[Verse 1] I met the zoo man by Gate Four Keys on a ring and feed on his sleeve He said, “These bars ain’t for the animals” “Most days, child, they’re for me” The lady at the ticket booth Got a smile like a paper moon She stamps my hand, she counts my change Sings to the lions by noon [Pre-Chorus] Oh, they know my name They know my shape They keep their hearts Behind that gate [Chorus] Zoo people, zoo people That’s what they call us now Zoo people, zoo people We learn to bear the crowd Zoo people, zoo people Keep it running somehow (oh, zoo people) Zoo people, zoo people Don’t let the wild run out [Verse 2] There’s a boy in a khaki shirt Sweeping peanuts off the tile He talks to the giraffe like kin When the day gets mean and wild The vet with her coffee cup And her sleeves rolled to the bone She can patch a broken wing Then go home all alone [Pre-Chorus] Oh, they know my name They know my shape They keep their dreams Behind that gate [Chorus] Zoo people, zoo people That’s what they call us now Zoo people, zoo people We learn to bear the crowd Zoo people, zoo people Keep it running somehow (oh, zoo people) Zoo people, zoo people Don’t let the wild run out [Bridge] At closing time, the brass lock clanks And the last bus coughs away We stand with the sleepy beasts In the heat that don’t obey The monkey on the top rail Grins like he heard my prayer We’re all just living in glass and bone With a little love to spare [Chorus] Zoo people, zoo people That’s what they call us now Zoo people, zoo people We learn to bear the crowd Zoo people, zoo people Keep it running somehow (oh, zoo people) Zoo people, zoo people Don’t let the wild run out
