[Verse 1]
Everybody wants to know why he couldn’t adjust
Adjust to what, a dream that bust?

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did

[Verse 2]
They said what’s up is down, they said what isn’t is
They put ideas in his head he thought were his

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did

[Verse 3]
He was on the baseball team, he was in the marching band
When he was ten years old he had a watermelon stand

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did
[Verse 4]
Hе went to church on Sunday, he was a Boy Scout
For his friends hе would turn his pockets inside out

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did

[Verse 5]
They said, “Listen boy, you’re just a pup”
They sent him to a napalm health spa to shape up

They gave him dope to smoke, drinks and pills
A jeep to drive, blood to spill

They said “Congratulations, you got what it takes”
They sent him back into the rat race without any brakes

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did

[Verse 6]
He bought the American dream but it put him in debt
The only game he could play was Russian roulette
He drank Coca-Cola, he was eating Wonder Bread
Ate Burger Kings, he was well fed

He went to Hollywood to see Peter O’Toole
He stole a Rolls-Royce and drove it in a swimming pool

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did

[Verse 7]
He could’ve sold insurance, owned a restaurant or bar
Could’ve been an accountant or a tennis star

He was wearing boxing gloves, took a dive one day
Off the Golden Gate Bridge into China Bay

His mama walks the floor, his daddy weeps and moans
They got to sleep together in a home they don’t own

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did
[Verse 8]
Well, everybody’s asking why he couldn’t adjust
All he ever wanted was somebody to trust

They took his head and turned it inside out
He never did know what it was all about

He had a steady job, he joined the choir
He never did plan to walk the high wire

[Chorus]
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did