principal punishes students with bad impressions and tired jokes

Singer: yo la tengo

whenever students misbehave

or break the rules in school

they have to watch the principal

acting like a fool

he thinks he's very funny

he thinks he's really clever

he makes us sit and watch

for what seems like forever

we sit on hardwood bleachers

in the auditorium

while he acts like jerry lewis

but his jokes are twice as dumb

the punishment should fit the crime

that ought to be the rule

this punishment's a little too

unusual and cruel