He offered them a good ride on* To help them save the family farm For ergo he was damn near good as rain Then came the time for them to choose An offer they could not refuse With easy-outs and capital gain No one has a suspicious feelin You really couldn't call it stealin' He did it with a style most would admire But he had picked 'em off like a bird on a wire He had open fire on a bird on a wire A nudge a wink and they'd be gettin higher He whipped out his fountain pen While the tears were gettin' drier And then he picked 'em off like a bird on a wire There ain't a kid with a BB gun Or an alley cat with room to run Who could bring 'em down like they was out for hire Yeah, he could pick 'em off like a bird on a wire He went golfing everyday They voted while he was away Though technically he's chairman of the board They had become avaricious Leaving him to do the dishes They introduced him to his new landlord Who told him his time came and went Their office in the orient Would send him checks for soon he would retire Yeah, they had picked him off like a bird on a wire They had open fire on the bird on a wire He was sleeping they were getting higher They polished up their macintosh while his ass was in the mire And then they picked him off like a bird on a wire There ain't a kid with a BB gun Or an alley cat with room to run Who could bring 'em down like they was out for hire Yeah, they could pick 'em off like a bird on a wire