[Intro] The chalkboard is clean The desks are all empty But I still take attendance Every morning at eight [Verse 1] I call out Mr. Whiskers He raises a paw I can't see Then Blinky and Sprout And the dragon who lives in the closet on Maple Street Nobody talks back But I mark them all present The principal warned me These kids are hard to reach [Chorus] So I teach them the rivers That run under beds The mountains made of pillows And the oceans in their heads I'm just a substitute Filling in for a friend Who faded away When the summer came to an end [Verse 2] Today we learned capitals Of countries that don't exist Like the Republic of Blanketfort And the Woods Behind the Fence I handed out worksheets About clouds that look like dogs One of them chewed up the corner And I pretended not to watch [Chorus] So I teach them the rivers That run under beds The mountains made of pillows And the oceans in their heads I'm just a substitute Filling in for a friend Who faded away When the summer came to an end [Bridge] The lunch bell don't ring here But I pack an extra sandwich In case somebody gets hungry In the space between the walls Sometimes I hear giggling From the coat rack in the hall I just roll with it That's all you really can do [Verse 3] At three o'clock I lock up Wipe the footprints off the floor Leave a note for the night shift About the ghost in room four I don't know why I'm still here The pay is barely enough But somebody has to remember All their invisible stuff [Chorus] So I teach them the rivers That run under beds The mountains made of pillows And the oceans in their heads I'm just a substitute Filling in for a friend Who faded away When the summer came to an end [Outro] If you ever need a job And you don't mind the quiet There's a whiteboard of names That nobody else will read I'll save you a desk By the window that faces The backyard where the monsters Used to be
