown
- When Margaret Comes to Town
- I Ain’t Ever Satisfied
- Junior
- Just Like You
- Lonely Ol’ Night (live)
- Great Mid-West
- Take Home Pay