Closing Time, 1973
Grapefruit Moon
Ice Cream Man
Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You
Little Trip To Heaven
Lonely
Martha
Midnight Lullaby
Ol' '55
Old Shoes
Rosie
Virginia Avenue
The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1974
Depot, Depot
Diamonds On My Windshield
Drunk On The Moon
Fumblin' With The Blues
New Coat Of Paint
Please Call Me, Baby
San Diego Serenade
Semi Suite
Shiver Me Timbers
The Ghosts Of Saturday Night
(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night
Nighthawks At The Diner, 1975
Better Off Without A Wife
Big Joe And Phantom 309
Eggs & Sausage
Emotional Weather Report
Nighthawk Postcards
Nobody
On A Foggy Night
Putnam County
Spare Parts 1
Spare Parts 2
Warm Beer And Cold Women
Small Change, 1976
Bad Liver And A Broken Heart
I Can't Wait To Get Off Work
Invitation To The Blues
I Wish I Was In New Orleans
Jitterbug Boy
Pasties And A G-String
Small Change
Step Right Up
The One That Got Away
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Tom Traubert's Blues
Foreign Affairs, 1977
A Sight For Sore Eyes
Barber Shop
Burma Shave
Foreign Affair
I Never Talk To Strangers
Jack & Neal
Muriel
Potter's Field
Blue Valentine, 1978
$ 29.00
A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun
Blue Valentines
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis
Kentucky Avenue
Red Shoes By The Drugstore
Romeo Is Bleeding
Somewhere
Whistlin' Past The Graveyard
Wrong Side Of The Road
Heartattack And Vine, 1980
Downtown
Heartattack And Vine
Jersey Girl
Mr. Siegal
On The Nickel
Ruby's Arms
Saving All My Love For You
'Til The Money Runs Out
Bounced Checks, 1981 (Compilation)
Burma Shave
Diamonds On My Windshield
Eggs & Sausage
Heartattack And Vine
I Never Talk To Strangers
Jersey Girl (alternate take)
Mr. Henry
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Live Version)
Tom Traubert's Blues
Whistlin' Past The Graveyard (Alternate Take)
One From The Heart, 1982
Broken Bicycles
I Beg Your Pardon
Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?
Little Boy Blue
Old Boyfriends
Once Upon A Town
Picking Up After You
Take Me Home
The Wages Of Love
This One's From The Heart
You Can't Unring A Bell
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
Down, Down, Down
Frank's Wild Years
Gin Soaked Boy
In The Neighborhood
Johnsburg, Illinois
Shore Leave
Soldier's Things
Swordfishtrombone
Town With No Cheer
Trouble's Braids
Underground
A Sight For Sore Eyes
Burma Shave
Diamonds On My Windshield
Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You
I Never Talk To Strangers
Jersey Girl
Martha
Ol' '55
San Diego Serenade
Somewhere
The Heart Of Saturday Night
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Tom Traubert's Blues


Closing Time, 1973



Grapefruit Moon

(Early demo version, 1971)



Grapefruit moon, one star shining

Shining down on me

I heard that tune, and now I'm pining

Honey, can't you see

That every time I hear that melody

Something breaks inside

And the grapefruit moon, one star shining

Can't turn back the tide



I never had no destination

Could not get across

And you became my inspiration

Oh, but what a cost

And every time I hear that melody

Puts me up a tree(1)

And the grapefruit moon, one star shining

Is all that I can see



Now I'm smoking cigarettes

And strive for purity

And I slip just like the stars Into obscurity

Cause every time I hear that melody

Something breaks inside

And the grapefruit moon, and one star shining

Is much too big to hide



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Grapefruit Moon



(Closing Time studio version, 1973)



One, two, three, four



Grapefruit moon, one star shining

Shining down on me

Heard that tune, and now I'm pining

Honey, can't you see?

Cause every time I hear that melody

something breaks inside

And the grapefruit moon, one star shining

Can't turn back the tide



Never had no destinations

Could not get acrossed

You became my inspiration

Oh, but what a cost

And every time I hear that melody

something breaks inside

And the grapefruit moon, one star shining

is more than I can hide



Now I'm smoking cigarettes

and I strive for purity

And I slip just like the stars

into obscurity

And every time I hear that melody

puts me up a tree(1)

And the grapefruit moon, one star shining

is all that I can see



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1973 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

Angel Town. Joy Eden Harrison. February 1995. Manifesto Records

Everything. To Be Two (Eddie N�nning and Christiane Weber). November, 2000. Acoustic Records

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Soulskin. Soulskin. January, 2003 (October, 2002). Askew Records

Milestone. Dave Donohoe. February 2, 2003. Self-released

Overland. Randal Bays and Daithi Sproule. 2004. Foxglove Records 

Blood And Feathers (live). Ute Lemper. June 7, 2005. DRG Records (USA)

Ruby Moon. Daemgen & September. September 22, 2006. Erdenklabg/ DA-Music (Germany)

Keys to the Kingdom. Mary Alice Amidon. June 19, 2007. Self-released

Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)



Notes:



(1) Up a tree

- In a dilemma; caught in a predicament. Since c1825. From the notion of a person chased up in a tree by a wild animal (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Shelved; nowhere; done for. A 'possum up a gum-tree. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



Ice Cream Man

(Early demo version, 1971)

I'm clickin' by your house about two forty-five
with the sidewalk sundae strawberry surprise
I got a cherry popsicle right on time
I got a big stick, mamma, that will blow your mind

Cause I'm your ice cream man, and I'm a one-man band
and I'm your ice cream man
baby, I'll be good to you

If you missed me in the alley, baby, don't you fret
I'll be coming back around and don't forget
When you're tired and you're hungry you want something cool
You know I got something better than a swimming pool

Cause I'm your ice cream man, and I'm a one-man band
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'll be good to you

Well, if you see me coming, you ain't got no change
Don't worry baby, it can be arranged
Show me you can smile, baby just for me
and I'll fix you with a drumstick, and I'll do it for free

Cause I'm your ice cream man, and I'm a one-man band
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'll be good to you

Cause I'm your ice cream man, and I'm a one-man band
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'll be good to you

I'm your ice cream man
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'm your ice cream man
and I'm your ice cream man

Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), 1971 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1991
Official release: "The Early Years 1". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1991
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Ice Cream Man
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

Well I'm clickin' by your house about two forty-five
with sidewalk sundae strawberry surprise
I got a cherry popsicle right on time
A big stick, mamma, that will blow your mind

Cause I'm a ice cream man, I'm a one-man band, yeah
I'm a ice cream man, baby
Honey, I'll be good to you

If you missed me in the alley, baby, don't you fret
Come back around and don't forget
When you're tired and you're hungry and you want something cool
got something better than a swimming pool

Cause I'm a ice cream man, I'm a one-man band
I'm a ice cream man
Honey, I'll be good to you, yeah

Cause I'm a ice cream man, I'm a one-man band
I'm a ice cream man
Honey, I'll be good to you

You see me coming, you ain't got no change
Don't worry baby, it can be arranged
Show me you can smile, baby just for me
Fix you with a drumstick, I'll do it for free

Cause I'm a ice cream man, I'm a one-man band
I'm a ice cream man
Honey I'll be good to you
be good to you
I'll be good to you, yeah
I'll good to you, yeah
good to you, yeah
good to you, yeah
good to you, yeah
good to you, yeah
Good to you
I'll be good to you
Don't you know
I'll be good to you
good to you

Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
Black Music For White People. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. July, 1991. Rhino/ Bizarre 1991 (Manifesto re-release). Produced by Robert Duffey
Roadkill Cafe [EP]. Tribe 8. November 10, 1995. Alternative Tentacle
Take Your Time, Mr. Brown. The Sugar Kings. 2000. Arabica CF-06
Best Of The Bizarre Sessions: 1990 - 1944. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. June, 2000. Manifesto (Bizarre)
Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)
Take A Butcher�s Knife. Marc Breitfelder & Ryan Donohue. 2003. JukeJoint Records (Germany)
Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
Cats Outta The Bag. Cat Shell. December 20, 2007. Self-released

Notes:

(1) Ice Cream Man:
- Song could be inspired by: "Ice Cream Man", John Brim. Cut in 1953, released in 1969: "Well, summertime is here, you need something to keep you cool. Summertime is here, you need something to keep you cool. Come over to my truck, I've got something here for you. You know I come around here every night about six o'clock. I come around here every night about six o' clock. You look so good to me, you're gonna be my favorite stop. I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passing by. I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passing by. The way you're looking to me, I've just got to catch your eye. You know I've got all flavors, chocolate and strawberry too. I've got all flavors, chocolate and strawberry too. Come over to my truck, baby, I've got something here for you. I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passing by. I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passing by. The way you're looking to me, I've just got to catch your eye."



Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You

(Early demo version, 1971)

Well, I hope that I don't fall in love with you
Cause falling in love just makes me blue(1)
Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Well, the room is crowded, there's people everywhere
And I wonder, should I offer you a chair
Well, if you sit down with this old clown, I'll take that frown and break it
Before the evening's gone away, I think that we can make it
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Well, I can see that you are lonesome just like me
And it being late, you'd like some company
Well now, I've had two, I look at you and you look back at me
The guy you're with he's up and split, the chair next to you's free
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Well, the night does funny things inside a man
These old Tom-cat(2) feelings you don't understand
But I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Now it's closing time, the music's fading out
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout
I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found
I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round
And I think that I just fell in love with you

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992
Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

Well, I hope that I don't fall in love with you
Cause falling in love just makes me blue(1)
Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Well, the room is crowded, people everywhere
And I wonder, should I offer you a chair?
Well, if you sit down with this old clown, take that frown and break it
Before the evening's gone away, I think that we can make it
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Well, the night does funny things inside a man
These old Tom-cat(2) feelings you don't understand
Well, I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you

I can see that you are lonesome just like me
And it being late, you'd like some company
Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me
The guy you're with he's up and split, the chair next to you's free
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me

Now it's closing time, the music's fading out
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout
Well, I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found
I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round
And I think that I just fell in love with you

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1973
Official release: "Closing Time", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &
"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Known covers:
Forgotten Dreams. Priscilla Herdman. 1980/ 1993. Flying Fish FF 70230 (CD) FF 90230 (Cassette, re-released in 1993 on CD by Flying Fish)
Merman. Emiliana Torrini. 1996. Japis - ETJÓ 002 (Iceland)
Sinds De Dag. Frank Boeijen. 1999. Columbia 666741.1/ (single B-side "Val Voor Jou")
Scattered, Smothered And Covered. Hootie & The Blowfish, 2000. Atlantic Records
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Verliab di ned")
Swimming. Laurel Brauns. 2001. Self-released
The Disaster at Rays Luau. The Putrid Flowers. 2001. Self-released.
Going Home. Lisa Bassenge Trio. March 5, 2001. Minor Musi (in-akustik)
Meant To Be. Jenna Mammina. September 4, 2001. Mamma Grace Records
I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You. Juliet Turner. November, 2001. East West Records (Ireland). Promo CD-single, same version as on "Burn The Black Suit"
Burn the Black Suit. Juliet Turner. November, 2001. East West Records (Ireland)
Für Herzen Keine Haftung. Dirty Fingers. 2002. Magic Sound
Real Thing, Rodney Hayden. January 22, 2002. Rosetta Records
Irish Charmer. Joe Giltrap. November, 2002. Newsound 2000
Campfire Songs. Natalie Merchant & 10,000 Maniacs. January 27, 2004. Elektra/ WEA
The Prince & Me - Soundtrack. Various artists. March, 2004. Hollywood Records (performed by Marc Cohn)
Oh My Love. Sophia. April, 2004. Labels UK/ City Slang
Carnival Girls. David Roe and The Rubes. 2005. Self-released
East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker
Clone Version 0.1. Various Artists. October, 2005. Familiar/ PMP Belgium (performed by Wim de Ridder)
Ghost In Me. Sam Lapides. May, 2006. PMF Records
Road To Lisdoonvarna. Whistling To The Bird. January 17, 2007. Self-released
Aus Sun und aus Regn. Willi Resetarits & StubnBlues. April 21, 2007. Sattele Records (Austria)
On Your Sleeve. Jesse Malin. April 7, 2008. One Little Indian Records
La La Lost. Arrica Rose. April 10, 2008. Poprock Records

Notes:

(1) Blue:adj. 1. [late 18C-19C] confused, terrified, disappointed. [late 18C+] miserable, depressed (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)

(2) Tomcat, Tom cat:
- v.i., v.t.: Orig., to dress up in one's best clothes, as a dude or sport, and walk the street, visit public bars, nightclubs, and the like in search of a female; to seek a female, esp. a promiscuous one; esp., to dress in one's best clothes, visit a girl or young woman, and mix boasting and sweet talk in an attempt to persuade her to enter into sexual activity. n. A woman chaser (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- The male cat.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- Also mentioned in "Rosie" (And a lazy old tomcat on a midnight spree And all that you left me was a melody)



Little Trip To Heaven

(Early demo version, 1971)

Little trip to heaven on the wings of your love
Banana moon is shining in the sky
I feel like I'm in heaven when you're with me
I know that I'm in heaven when you smile
Though we're stuck here on the ground
I got something I've found
And it's you

I don't need to take no trip to outer space
All I have to do is look at your face
And before I know it, I'm in orbit around you
I thank my lucky stars that I found you
When I see your constellation
You're my inspiration
And it's you

[whistled solo]

You're my North star when I'm lost and feeling blue
You're my sun that's breaking through, it's true
And all the other stars seem dim around you I thank my lucky stars that I found you
When I see your smiling face I know nothing's gonna take your place
And it's you

And it's you
And it's you
And it's you
And it's you
And it's you
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), 1971 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1991
Official release: "The Early Years 1". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1991
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Little Trip To Heaven
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

Little trip to heaven on the wings of your love
Banana moon is shining in the sky
Feel like I'm in heaven when you're with me
Know that I'm in heaven when you smile
Though we're stuck here on the ground I got something that I've found
And it's you

I don't have to take no trip to outer space
All I have to do is look at your face
And before I know it, I'm in orbit around you
Thanking my lucky stars that I've found you
When I see your constellation
Honey, you're my inspiration
And it's you

You're my North star when I'm lost and feeling blue
The sun is breaking through the clouds, don't you, don't you know it's true?
Honey, all the other stars seem dim around you
Thanking my lucky stars that I've found you
When I see your smiling face
Honey, I know nothing ever gonna take your place
And it's you

And it's you, and it's you
And it's you, and it's you
And it's you
And it's you
And it's you
Shoo-be-doo, ba-ba-da

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
Swingin' Standard Time. Jive At Five. 1995. Self-released
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
Beautiful One. Holly Robinson. July, 1999. Cameron
Little Trip (soundtrack). Mugison. April 18, 2006. Ipecac Recordings
Fall Of The House Of Even. Even In Blackouts. October 31, 2006. FDO Records
Almost Home EP. Courtney Fortune. November 16, 2006. Self-released
Meet The Sun Halfway. Mae Robertson. February 26, 2008. Lyric Partners
Thunder’s Mouth. Scott Ainslie. May 7, 2008. Cattail Music



Lonely

Lonely, lonely, lonely,
Lonely eyes, lonely face
Lonely, lonely in your place

Lonely, lonely
Lonely eyes, lonely face
Lonely, lonely in your place

I thought that I knew all that there was to
Lonely, lonely, lonely

Melanie Jane, won't feel the pain
Lonely, lonely
Lonely eyes, lonely face
Lonely, lonely in your place

And I thought that I knew all that there was to
Lonely, lonely,
lonely eyes, lonely face
Lonely, lonely in your place

And I still love you, I still love you
Lonely, lonely

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker



Martha

Operator, number please, it's been so many years
Will she remember my old voice while I fight the tears
Hello, hello there, is this Martha, this is old Tom Frost
And I am calling long distance, don't worry 'bout the cost
Cause it's been forty years or more, now Martha please recall
Meet me out for coffee, where we'll talk about it all

And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me
There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day

And I feel so much older now, and you're much older too
How's your husband, and how's your kids, you know that I got married too
Lucky that you found someone to make you feel secure
Cause we were all so young and foolish, now we are mature

And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me
There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day

And I was always so impulsive, I guess that I still am
And all that really mattered then was that I was a man
I guess that our being together was never meant to be
And Martha, Martha, I love you, can't you see

And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose
And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me
There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day

And I remember quiet evenings, trembling close to you

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &
"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Known covers:
Sefronia. Tim Buckley, 1973. Third Story/ Fifth Floor. DiscReet MS-2157(first cover of a Waits song ever, mid 1973 - re-released on "Step Right Up", 1995)
Poet, Fool, Bum. Lee Hazlewood, 1973. Capitol ST-11177 UK- Stateside (EMI) SSL-10315
Do You Do. Freddie White. 1981. Mulligan Records (re-released on "Lost And Found", 2002)
Street Of Dreams. Nancy Harrow. April, 1988. Gazell Records (re-released November, 1995)
Vanity. Jan Vayne. 1994. EMI (The Netherlands)
Welcome To The Neighbourhood. Meat Loaf. November, 1995. Mca Special Products
Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Tim Buckley (same version as on "Sefronia", 1973)
La Femme En Rouge. Loes Snijders. 1999. Comoedia Mundi
Everybody Has A Dream. Mitchell Howard. 2000. Cling Peaches Music
Willis Moore. So Far. March 22, 2000. Self-released
Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German)
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
Piano Face. John Autin. 2002. Rabadash Records
Lost And Found. Freddie White. 2002. Little Don Records (same version as on "Do You Do", 1981)
Unplugged. Anne B�renz & Frank Wolff. 2003. B�chergilde (Germany)
Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released
Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)
One For The Ages. Andy Cooney. March 2, 2004. Rego Irish
Bye-Bye. Anne B�renz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)
Timbre. Yukiko Hayashi. May 24, 2007. EWE Records (Japan)
A Thousand Nights. Melanie Doane. July 1, 2008. Prairie Ocean Recordings
Covers. Manu Codjia. November 17, 2010. BeeJazz (France)

Notes:

Timothy White (1979): "As Bette and I order dinner, I think aloud about her appearance last May on Saturday Night Live. Poured into a sleek white dress covered with jagged black spots, she had treated the studio audience to a disco-driven rendition of "Married Men," the single from her latest LP, Thighs and Whispers. She resembled some manic she-devil -- half woman, half jungle cat -- as she slithered and snarled to the torrid dance tempo. Ruffling her unruly blond tresses, Midler carried on with vintage vigor, supported by a phalanx of backup singers whose garish costumes (satin wedding gowns, black tails) and cocky grins were of a piece with the Divine Miss M's trademarks of hot flash and sassy trash. But when she stepped from the shadows for her second song, her racy attire had been replaced by a simple black smock and tights, and there was a vulnerability in her humble demeanor. She stated she wanted to do a song written by her friend Tom Waits, and in a strained, doleful voice she began to sing "Martha."
Operator, number please, it's been so many years / Will she remember my old voice while I fight the tear's
Although rather bleak, the ballad is not terribly different from many of her more somber torch songs. But there was an underlying grittiness to her tone that had less to do with performing than with simple grief.
I feel so much older row, you're much older too / How's your husband, how's the kids, you know I got married too / Lucky that you found someone to make you feel secure / We were all so young and foolish, now we are mature
Creeping into the second chorus, her voice faltered, and the camera caught a tiny sparkle in her eye, a glimmering pinpoint that grew steadily into a tear.
I was always so impulsive, guess that I still am . . . / I guess that our being together was never meant to be
As the plaintive music subsided, Bette clutched the microphone, mascara running down her cheek. The dark eyes glazed over and her face fell into a pained expression so distant that I wondered if she remembered where she was. It was an altogether curious vignette, profoundly moving yet equally perplexing.
"That song calls up a lot of deep things for me," Bette sadly admits as she picks at her Caesar salad. "That night on the show, I was thinking about my mom. I lost my mother this year; she had leukemia for a long time, cancer of the liver -- and of the breast, incidentally, when I was a kid. She suffered most of her life. "She just thought I was it," Midler says, brightening for an instant." (Source: Rolling Stone: December 13, 1979: "The Rose: Bette Midler Conquers Hollywood, Bette Midler Outgrows Her Hollywood Dreams in 'The Rose'" Timothy White)



Midnight Lullaby

(Early demo version, 1971)

Sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye(1)
Hush-a-bye my baby, no need to be crying
You can burn the midnight oil(2) with me as long as you will
Stare out at the moon upon the windowsill And dream

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
I'll tell you another story, tell you no lies
There's dew drops on the windowsill, and gumdrops in your head
You're slipping into dream land, you're nodding your head
So dream

Dream of West Virginia, or of the British Isles
Cause when you are dreaming, you see for miles and miles
When you are much older, remember when we sat
At midnight on the windowsill, and had this little chat
And dream

Come on and dream
Come on and dream
And dream
And dream
Come on and dream

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), 1971 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1991
Official release: "The Early Years 1". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1991
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Midnight Lullaby
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

(One, two, three, four)

Sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye(1)
Hush-a-bye my baby, no need to be crying
You can burn the midnight oil(2) with me as long as you will
Stare out at the moon upon the windowsill And dream

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
Hush-a-bye my baby, no need to be crying
There's dew drops on the windowsill, and gumdrops in your head
You're slipping into dream land, you're nodding your head
So dream

Dream of West Virginia, or of the British Isles
Cause when you are dreaming, you see for miles and miles
When you are much older, remember when we sat
At midnight on the windowsill, and had this little chat
And dream

Come on and dream
Come on and dream
And dream
And dream
Come on and dream

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
Beautiful One. Holly Robinson. July, 1999. Cameron
Hush. Dawn Clement. 2003. Conduit Records
Teach Me Tonight. Lisa Fuller. April 4, 2006. Bizarre Planet
Dream. Mae Robertson. March 6, 2007. Lyric Partners
Down At The Sea Hotel. Various artists. October 16, 2007. The Secret Mountain ( performed by Guy Davis)

Notes:

(1) Sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye.
- Quoting: Sing A Song Of Sixpence. Children's song. Written by: Unknown. Adapted by: Terry Kluytmans: "Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie! When the pie was opened, The birds began to sing; Wasn't that a dainty dish To set before the king? The king was in his counting house, Counting all the money; The queen was in the parlor, Eating bread with honey The maid was in the garden, Hanging out the clothes; When down came a blackbird Who snapped off her nose!"
- Notice the same phrase being used in Bronx Lullaby/ Smuggler's Waltz: "So sing a song of ten grand, with a pocket full of dough"

(2) Midnight oil, burning the: Sitting up late, especially when engaged on literary work. Midnight Oil: Late hours. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



Ol' '55

Ol' '55



(Early demo version, 1971)



Time went so quickly

I went lickety-splickly(2), out to my old '55

Pulled away slowly, feeling so holy

God knows, I was feeling alive



And now the sun's coming up

I'm riding with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginning to fade

and I lead the parade

Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer

Oh, Lord, that feeling's getting stronger



Now it's six in the morning

gave me no warning

I had to be on my way

Lights passing and trucks are flashing

I'm on my way home from your place



And now the sun's coming up

I'm riding with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Ol' '55



(Closing Time studio version, 1973)



(one, two, three, four)



Well, my time went so quickly

I went lickety-splitly(2) out to my ol' fifty-five

As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy

God knows I was feelin' alive



Now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginnin' to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer

Oh Lord, let me tell you that the feeling gettin' stronger



And it's six in the mornin'

Gave me no warnin', I had to be on my way

Well, there's trucks all a-passin' me, and the lights all a-flashin'

I'm on my way home from your place



And now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginnin' to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer

Oh Lord, let me tell you the feeling gettin' stronger



And my time went so quickly

I went lickety-splitly out to my ol' fifty-five

As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy

God knows I was feelin' alive



And now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Freeway cars and trucks

Freeway cars and trucks



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973

Official release: "Closing Time", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

On The Border. The Eagles, 1974. Elektra/ Asylum LP 1004 (re-released by Elektra Entertainment in 1990)

Some Day You Eat The Bear... Some Day The Bear Eats You. Ian Matthews, 1974. Elektra

Be True To You. Eric Andersen, 1975. Arista Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, 1974. Arista AL 4033 (re-released in 1997)

Connections. Richie Havens, 1980. Elektra/ Asylum 6E-242

The Soul Of Many Places. Iain Matthews. May, 1993. WEA/ Elektra

Cover Girl. Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony 477240 2

Cover Girl - Extra!. Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony promo only 3-track CD

Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)

Boys On The Side: Original Soundtrack. Various artists. January 31, 1995. Arista

Freedom Sessions. Sarah McLachlan. March, 1995. MMB/ Arista

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Dave Alvin

Collection. Eric Andersen. September, 1997. Archive Records (same version as on: "Be True To You", 1975)

Fumbling Towards Estacy/ Freed. Sarah McLachlan. February, 1998. Classis Records

In de Orangerie. Acda & De Munnik. September 27, 1998. SMART 491 678 2 (Holland) Bonus CD with "Op Voorraad" (in Dutch: "Ol' '55")

Master Poets. Bernardo Lanzetti. 1999. Azzurra Music

Afternoon Delight. Steve Stefanowicz. 1999. Self-released

Extra Cocoon (All Access). K's Choice. January, 1999. DTM (Belgium)

Ol' "55. Acda & De Munnik. October 18, 1999. SMART 66831-1 Holland (CD single in Dutch: "Ol' '55")

Everybody Has A Dream. Mitchell Howard. 2000. Cling Peaches Music

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Die Sunn geht boid auf")

Living In My Heart. Randa McNamara. July 24, 2001. Cornerstone

Ballads. Breit'N'Wark. March 13, 2002. Self-released

A Sigh, A Song. Lisa Bassenge Trio. August 19, 2002. Minor Music Records (Germany)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Bootleg 6. The Floating Men, 2003. Shade (live version)

Live at the City Lights Saloon. Pat Guadagno. 2004. Campbell Music

At This Moment. Karen Dunbar. June, 2004. Neon Records (Neon CD006, Scotland)

Something To Me. JJ Schultz band. 2005. Last Stop Records

Deep Forbidden Lake. Jazz Mandolin Project. May 3, 2005. Doyle Kos Dk.E.

Another Round. Dakota. September 17, 2005. Self-released

Dans Ton Lit. Simon Gerber. May 23, 2006. Langusta (Switserland)

The Scratch On My Vinyl Soul. Betsy Spivak. June 6, 2006. Self-released

PS: Döner. Various artists (performed by The Highway Angels). June 22, 2007. Döner Diskothek (Germany)

Rock & Poems. Massimo Priviero. November 1, 2007. Universal

American Garage. Don Campbell. November 8, 2007. Playbutton Records

From The Fountain. Queen Bees. January 5, 2009. Odeon/ Caroline (Norway)

Big Shoes. David Munyon. March 27, 2009. Stockfisch

From Dusk Till Dawn. Sass Jordan. September 1, 2009. Songs Of The South Records

Songs. Paul Harrington. February 26, 2010. Stereoplex Records



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Ol' '55". With: Larry Taylor (upright bass) and Smokey Hormel (guitar, banjo and percussion). Taken from VH-1 Storytellers concert documentary at Burbank Airport, Los Angeles.



Notes:



(1) Live intro from Passims, Cambridge, November 10, 1974"This a about a '55 Buick Roadmaster. I don't know if there's any real bona fide Buick owners out there tonight. But my goodness, that's an automobile that I swear by. It's a car that's seriously as slick as deer guts on the door knob. Climb aboard one of those suckers, make you feel like a new man. And eh... I always had these cars that I bought for like a hundred and twenty-five dollars. You sink 'bout thirty-five hundred into them, and you sell 'em for twelfe fifty or so. [A lot of noise adjusting the microphone] Rattle like a damned sewing machine... And eh... I stuck to the Buick line for several years. I had two Specials, one was a kind of... now how can I put this? It was kind of monkey brown and eh... monkey feces brown, you see what I mean. Two-tone. It was a lot of chrome, kinda looked like a Wurlitzer jukebox. And I had two of those Specials, the other was kinda vomit yellow, it [?]. And I had a couple of Centuries, finally I had a Super. And then I finally picked up on this Roadmaster, and lucky to get it! So this is called 'My Ol' '55'." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)





Live intro from Westchester, PA, 1976"Here's a real old song for you. Actually, it's about the very first car I ever stole. You know... I don't know, I still remain somehow a victim of circumcision, in the sense that I have a tendency to be cursed with terminal car trouble. And I don't expect it to let up at all. I never paid more than a hundred and twenty-five dollars for a car. And I ain't about to change now. But I would like to have maybe a 1976 Chevrolet station wagon, and sand it down and primer the thing. [member of the audience shouts something] You saw me in a station wagon? (Yeah) Where did you see me in a station wagon? (something) In Philly? Yeah, I was in a station wagon once. (something) Oh, you mean it was there at the intersection? (Yeah, I was something, something out the window) You were the one, yeah! I'd like to have a big round of applause for my brother-in-law right there. Phil's been out of prison now for a couple of years, but... (No, they ain't caught me yet!) Yeah, I know, that child molesting charge really got you, didn't it? I mean after a second offense and everything, it's kinda hard to say, but... (No, lucky first time!) (or something) Eh... Well, this is eh..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Live intro from Storyteller show, recorded April 1, 1999 in Los Angeles"This is a song about an automobile. I had a '55 Buick Roadmaster when I was a kid. Actually, this really eh... was inspired by an old friend of mine named Larry Beezer, who... I was staying at the Tropicana Hotel, and I got a knock on the door very late and... Was that a clap for the Tropicana? Excellent! I don't think I got any new towels for the whole like nine years I was there. But I never asked, I didn't wanna upset anybody. This is about eh... What was it about again? It was about eh... It was about the car! All right, Beezer came over at about 2 a.m. He said, 'I'm on a date, and she's only seventeen, and I gotta get her back to Pasadena. And all I got left on the car is reverse.' I said, 'How can I help?' He said, 'I need gas money', and so he sold me a couple of jokes. He said, 'You can have these jokes, and you don't even have to tell folks that they're mine, cause you paid for 'em for chrissake!' And I said, 'That sounds like a good deal to me.' Anyway, he rode home, in reverse, on the Pasadena freeway. In the slow lane. I think they should give awards for that kind of thing! But anyway, it was a '55 eh... what was it? Was it a '55 Caddy?" (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Tom Wairs (1975) on The Eagles' cover of Ol' '55: "I was in a bar one night and I ran into one of those guys and they said that they'd heard the record and they might want to do it on one of their records and then I was on the road for 3 months and I never heard anything about it and then it showed up on that album. I frankly was not that particularly crazy about their rendition of it. The song is about 5 years old, it's one of the first songs I wrote so I felt like it was kind of flattering that somebody wanted to do your song but at the same time I thought their version was a little antiseptic and then it got picked up by Ian Matthews and Eric Andersen - and I don't know, frankly I guess I'm a little more fond of my own version of it than I am theirs." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)



Tom Waits (1976) on The Eagles' cover of Ol' '55: "Naw - I don't like the Eagles. They're about as exciting as watching paint dry. Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that's about all." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism". New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



Louie Lista (2007) on The Eagles' cover of Ol’ ’55: "It put Tom on an entirely different level economically. The younger we were back then, the more likely we were to say, Oh, that guy sold out.' But in reality that kind of prosperity makes certain things possible.'Ol "55' gave Tom a certain prosperity and power that I think he used wisely." (Source: Louie Lista interview March 12, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Barney Hoskyns (2009) on The Eagles’ cover of Ol’ ‘55: “So delighted was David Geffen that Asylum’s brightest hopes had given Waits a leg-up that he called Bones Howe to propose the band record a new version of "Ol' '55" with Waits singing. "David said to me, 'Put this all together and get these guys in the studio,"' Howe remembers. "One by one the Eagles became unavailable, so I assembled a group of the current hot studio players and we went in to Heider's to cut this one side live. We were there most of the night and never got a really good perfor¬mance. I made a rough mix for David and took it to his office the next day. He agreed that we should forget it, and the tapes went into the Asylum vaults.' Given Waits' antipathy to everything the Eagles stood for, the only surprising thing is that he agreed to the idea in the first place. "In that group of people, Tom was the sort of turncoat,' says Howe. "Even in a group that had its back turned to the com¬mercial record business, he turned his back on them. In a lot of ways it was his way of becoming an individual away from individuals." (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Barney Hoskyns (2009) on Waits’s antipathy to the Eagles cover of Ol’ ’55: “The band's hackles quickly rose. I still remember Tom saying listening to the Eagles was like watching paint dry," says Jack Tempchin, whose song "Already Gone" was On the Border's euphoric opening track. "They read that and went, 'Well, okay, we ain't gonna record any more of his songs!"' Waits went even further in 1977, laying into the Eagles' peers and savaging lyrics by America and David Crosby. Not even Neil Young was spared. '(He's] another one who is embarrassing for displaying a third-grade mentality," Waits told ZigZag. "'Old man take a look at my life... 'That's real good." When, years later, I asked Waits about his comments, he seemed sincerely mortified. "I was a young kid , " he sighed. I was just corking off and being a prick. It was saying 'Notice me,'followed by 'Leave me the fuck alone,' sometimes in the same sentence." He added that he'd long since patched things up with Don Henley. But while one salutes the maturity of his regret, the young "prick" also deserves kudos for not playing along with the happy family conspiracy fostered by Asylum (which, let's not forget, briefly had even Waits’ beloved Bob Dylan on its roster). As much as it served his career well in the long run, Waits' lack of diplomacy about his musical dislikes was endearing” (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Glenn Frey (1999) introducing Ol' '55 at The Eagles Millenium show on New Year's Eve, 1999: "Tom didn't really like our version of 'Ol' '55' when it first came out. Then he got the check. And since then, Tom and I, we're really close"



(2) Lickety-split adv.: Lickety splickly. Fast; at great speed (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



Old Shoes

(Early demo version, 1971)

I'm singin' this song, cause it's time it was sung
I've been puttin' it off for a while
Cause it's harder by now, and the truth is so clear
That I'm cryin' when I'm seein' you smile

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes(1)
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

And every time that I tried to tell you that we'd
Lost the magic we had at the start
I would weep in my heart when I looked in your eyes
And I'd search once again for the spark

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

For you know, that there's somethin' callin' me, dear
And by morning I'm sure to be gone
For I'm older than you, and you know oh so well
That our time for the love was this song

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

Now I can see by your eyes, that it's time for to go
So I'll leave you cryin' in the rain
Though I held in my hand, the key to all joy
Honey, my heart was not born to be tamed

And goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992
Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Old Shoes
(& Picture Postcards)
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

I'm singin' this song, it's time it was sung
I've been puttin' it off for a while
But it's harder by now, cause the truth is so clear
That I cry when I'm seein' you smile

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes(1)
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

Every time that I tried to tell you that we'd
Lost the magic we had at the start
I would weep in my heart when I looked in your eyes
And I'd search once again for the spark

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

I can see by your eyes, it's time now to go
So I'll leave you to cry in the rain
Though I held in my hand, the key to all joy
But honey, my heart was not born to be tamed

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me, dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

So goodbye, so long, the road calls me dear
And your tears cannot bind me anymore
And farewell to the girl with the sun in her eyes
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone
Can I kiss you, and then I'll be gone

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Drugstore
Foundation. Foundation. 2001. FueledByRamen
We've Walked These Streets. Sam Lapides. 2002. Inbetweens Records
Big Daddy Bluegrass Band. The Big Daddy Bluegrass Band. 2002. Little King Records
The Morning After. Ben�che. January, 2003. Self-released
Around The Bend (soundtrack). Various artists (performed by David Baerwald). October 5, 2004. Rhino / Wea
Acoustic Alley Blues. Little Johnny Kantreed. May 24, 2005. ANJrecords
Hell Or High Water. Andrew Murray. July, 2005. White Cow (Ireland)
East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker
East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: Drugstore (same version as on Step Right Up, 1995)
It's Not The Whiskey. The Mickey Finns. January 26, 2010. Mankeltray

Notes:

(1) Sun in one's eyes, to have the
- To be tipsy. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
- phr. [mid-19C] to be drunk. [euph. play on Blind Drunk] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



Rosie

Well, I'm sitting on a windowsill, blowing my horn
Nobody's up except the moon and me
And a lazy old tomcat(1) on a midnight spree
And all that you left me was a melody

Rosie, why do you evade me?
Rosie, how can I persuade thee?
Rosie

And the moon's all up, full and big
Apricot tips in an indigo sky
And I've been loving you, Rosa, since the day I was born
And I'll love you, Rosie, till the day I die

Rosie, why do you evade me?
Rosie, how can I persuade thee?
Rosie

Rosie, why do you evade me?
Rosie, how can I persuade thee?
Rosie

And I'm sitting on a windowsill, blowing my horn
Nobody's up except the moon and me
And a lazy old tomcat on a midnight spree
All that you left me was a melody

Rosie, why do you evade me?
Rosie, how can I persuade thee?
Rosie

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973



Known covers:
The Pursuit Of Happiness. Beat Farmers, 1987. MCA 5993

Notes:

(1) Tomcat, Tom cat:
- v.i., v.t.: 1. Orig., to dress up in one's best clothes, as a dude or sport, and walk the street, visit public bars, nightclubs, and the like in search of a female; to seek a female, esp. a promiscuous one; esp., to dress in one's best clothes, visit a girl or young woman, and mix boasting and sweet talk in an attempt to persuade her to enter into sexual activity. n. A woman chaser (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- The male cat.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- Also mentioned in "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" (Well, the night does funny things inside a man These old Tom-cat feelings you don't understand)



Virginia Avenue

(Early demo version, 1971)

Well, I'm walkin' down Virginia Avenue
I'm tryin' to find somebody to tell my troubles to
Harold's club(2) is closin', everybody's goin' on home
What's a poor sailor to do?

I guess I'll get on back into my short(3), make it back to the fort
Sleepin' off the craziness that's inside of my brain
Got to be some place that's better than this
This life I'm leadin's drivin' me insane
And I'm dreamin'

And I'm dreamin' to the twilight, cause this town has got me down
I've seen all of the highlights, I've been walkin' it around
I won't make a fuss, I'll take a Greyhound bus
Carry me away from here, now what have I got to lose?

I'm just a-walkin' down Columbus Avenue
Bars are all closin', cause it's quarter to two
Every town I go to is like a lock without a key
The blues I leave behind keep catchin' up on me

Catchin' up on me
They're catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), 1971 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1991
Official release: "The Early Years 1". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1991
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Virginia Avenue
(Closing Time studio version, 1973)

Well, I'm walkin' on down Virginia Avenue
Tryin' to find somebody to tell my troubles to
Harold's club(2) is closin', and everybody's goin' on home
What's a poor boy to do?

I'll just get on back into my short(3), make it back to the fort
Sleep off all the craziness that's inside of my brain
There's gotta be some place that's better than this
This life I'm leadin's drivin' me insane
And let me tell you I'm dreamin'

Let me tell you that I'm dreamin' to the twilight
This town has got me down
I've seen all of the highlights, I've been walkin' all around
I won't make a fuss, I'll take a Greyhound bus
To carry me away from here now
Tell me, what have I got to lose?

Cause I'm walkin' on down Columbus Avenue
The bars are all closin', cause it's quarter to two
Every town I go to is like a lock without a key
The blues I leave behind keep catchin' up on me

Let me tell you they're catchin' up on me
They're catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me
Catchin' up on me

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973
Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973

Known covers:
New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Knoxville Girls
Way Through. Toxic Blues Again. February, 2003. Self-released
Solo Cholo. Kid Congo Powers. August 1, 2006. New York Night Train (USA), Trans Solar (EU)

Notes:

(1) Live intro from "Boston Music Hall, Boston March 21, 1976": "This is a song about Reno, Nevada, Reno has a main drag called Virginia Street, it's called Virginia Avenue here cause it rhymes with do and blue and shit - everybody gets divorced in Reno - shit, it's the only goddamn place I've seen dentures in pawn shop windows - entire suburban families tryin' to hitchhike out and they're wearing Bermuda shorts, white socks, and wingtips and shit - real silly - I'd never pick em up. They take wedding rings and throw them in the river the day after they get married which is usually the day they get divorced - wake up and say, Who are you? - I don't know - who are you? My cousin took like a $2,500 wedding ring and threw it in the river - I said what'd you go and do that for - Christ - it's just tradition - expensive tradition - next afternoon I was in the middle of the river with my pants rolled up to my knees."(Transcribed by Gary Tausch. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)

(3) Harold's Club: A real casino in Reno/ Nevada, closed in 1995. "After running carnival games in Vermont and California, Raymond I. "Pappy" Smith and his two sons, Raymond A. and Harold, moved to Reno in 1935 and started Harolds Club on Virginia Street in a red-lined area where the city council permitted gambling. Other casinos had a reputation for trying to take all of the player's money as fast as they could, but the Smiths tried a different approach. Pappy Smith regularly walked the floor, joked with players, and gave every losing player a meal and enough money for a bus ride home. The Smiths were Nevada gaming's first real promoters. They tried "mouse roulette," with a mouse released into a cage with a circular board with numbered holes. The mouse would evenually go into one of the holes, and the number on the hole would be the winning number. When players found that they could make noises that made the mouse run into the nearest hole, the casino lost too much money and removed the game. The Smiths launched casino gambling's first national (and world) advertising campaign along highways, placing 2300 billboards featuring a covered wagon and "Harolds Club or Bust." They also tried to attract women players by being the first casino to hire women dealers. When Pappy Smith died in 1967, Harolds Club was Nevada's largest casino. In 1970, his heirs sold to Howard Hughes. Harolds Club closed in 1995 and Harrah's bought the building and imploded it in 1999." (Source: Nevada Online Encyclopedia �2004. Thanks to Adam Gilson for pointing out this reference)

(2) Short n.: An automobile. Prob. orig. used in the term "hot short" = a stolen car, or a car stolen to be used as a getaway car by gunmen, thieves, or the like. Prob. orig. in Chicago underworld (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1974

Depot, Depot

Depot, depot, what am I doing here?

Depot, depot, what am I doing here?

I ain't coming, I ain't going

My confusion is showing

And outside the midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue(2)

I'm gonna paint myself blue(3)

At the depot



I watch the taxis pull up and idle

I can't claim title to a single memory

You offered me a key

Cause opportunity don't knock

Has no tongue as you cannot talk

You're gonna shuffle when you walk

At the depot



This peeping Tom(4) needs a peephole

And an up-tempo(5) song

To move me along

When I find this depot, baby

I'm on a roll(6) just like a pool ball, baby

I'm gonna be there at the roll call maybe

At the depot



Outside the midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue

Ah, tell me what a poor boy to do

At the depot



I'm on a roll just like a pool ball, baby

I'm gonna be there at the roll call maybe

At the depot

Depot



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974

Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Depot Depot:

Tom Waits (1973) introducing Depot Depot: "A little bluesy thing about the Greyhound Bus Depot downtown, it's funny, not many people go to downtown LA, Free Press did a big article called "Downtown LA, Who Needs It?". I've been going there since I moved here, I've been here a year, I go to hang out down there, I live in Silver Lake so I'm about 10 minutes from downtown. I go down there just to hang out - not too many people live down there, really, people work down there and hang out, that's all. I'll do a song called Depot." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Date: Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)

Tom Waits (1974) introducing to Depot Depot: "This is a bit of local colour here, this is about 6th & Los Angeles in downtown Los Angeles, about the Greyhound Bus Depot, about going down to the depot on a Saturday night with plenty of quarters for the TV chairs and it's just a great place to take a date." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))



(2) The midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue: This is the former LA Greyhound Bus station (depot). It was on 6th Avenue and Los Angeles. For decades this location on the edge of Skid Row was the terminus for the interstate Greyhound buses. However, in the early 1990s, Greyhound moved farther east and the building was converted to garment shops. Further reading: Don's Greyhound Bus Memories





(3) Paint the town (blue), paint oneself (blue): To go on a wild spree in a town or city; to celebrate wildly (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). More common: "To paint the town red."



(4) Peeping Tom (of Coventry): Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry, imposed some very severe imposts on the people of Coventry, which his countess, Godiva, tried to get mitigated. The earl, thinking to silence her importunity, said he would comply when she had ridden naked from one end of the town to the other. Godiva took him at his word, actually rode through the town naked, and Leofric remitted the imposts. Before Godiva started, all the inhabitants voluntarily confined themselves to their houses, and resolved that anyone who stirred abroad should be put to death. A tailor thought to have a peep, but was rewarded with the loss of his eyes, and has ever since been called Peeping Tom of Coventry. There is still a figure in a house at Coventry said to represent Peeping Tom. Matthew of Westminster (1307) is the first to record the story of Lady Godiva: the addition of Peeping Tom dates from the reign of Charles II. In Smithfield Wall is a grotesque figure of the inquisitive tailor in "flowing wig and Stuart cravat." In regard to the terms made by Leofric, it may be mentioned that Rudder, in his History of Gloucester, tells us that "the privilege of cutting wood in the Herduoles was granted to the parishioners of St. Briavel's Castle, in Gloucestershire, on precisely similar terms by the Earl of Hereford, who was at the time lord of Dean Forest. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd) 



(5) Up-tempo: Describes a tune or song that's played faster than usual, but also implies that the performance is upbeat (a performance that's sprightly, cheerful and usually fast in tempo). Can also mean a loud, vigorous performance without an increase in tempo (Source: The Folk File, Bill Markwick)



(6) On a roll:  

- phr. [1970s+] (orig. US gambling) on a winning streak, enjoying a period of success, whether lit. or fig. 

- Roll: n. [1970s+] a spell of good fortune, a winning streak, whether lit. or fig. [roll, the roll of a dice] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Also mentioned in Time, 1985: "And when they're on a roll, she pulls a razor from her boot And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet.", Empty Pockets/ Purple Avenue, 1981: "What happened to my roll, September fell right through the hole."



Diamonds On My Windshield

(Early demo version, 1971)



Diamonds on my windshield

Tears from heaven

Pullin' into town on the Interstate

Pullin' a steel train in the rain

Wind bites my cheek through the wing

Fast flying and freeway driving

Always makes me sing

Duster tryin' to change my tune

Pullin' up fast on the right

Rollin' restlessly, twenty-four hour moon



Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head

Wishin' he's home in a Wisconsin bed

Fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And Oceanside, it ends the ride,

San Clemente coming up

Sunday desperadoes slip by

Texaco station close in, you cruise by with a dry back

The orange drive-in, neon billin'

Theatre's fillin' to the brim

Slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area, interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights from Riverside

Black and white plates, out of state, running a little late



Sailors jockey for the fast lane 101 don't miss it

Rollin' hills and concrete fields

Broken line on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

See your sign, you cross the line, signal with a blink

Radio's gone off the air, and gives you time to think

Easy ridin', creep across, this intersection [?]

Hear the rumble as you fumble for a cigarette

Blazin' through the neon jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

And whispers: home at last

Whispers

Whispers

Whispers home at last

Home at last



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Diamonds On My Windshield



(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)



Well, these diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well, I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

And it's these late nights and this freeway flying

It always makes me sing



There's a Duster(2) trying to change my tune(3)

He's pulling up fast on the right

Rolling restlessly by a twenty-four hour moon

And a Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head(4)

He's wishing he was home in a Wisconsin bed

But there's fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And it's colder than a welldigger's ass



Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up(5)

Those Sunday desperadoes(6) slip by and cruise with a dry back



And the orange drive-in, the neon billin'

And the theatre's fillin' to the brim

With slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area with interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights(7) from Riverside

And out of state plates running a little late



But the sailors jockey(8) for the fast lane

So 101 don't miss it

There's rolling hills and concrete fields

And the broken line's on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

You see your sign, cross the line, signalling with a blink

And the radio's gone off the air

Gives you time to think

And you hear the rumble

As you fumble for a cigarette

And blazing through this midnight jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

Whispers 'home at last'

It whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'



And the diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got me a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

Late nights and freeway flying

Always makes me sing

It always makes me sing



Hey, look here, Jack

Okay



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

Life Imitates Art. Steve Glotzer. September 12, 2000. The Orchard



Notes:



(1) Jay S. Jacobs: "Diamonds on My Windshield" was scribbled on the back of a tour itinerary in a single spontaneous burst, and it recalls Tom's days of shuffling between San Diego and Los Angeles, stopping regularly for a cup of coffee, a bathroom break, or a car repair. Pulling out this scrap of paper in the studio, Tom began to wrestle with his jotted lyrics, but "Diamonds" just wouldn't click. Finally, the session musicians caught a vibe that Tom liked. The bassist, Jim Hughart, hit on a cool bass line, and the drummer, who that day was Jim Gordon, pulled out the brushes and delivered a hot shuffle beat. Gordon, a brilliant studio musician, was once a member of Eric Clapton's supergroup, Derek and the Dominoes; he cowrote the rock anthem "Layla" with Clapton. Years later, in a fit of dementia, he killed his mother, and he was forced to spend his later years in a mental hospital. But that day at Wally Heider Recording the atmosphere was unclouded by specters of tragedy. Waits, Hughart, and Gordon nailed "Diamonds on My Windshield" on the first take. (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)

Tom Waits: (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, Folkscene, 1974): "This is about driving in the rain. I used to make that track from San Diego to Los Angeles a lot, usually with several pit stops on the way with engine trouble. So this is about driving in the rain, circa 1973, so slip me some crimson, Jimson." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))

Tom Waits: On Diamonds On My Windshield (WAMU Radio, 1975): "I didn't really know what to do with that piece cause it was written out just as some spontaneous verse that I had written on the back of an itinerary and I didn't know what the hell to do with it. So we went in the studio and I tried singing it, tried doing it a-capella - nothing worked. Jim Hughart was playing the upright bass with me for that session just started playing a modal bass line and I just started talking and Jim Gordon started playing a cool 12 bar shuffle on brushes and we just winged it in one take and we had it and I like the way it came out. I'm gonna do more of that on this 3rd album that I'm thinking about right now and writing for out here. I bring a tape recorder with me and when I get back to the hotel I talk to myself and I'm working on some spoken word pieces that I want to do with accompaniment. I call it Metropolitan Doubletalk and I'm going to be doing more of that on this forthcoming album. It's called Nighthawk Postcards From Easy Street so I'm going to explore some more of that kind of thing." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview, audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

Tom Waits (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, 1976): "Well, let's see here uh... I uh... uhm. I'm gonna do a thing about cars uh. This is kind of a, sort of a mutational uh sub cultural uh automotive uh Southern California fascination with the internal combustion engine. Maybe we do something here uh.. [starts snapping fingers] This is about a uh... I don't know uh, it seemed like getting my drivers license when I was a kid, was like uhm... You know uh, certainly a major event, you know uh. I mean it was almost as important as puberty. You know uh, so uh... Well the first car I ever had I bought for $125 from a guy uh who was leaving town, and he had to let it go and it was like uh, real sentimental to him, you know uh? It was a Buick Roadmaster and uh he said: "Well, turn it over." [imitates starting engine trouble]. Well I said: "Well, I give you $100 for it." Huh, huh... And uh, so this is a little bit of uh... little piece here about driving in the rain... No wipers, and a glove compartment full of moving violations. You know? Huh, huh..." (Source: WNEW FM: Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight Date: Recorded MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976. Aired December 18, 1976 on WNEW-FM. Rebroadcast March 24, 1996 WNEW-FM)



(2) Duster: American car produced by Chrystler (Plymouth Duster, Plymouth Valiant Duster)





(3) Change one's tune

- phr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions or statements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musical imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Also mentioned in Drunk On The Moon, 1974: "Don't try and change my tune."



(4) Cueball, cue-ball n.: A man or a boy who has just had a close or crew haircut. Army and student use. Because of the resemblance between a white billiard cue ball and a closely cropped head. Archaic (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up: Driving from San Diego along the Interstate (I-5 freeway) in the Los Angeles direction. "The I-5 freeway has replaced the notorious old US-101 highway, a three-lane road whose center passing lane was so dangerous it earned the name "blood alley", the site of more fatalities per mile than any other stretch of road in the state." The I-5 freeway was completed in 1960 and was the last major section of US-101 to be signed on a new alignment south of Los Angeles.





(6) Desperado n.: A person who borrows or gambles larger sums than he will be able to pay; one whose standard of living is sensationally more costly than his income warrants (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(7) Fly-by-night

- n.: One who defrauds his creditors by decamping at night-time. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] anyone dubious, crooked, criminal, esp. of a businessman who takes one's money but fails to provide any or at least adequate recompense



Drunk On The Moon

Tight-slack clad girls on the graveyard shift(3)

'Neath the cement stroll(4), catch the midnight drift

Cigar chewing Charlie in that newspaper nest(5)

Grifting hot horse tips on who's running the best



And I'm blinded by the neon

Don't try and change my tune(6)

Cause I thought I heard a saxophone

I'm drunk on the moon



And the moon's a silver slipper(7), it's pouring champagne stars

And Broadway's(8) like a serpent pulling shiny top-down cars

Laramer(8) is teeming with that undulating beat

And some Bonneville is screaming, it's way wilder down the street



And I'm blinded by the neon

Don't try and change my tune

I thought I heard a saxophone

I'm drunk on the moon



Hearts flutter and race, the moon's on the wane(9)

Tarts(10) mutter(11) their dream hopes the night will ordain

Come schemers and dancers, cherry delight

As a Cleveland-bound Greyhound(12), and it cuts through the night



And I've hawked all my yesterdays

Don't try and change my tune

Cause I thought I heard a saxophone

I'm drunk on the moon



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974

Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974



Known covers:

Live From The Living Room. Hillbilly Winos. 2002. Living Door Productions



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Drunk On The Moon" taken from Soundstage Show #208 (1975).

PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA.

Aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier.

With Kenny Soderblum on alto sax and Jim Atlas on upright bas.



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (introducing Drunk On The Moon, Folkscene, 1975): "This is about Denver, Colorado. I always stayed at a place called the Oxford Hotel which is down on 17th & Wazee about a block away from Larimer Street. Larimer being just full of a lot of ghosts down there on Larimer Street shopping for images in the trash cans - boy, that's old Kerouac and Cassady stomping grounds. It's really changed quite a bit. They put up what's called Larimer Square now which is kind of like a contemporary little boutique sort of shopping centre. It looks awful ridiculous cause right across the street is some real bona fide serious winos - right out in front of a place called the Gin Mill, another place called the Terminal Bar. Terminal Bar is a block away from the Santa Fe train depot so they called it the Terminal Bar but they had no idea that like 20 years later the place'd be filling up with terminal cases. This is called Drunk On The Moon, there's all different kinds of moons - silver slipper moons and there's cue ball moons and there's buttery cue ball moons and moons that are all melted off to one side and this is about a muscatel moon..." (Source: Folkscene 1975, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. January 12 (February 13?), 1975) 



(3) Graveyard shift n.: A working shift that begins at midnight or 2:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. It refers, of course, to the ghostlike hour of employment (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(4) Stroll:

- n.: A road, highway, or street. c1935 jive use; some Negro use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Nighthawk Postcards" (With the tight knots of moviegoers and out-of-towners on the stroll), "Shore Leave" (Well, with buck shot eyes and a purple heart I rolled down the national stroll)



(5) Cigar chewing Charlie: The booklet of The Heart Of Saturday Night has a picture showing Waits in front of a newsstand, Might be "Cigar Chewing Charlie"





Source: booklet for The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1973. Date: 1973/ 1974

Credits: photography by Scott Smith



(6) Change one's tune

- phr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions or statements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musical imagery].

- Also mentioned in Diamonds On My Windshield, 1974: "There's a Duster trying to change my tune." 



(7) Silver moon: Notice the same phrase being mentioned in: All The World's Green, 2000/ 2002: "The moon is yellow silver, on the things that summer brings." The World Keeps Turning, 2001: "The world don't care and yet it clings to me, And the moon is gold and silvery." Flower's Grave, 2002: "Someday the silver moon and I, Will go to Dreamland."



(8) Laramer: probably misspelled and should read Larimer (Larimer Street, Denver). Broadway would probably be Broadway, Denver

- "In the winter of 1995, only two blocks remain of the Larimer Street Neal Cassady knew. For forty years Larimer used to stretch as one long skid-row for most of its 25-block length, but today only two true skid-row blocks remain, between 20th and 22nd: bars that open at eight in the morning (signs say "No children after 5:00"); pawn shops where Cassady very likely pawned anything he could get his hands on for quick cash; a 12-step recovery shelter, three bars, two liquor stores, a barber shop, and a Mexican bakery. At most, maybe three men are unconscious now on any given morning, where once there'd have been fifteen or twenty (gentrification has moved the shelters almost ten blocks north). Instead of Larimer, the men wait for the sun to come up at 23rd and Curtis." (Source: "Neal's Denver", A Personal Exploration and Beat Baedeker by Andrew Burnett) Futher reading: Neal's Denver at Literary Kicks





(9) The moon's on the wane

- Wane: intr. v. waned, wan�ing, wanes. To decrease gradually in size, amount, intensity, or degree; decline. To exhibit a decreasing illuminated area from full moon to new moon (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

- Also mentioned in That's The Way (1990/ 1993): "That's the way the moon wanes"



(10) Tart n.: A prostitute (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary) 



(11) Mutter v.: 1. To utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed 2. To murmur complainingly or angrily (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)



(12) Greyhound: American Greyhound bus line, featuring Greyhound logo. Apparently associated with economy/ low class traveling. Greyhound began its operations in 1914 as the Mesaba Transportation Company in Hibbing, Minnesota, when Carl Eric Wickman began transporting miners from Hibbing to Alice, Minnesota. Further reading: Don's Greyhound Bus MemoriesGreyhound official site





Fumblin' With The Blues

Friday left me fumblin' with the blues
And it's hard to win when you always lose
Because the nightspots(1) spend your spirit
beat your head against the wall
Two dead ends and you've still got to choose

You know the bartenders they all know my name
And they catch me when I'm pulling up lame
And I'm a pool-shooting-shimmy-shyster(2) shaking my head
When I should be living clean instead

You know the ladies I've been seeing off and on
Well they spend your love and then they're gone
You can't be lovin' someone who is savage and cruel
Take your love and then they leave on out of town, no they do

Well now fallin' in love is such a breeze(3)
But its standin' up that's so hard for me
I wanna squeeze you but I'm scared to death I'd break your back
You know your perfume well it won't let me be

And you know the bartenders all know my name
And they catch me when I'm pulling up lame
And I'm a pool-shooting-shimmy-shyster shaking my head
When I should be living clean instead

Well, come on baby let your love light shine
Gotta bury me inside of your fire
Because your eyes are 'nough to blind me
You're like a-looking at the sun
You gotta whisper tell me I'm the one
Come on and whisper tell me I'm the one
Gotta whisper tell me I'm the one
Come on and whisper tell me I'm the one

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974
Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

Known covers:
Gordon Payne. Gordon Payne. 1978. A&M Records SP4725 (medley with "Red Light")
Last Night in Town! Betsy Kaske, 1980. Mountain Railroad Records (LP: MR-52788)
Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)
Pissed In Boston. Mike Barrett. January, 2003. Self-released
My Room. Evi & das Tier. March, 2003. L�bbe
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
Slow Stride. Calahoney. November 2008. Self-released
See If You Recognize This One. Antonio Andrade. March 9, 2010. Self-released

Notes:

(1) Night spot n.: A night club (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(2) Shimmy n.: 1. A style of dancing, typified by movements somewhat resembling those of co�tus. Pop. during the 1920's 2. Gelatin desserts, jelly, or any similar substance that shakes easily. Not common (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(3) Breeze n.: An easy task; a cinch (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



New Coat Of Paint

Let's put a new coat of paint

on this lonesome old town

Set em' up, we'll be knockin' 'em down

You wear a dress

Baby I'll wear a tie

We'll laugh at that old bloodshot moon

in that Burgundy sky



All our scribbled love dreams

are lost or thrown away

Here amidst the shuffle

of an overflowin' day

Love needs a transfusion

let's shoot it full of wine

Fishin' for a good time

starts with throwin' in your line



So let's put a new coat of paint

on this lonesome old town

Set em' up, set em' up, we'll be knockin' 'em down

You wear a dress baby

I'll wear a tie(1)

We'll laugh at that old bloodshot moon

in that burgundy sky



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974

Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

In The Heat. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. 1984. Mirage

Piano Madness. "Hurricane" Sam Rudin. 1989. Blue Rock'it Records

The Fire Inside. Bob Seger, 1991. Capitol

A New Coat Of Paint. John Slaughter Blues Band. 1992. Timeless Records CD SJP 313

Blues Package Live. Blues Package. 1992. Aschfrecords (Germany)

Jazzaphrenia. Lenny Marcus & Trio. January 11, 2000. Lmt Records

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Lee Rocker

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Bob Seger: Greatest Hits - Vol. 2. Bob Seger. November 4, 2003. Capitol

Live At The Narrows. Tom Hunter And The Blue Frenzy. 2004. Self-released 

Cool Classics. Wixom Slim. 2005. MKN Productions

Mother. Carol Grimes. March 28, 2005. Irregular Records

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: Lee Rocker (same version as on New Coat Of Paint, 2000)

Here I Go Again. Tom Hunter. January 2006. Fs Music

Teach Me Tonight. Lisa Fuller. April 4, 2006. Bizarre Planet

My Romance. Dina Blade. September 23, 2006. Self-released

Paradigm. Scot Lee. February 1, 2007. Valley Street Music

Dangerous Mood. Suede. May 31, 2008. Easily Suede Music

Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)

Real Time. Kinzel And Hyde. December 8, 2008. Self-released



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "New Coat Of Paint". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977.   



Notes:



(1) You wear a dress baby, I'll wear a tie: Notice the cover illustration for The Heart Of Saturday Night being about this line





The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1974

(P) & � 1974 Elektra/ Asylum Records 7E-1015

Cover illustration: Napoleon



Please Call Me, Baby

(Early demo version, 1971)

The evening fell just like a star
Left a trail behind
You spit as you slammed out the door
If this is love we're crazy
as we fight like cats and dogs
But I just know there's got to be more

So please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

I admit that I ain't no angel
I admit I ain't no saint
Cause I'm selfish and I'm cruel and I'm blind
If I exorcise my Devils
well my angels may leave too
When they leave they're so hard to find

So please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

We're always at each other's throats
it drives me up the wall(1)
Most of the time I'm just blowing off steam
I wish to God you'd leave me
and I wish to God you'd stay
Life's so different than it is in your dreams

Please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

Written by: Tom Waits(2)
Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992
Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Please Call Me, Baby
(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)

The evening fell just like a star
Left a trail behind
You spit as you slammed out the door
If this is love we're crazy
As we fight like cats and dogs
But I just know there's got to be more

So please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

I admit that I ain't no angel
I admit that I ain't no saint
I'm selfish and I'm cruel but you're blind
If I exorcise my devils
Well my angels may leave too
When they leave they're so hard to find

Please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

We're always at each other's throats
You know, it drives me up the wall(1)
Most of the time I'm just blowing off steam
And I wish to God you'd leave me
Baby, I wish to God you'd stay
Life's so different than it is in your dreams

Please call me, baby
wherever you are
It's too cold to be out walking in the streets
We do crazy things when we're wounded
everyone's a bit insane
I don't want you catching your death of cold
out walking in the rain

Written by: Tom Waits(2)
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974
Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

Known covers:
My Flame. Jim Nichols & Morning. 1992. Self-released
New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Sally Norvell
My Room. Evi & das Tier. March, 2003. L�bbe
Sugar On The Floor. Lisa Tingle. September 13, 2005. Dualtone
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)

Notes:

(1) Drive (someone) up the wall: To harass or torment; drive crazy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(2) Bobi Thomas (2006):"Tom began going up to play at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, they had Hoot Nights there too (TWS: ca. 1971). I seem to remember that he'd take the bus up there sometimes, and at other times times he'd drive depending on whether he had transportation. Tom eventually (within that first year) caught the eye of Herb Cohen, who signed him up and later got him signed to the Asylum label. After Pam and I stopped playing music together I moved up to Los Angeles.Tom let me stay in his apartment until I got a job working at the Copper Penny on the corner of Gower and Sunset Blvd. I finally saved enough money to move out and got my own place. He and I hung around for several years together in those early years, before the music took him away to other places. Being Tom's best friend during all those years has provided me with many, many sweet memories. He even wrote a song for me (Please Call Me Baby). How sweet is THAT!!! When he was on the road during those early years, he would write me long lonely letters. I still have them (tucked away in a safe place). None of those memories will ever die, you know, they'll always be tucked away in the recesses of my silly brain, waiting to surface when I hear the sounds of "San Diego Serenade" or "Shiver Me Timbers" or any of the other instantly identifiable Tom Waits Songs." (Source: Email conversation with Bobi Thomas. September 2006). Further reading: The Heritage, The Troubadour.



San Diego Serenade

I never saw the mornin' 'til I stayed up all night
I never saw the sunshine 'til you turned out the light
I never saw my hometown until I stayed away too long
I never heard the melody until I needed the song

I never saw the white line 'til I was leavin' you behind
I never knew I needed you until I was caught up in a bind now
I never spoke "I love you" 'til I cursed you in vain
I never felt my heart strings until I nearly went insane

I never saw the east coast until I moved to the west
I never saw the moonlight until it shone off of your breast
I never saw your heart until someone tried to steal, tried to steal it away
I never saw your tears until they rolled down your face

I never saw the mornin' 'til I stayed up all night
I never saw the sunshine 'til you turned out your love light, baby
I never saw my hometown 'til I stayed away too long
I never heard the melody until I needed the song

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974(1)
Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974
"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Known covers:
Something New. Barbie Benton, 1976. Playboy Records, PB-411
Staying Power/ San Diego Serenade. Barbie Benton, 1976. Trio/ Playboy Records, PB-203 (7" single w. tracks from "Something New", 1976)
Sweet Surprise. Eric Andersen. 1976. Arista Records
Right Side Up. Ralph McTell. 1976. Warner Bros K56296 (re-released in 1982 and 2001)
It Makes Me Feel Good. Cilla Black. March 1976. EMI Records
Lost And Found. Keith Carradine. 1978. Asylum 6E114 (re-released in 2004: "I'm Easy/ Lost & Found")
Get It Out In The Open. Freddy Henry. 1979. Cloud Records (Clouds 8809)
Take Heart. Juice Newton. 1979. Capitol ST-12000
Weather The Storm. Ralph McTell. 1982. Mays TG002 (LP - Reissue of Right Side Up. 1976)
Out Of The Dark. Claudia Schmidt. January, 1985. Flying Fish Records (re-released in 1993)
Love Comes To The Simple Heart. Dean Stevens. 1985. Vulcano Records
Yo Frankie. Dion (DiMucci). January, 1989. Bmg Special Prod.
Late Night Grande Hotel, Nanci Griffith, 1991. MCA Records, MCAD-10306
I Got Thunder. Baby Jane Dexter. January, 1993. Elba Records (re-released in 1998)
Blues Britannia. Various artists. 1993. Bridge Recording, various re-releases until 2004 (performed by Cliff Aungier)
Covers. Thomas Lang. 1994. Portazul Nippon Columbia
Horizon. Big Sky (Steve Louw). 1995. Polygram BPCD 1 (South-Africa)
Versions. Thomas Lang. 1996. Telegraph Records
Editions. Thomas Lang. 1997. Portazul Nippon Columbia
The Full Spectrum Of Sound. Sch�tze & St�ckle. 1997. Self-released (Germany)
In The Middle Of A Life. George Grove. June 1998. Folk Era Records
Bare Bones. David Gogo. January 2000. Ragged Pup Records
Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Heimatserenade")
Good Vibrations. Kate Dimbleby. October 10, 2000. Black Box Jazz
Old Friends. Marcus Dagan. November 1, 2000. Self-released
Right Side Up. Ralph McTell. November 2001. Leola TPGCD19 (CD version of the 1976 album)
This Is Me. Lynne Rothrock. November 29, 2002. Self-released
Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released
In An Otherwise Ordinary World. Eli Emily. 2003. NoVo Records
Long Way Down. Jason Myles Goss. May, 2003. Self-released
It's Not The Moon. Sara Leib. June, 2003. Panfer Records
Chamber Music. Norma Winstone and Klaus Gesing. 2004. Universal/ Emarcy
I'm Easy/ Lost And Found. Keith Carradine. April 6. 2004. Collector's Choice (originally released by Asylum in 1978 on "Lost and Found")
Slide It On Over. Les Wilson and The Mighty Housrockers. October, 2004. Self-released
Music For Torching. Reflectiostack. October, 2005. Self-released
And Then I Did. Jodie Borl�. November 2005. Self-released (Canada)
Run All Night. Rachael Cantu. February 7, 2006. Self-released
This Time. Michael Stern. August 2, 2006. Self-released
The Perfect Face. Arthur Dodge. March 20, 2007. Remedy Records
Real Emotional. Curtis Stigers. March 26, 2007. Universal
In Order. John Spendelow. November 18, 2007. Self-released

Notes:

(1) San Diego Serenade:
- Tom Waits (1973): "Writing on the piano is different than writing on guitar, you get different feels, in fact a lot of times you you write a tune with some other artist in mind which is, in fact, I got one of those right here, I kind of had Ray Charles in mind, it's called: San Diego Serenade." Interviewer - You wrote that with Ray Charles in mind? TW: " Yeah, I kind of thought he'd like to do it, I don't know. I don't know him, I don't talk to him." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Date: Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)
- Tom Waits (1977): "That song was about a girl I knew once," Waits said about "San Diego Serenade," one of his few compositions that displays any sort of personal reflection. "I was crazy about her," he said. "So was her husband. But that went the way of all flesh." (Source: "Waits: 'A Rumor In My Spare Time'" The Dallas Morning News (USA). November 13, 1977 by Pete Oppel)



Semi Suite

[One, two, three, four]

Well, you hate those diesels rollin'
Those Friday nights out bowlin'
When he's off for a twelve-hour lay over night
You wish you had a dollar
For every time he hollered
That he's leavin' and he's never comin' back

But the curtain-laced billow
And his hands on your pillow
And his trousers are hangin' on the chair
You're lyin' through your pain, babe
But you're gonna tell him he's your man
And you ain't got the courage to leave

He tells you that you're on his mind
You're the only one he's ever gonna find that's
Kinda special, and understands his complicated soul
But the only place a man can breathe
And collect his thoughts is
Midnight and flyin' away on the road

But you've packed and unpacked
So many times you've lost track
And the steam heat is drippin' off the walls
But when you hear his engines
You're lookin' through the window in the kitchen and you know
You're always gonna be there when he calls

Cause he's a truck drivin' man, stoppin' when he can
He's a truck drivin' man, stoppin' when he can

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974
Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

Notes:

(1) Live intro from Tokyo, 1977: "I'd like to do a little American soap opera for you tonight It's called 'The Days of Our Lives' And as the world is turning on you You're falling on the edge of night In a small little town outside of Albuquerque I'll be there with bells on, baby You are my sunshine" (Transcription by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. July, 2000)



Shiver Me Timbers

(Early demo version, 1971)

I'm leavin' my fam'ly and leavin' my friends
My body's at home and my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines on a new front page sky
My tears are salt water and the moon's full and high

And I know Martin Eden(2) is gonna be proud of me
And many before me who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest and singin' my say
And shiver me timbers I'm a-sailin' away

The fog's liftin' and the sand's shiftin' and I'm driftin' on out
And Ol' Captain Ahab(3) he ain't got nothin' on me
So come on and swallow me, don't follow me I travel alone
Blue water's(4) my daughter and I'm skipping like a stone

So please call my missus, tell her not to cry
My goodbye is written by the moon in the sky
Hey, and nobody knows me I can't fathom my stayin'
And shiver me timbers I'm a-sailin' away

And the fog's liftin' and the sand's shiftin' and I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab he ain't got nothin' on me
So come on and swallow me, don't follow me I travel alone
Blue water's my daughter and I'm skipping like a stone

And I'm leavin' my family leavin' my friends
My body's at home but my heart's in the wind
where the clouds are like headlines on a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers I'm a-sailin' away

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992
Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Shiver Me Timbers
(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)

I'm leavin' my family, I'm leavin' all my friends
My body's at home, but my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines on a new front page sky
My tears are salt water, and the moon's full and high

And I know Martin Eden's(2) gonna be proud of me now
And many before me, who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest, and singin' my say
Shiver me timbers, cause I'm a-sailin' away

And the fog's liftin', and the sand's shiftin', and I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab(3), he ain't got nothin' on me now
So swallow me, don't follow me, I'm travellin' alone
Blue water's(4) my daughter, and I'm gonna skip like a stone

So please call my missus, gotta tell her not to cry now
Cause my goodbye is written by the moon in the sky
Hey, and nobody knows me, I can't fathom my stayin'
And shiver me timbers, cause I'm a-sailin' away

And the fog's liftin', and the sand's shiftin', and I'm driftin' on out
And ol' Captain Ahab, he ain't got nothin' on me
So come and swallow me, follow me, I'm travellin' alone
Blue water's my daughter, I'm gonna skip like a stone

And I'm leavin' my family, I'm leavin' all my friends
My body's at home, but my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers, cause I'm a-sailin' away

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974
Official release: The Heart Of Saturday Night, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

Known covers:
Songs For The New Depression. Bette Midler, 1976. Atlantic
Live At Last. Bette Midler, 1977. Atlantic
Divine Madness. Bette Midler, 1980. Atlantic
Coming To My Own. John Lone. 1990. Japanese issue WPCL-187
Experience The Divine. Bette Midler, 1993. Atlantic (re-released in 1997)
Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)
Live At The Troubadour. Glenn Yarbrough. October 31, 1994. Folk Era Records (recorded live in 1978)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Singer! Tom Lewis. 1995. Borealis (Canada)
I Could Have Been A Sailor. Glenn Yarbrough. May 3, 1995. Folk Era Records
Rockall. The House Band. June, 1996. Green Linnet Records GLCD 1174
Experience The Divine. Bette Midler, 1997 (Canadian re-release of the 1993 original)
Street Songs, Jazzy Tunes & Down Home Blues. Richard Ray Farrell. 1998. Stormy Monday Records MO - 80035 (Germany)
Listen to my Heart. Laurie Beechman. 1999. Excelsior LB CD001; DRG 5216 (medley w. "Sail Away")
Random White Boy. Kirk Detweiler. May 1999. Dancing Bull Music
Blessed Are The Sheepherders. Zen For Primates. October, 1999. Bummer Tent Records
Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Nach mir die Sintflut")
The Day The Tall Ships Came. Glenn Yarbrough & The Shaw Brothers. November, 2000. Folk Era Records
Hawaiki Nui - 'Something to Say', Pomaika'i and Friends. 19 December, 2000 Hawaiki Nui Entertainment Group
The Song Is Mine. John DePalma. March 12, 2002. LML Music
Half Cocked And Fully Loaded. Front Porch Swingin Liquor Pigs. May 2002. Neckless Records
Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)
Paper Heart. Diane Jarvi. 2004. Lupine Records
Let Me Be Strong. Valerie Sneade. September 21, 2004. Turning Leaf Records
The Holly Cole Collection - Vol. 1. Holly Cole. October 12, 2004. Magada International (Japanese release)
Seemannsbraut Ist Die See. Angelika Thomas & Anna Sch�fer. November 8, 2004. Bear Family Records
Off the Cuff. Troubadours Of Divine Bliss. April, 2005. Self-released
Song Ablaze. Tommy O'Sullivan. May 17, 2006. Self-released
Into The Midnight Waltz. Susan Welch. October 4, 2005. Self-released
Songs For The Jesse. Kirk Detweiler & Friends. January 6, 2007. Dancing Bull Music (same version as on Random White Boy, 1999)
Bein' Green. Paul L. Martin. June 10, 2007. MMP Ltd.
My Heart´s In The Wind. Deborah Shulman. November 13, 2007. Self-released
All Done And Dusted. Alexa Rodrian. September 1, 2008. NRW Records
Finding Home. Rena Strober. June 24, 2008. Self-released
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)
Covers. James Taylor. February 2, 2009. UMTV (UK)
Fragile. Joni Keen Jazz. February 5, 2009. Skylark Records

Notes:

(1) Shiver me timbers: "This is one of those supposedly nautical expressions that seem to be better known through a couple of appearances in fiction than by any actual sailors' usage. It's an exclamation that may allude to a ship striking some rock or other obstacle so hard that her timbers shiver, or shake, so implying a calamity has occurred. It is first recorded as being used by Captain Frederick Marryat in Jacob Faithful in 1835: "I won't thrash you Tom. Shiver my timbers if I do". It has gained a firm place in the language because almost fifty years later Robert Louis Stevenson found it to be just the kind of old-salt saying that fitted the character of Long John Silver in Treasure Island: "Cross me, and you'll go where many a good man's gone before you ... some to the yard-arm, shiver my timbers, and some by the board, and all to feed the fishes". Since then, it's mainly been the preserve of second-rate seafaring yarns." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)

(2) Martin Eden: Character from the same titled book by Jack London from 1909

(3) Ahab: Also Achab. Main character in "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.

(4) Blue water: The open ocean (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)



The Ghosts Of Saturday Night

(After Hours At Napoleone's Pizza House)(1)



A cab combs the snake, tryin' to rake in(2) that last night's fare

And a solitary sailor, who spends the facts of his life like small change on strangers

paws(3) his inside P-coat(4) pocket for a welcome twenty-five cents

and the last bent butt from a package of Kents(5)

as he dreams of a waitress with Maxwell House eyes

and marmalade thighs with scrambled yellow hair

Her rhinestone-studded moniker(6) says "Irene"

as she wipes the wisps of dishwater blonde from her eyes



And the Texaco beacon burns on

The steel-belted attendant with a "Ring and Valve Special"cryin':

Fill 'er up and check that oil

You know it could be your distributor and it could be your coil



The early mornin' final edition's on the stands

and the town cryer's cryin' there with nickels in his hands

Pigs in a blanket(7), sixty-nine cents

Eggs, roll 'em over, and a package of Kents

Adam and Eve on a log(8), you can sink 'em down straight

Hash browns, hash browns(9), you know I can't be late



And the early dawn cracks out a carpet of diamonds

across a cash crop car lot, filled with twilight Coupe Devilles(10)

leaving the town in the keeping

of the one who is sweeping

up the ghosts of Saturday night



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Napoleone: A pizza house in National City (San Diego). Read full story: Napoleone Pizza House





Napoleone Pizza House. Summer, 2001. Photography: Dalsh



- Tom Waits: (Intro to The Ghosts of Saturday Night. Folkscene, 1974): "It's about National City which is primarily a sailor town, a suburb of San Diego, where the infamous Mile Of Cars is on National Avenue and at the north end of National Ave is the Burge Roberts Mortuary and the Golden Barrel, Escalante's Liquor Store, sandwiched in between a Triumph Motorcycle shop and Burge Robert's is Napoleone's Pizza House, it's been there for a good 25 years and I worked there when I was real young. I've worked since I was 15 there and I guess not till I was away from it for a long time I could really sit down and write something constructive about it. This is called Ghosts Of Saturday Night or Looking Out From Napoleone's... All we did with that song was bass and guitar, we taped a little traffic on Cahuenga, just stuck his microphones out there and got about 20 minutes of rush hour and cut it down and put it on there, it really sets it up." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))

Tom Waits: (Intro to The Ghosts of Saturday Night. Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Well, I eh after I quitted I was working at a Mobil station and I was 15. I started working as a dishwasher and a cooker at a place called "Napoleone Pizza House". And eh, worked there for years... And eh for Joe Sardo and Sal Crivello. And eh... it was a gas... Ehm... well like every night about 4 o'clock in the morning and eh all the white vinyl booted go-go dancers... and all the sailors would come over at about a quarter to 4. And eh... Just about that time Joe would go out in front just to check out the traffic on the street y'know? He would like leave his paper hat and he'd fold his apron and he would go out and stand in front of Napoleone's. And across the street from The Golden Barrel, and Escelani's Liquor and Mario's Pizza, there's a Shell station right on the corner. And a Westerner and a Club 29 and a Melody Club, Phil's Porno, and Ebu Jima Eddie's Tattoo Parlor... And there'd be a cab out there combing the snake..." (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concert radio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (Lawrence James Travagliante). December 3, 1975)



(2) Rake in v.: 1. To earn, usually money (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(3) Paw v.: 1. To touch or strike at with a paw 2. To feel or touch clumsily, rudely, or sexually 3. To scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof 4. To flail at or grab for wildly (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)



(4) Peacoat, P-coat n.: A heavy, hip length, dark blue jacket, which is the official overcoat of a USN enlisted man's uniform. Orig. USN use; the style has been adopted by civilian clothiers since WW2 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Package of Kents: American cigarette brand name (produced by Lorillard)

Tom Waits (introducing Kentucky Avenue, 1976): "I grew up on a street called Kentucky Avenue in Whittier, California. My dad was teaching night school at Montebello. I had a little tree fort and everything. I had my first cigarette when I was about seven years old. It was such a thrill. I used to pick 'em up right out of the gutter after it was raining. My dad smoked Kents. Now, I never liked Kents - I tried to get him to change brands." (Source: Live at the Apollo Theatre, London, UK. March 23, 1976)





(6) Moni(c)ker, monniker, monacer, monica n.: A person's name, nickname, or alias; the name by which a person wishes to be known; a name. Orig. hobo use, then underworld, now common (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(7) Pig between two sheets, pig in a blanket

- A ham sandwich. Some lunch-counter use c1925; prob. synthetic (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- More often used of hotdogs or sausages than ham (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)



(8) Adam and Eve on a log:

n.: Adam and Eve on a raft; bacon and eggs. Lunch-counter use in relaying an order; never common (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Adam and Eve n. [20C] (orig. US short-order jargon) two poached or fried eggst; thus Adam and Eve on a raft, two poached eggs on toast; thus Adam and Eve on a raft and wreck 'em, scrambled eggs on toast (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)  



(9) Hash browns, Hash-brown potatoes

- Finely chopped, cooked potatoes that are fried (often in bacon fat) until well browned. The mixture is usually pressed down into a flat cake in the pan and browned on one side, then turned and browned on the other. It's sometimes only browned on one side. Other ingredients such as chopped onion and green pepper are often added for flavor excitement (Source; Epicurious food dictionary, Cond�Net Inc.).

- Notice "hash browns" also being mentioned in Eggs And Sausage, 1975: "Hash browns over easy, chile in a bowl"



(10) Coupe Deville: French terms meaning "cut [or open in the front] for the city". In France, a chauffeur-driven car with an open area over driver. The first Cadillac "Coupe de Ville" by Fleetwood [which was not a town car by a long shot) was shown during the 1949 "Autorama". "Coupe de Ville" was the name given to a new Cadillac production model that made its appearance late in 1949; the car had no "B" pillars (B-pillars: In sedan styles, the second set of roof supports (between the windshield and rear portion of the roof)); three chrome ribs [roof bows] were apparent on the headliner, simulating the top bows of a convertible. The Coupe de Ville remained a popular Cadillac model for some 44 years; production stopped at the end of April 1993 (Source: The (new) Cadillac Database�, Glossary of Cadillac Terms and Definitions. � 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.)



(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night

(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)

Well, you gassed her up, behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

And you got paid on Friday, your pockets are jinglin'
Then you see the lights and you get all tinglin'
Cause you're cruisin' with a six(2)
You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

Then you comb your hair, you shave your face
Tryin' to wipe out every trace
Of all the other days in the week
You know that this'll be the Saturday you're reachin' your peak

Stoppin' on the red, you're goin' on the green
Cause tonight'll be like nothin' you've ever seen
And you're barrelin' down the boulevard
You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin'
Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin
Is it the barmaid that's smilin' from the corner of her eye
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye

Makes it kind of quiver down in the core
Cause you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before
And now you're stumblin'
You're stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

You gassed her up and you're behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

Is it the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin'
Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin
And the barmaid is smilin' from the corner of her eye
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye

Makes it kind of special down in the core
And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before
It's found you stumblin'
Stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

And you're stumblin'
Stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986
Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &
"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &
"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night
(Kansas City live version. October 8, 1979)

Well thankya... . I used to work in an Italian restaurant in a small place called National City. And it was right across the street from the Golden Barrel. It was right next to a place called the Westerner. There was a place called Ybu Ima Eddie's tattoo-parlour. Burge Robert's Mortuary... And I had this 1958 Buick Super at the time and eh.. it kinda made everything a little easier to handle... And on Saturday nights, well I was going with a girl called Margaret Tarrentino. Her father owned this big restaurant and eh... I asked her to the prom... it was the biggest mistake in my life... (laughter). Huh, huh, huh... Her parents couldn't stand me, they said I'd never amount to nothing. So this one's for you Margaret! (huge roar)

Well, you gassed her up, you're behind the wheel
with your arm around your sweet one, Oldsmobile.
You're Barrelin' down the boulevard,
lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.

You got paid on Friday, your pockets are jinglin',
then you see the lights and you get all tinglin'.
You're cruisin' with a six,(2)
lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.

And you're combing your hair, oh you're shaving your face.
Tryin' to wipe out every trace. All the other days in the week,
this would be the Saturday reachin' your peak.
Stoppin' on the red, goin' on the green.
Oh and tonight'll be like nothin' you ever seen.
You're barrelin' down the boulevard
lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.

Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs or the neon buzzin'.
Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin.
The barmaid she's smilin' from the corner of her eye.
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.

It makes it kind of special, down in the core.
And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before.
And they found you stumblin',
stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.

And you gassed her up, you're behind the wheel
with your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile.
Barrelin' down the boulevard,
lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.

Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs or the neon buzzin'.
Or the Telephone ringin', it's your second cousin.
Well the barmaid is smilin' from the corner of her eye.
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.

Makes it kind of special down in the core.
And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before
they found you stumblin' oh you're stumblin'
on the heart of Saturday night.

Stumblin', stumblin'. Stumblin' on the heart,
oh now you're stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.
Stumblin' on the heart, stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night... .

And there's some cat walking down the street, and he's singing "Since I Fell For You". Ohhh and I'm huddled in front of this liquor store, I'm pumping dimes into the phone. Ohhh and they're lonely on Sunset and Vine. Ohhh and they're lonely on 32nd and Downing. Lonely on Broadway tonight. Oh, and they're lonely on 5th and Main. They're lonely on Harlem 125th Street, Lennox Avenue, and they're lonely on 23rd street and 8th Avenue. And they're lonely on 12th Street and Vine (applause)(3) They're lonely on Gordon, they're lonely on Bandit(?). And they're lonely on Bourbon Street tonight baby. Oh, they're lonely on Canal Street...

So put your arm around the one you love. You gotta hold her tight, on this lonely, lonely Saturday night. They're lonely on Hollywood Boulevard baby. Someone's all alone and blue. All they need is you, on this lonely Saturday night. They wanna be stumblin' baby, they wanna be stumblin' on the heart, on the heart of Saturday night. Stumblin' on the heart... stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.

All you need is a full tank of gas... to be with the one that you love... A lot of times you think you can make it all by yourself... They're lonely on Sunset and Boulevard tonight and they're stumblin'... stumblin' on the heart, on the heart of Saturday night...

Known covers:
It's A Good Night For Singin'. Jerry Jeff Walker, 1976. MCA - MCA2022
The Return Of The Wanderer, Dion DiMucci. 1979/ 1996. Lifesong (1979)/ Ace (Return Of The Wanderer & Fire In The Night 1996)
Fjorton Sånger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hjärtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Lördagshjärtat")
Long Term Lovers Of Pain. Hue And Cry. 1991. Circa YRCD71
Paper Doll. The Picketts. October, 1992. Popllama Records
Is My Love Enough. Chris Daniels & The Kings. September, 1993. Flying Fish Records
Cover Girl, Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony 477240 2 (live version)
Street Corner Singers. Reunion. June, 1994. Collectables Records (Doo-Wop/ a-cappella version)
You Must Ask The Heart. Jonathan Richman. April, 1995. Rounder Records
Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Jonathan Richman
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
Stained Glass. Steve Gibbons. 1996. Incog Records IncogCD001 (UK, 1996), Havic Records HirCD7003 (USA, 1997)
Bloodied But Unbowed. Desperado. 1996. Destroyer
You. John Joseph Nolis. 1998. Nolis Internationale Records
Poultry Motion. Amazing Rhythm Chickens. 1998. Big Medicine Records (June 16, 2004)
Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)
Joe's Pub. Rickie Lee Jones. 1999. Great Big Island
Heart Of Saturday Night. Showvinistics. May 18, 1999. Forevermore Records (a cappella)
Limbo: Motion Picture Soundtrack. Various artists. June 1, 1999. Sony (performed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
This Time From The Heart. Marie Mazziotti. May 2, 2000. The Orchard
Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Samstag Nacht")
Mosquitoville (revisited). Frenchy Burrito. 2002. Self-released
Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman. Jonathan Richman. February, 2002. Rounder Records
Traveler. Steve Hass. October, 2003. The Orchard
Using That Thing. Reet Petite & Gone. August, 2002. Terra Nova/ UK
Double Back. Lannie Garrett. 2003. Self-released
Careless Love. 2 Blue Shoes. 2004. Self-released (re-release in 2006)
Greatest Hits Live at the Bottom Line. Lou Christie. August 3, 2004. Varese Records
Bittersweet And Blue. Gwyneth Herbert. September, 2004. Ucj
On The Road - Chicago, IL - October 30, 2004. String Cheese Incident. 2005. Self-released OTR11.103004
Kindred Spirits. Billy Davidson and Steve Webb. 2005. Self-released
We Get A Kick Out Of Jazz. Various artists. January, 2005. Verve Records (performed by Diana Krall)
The Wanderlust Diaries. Mary Karlzen. June 5, 2006 (re-released on March 20, 2007). Dualtone
Half The Perfect World. Madeleine Peyroux. September 3, 2006. Universal Music
Way Past Ready. Tim Pritchett. February 28, 2007. Self-released
Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)
The Very Best Of Diana Krall. Diana Krall. September 18, 2007. Verve Records
5 am. Steve Crawford and Spider Mackenzie. March 22, 2008. Self-released
Don't Let Go. Jack Williams. April 30, 2008. Wind River
Nobody Wins. Gemma Vicens Band. May 20, 2008. Temps Records
Live At the Anchorage 2.0. Niagara Rhythm Section. October 30, 2008. Shed Records
Saturday Freedom. Bruce Stephens. November 19, 2008. Rear Window Music
My Name Is Hope Webster. Karen Lano. October 1, 2009. BeeJazz (France)
Love You Forever. Catherine Reed. January 30, 2010. Winterwood Records
Ride The Times. Iain Matthews & Ad van der Veen. May 14, 2010. Turtle Records
Trio. Rita Bolton. October 15, 2010. Self-released


Waits performing "The Heart Of Saturday Night". Taken from Soundstage Show #208 (1975).
PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA.
Aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier.

Notes:

(1) The Heart Of Saturday Night:
- Tom Waits (introducing The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1973): "It's a new song, I'm anxious to play it, it's kind of about driving down Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday night, Bob Webb and I were kicking this around one afternoon, Saturday afternoon it was, the idea of looking for the heart of Saturday night, hadn't really worked on any tune about it yet, we're both real Jack Kerouac fans and this is kind of a tribute to Kerouacians I guess." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)
- Barney Hoskyns (2009) quoting from a letter to girlfriend Bobi Thomas: “In one letter Waits mentioned the possibility of upcoming studio dates for his second album. Determined to be truer to his vision of himself as a jazz centric Beat poet, he was busy writing songs that depicted the American street life he'd absorbed from Kerouac and others. Pride of place went to "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night," a wistful slice of streetwise optimism born one Saturday afternoon as Waits and Bob Webb drove along Alvarado Street and then cruised Hollywood Boulevard in search of kicks and inspiration. The idea of "looking for the heart of Saturday night" came directly from Visions of Cody, in which Kerouac's eponymous hero was "hurrying for the big traffic, - ever more exciting, all of it pouring into town - Saturday night.' Waits claimed he'd written the song in five minutes. "We struck on Kerouac's concept of wanting to be at 'the cen¬ter of Saturday night in America,"' Bob Webb recalls. "We got caught up in that literary notion and decided that each of us would create something around the theme. I drove home and stayed up all night writing a short play about some denizens of a backstreet poolroom. Some time after I left, Tom picked up a guitar and wrote the lyrics and music for ‘Heart of Saturday Night.’ He had it the next day” (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

(2) Cause you're cruisin' with a six: this would probably refer to having a six-pack of beers while driving, in a time drink-and-drive wasn't regarded to be such a crime yet. Jerry Yester (2007): "He liked to buy a six-pack of Coors and go park somewhere and just talk. He'd talk about whatever was on his mind, and I'd talk about what was on my mind. I really liked that part of the relationship. He was real genuine, absolutely down to the nickel" (Source: Jerry Yester interview June 8, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

(3) 12th Street and Vine: A reference to the W. Harrison song "Kansas City", which says: "I'm goin' be standin on the corner. Twelfth Street and Vine. I'm goin' be standin on the corner. Twelfth Street and Vine. With my Kansas City baby. And a bottle of Kansas City wine." Wilibert Harrison also penned "Let's Stick Together" which appears on the "Down In The Groove" Bob Dylan album. In the actual city of Kansas City, there is no corner of 12th Street and Vine. The two streets do not intersect. (Thanks to Mikael Borg, as sent to Tom Waits Library, December 15, 2003)



Nighthawks At The Diner, 1975



Better Off Without A Wife

All my friends are married

Every Tom and Dick and Harry(2)

You must be strong if you're to go it alone

Here's to the bachelors and the Bowery(3) bums(4)

Those who feel that they're the ones

That are better off without a wife



Cause I like to sleep until the crack of noon(5)

Midnight howlin' at the moon

Goin' out when I want to,

And I'm comin' home when I please

Don't have to ask permission

If I wanna go out fishin'

Never have to ask for the keys



I've never been no Valentino(6)

But I had a girl who lived in Reno(7)

Left me for a trumpet player

Well, it didn't get me down

He was wanted for assault

And though he said it weren't his fault

You know the coppers(8) rode him right out of town(9)



I'll be sleeping until the crack of noon

Midnight howlin' at the moon

And I'll be goin' out when I want to

Comin' home when I please

Don't have to ask permission

If I wanna go out fishin'

Never have to ask for the keys



Yeah, you see I'm kinda selfish about my privacy

Now as long as I can be with me

We get along so well I can't even believe it

I love to chew the fat(10) with folks

I'll be listening to all your dirty jokes

I'm so thankful for these friends I do receive



I'll be sleeping until the crack of noon

Midnight howlin' at the moon

And I'll be goin' out when I want to

Comin' home when I please

Don't have to ask permission

If I wanna go out fishin'

Never have to ask for the keys, no



Hey, I got this girl I know, man, and I just...

She's been married several times and...

I don't wanna end up like her.

I mean, she's been married so many times

she's got rice-marks all over her face.

Yeah, you know the kind...



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(11)



Known covers:

Stilte Als Refrein. Johan Verminnen. 1976 (Beter Zonder Wijf). Jean Kluger (Belgium)

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig /BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking. November 15, 1993. Chlodwig /BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Pete Shelley

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by Pete Shelley (same version as on Step Right Up, 1995)

Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Better Off Without A Wife". Solo at the piano. Taken from "Soundstage" PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA (aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier).  



Notes:



(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": "For all the bachelors out there tonight. Yeah, for anybody who's ever whistled this song (plays the wedding march). Or maybe you've whistled it but you've lost the sheet music. Eh-heh-heh-heh. This is eh.... Well, actually, I don't mind going to weddings or anything. As long as it's not my own, I show up. But, eh... I've always kind of been partial to calling myself up on the phone and asking myself out. You know... (whoops from the audience). Oh yeah, you call yourself up too, huh? Yeah... Well, one thing about it, you're always around! Yeah, I know. Yeah, you ask yourself out, you know. Some class joint somewhere. The Burrito King or something. You know... Well, I ain't cheap, you know. Take yourself out for a couple of drinks maybe, you know. Then you'll be... some provocative conversation on the way home. And park in front of the house, you know, and you... Oh yeah, you�re smooth with it... you know, you put a little nice music on. Maybe you put on like... you know... like shopping music, something that's not too interruptive, you know. And then, you know, and eh... slide over real nice, you know, say, 'Oh, I think you have something in your eye'. Eh-heh-heh. Well, maybe it's not that romantic with you, but Christ, I... you know! It ain't... you know... Take myself up to the porch, and take myself inside. Oh, maybe... I make a little something, a brandy snifter or something. Would you like to listen to some of my back records. I got something here... Well, usually about 2.30 in the morning you've ended up taking advantage of yourself and... there ain't no way around that, you know. Yeah, making the scene with a magazine, there ain't no way around... I'll confess, you know, I'm no different, you know. I'm not weird about it or anything. I don't tie myself up first, I just... you know. I just kind of... spend a little time with myself. So this is kind of a little anthem here..." (Submitted by Ulf Berggren as sent to Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist, October 31, 1999) 



Make the scene with the magazine, tophr. [1900s] to masturbate, [joc. use of make the scene + assonance, with ref. to the 'men's magazines' used for stimulation] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



Tom Waits (Intro from Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Well here's one about eh... matrimony... Eh, it's kind of an old song I kept working around eh... I used to do it like a blues and it ended up like a little ballad, like a little anthem. But this is kind of a eh... Well I don't have any personal vendetta against the constipation of holy matrimony, but this is just kind of a... " (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concert radio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (Lawrence James Travagliante). December 3, 1975)



(2) Every Tom and Dick and Harry: 1a. Fig., just any youth or man (men) regardless of worth; a nobody. Usu. in the expression "every Tom, Dick and Harry." (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 1b. A set of nobodies; persons of no note; persons unworthy notice. Jones, Brown, and Robinson are far other men: they are the vulgar rich, especially abroad, who give themselves airs, and look with scorn on all foreign ways which differ from their own. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(3) Bowery, The: America's most famous Skid Row (New York City). The Bowery gets it name from boweryij, the Dutch word for farm, because it was part of a farming area north of the city during the late 17th century. As the city grew northward, the Bowery grew in elegance and prominence, Philanthropist Peter Cooper and songwriter Stephen Foster were among those who called the street home. The Great Bowery Theatre opened in 1826 as the largest auditorium on the continent and came to play a major role in the theatrical life of the city. After the Civil War, much of the commercial and residential bustle of the city shifted to Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Elevated trains above the Bowery spewed oil and hot coals on the sidewalks below, making the street undesirable for pedestrians. Cheap entertainment and cheap lodging replaced homes and businesses, drawing visiting sailors and a steady crowd of vagrants. The Bowery's seedy reputation earned it a prominent place in the culture of the times. The Luc Sante novel Low Life focused on the neighborhood. And the work of painter Reginald Marsch was linked with the street life of New York, including the Bowery. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Bowery was featured prominently in films including the popular Bowery Boys series. More recently, the famous street received mentions in the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls and The Will Rogers Follies. (Source: "The Bowery Mission" at http://bowery.org/. Copyright � 1997-2000 Christian Herald, Site Designed and Maintained by Admatha)



(4) Bum

- n.: Generally, a beggar, tramp, hobo, vagrant, or loafer; also, any jobless man or youth having little or no income; a poor, poorly dressed, and unkempt frequenter of saloons; a down-and-outer; sometimes , a hoodlum

- A drifter; a grifter 3. Any male without a professional occupation, goal in life, or social prestige; any disreputable or disliked youth (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Barber Shop" (Well, if I had a million dollars, what would I do? I'd probably be a barber, not a bum like you), "Mr. Henry/ Tie Undone" (That the no good bum is at it again. After she's given him all the best years of her life)



 (5) Sleep until the crack of noon: "Sleep until the crack of noon" is an ironic play on the phrase "Wake up at the crack of dawn" meaning "to wake up at sunrise." (Source: Email by Leroy Larson to Tom Waits Library. October, 2005)



(6) Valentino: Cliche expression meaning: a passionate lover. From American actor Rudolph Valentino. Born: 1985 Rodolpho Guglielmi di Valentina D'Antonguolla in Castellaneto Italy. Died: New York 1926. Became the stereotype Latin-lover



 (7) Reno: also mentioned in: Wrong side of the road, 1978: "And we'll drive all the way to Reno on the wrong side of the road.", Hang on St. Christopher, 1987: "Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go, get me to Reno and bring it in low."



(8) Copper n.: A policeman; esp., a tough policeman or one who is intent on enforcing the law to its fullest (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



 (9) Town, out of: In prison. Some underworld use. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(10) Chew the fat: 1. To talk; to gossip; to chat at lenght, esp. about trivial matters. 2. A visit, esp. for the purpose of discussing "old times." Orig. British Army sl., W.W.I. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(11) Song could be inspired by: "Doin' What I Please". Fats Waller, Andy Razaf. Transcribed from Don Redman and His orchestra, vocals by Don Redman; recorded October 6, 1932: "I'm staying single, Conscience at ease, I'm free to mingle, I do what I please! When I'm out late nights, No one has my keys, Yeah, I keep my dates nights Doin' what I please. You know, I don't have no starved waters, (?) Because they keep you on the shelf, And I ain't takin' orders, So I just go along enjoyin' myself. Should I go sailing 'Cross the seven seas? No one can stop me, Doin' what I please! You know I have romances, Just like a dog has fleas, And I take in all the dances, That's because I do what I please. I blow in at these parties, Just like a reckless breeze; I outsmart all these other smarties, Because I do just what I please. You know, where there's no action, You'll find that there's blues about, And I get my satisfaction Only when I'm steppin' out. And whenever I get tipsy Out at one of these jamborees, No one can stop me, 'Cause I do what I please!"



Big Joe And Phantom 309

See, I just happened to be back on the East coast a few years back

I was tryin' to make me a buck like everybody else

I'll be damned if times didn't get hard, and Christ I got down on my luck

And I got tired of just roamin' and bummin'(2) around

So I started thumbin' (3)my way back to my old hometown



And you know, I made quite a few miles in the first couple of days

You know, I figured I'd be home in a week if my luck held out this way

You know, it was the third night, oh and I got stranded

And it was out at a cold lonely crossroads(4)

And as the rain came pouring down, man I was hungry

Yeah, I was hungry, tired and freezin', caught myself a chill



But it was just about that time

Yeah, it was just about that time that the lights of an ol' semi topped the hill

You should've seen me smile when I heard them air brakes come on

Yeah, and I climbed up into that cab where I knew it'd be warm

At the wheel... well, at the wheel sat a big man

And I'd have to say he must've weighed two ten

As he stuck out a big hand and he said with a grin

'Big Joe's the name, and this here rig's called Phantom 309'



Well, I asked him why he called his rig such a name

And you know, he turned to me and said '

Why son, don't you know this here rig'll be puttin' 'em all to shame

Nah, there ain't a driver

No, there ain't a driver on this or any other line for that matter that...

That's seen nothin' but the taillights of Big Joe and Phantom 309'

So we rode and we talked the better part of the night

And I told my stories and Joe told his

And I smoked up all his Viceroys as we rolled along

Pushed her ahead with 10 forward gears

Man, that dashboard was lit like the old Madam La Rue pinball

Serious semi truck



Till almost mysteriously...

Well, it was the lights of a truck stop that rolled into sight

Joe turned to me, said 'I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid this is just as far as you go, you see...

You see, I kinda gotta be makin' a turn just up the road a piece'

I'll be damned if he didn't toss me a dime as he threw her in low and said

'Go on in there son, and get yourself a hot cup of coffee on Big Joe'

I mean to tell you, when Joe and his rig pulled off into the night

Man, in nothing flat they was clean outta sight



So I walked into this stop, well I ordered me up a cup of mud(5),

sayin' 'Big Joe's settin' this dude up',

but it got so deadly quiet in that place

Yeah, it got so deadly quiet in that place, you could've heard a pin drop

And as the waiter's face turned kinda pale I said,

'What's the matter, did I say somethin' wrong?'

I kinda said with a half way grin

He said, 'No son, you see it'll kinda happen every now and then

Cause every driver in here knows Big Joe, son, but...



But let me tell you what happened just 10 years ago out there

Yeah, it was 10 years ago, out there at that cold lonely crossroads(4)

And there was a whole bus load of kids

And then they were just comin' from school

And they were right in the middle when Joe topped the hill and...

They could've been slaughtered except Joe turned his wheels

And he jacknifed, yeah he jacknifed, and he went into a skid

And you know, folks around here, well...

They say he gave his life to save that bunch of kids

And out there at that cold lonely crossroads

Well, they're saying it was the end of the line for Big Joe and Phantom 309



'But it's funny you know, cause... cause every now and then

Yeah, every now and then when the moon's holdin' the water

Well, they say that old Joe'll stop and give you a ride

It seems, just like you, some hitchhiker'll be comin' by'

'So here, son,' he said to me, 'you get yourself another cup of coffee

It's on the house, I kind of want you to hang on to that dime

Yeah, I kind of want you to hang on to that dime as a souvenir

I want you to keep that dime as a souvenir of Big Joe

Of Big Joe and Phantom

Big Joe and Phantom 309'



Written by: Tommy Faile(1)

Published by: Fort Knox Music (BMI), � 1967

Official release: "Nighthawks At The Diner", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

N/A



Notes:



(1)



- Intro to Big Joe & Phantom 309 (1973): "I don't know who wrote this, I don't know anybody who'd know who wrote this, in fact if somebody does know, maybe you could call and tell me. I first heard Ray Bierl do it, another San Diego musician. This is the first real folk song that just knocked me out. I heard Ray do it - it gave me chills up and down my back." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Date: Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)

Live intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": "Well now, it's story time again. I'm gonna tell you a story 'bout a truck driver. This story was written by a guy named Red Sovine, and it's called the Ballad of Big Joe and Phantom 309."

- Actually this song was written by Tommy Faile (Sovine made it famous). Tommy Faile had a number of hit songs, and topped the country charts with a version of Scotty Wiseman's "Brown Mountain Lights." He was also a member of Arthur Smith's Crackerjacks, where he, among other things, played the part of "Cousin Phudd" in a comedy routine. Sovine, born: Woodrow Wilson Sovine, July 17, 1918 in Charleston, West Virginia. Died: April 4, 1980, Nashville, Tennessee. From 1954 Sovine was a regular at the Grand Ole Opry and, in all, he had 31 US country chart entries. Sovine acquired the nickname of 'The Old Syrup Sopper' following the sponsorship by Johnny Fair Syrup of some radio shows, and the title is apt for such narration's as 'Daddy's Girl'. He was particularly successful with maudlin narrations about truck-drivers and his hits include 'Giddyup Go' (a US country number 1 about a truck-driver being reunited with his son), 'Phantom 309' (a truck-driving ghost story!) and his million-selling saga of a crippled boy and his CB radio, 'Teddy Bear' (1976). Red Sovine's country music owed nothing to contemporary trends but his sentimentality was popular in country clubs around the world. He had no big-time image. In 1980 Sovine died of a heart attack at the wheel of his car in Nashville. 

- Big Joe And Phantom 309. Written by: Tommy Faile. Published by: Fort Knox Music (BMI), © 1967: "I was out on the west coast tryin' to make a buck, And things didn't work out; I was down on my luck. Got tired o' roamin' and bummin' around So I started thumbin' back East, toward my hometown Made a lotta miles the first two days And I figured I'd be home in a week if my luck held out this way. But the third night I got stranded way outta town At a cold lonely crossroads; rain was pourin' down I was hungry and freezin' and done caught a chill When the lights of a big semi topped the hill. Lord, I sure was glad to hear them airbrakes come on, And I climbed in that cab, where I knew it'd be warm At the wheel sat a big man; he weighed about 210. He stuck out his hand and said with a grin,"Big Joe's the name," and I told him mine. And he said, "The name o' my rig is Phantom 309." I asked him why he called his rig such a name. He said, "Son, this old Mac can put 'em all to shame. There ain't a driver or a rig a-runnin' any line That's seen nothin' but taillights from Phantom 309." Well, we rode and talked the better part o' the night, When the lights of a truck stop came in sight. He said, "I'm sorry, son, this is far as you go 'Cause I gotta make a turn just on up the road." Well, he tossed me a dime as he pulled 'er in low And said, "Have yourself a hot cup on ol' Big Joe." When Joe an' his rig roared out into the night In nothin' flat he was clean outta sight Well, I went inside and ordered me a cup; Told the waiter Big Joe was settin' me up. Oh, you coulda heard a pin drop; it got deathly quiet, And the waiter's face turned kinda white "Well, did I say somethin' wrong?" I said with a halfway grin. He said, "No, this happens every now and then. Every driver in here knows Big Joe, But, son, let me tell ya what happened about ten years ago "At the crossroads tonight, where you flagged 'im down, There was a busload o' kids a-comin' from town, And they were right in the middle when Big Joe topped the hill. It could've been slaughter, but he turned his wheels "Well, Joe lost control, went into a skid, And gave his life to save that bunch o' kids. And there at that crossroads was the end of the line For Big Joe and Phantom 309 "But every now and then some hiker'll come by And, like you, Big Joe'll give 'im a ride. Here, have another cup, and forget about the dime; Keep it as a souvenir from Big Joe and Phantom 309."





- It seems Waits was already performing the song when hooting at the San Diego Heritage, ca. 1971/ 1972. Barney Hoskyns (2009): "Waits often ended his hoot sets with the old cowboy ballad "Happy Trails". He also began performing Red Sovine's country classic "Big Joe and Phanthom 309" thaught to hum by (Ray) Bierl - about a truck driver who swerves to avoid a group of school kids and dies in the resulting crash. "'Big Joe' was one of his set-pieces," says Bob Webb, "He enjoyed the dramatic story-telling and the supernatural material in that song" (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



(2) Bum around

- To loaf; to wander idly; to do nothing (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Lucky Day" (But that Bonnie lass and her heart of glass Could not hold a candle to bummin' around)



(3) Thumb v.: To hitch-hike (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(4) Crossroads

- The term turns up in blues quite a bit, especially in the songs of Johnson, Robert. The crossroads were a place of mysticism, and the saying was that anybody who could play as well as Johnson must have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in return for talent. According to the Funk & Wagnall's Dictionary of Folklore, crossroads have had superstituous connotations in most cultures - Europe, Asian, North American Indian, etc. Murderers and suicides were buried there, and it was the rendezvous point for witches - "anything could happen there." (Source: The Folk File, Bill Markwick)

- All (except suicides) who were excluded from holy rites were piously buried at the foot of the cross erected on the public road, as the place next in sanctity to consecrated ground. Suicides were ignominiously buried on the highway, with a stake driven through their body. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(5) Mud n.: Coffee prepared to drink. Orig. hobo use. Some lunch counter use and army use. Universally known (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



Eggs & Sausage

(In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)(1)



Nighthawks at the diner(2) of Emma's 49'er

There's a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight

All the gypsy hacks and the insomniacs(3)

Now the paper's been read, now the waitress said



Eggs and sausage and a side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns(4) over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? Yeah...



It's a graveyard(5) charade, it's a late shift masquerade

And it's two for a quarter, dime for a dance

Woolworth(6) rhinestone diamond earrings and a sideway's glance

Now the register rings, now the waitress sings



Eggs and sausage and a side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? Yeah



Now well, the classified section offers no direction

It's a cold caffeine in a nicotine cloud

Now the touch of your fingers lingers burning in my memory

I've been 86'ed(7) from your scheme

Now I'm in a melodramatic nocturnal scene

Now I'm a refugee from a disconcerted affair

Now the lead pipe morning falls, now the waitress calls



Eggs and sausage, another side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

Now what kind of pie?



A la mode if you will(8)

Just come in and join the crowd

Had some time to kill, yeah

You see, I just come in to join the crowd

Had some time to kill

Just come in to join the crowd

Cause I had some time to kill



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release:"Nighthawks At The Diner", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

None



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Eggs & Sausage". Taken from "Soundstage" PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA (aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier).



Notes:



(1) Intro: "I was always uh... kinda wanted like to consider myself kind of a pioneer of the palate. A restaurateur if you will. I've wined, dined, sipped and supped in some of the most demonstrably demi-epitomable bistros in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Uh-huh-huh-huh... Yeah, I've had strange looking pattie melts at Norm's. I've had dangerous veal cutlets at the Copper Penny. Well, what you get is a breaded Salisbury steak and a Shake'n'Bake, and topped with a provocative sauce of Velveeta and half-and-half..., uh-huh-huh-huh. Smothered with Campbell's tomato soup. Huh-huh-huh-huh... You see, I had kind of a uh... well, I ordered my veal cutlet, Christ it left the plate and it walked down to the end of the counter. (...?...) waitress (...?...), boy she's wearing those rhinestone glasses with the little pearl thing clipped on her sweater. The veal cutlet come down trying to beat the shit out of my cup of coffee but... Coffee just wasn't strong enough to defend itself. Uh-huh-huh-huh..." (Transcript by Pieter from Holland as published on the Tom Waits Library)

Pattie melt n.: A rissole (the pattie) with melted swiss cheese (the melt, q.v.) on top, served on a piece of rye bread soaked with melted butter and grilled (s.a. foods). (Source: American - Australian slang dictionary, O'Shea)

Norm's: Norms Restaurant, 470 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles





- Shake 'n Bake: Brandname of a popular US instant food. Introduced in 1965 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (SHAKE 'N BAKE� coating mix in two versions, chicken and fish)

- Velveeta: Brandname of a US soft processed-cheese spread. Introduced in 1928 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (VELVEETA�)

- Half-and-Half: 1. Coffee creamer, semi-skimmed milk 2. A blend of dark and medium roast coffee beans 3. A cup of half coffee and half milk.

- Campbell: Brand of soup in the typical red-and-white can. Made famous by the graphic work of Andy Warhol in 1968.





- Intro to Eggs & Sausage (WAMU Radio, 1975): "This is new, I don't know what the hell to do with it really yet, but after you hang around enough diners, it seems a place you always go when you're feeling like a refugee from a disconcerted love affair - you end up at a 24 hour place, in LA we got a place called Norm's - all the losers are there and the waitresses are all good looking." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview Source: audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

-Intro to Eggs & Sausage (Ebbets Field. Denver/ USA, 1975): "This is about a little diner in East Lansing/ Michigan..."



(2) Nighthawks At The Diner

- Refers to Edward Hopper's famous painting: "Nighthawks", 1942. Oil on canvas: 30 x 60 in. The Art Institute of Chicago

Dave Lewis (1979): "Cars, in fact, are one of Waits' real passions. He sports an elaborate tattoo on his arm emblazoned with the word 'Nighthawk', which was the name of a 'car-club' he belonged to as a teenager and he can readily run off a list of the wheels he's owned, including his current emerald green '64 T-bird." (Source: "Tom Waits: A Sobering Experience", Sounds magazine, by Dave Lewis. Date: August 4, 1979)



(3) Insomniac adj: Experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness; "insomniac old people"; "insomniac nights"; "lay sleepless all night"; "twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights"- Shakespeare [syn: sleepless, watchful] n : someone who cannot sleep [syn: sleepless person] (Source: WordNet � 1.6, � 1997 Princeton University)



(4) Hash browns, Hash-brown potatoes

- Finely chopped, cooked potatoes that are fried (often in bacon fat) until well browned. The mixture is usually pressed down into a flat cake in the pan and browned on one side, then turned and browned on the other. It's sometimes only browned on one side. Other ingredients such as chopped onion and green pepper are often added for flavor excitement (Source: Epicurious food dictionary, Cond�Net Inc.).

- Notice "Hash browns" also being mentioned in The Ghosts Of Saturday Night, 1974: "Hash browns, hash browns, you know I can't be late."



(5) Graveyard shift n.: A working shift that begins at midnight or 2:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. It refers, of course, to the ghostlike hour of employment (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(6) Woolworth: Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852-1919). U.S. merchant, born in Rodman, N.Y.; from profits of his chain of five-and-ten-cent stores built the Woolworth Building, New York City. The Woolworth Building is located at 233 Broadway and was completed in 1913, it was the tallest building in the world from 1913-1930. It was financed by Frank Woolworth and often called the "Cathedral of Commerce." So, "Woolworth rhinestone diamond earrings" would be really cheap earrings.



(7) Eighty-six v.t.: 1. Lit. and fig., to reject or disqualify a person; to ignore, insult, or tease someone; to eject someone from a place or group esp. from a bar, against his will. Common lunch-counter use; used by the cook to inform waiters that there is no more of a specific dish 2. A person who is not to be served, as at a lunch counter, because he is thought to be undesirable or unable to pay; a person who is not to be served liquor, as at a bar, because he is or will become drunk and/ or disorderly. All uses because the term rhymes with "nix." Used by waiters, bartenders, etc. so that customers will not understand (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) A la mode if you will: originally transcribed as: "Have a bowl if you will." A la mode: adj. Served with ice cream: apple pie � la mode. (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



Emotional Weather Report

What we're talking about is late night and early morning low clouds

with a chance of fog, chance of showers into the afternoon

with variable high cloudiness and gusty winds

Gusty winds at times around the corner of Sunset and Alvorado(2)



Yeah, I know, things are tough all over

When the thunder storms start increasing over the

Southeast and South Central portions of my apartment, I get upset



And a line of thunderstorms was developing in the early morning

ahead of a slow moving coldfront, cold blooded

with tornado watches issued shortly before noon Sunday

for the areas including the western region of my mental health

and the northern portions of my ability to deal rationally

with my disconcerted precarious emotional situation

It's cold out there

Colder than a ticket taker's smile at the Ivar Theatre, on a Saturday night(3)



Flash flood watches covered the southern portion of my disposition, yeah

There was no severe weather well into the afternoon

except for kind of a lone gust of wind in the bedroom



A high pressure zone covering the eastern portion of a small

suburban community with a 1034 millibar high pressure zone

and a weak pressure ridge extending from my eyes down to my cheeks

cause since you left me baby and put the vice grips on my mental health

well, the extended outlook for an indefinite period of time

until you come back to me, baby, is high tonight, low tomorrow

and precipitation is expected



That wraps up the weather for this evening.

Now back to the eleven o'clock blues.

Doctor George Fishbeck(4) ain't got nothing on me!



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

None



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Emotional Weather Report". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977.  



Notes:



(1) Opening intro: "Well... an inebriated good evening to you all. Welcome to Raphael's Silver Cloud Lounge. Slip me a lil' crimson, Jimson. Gimme the low-down, Brown. Now what's the scoop, Betty Boop? I'm on my way into town. Christ, while we're at it, I want to thank Dawna for opening the program for us. I'm so goddam horny that the crack of dawn better be careful around me! Yeah... I wanna pull on your coat about somethin' here tonight. Yeah, a little news I'd like to throw in your direction. See, I... I used to know a girl... Yeah, and it was a hubba-hubba and ding ding ding, I said baby you got everything. A week later it was a hubba-hubba and ding ding dong, baby it sure didn't last too long. I know, things are tough all over, and they ain't getting any better. I was moved to kinda squib a little bit of kind of an emotional weather forecast for you this evening. What I'm talking about is, well you know, I've been playing night clubs and staying out all night long. Comin' home late. Gone for three months, come back and everything in your refrigerator turns into a science project. So you get designs on a waitress, you know? She got three or four kids. She's sorting out her checks and she's counting out her change. You say, 'Hey baby, heat me up a bear claw on the radar range.' Well, then it gets real cold..." (Transcript by Pieter from Holland as published on the Tom Waits Library. August, 2000)

Raphael's Silver Cloud Lounge: Located along I-25 in New Mexico, about 45 miles north of Albuquerque and 15 miles sounth of Santa Fe. A classic road house in the 70's. Lot's of cool (non-stadium level) bands played there. About 500 miles to Phoenix/ Dallas/ Denver. A logical stopover for any band road tour. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)

Low-down, lowdown n.: The real truth; confidential or authentic information; relevant facts; little known intimate facts; info; dope (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in Barber shop, 1977: "What's the low down Mr. Brown heard you boy's leavin town". Notice the same phrase being mentioned in Barber Shop, 1977: "What's the low down Mr. Brown, heard you boy's leavin' town."

Hubba-hubbaexcl. [1940s+] (US teen) term of approval, esp. when directed at a passing girl [hubba! hubba!, a college cheer] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9). Also mentioned in Standing On The Corner, Cleveland version, 1976: "I'm gonna watch 'em go by. Oh, hubba hubba, man."



(2) Sunset and Alvarado: Corner in downtown L.A. about a mile from Dodgers Stadium. "Charles Bukowski lived for quite a while in this area and wrote of the whores, drugs, numerous bars and general depravity of the area. Most notably, it’s the site of one of the two original “Burrito King” restaurants, one of the great (used to be) all-night corner stands.“West Hollywood” is now a separate city, and more critically, it’s a part of town which has a completely different feel than the “East Hollywood” /downtown/ midtown area, and certainly from the Sunset/ Alvarado area from the late 70’s. Although the neighborhoods surrounding Sunset/ Alvarado have become more “gentrified” in the thirty years since then, at the time, the area was truly working-class, and had the feel that Waits and Bukowski documented" (Submitted by Richard Gould-Saltman. July 2009)



(3) Ivar Theatre: further reading: Ivar Theatre full story



(4) Doctor George Fishbeck: A well known now retired L.A. news weather caster for ABC (KABC in the 1970s). (Submitted by Adam Jackson as sent to Tom Waits Library. July, 2002)




 




Nighthawk Postcards

(From Easy Street)(2)



Yeah, you check out the street and it looks like there's kind of a...

Kind of a blur drizzle down the plate glass

And as a neon swizzle stick(3) is stirrin' up the sultry night air

Looks like a yellow biscuit of a buttery cue ball moon

Rollin' maverick across an obsidian sky

And as the buses go groanin' and wheezin'

Down on the corner I'm freezin'

On a restless boulevard at a midnight road

I'm across town from Easy Street(2)

With the tight knots of moviegoers and out-of-towners(4) on the stroll(5)

The buildings towerin' high above lit like dominoes or black dice

Used car salesmen dressed up in Purina checkerboard slacks(6)

and FosterGrant(7) wrap-arounds

Pacing in front of Rainbow, Earl Scheib(8), $39.95 merchandise.



Like barkers at a shootin' gallery

They throw out a Texas Guinan(9) routine:

'Hello sucker, we like your money, just as well as anybody else's here

Come on over here now...

Let me put the cut back in your strut and the glide back in your stride

Now climb aboard a customs Oldsmobile, let me take you for a ride'

Or they give you that P. T. Barnum(10) bit:

'There's a sucker born every minute!'

'You just happened to be comin' along at the right time, you know

Come over here now'



And you know, all the harlequin sailors are on the stroll

In search of: "LIKE NEW", "NEW PAINT"

and decent factory air and AM-FM dreams.

Yeah, and all the piss yellow gypsy cabs(11)

They're stacked up in the taxi zones

And they're waitin' like pinball machines

to be ticking off a joy ride to a magical place

Like "Truckers Welcome" diners

with dirt lots full of Peterbilts and Kenworths and Jimmy's(12) and the like

They're hi-ballin'(13) with bankrupt brakes

Man, they're overdriven and they're underpaid

They're overfed, and they're a day late and a dollar short

But Christ, I got my lips around a bottle

and I got my foot on the throttle and I'm standin' on the corner

Standin' on the corner like a just got in town jasper(14)

I'm on a street corner with a gasper(15)

Lookin' for some kind of a Cheshire billboard grin(16)

Stroking a goateed chin

Using parking meters as walking sticks

Yeah, on the inebriated stroll

With my eyelids propped open at half mast



But you know, over at "Chubb's Pool and Snooker"

Well, it was a nickel after two, yeah, it was a nickel after two(17)

And in the cobalt steel blue dream smoke

Why, it was the radio that groaned out the hit parade

And the chalk squeaked and the floorboards creaked

And an Olympia sign(18) winked through a torn yellow shade

Old Jack Chance himself leanin' up against a Wurlitzer

Man, he was eyeballin'(19) out a five ball combination shot

Impossible you say? Hard to believe?

Perhaps out of the realm of possibility?

Naaaah!



Cause he be stretchin' out long tawny fingers

out across a cool green felt in a provocative golden gate

He got a full table railshot that's no sweat

And I leaned up against my bannister

I wandered over to the Wurlitzer and I punched A2

I was lookin' for maybe 'Wine Wine Wine' by the Night Caps

starring Chuck E. Weiss(20

Or maybe... maybe a little somethin' called "High Blood Pressure"

by George "Cryin in the Streets" Perkins(21), no dice(22)

Cause that's Life, that's what all the people say

You're ridin' high in April, you're seriously shot down in May(23)

I know I'm gonna change that tune(24)

When I'm standing underneath a buttery moon

that's all melted off to one side

Parkay(25)...



It was just about that time that the sun came crawlin' yellow

out of a manhole(26) at the foot of 23rd Street(27)

And a Dracula moon in a black disguise

was making its way back to its pre-paid room at the St. Moritz Hotel(28)



And the El train(29) tumbled across the trestles

And it sounded like the ghost of Gene Krupa(30)

With an overhead cam and glasspacks(31)

And the whispering brushes of wet radials on wet pavement

Shhhhhhhhhhhhsh....

With a traffic jam session(32) on Belmont tonight

And the rhapsody of the pending evening

I leaned up against my bannister

And I've been looking for some kind of an emotional investment

With romantic dividends

Yeah, kind of a physical negotiation is underway

As I attempt to consolidate all my missed weekly rendezvous

into one low monthly payment, through the nose(33)

With romantic residuals and legs akimbo(34)

But the chances are that more than likely

Standin' underneath a moon holdin' water

I'll probably be held over for another

smashed weekend!

Thank you...



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975(35)

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

None



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Nighthawk Postcards" (a-capella)

taken from Soundstage Show #208 (1975).

PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA.

Aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier.



Notes:



(1) This song is most likely inspired by (or paying hommage to) "Poetry for the Beat Generation - Jack Kerouac and Steve Allen" (Hanover Records HML 5000, 1959). Fourteen poems read by the author to original piano accompaniment by Steve Allen. Waits has often expressed his appreciation for this album.



- Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner""[upright bass solo] Goodness gracious, my bass player should be chained up somewhere. Mongrel... canine... growl. I wanna take you on kind of an inebriational travelogue here Yeah, ain't got no spare, you ain't got no jack You don't give a shit, you ain't never comin' back. Maybe you're standin' on the corner of 17th and Wazee Streets. Out in front of the Terminal Bar There's a Thunderbird movin' in a muscatel sky... He-he. You've been drinkin' cleanin' products all night... Open for suggestions... Eh-he-he-he. It's kinda 'bout... well it's kinda 'bout goin' down to the corner. Say, 'Well, I'm just goin' down to the corner to get a pack of cigarettes, I'll be back in a minute' " (Transcription by Ulf Berggren, 2000)

Terminal Bar: A sleezly little bar 2 blocks straight up from the train station in Denver, Colorado where Waits hung out long ago. It is at 17th and Wazee streets - or it was. Back when Waits hung out their it was a very sleezy part of Denver. Now however, with the baseball stadium (Coors Field) being built 3 blocks away, the area has been revitialized into the hippest part of Denver (called 'LODO'). Alas the terminal bar just succombed to property value pressures and sold out in the Fall of 1996 (it is being severely remodeled into a yuppie resturant). (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen) 

Tom Waits (WAMU Radio, 1975): "I'll tell you a story, I did this last night at the Cellar Door, a friend of mine, John Heard (Hurt?), accompanied me on piano, a great piano player, he sounds like George Shearing or early Dave Brubeck, Steve Allen, he's a great piano player - it's called Nighthawk Postcards From Easy Street which is going to be the title of my next forthcoming album and it'll be out in October some time, a little narrative piece, I started writing it on the corner of 12th & Wazee St in downtown Denver, Colorado, out in front of a place called the Terminal Bar, now that's about a half a block from the Santa Fe Freight Depot there and originally the name they gave to the bar had to do with the fact that it was so close to the Santa Fe Freight but now 20 years later every terminal case in town beats the pavement to get there. I started writing it in Denver, I finished it up on 23rd St in New York City - so this is kind of an improvisational adventure into the bowels of the metropolitan region, kind of a travelogue piece - when the highway is a wet slick anaconda of a 2 lane and you're motivating and negotiating a hairpin turn behind the wheel of a serious powder blue Ford Fairlane, with the whispering brushes of wet radials on wet pavement .." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview Source: audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

Tom Waits (Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Let's see eh... Well I could do you a kind of a [snaps fingers] Vroooooooom... vroooooomm... vrooooooom... You know eh, it's kind of a little inebriational travelogue here eh.. about eh... It was kinda like say: Well, hey look baby, I'll be right back, I'm just going down the corner and get myself a pack of cigarettes see... And you know, you get down and you hit the bricks and you notice there's kind of a Thunderbird move rolling across a muscatel sky... You see... You're standing there down there on the corner of 5th and Vermouth, it's a block away from the corner of Baby Why Did You Leave Me and Why Don't You Please Come Back Home..." (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concert radio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (Lawrence James Travagliante). December 3, 1975)



(2) Easy street:1. Financial independence 2. A way of life characterized by wealth and luxury; a pleasant and successful life; successful business dealings (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Swizzle stick

- n.: A stick used to stir mixed drinks (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary).

- Also mentioned in "Putnam County" (And swizzle stick legs jackknifed over naugahyde stools)



(4) Out-of-towner n.: A visitor or transient from out of town (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Stroll

- n.: A road, highway, or street. c1935 jive use; some Negro use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Drunk On The Moon" (Tight-slack clad girls on the graveyard shift, 'Neath the cement stroll, catch the midnight drift), "Shore Leave" (Well, with buck shot eyes and a purple heart I rolled down the national stroll)



(6) Purina Checkerboard Slacks: The small, red and white checkered square used as the logo for the Purina corporation (specializes in dog and cat food). So in this case: red checkered slacks (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000).

Slacks: Trousers for casual wear. The word was used in the early 19th century as a coloquialism to describe trousers in general and, later, trousers worn by soldiers (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).  Ralston Purina's famous "checkerboard" logo was a marketing decision by Danforth (company's founder), based on his childhood memories of a family in which the mother dressed all of her children in clothing made from the same bolt of cloth. One year, her choice of material was the checkerboard design, and Danforth never forgot the distinctive red-and-white pattern. Today, more than a century after its founding, Ralston Purina is the world's largest producer of dry dog and dry and soft-moist cat foods, which are marketed under the Purina� brand name (Source: Ralston Purina Company official website) 



(7) Foster Grant: At the time a very famous brand of sunglasses in the US. Promoting their brand with the slogan: "Who's that behind those Foster Grants?". You can buy your own pair at: The Foster Grant Homepage.





L) Louis Jordan M) Peter Sellers R) Terence Stamp



(8) Earl Scheib: Earl Scheib, founded in 1937, is USA leader in low-cost auto-painting. They call themselves: "The world's largest company-owned and operated production auto-painting and body repair shop ". In the 60's their slogan was: "I'll paint any car any color for $ 29.95 ". The "any "color was not literal (mostly very simple primary colors). Their logo was decorated with a colourful rainbow.



 

1999 Internet advertising



(9) Guinan, Texas: In the 20's Guinan owned several gin mills in New York City. Her trademark welcome was "Hello, Suckers!" She began her career as an actress, and was one of the original silent movie cowgirls. Legend has it that the joint was raided one night when the Prince of Wales was there. She popped an apron on him and hid him in the kitchen, washing dishes.

Marv Hohman (1976): "How much of your audience do you think is hip to all the slang terminology you use? It seems you've made an exhaustive study of American pop culture, especially the underside of it. There are terms I know that I'm sure most people don't, things like Thunderbird, Stacy Adams, names like Texas Guinan.... Tom Waits: Yeah. Kerouac made a record back in '59 on Hanover Records with Steve Allen and he talked about her. Her famous line was, "Hello sucker." (Source: "Bitin' The Green Shiboda With Tom Waits" Down Beat magazine (USA), by Marv Hohman. Date: Victoria restaurant/ Chicago. June 17, 1976)





(10) Barnum, P.T.: Flamboyant 19th century American entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum. Born: 1810 - died: 1891. The first and perhaps greatest showman of the US. In 1842 he opened his "American Museum of Curiosities" in NY city, in which he displayed all kinds of real but also fake curiosities and freaks. In 1871 he opened his circus "The greatest show on earth" in Brooklyn. The original circus was called simply the P. T. Barnum Circus. He then merged with his competitor and formed the Barnum & Bailey Circus. When Barnum died, Bailey ran the circus. When Bailey died, the Ringling Brothers bought them out. That's how we get the incredibly long Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He obtained a considerable wealth through his malafide, commercial approach. Notorious swindler. The quote: "There's a sucker born every minute" typifies his cynical view of life. Check out this article by R.J. Brown claiming he never said it...

Tom Waits (1999): "... Yeah, right. Barnum & Bailey had Sarah Bernhardt's leg on display for a couple of years. They had it in formaldehyde. There was a certain point where Sarah Bernhardt's leg was making more money than she was 'cause she was doing Shakespeare in bars. I don't know how that ties in, but help me." (Source: "Tom Waits '99, Coverstory ATN". Addicted to Noise: Gil Kaufman and Michael Goldberg. April, 1999).

Tom Waits (1999): "... But I was trying to imagine what it would be like for a person [Eyeball kid ]with an enormous eyeball for a head to be in show business. If Barnum & Bailey were still around, I imagine he would have thrown in with them." (Source: "The Man Who Howled Wolf". Magnet: Jonathan Valania. June/July, 1999)





(11) Gypsy n.: A taxicab operating without a taxi license (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(12) Jimmy, Jimmie n.: A car or engine built by GMC (General Motors Corp.). From pronouncing the initials GMC rapidly. Hot-rod use since c1955(Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



 (13) Highball, Hiball v.: To move ahead at full speed (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(14) Jasper n.: An exceptionally pious or meek person. A rube. A fellow; a guy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(15) Gasper n.: A cigarette, esp. marijuana cigarette. Much more common in Eng. than in U.S.; now archaic in both countries (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(16) Cheshire grin

- He grins like a Cheshire cat. Cheese was formerly sold in Cheshire moulded like a cat. The allusion is to the grinning cheese-cat, but is applied to persons who show their teeth and gums when they laugh. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

- Also quoted in Small Change: "And the naked mannequins with their Cheshire grins."



(17) A nickel after two: meaning five minutes past two. Nickel: n. [1970s+] (US) the number five [nickel, a 5-cent coin] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(18) Olympia: Brand name of a beer brewed in Washington. Popular in the NW part of USA. Olympia's attempts to go nationwide like Coors have not done well as far as I can tell (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(19) Eyeball v.: To eye; look at; look around a place. Harlem Negro use. Teenage and synthetic hipster use since c1950 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(20) Weiss, Chuck E.: Further reading: Chuck E. Weiss



(21) "High Blood Pressure" by George "Cryin in the Streets" Perkins: Referring to "Cryin' In The Streets (Part 1)" by George Perkins & The Silver Stars (Golden-110/ Silver Fox Records, 1969) and "High Blood Pressure" (Ace-7102, 1971). (Thanks to Floris Cooman for researching release details)





(22) No dice, no-dice:

- No; without success; being refused or refused permission (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

phr. [1930s+] (orig. US) impossible, out of the question, on no account [the refusal of a gambling-house proprietor to allow a player to start or continue playing] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(23) Riding high

- v.:Feeling very good. Occasionally meaning snobbish or egotistical. ("He was riding high after he got into the college he wanted.") (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)

- Quoting: That's Life. Writers: Kay, Gordon. Recorded by Frank Sinatra: "That's life, that's what people say. You're riding' high in April, Shot down in May. But I know I'm gonna change that tune, When I'm back on top in June. That's life, funny as it seems. Some people get their kicks,  Steppin' on dreams; But I don't let it get me down, 'Cause this ol' word keeps getting around. I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, A poet, a pawn and a king. I've been up and down and over and out And I know one thing: Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race That's life, I can't deny it, I thought of quitting, But my heart just won't buy it. If I didn't think it was worth a try, I'd roll myself up in a big ball and die."



(24) Change that tune: To speak or act in a different manner; to assume a different attitude. Dates back 600 years. First seen in John Gower's Confessio Amantis (1390):"O thou, which hast desesed the Court of France be thi wrong Now schalt thou singe an other song." (Source: "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle).

Change one's tunephr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions or statements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musical imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(25) Parkay: American brand of butter (ConAgra Brands, Inc.) (Further reading: Parkay official site. Thanks to Scott Fisher, May 9 2005, for pointing out this reference)



(26) Manhole: n. [1970s] (US Black) a bar, a saloon, a club etc. esp. for men only (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(27) 23rd Street: New York City (Chelsea Hotel).

Tom Waits (1979): "This is a story here, takes place on 23rd Street, New York City, it is a place eh called Chelsea Hotel" (Intro to "Small Change", Cold Beer version), 1979)



(28) St. Moritz Hotel: Also mentioned in The One That Got Away, 1976: "Costello was the champion at the St. Moritz Hotel." Also mentioned in original intro by George Duke for Tom Waits at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, November 9, 1974:

George Duke: "Ladies and gentlemen, direct from the St. Moritz Hotel on the Sunset Strip, a friend of ours from Los Angeles, Mister Tom Waits! Sodden and wistful as he might be. How are you doing, buddy? Your beard's getting very good. He holds the distinction of being the only person at the St. Moritz Hotel in Los Angeles able to room next to Ray Collins for longer than three weeks at a time." (Transcription by Ulf Berggren as sent to Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000) 





St. Moritz Hotel, Los Angeles. Photo credit: Dorene LaLonde



(29) El (train): n. [late 19C+] (US) the elevated railway, usu. that of New York, but also in other cities, e.g. Chicago, where such transport systems existed(Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(30) Krupa, Gene: Born Eugene Bertram Krupa, January 15, 1909, in Chicago, IL; Died of heart failure, October 16, 1973, in Yonkers, NY. Drummer and swing band leader. Studied drums and performed with local Chicago groups in the 20's. Free-lanced with the bands of Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, and saxophonist Adrian Rollini. He joined Goodman's band and played on NBC-Radio's Let's Dance in 1934. Left Goodman to form Gene Krupa Orchestra four years later. He appeared at the last reunion of original Goodman Orchestra in 1973. In 1944 Krupa was voted: best drummer, Down Beat Readers' Poll.





(31) Glasspacks n.: A type of muffler which gives a nice throaty and loud sound. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)



(32) Jam session n. : Orig. an informal gathering of jazz musicians to play for their own pleasure, usu. in free and lengthy improvisations on well-known themes; later a term applied commercially to public jazz performances (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(33) Pay through the nose

- To pay excessively (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 

- To pay reluctantly or to pay an exorbitant price. (Source: "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle)

- Lyrics might also refer to using cocaine.

- Also mentioned in The Wages Of Love, 1982: "You see, love has a graveyard nurtured for those, that fell on their sabers and paid through the nose."



(34) Leg akimbo: Leg bowed outward (Source: Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000)



(35) Earlier version:  as published in the Los Angeles Free Press. January, 1974: "You know there's a blurred drizzle down a plate glass. There's a neon swizzle stick a-stirrin' up a sultry night air, and a traffic jam session on Belmont as a yellow biscuit of a butter cueball moon is rollin' maverick across an obsidian sky... And you know the buses are groanin' and they're wheezin' down the corner I'm freezin' on restless boulevard, midnight road cross town from Easy Street. With the tight knots of moviegoers and out-of-towners on the stroll and the buildings tower high above lit like dominoes... Now you know the used car salesmen with all their Purina checkerboard slacks and Foster Grant wraparounds are pacing in front of that rainbow $39.95 Earl Scheib merchandise. Like barkers in an arcade, all dressed up in jackel-striped jackets with the blue denim dye and color TV test pattern, double-knit polyester slacks throwing out some kind of a Texas Guinan routine: " They say: 'Hello, sucker, we like your money, just as well as anybody else's here,' and luring all the harlequin sailors on the stroll. in search of like new; new paint, factory air and AM-FM dreams... But you know the piss yellow gypsy cabs are stacked up in the taxi zones And they're waitin' like pinball machines to take off a joy ride to some magical place or they're waitin' in line like Truckers Welcome diners with dirt-lots full of Peterbilts and Kenworths and Jimmy's and the like. Doing some serious highballin' with bankrupt brakes, and they got the overdriven, underfed, underpaid, a day late - a dollar short. With their eyes propped open and their eyelids at half mast and I'm on the corner... I'm standin' on the corner like a just-got-in-town jasper on a streetcorner with a gasper. Lookin' for some kind of a Cheshire billboard grin. Stroking a goateed chin and using parking meters as walking sticks... I'm out here on the inebriated stroll. I am... and you know the sun come crawlin' yellow out of a manhole at the foot of Twenty-third Street, and a Dracula moon is making its way back dodgin' shadows to its prepaid room at the St. Moritz Hotel and and the El train is tumblin' across the trestles. Soundin' like the ghost of Gene Krupa with an overhead cam and glass packs and over at Chub's Pool and Snooker it was a nickel after two... "Yeah, with a nickel after two and the cobalt steel blue dream smoked, the radio groaned out the hit parade. And the chalk squeaked and the floorboards creaked. And an Olympia sign winked through a torn yellow shade, and Jack Chance himself leaning up against a Wurlitzer seriously eyeballin' out a three-ball combination shot... "I'm looking for some kind of an emotional investment with romantic dividends and leaning up against a banister I'm held over... held over for another smashed weekend"



Nobody

(Early demo version, 1971)

Nobody, nobody
Will ever love you the way I loved you
Cause nobody is that strong

Love's bitter sweet
Life's treasure's deep
But no one can keep a love that's gone wrong

Nobody, nobody
Gonna love you the way I could
Cause nobody's that strong
No, nobody's that strong

Nobody, nobody
Gonna love you the way I loved you
Cause nobody, nobody is that strong, yeah

You've had many lovers
You'll have many others
But they'll only just break your poor heart in two

And nobody, nobody
Will love you the way that I could
Cause nobody, nobody's that strong
No, nobody's that strong

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992
Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992
Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)



Nobody
(Nighthawks At The Diner album version, 1975)

Nobody, nobody
Will ever love you the way I could love you
Cause nobody, nobody is that strong

Love's bitter sweet
And life's treasure's deep
And no one can keep a love that's gone wrong

Nobody, nobody
Will love you the way that I could
Cause nobody, nobody's that strong
Cause nobody is that strong

Nobody, nobody
Will ever love you the way I can love you
Cause nobody, nobody's that strong

You've had many lovers
You'll have many others
But they'll only just break your poor heart in two

Nobody, nobody
Will love you the way that I could
Cause nobody, nobody's that strong
Cause nobody is that strong

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975
Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975

Known covers:
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch
Love Or Nothin', Caroline Henderson. August 11, 2006. Sundance (Denmark).



On A Foggy Night

It was all upon a foggy(2) night, an abandoned road

In a twilight mirror mirage

With no indication of any kind of service station

Or an all-night garage

I was misinformed(3), I was misdirected

Cause the interchange never intersected

Leaving me marooned(4) beneath a bloodshot moon

All upon a foggy night, a foggy night

All upon a foggy night



It was kind of an abandoned road, in a blurred brocade collage

Is that a road motel, I can't really tell

You gotta tell me, is that a vacancy lodge

There's no consolation, what kind of situation

To be aimlessly askew amidst a powder blue(5)

No tell tail light clue



Spun just like the spell you spin

This precarious pandemonium

Roslyn, I'm stranded, all upon a foggy night



Like a sweepstakes ticket for a Broadway arcade

Heads you win, tails I lose

I'm ramblin', I'm gamblin'

All upon a foggy night

Foggy night

Foggy night

Foggy night



You got the vice grips on my personality

It's all upon a foggy night

All upon a foggy night

All upon a foggy night

On a foggy night

All upon a foggy

All upon a foggy night



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner""Well, I think it's about time I took you on an improvisational adventure into the bowels of the Metropolitan region. Looks like a bona fide high voltage decked out in full regalia Angelino audience, driving in Subarus, Pintos, Malibus, Oldsmobiles. A small suburban community. This is kinda 'bout two thirty in the morning. You been standing on the corner of 5th and Vermouth, and you climb into the helm of a 1958 monkey-shit brown Buick Super, and you're on your way home. A luxury automobile, bought at Dollar Bill's Easy Autos for next to nothin'. You're cruisin' along, everything's goin' fine. Put a little smooth music on the stereo. Light up an Old Gold, save the coupon! Gotta think in terms of that patio furniture and that Toro mower, man. Yeah. You're on the Santa Monica freeway headed in an easterly direction, you just passed the La Cienega good turn-off, and you run into a cold fogbank... " (Transcript by Pieter from Holland as published on the Tom Waits Library. August, 2000)

Bonified/ Bona fide: adv. [20C] (US black) competent, qualified, the right man for the job [? Fr. bon, good + sfx, -ified or pron. of Lat. bona fide, genuine, lit. 'in good faith'] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)

Old Gold: American cigarette brandname. Produced by Lorillard Inc. "During the 1950s Old Gold Cigarettes sponsored quiz show commercials that featured models dressed in oversized replicas of Old Gold cigarette boxes. Called "The Dancing Butts," they danced across the stage during commercial spots Unseen but for their gorgeous legs, the models in these classic TV ad spots included Gloria Vestoff as "Regular," Dixie Dunbar as "King Size" and Whitey as the "Little Matchbox." The cover for Small Change shows a pack of Old Golds lying on the table





- Intro to On A Foggy Night (Folkscene, 1974): "This is the soundtrack for a film - the soundtrack was written quite a bit later than the film - the film came out about 1947 and I wrote it just a couple of weeks ago and it's about a foggy night on one of those "triangle" films that you see on The Late Show and this is just about the eternal triangle - like George Raft and Fred McMurray and Rosalind Russell - and somebody has to go and it's going to be George Raft in this case and Fred McMurray's got this old Plymouth and he's on this foggy road with McMurray in the trunk, a little bit of his lapel sticking out the back of the trunk and this song comes on the radio ...." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))

Chip White (2007) on touring with Waits from 1976 on: "Waits knew the script of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity by heart... The whole band knew it. One of us would take Fred MacMurray's character and another would take Barbara Stanwyck's. It was like learning the lines to a song" (Source: Chip White interview December 11, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

Intro to On A Foggy Night (Folkscene, 1975) "There's a stretch of highway from Blythe to San Diego - I drove all night from Nogalis and I got to Blythe and I hadn't washed my windshield. Driving through Blythe at about 3 o'clock in the morning I sort of imagined all these Eucalyptus trees hanging over the highway and these big radio towers which weren't really there. I was just driving a long time. And I've talked to truck drivers that say that same stretch of highway they imagined being in a forest - if you've been driving for a long time but there's something about coming into town on highway 8 that's exciting. But when we were going out there was a fog bank up around Hecumba(?) and - God, a mysterious wet fog was hanging over the highway and so we're coming down and this is about driving on a foggy night on an abandoned road late at night ..." (Source: Folkscene 1975, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. January 12 (February 13?), 1975)



(2) Foggy adj.: Confused; confusing, perplexing; unrealized, not specific enough (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) I was misinformed: This might be quoting from 'Casablanca': Louis: And what in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick Blaine: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Louis: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert. Rick Blaine: I was misinformed.



(4) Maroon v. adj.: 1. To put ashore on a desolate island or coast and leave to one's fate 2. To place or leave in isolation or without hope of ready escape(Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)



(5) Powder blue

- n. A moderate to pale blue or purplish blue. Etymology: From the color of powdered smalt (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

- Notice the same phrase being used in Barber Shop, 1977: "I just bought myself a struggle buggy suckers powder blue." Downtown, 1980: "Just another dead soldier in a powder blue night."



Putnam County

I guess things were always kinda quiet around Putnam County

Kinda shy and sleepy as it clung to the skirts of the 2-lane

That was stretched out just like an asphalt dance floor

Where all the old-timers in bib jeans and store bought boots

Were hunkerin'(2) down in the dirt

To lie about their lives and the places that they'd been

And they'd suck on Coca Colas, yeah, and be spittin' Day's Work

Until the moon was a stray dog on the ridge and...

And the taverns would be swollen until the naked eye of 2 a.m.

And the Stratocasters slung over the Burgermeister beer guts

And swizzle stick legs(3) jackknifed over naugahyde(4) stools... yeah

And the witch hazel spread out over the linoleum floors

And pedal pushers(5) stretched out over a midriff bulge

And the coiffed brunette curls over Maybelline eyes

Wearing Prince Machiavelli(6), or something... yeah

Estee Lauder, smells so sweet

And I elbowed up(7) at the counter with mixed feelings over mixed drinks

As Bubba and the Roadmasters moaned in pool hall concentration and...

And knit their brows(8) to cover the entire Hank Williams(9) songbook

Whether you like it or not

And the old National register was singin' to the tune of $57.57... yeah

And then it's last call, one more game of eightball

Berniece'd be puttin' the chairs on the tables

And someone come in and say, 'Hey man, anyone got any jumper cables?'

'Is that a 6 or a 12 volt, man? I don't know...'

Yeah, and all the studs in town would toss 'em down

And claim to fame as they stomped their feet

Yeah, boastin' about bein' able to get more ass than a toilet seat(10)

And the GMC's(11) and the Straight-8 Fords were coughin' and wheezin'

And they percolated(12) as they tossed the gravel underneath the fenders

To weave home a wet slick anaconda of a 2-lane

With tire irons and crowbars a-rattlin'

With a tool box and a pony saddle

You're grindin' gears and you're shiftin' into first

Yeah, and that goddam Tranny's just gettin' worse, man

With the melody of see-ya-later's and screwdrivers on carburetors

Talkin' shop about money to loan

And Palominos and strawberry roans(13)... yeah

See ya tomorrow, hello to the Missus!

With money to borrow and goodnight kisses

As the radio spit out Charlie Rich(14), man,

and he sure can sing that son of a bitch

And you weave home, yeah, weavin' home

Leavin' the little joint winkin' in the dark warm narcotic American night

Beneath a pin cushion sky

And it's home to toast and honey, gotta start up the Ford, man

Yeah, and your lunch money's right over there on the drainin' board

And the toilet's runnin'! Christ, shake the handle!

And the telephone's ringin', it's Mrs. Randal

And where the hell are my goddam sandals?

What you mean, the dog chewed up my left foot?

With the porcelain poodles and the glass swans

Staring down from the knickknack shelf... yeah

And the parent permission slips for the kids' field trips

Yeah, and a pair of Muckalucks(15) scraping across the shag carpet... yeah

And the impending squint of first light

And it lurked behind a weepin' marquee in downtown Putnam

Yeah, and it'd be pullin' up any minute now

Just like a bastard amber Velveta yellow cab on a rainy corner

And be blowin' its horn in every window in town



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": I wanna tell you a story here. It's about a place called Putnam County. Yeah... How's the service here? Yeah, it's all right? I mean, I gave you a beer and everything. Don't gotta pay or nothin'. Well, they hit you up at the door on your way out...  

Patrick Humphries quotes an unidentified Sound Magazine interview from 1976 by Mike Flood Page: "I used to listen to a lot of records by a guy called Lou Short. He made a lotta albums in the forties and nobody knew who he was. He used to pay to have them made. But everybody in Baxter, Putnam County knew who he was. And he was the town hypochondriac. I mean, there's a breeze coming up and he's got a little sniffle... Anyway, the town hypochondriac finally upped and died, and on his tombstone... it said 'Lou Short Died' and on the bottom it said 'I told you I was sick!'" (Source: "Small Change, A life of Tom Waits". Patrick Humphries, 1989. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-312-04582-4).

- Baxter is in Putnam County Tennessee. It's east of Nashville, more or less near the town of Murfreesboro (Pony: Mule Variations, 1999)





- Tom Waits (introducing Putnam County, Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Why don't I tell a story? I could do this piece called "Putnam County". This is about a place in Tennessee eh... It's a real town, a small town. It's one of those towns where... It's so small that the main drag is a transvestite... and eh... " (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concert radio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (Lawrence James Travagliante). December 3, 1975)

Tom Waits (1976): "Those guys [country rockers like the Eagles] grew up in L.A. and they don't have cow-shit on their boots - they just got dog shit from Laurel Canyon. They wouldn't last two minutes in Putnam County, that's for sure. If somebody gets shot and killed there on a Saturday night, the Sunday papers say he just died of natural causes!" (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



(2) Hunker: "It sounds like the most typically American of phrases, but it seems originally to have been Scots, first recorded in the eighteenth century. Nobody seems to know exactly what its origin is, though it has been suggested it's linked to the Old Norse huka, to squat; that would make it a close cousin of the modern Dutch huiken and German hocken, meaning to squat or crouch, which makes sense. That's certainly what's meant by the word in American English, in phrases like hunker down or on your hunkers. The Oxford English Dictionary has a fine description of how to hunker: "squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutely bent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weight upon the fore part of the feet". The advantage of this position is that you're not only crouched close to the ground, so presenting a small target for whatever the universe chooses to throw at you, but you're also ready to move at a moment's notice. Hunker down has also taken on the sense of to hide, hide out, or take shelter, whatever position you choose to do it in. This was a south-western US dialect form that was popularised by President Johnson in the mid 1960s. Despite its Scots ancestry, hunker is rare in standard British English." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004) 



(3) Swizzle stick

- n.: A stick used to stir mixed drinks (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary).

- Also mentioned in "Nighthawk Postcards" (And as a neon swizzle stick is stirrin' up the sultry night air)



(4) Naugahyde: American trademark used for vinyl-coated fabrics (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)



(5) Pedal pushers

- A style of pants in which the pant leg ends right at the calf; three-quarter length trousers (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000). 

- Also mentioned in "Heartattack And Vine" (See that little Jersey girl in the see-thru top. With the pedal pushers, suckin' on a soda pop)



(6) Wearing Prince Machiavelli, or something: "A reference to a perfume that is in reality called Prince Matchabelli. This is a common confusion, one that Waits humorously plays up." (Submitted by Pablo Secca. May 24, 2007)



(7) Elbow one's way in: To push one's way through a crowd; to get a place by hook or crook. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(8) Knit the/one's brows

- To frown; to scowl. To bend the brow (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)

- Also mentioned in "Gin Soaked Boy": "The dogs are barking out back, and you're knittin' your brow"



(9) Williams, Hank: The father of contemporary country music. Williams was a superstar by the age of 25; he was dead at the age of 29. In those four short years, he established the rules for all the country performers that followed him. He lived a life as troubled and reckless as that depicted in his songs. Born in Mount Olive, Alabama, on September 17, 1923. "Move It On Over," released in 1947, became Hank Williams's first single for MGM. It was an immediate hit. In 1950 Williams began recording a series of spiritual records under the name Luke the Drifter. Williams continued to rack up hits in 1951, beginning with the Top Ten hit "Dear John" and its number one flip-side, "Cold Cold Heart." Hank had several other hits in 1951, including the number one "Hey, Good Lookin'" and "Howlin' at the Moon," "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)," Though his professional career was soaring, Hank Williams's personal life was beginning to spin out of control, he began to drink frequently. Hank turned completely reckless in 1952, spending nearly all of his waking hours drunk and taking drugs, while he was frequently destroying property and playing with guns. Williams continued to play a large number of concerts, but he was always drunk during the show, or he missed the gig altogether. The Grand Ole Opry fired him for that very reason. He was told that he could return once he was sober. Instead of heeding the Opry's warning, he just sank deeper into his self-destructive behaviour. Hank Williams was scheduled to play a concert on January 1, 1953. Before he and his chauffeur left Ohio, Williams was injected with two shots of the vitamin B-12 and morphine by a doctor. The driver was stopped for speeding when the policeman noticed that Williams looked like a dead man. Williams was taken to a hospital and he was officially declared dead at on January 1, 1953. Hank Williams had died in the back of the Cadillac, on his way to a concert. The last single released in his lifetime was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive."





(10) To get more ass than a toilet seat: Have more arse than a toilet seat, to phr. [1960s+] of a man, to have an active, even excessive, sex live (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(11) GMC: A car or engine built by GMC (General Motors Corp.). Hot-rod use since c1955 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(12) Percolate v.i.: 1. To become hot and boil over, said of early automobile engines. c1915-c1925. 2. To run smoothly and easily, said of automobiles and motors. Some use since c1920 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(13) Palominos and Strawberry Roans

- Light golden color and auburn color horses. Roan actually means chestnut-colored. Roy Rogers's horse was Trigger, a beautiful palimino which made that color very popular (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)

- They're in a parking lot in that part of the song, chatting away while leaving for home. I thought they were talking about upholstery. Palomino leather and strawberry roan leather (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000) 



(14) Rich, Charlie: Born in Forrest City on December 14, 1934, to a poor Arkansas family. Rich was a multi talented artist, bridging Jazz, Blues, and Rock, in a more versatile way than many other artists. "I didn't dig country" Rich would say. As he struggled to find his musical niche, the bluesy "Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave" brought Rich underground fame. Rich with his famous grey streak of hair, recorded "Big Boss Man", and "Behind Closed Doors" in 1973. After making over $2 million in 1975 alone (the time Nighthawks was recorded), Rich settled into a quiet Memphis suburb. An interesting moment came when Charlie was presenting the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award. As Rich opened the envelope, he discovered to his horror that John Denver had won. Rich set fire to the award on stage, in a rage of fury and disbelief, later attributed to a painkiller reaction. Like Jerry Lee Lewis, Rich is haunted by a deeply religious upbringing which is at odds with his Rock n' Roll profession. Charlie's son Alan is an outstanding keyboard session man for major Rock bands today. Personal quote: "I really don't like happy music. I don't think it says anything." Waits opened shows for Rich in the early 70's.

Tom Waits (1976): "I played at Max's, Kansas City and opened a show for Charlie Rich." (Source: WNEW FM: Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight Date: Recorded MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976. Aired December 18, 1976 on WNEW-FM. Rebroadcast March 24, 1996 WNEW-FM.) Further reading: Perfomances.





(15) Muckalucks

- Tom Waits (1976): "Muckalucks are carpet slippers, a Peterbilt is a truck and Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe..."(Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



Spare Parts 1

(A Nocturnal Emission)



Well, the dawn cracked hard just like a bullwhip

Cause it wasn't takin' no lip from the night before

And it shook out the streets, as the stew bums(1) showed up

Like bounced checks(2), rubbin' their necks

And the sky turned the color of Pepto-Bismol(3)

Yeah, and the parking lots growled

My old sport coat full of promissory notes

And a receipt from a late night motel

The hawk(4) had his whole family out there in the wind

And he got a message for you to beware

Kickin' your ass in, in a cold-blooded fashion

And dishin' out more than a good man can bear



And I got shoes untied, my shirttail's out

Ain't got a ghost of a chance(5) with this old romance

Just an apartment for rent down the block

Ivar Theater(6) with live burlesque

Man, the manager's scowlin', with his feet on the desk

Boom boom against the curtain, you're still hurtin', ay-ay

And then push came to shove(7), and shove came to biff

Girls like that just lay you out stiff

Maybe I'll go to Cleveland and, you know, get me a tattoo or somethin'

My brother-in-law lives there



And it's a skid mark tattoo on the asphalt blue

Was that a Malibu?

Vroooooom, vroooooom

Yeah, it's Liz Taylor(8) and Montgomery Clift(9)

Coming on to the broads with the same ol' riff, yeah

'Hey baby, why don't you come up to my place?

We'll listen to some smooth music on the stereo' eh-he-he

'No thank you,' she said, eh-he-he, 'you got any Stan Getz(10 records?'

'No man, I got eh... Smothers Brothers'(11)



So I combed back my Detroit(12), jacked up my pegs(13)

I wiped my Stacy Adams(14) and I jackknifed my legs

Yeah, I got designs on a movin' violation

Yeah baby, you put me on hold and I'm out in the wind

And it's gettin' mighty cold

It's colder than a gut-shot bitch wolf dog with nine suckin' pups

pullin' a number 4 trap up a hill in the dead of winter

in the middle of a snowstorm with a mouth full of porcupine quills



Well, I don't need you, baby

You see, it's a well known fact, you know

I'm four sheets to the wind(15), I'm glad you're gone

I'm glad you're gone, cause I'm finally alone

Glad you're gone, but I wish you'd come home

Yeah, and I struggled out of bed



Cause the dawn was crackin' hard just like a bullwhip

And it wasn't takin' no lip from the night before

Yeah, as it shook out the streets and the stew bums showed up

Just like bounced checks, rubbin' their necks

And the sky turned the color of Pepto-Bismol(3)

And my old sport coat full of promissory notes

And the hawk had his whole family out there in the wind

He got a message for you to beware

Kickin' your ass in, in a cold blooded fashion

He'll be dishin' out more than a good man can bear

Well, let's take it to Bakersfield, get a little apartment somewhere



Written by: Tom Waits and Chuck E. Weiss

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Stewbum

- n.: An unemployed, homeless street beggar, or hobo, who has reached this lowly position through alcoholism. Orig. any beggar or hobo, as one who lives on stew; but the association has changed to one who is, or has too often been, stewed (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Stew bum: n. [1900s-30s] a down-and-out alcoholic, the most deprived of vagrants (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(2) Bounced check n.: A check that is returned for lack of funds = "rubber check" (Source: New dictionary of American slang, Chapman) 



(3) Pepto-Bismol: A bright pink medicine that helps soothe your stomach. Sickly sweet to the taste. Anyone who grew up with it never forgets it... (Submitted by Andy and Jodi, September, 2000)



(4) Hawk: Person with agressive stance in life. In politics: advocate of active warfare.



 (5) Ghost of a chancephr. [mid-19C+] no chance whatsoever (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



 (6) Ivar Theater: Further reading: Ivar Theatre



(7) Push came to shovephr. [1950s+] (orig. US) in the final assesment, when all other alternatives have been exhausted [SE push is seen as less aggressive as shove] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(8) Taylor, Liz: Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London, England on February 27, 1932. Her parents were art dealers from St. Louis, Missouri. She lived in London for the first seven years of her life before the family left when the dark clouds of war began brewing in 1939. Liz was a close friend of Montgomery Clift until his death in 1966. They met for the first time when Paramount decided that she had to accompany him to the premiere of "The Heiress (1949) " because they were both to star in the upcoming "A Place in the Sun (1951) ". They liked each other right away. Clift used to call her "Bessie Mae". When he had the road accident a few years later that disfigured him, he came from a party at Liz's house. And it was she that found him first, got into the wreck and removed some teeth from his throat that threatened to choke him



(9) Clift, Montgomery: Edward Montgomery Clift born: 17 October 1920 Omaha, Nebraska. Died: 23 July New York. The release of "Red River" (1948) made Clift an overnight sensation and instant star. He embodied a new type of man on screen, the beautiful, sensual and vulnerable man that seemed to appeal to women and men alike. He was also by that time exclusively homosexual, though he maintained a number of close friendships with theatre women (heavily promoted by studio publicists). He was troubled with allergies and, along with pill problems he was alcoholic. After "A Place in the Sun" (1951) came out he was Hollywood's hottest male star and adored by millions. Clift's mental problems prevented him from staying at the top as his drinking and drug problem began to affect his acting and bankability. In 1956 during filming of "Raintree County" (1957) he ran his car into a tree after leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's; it was she who saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his throat. What followed could be described as the longest suicide in show-business history. The accident left him with the left side of his face almost paralysed and with a small scar on his upper lip. The recurring pain in the rest of his body would remain for the rest of his life, only serving to increase his dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs. He never looked the same again and to a man who had greatly valued his looks, that was a blow. Producers and directors avoided him because of the problems he caused on set. But Elizabeth Taylor remained a loyal friend. It was Elizabeth Taylor who came to the rescue, using her position to win him a role in "Reflections in a Golden Eye" as her husband. On July 23 1966 his companion Lorenzo James found him lying nude on top of his bed, dead from what the autopsy called "occlusive coronary artery disease". Check out: The Montgomery Clift Shrine





(10) Stan Getz: Stanley Gayetzky. Born: Philadelphia, Penns., February 2 1927. American bandleader and jazz saxofonist. Worked with Astrid Gilberto amongst others. Is regarded as representative of Cool Jazz and West Coast Jazz



(11) Smothers Brothers: In the early 60s, Dick and Tom Smothers became famous for hilarious parodies of folksongs and recorded many wide-selling albums. They used this style of comedy for cutting social satire as well. Eventually they were given a CBS TV show in 1967 and it proved popular, introducing the public to a wide range of folk musicians and comedians, but it was seen as too controversial and eventually canceled. In 1975 Tom and Dick made a come-back on NBC (this is when Spare parts was recorded). Mr. Waits appeared on on their TV show in 1982 singing "Old boyfriends ". The brothers are still doing shows. To engage them go to: The Smothers Brothers Homepage



(12) Detroit n.: A type of men's haircut in which the hair on the top of the head is cut short and the hair on the sides long. Detroit cut, crew on top, normal trim on sides. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(13) Peg n. pl.: The legs; trousers. Jive use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(14) Adams, Stacy

- Slang expression: Born from Stacy Adams which is a fancy dress shoe. To buy your own Stacys check out this site.

- Also mentioned in Tom Traubert's Blues, 1976: "No one speaks English, and everything's broken And my Stacys are soaking wet."

Tom Waits (1976): "Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe... if you had them on then nobody messed with you and you could go anywhere. Stacey's stayed ahead of current affairs and were considered extremely hip." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976) 



(15) Four sheets to the wind

- Drunk. Synonymous with the phrase "Three Sheets to the Wind" (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Unsteady from over-drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in the wind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a rope called a "tack;" the other corner is left more or less free as the rope called a "sheet" is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is said to be "in the wind," and the sail flaps and flutters without restraint. If all the three sails were so loosened, the ship would "reel and stagger like a drunken man." "Captain Cuttle looking, candle in hand, at Bunsby more attentively, perceived that he was three sheets in the wind, or, in plain words, drunk."- Dickens; Dombey and Son.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

- "It's a sailor's expression, from the days of sailing ships. The terminology of sailing ships is excessively complicated and every time I refer to it people write in to say I've got it wrong, usually contradicting each other. So treat what follows as a broad-brush treatment, open to dispute on fine points. We ignorant landlubbers might think that a sheet is a sail, but in traditional sailing-ship days, a sheet was actually a rope, particularly one attached to the bottom corner of a sail (it actually comes from an Old English term for the corner of a sail). The sheets were vital, since they trimmed the sail to the wind. If they ran loose, the sail would flutter about in the wind and the ship would wallow off its course out of control. Extend this idea to sailors on shore leave, staggering back to the ship after a good night on the town, well tanked up. The irregular and uncertain locomotion of these jolly tars must have reminded onlookers of the way a ship moved in which the sheets were loose. Perhaps one loose sheet might not have been enough to get the image across, so the speakers borrowed the idea of a three-masted sailing ship with three sheets loose, so the saying became three sheets in the wind. Our first written example comes from that recorder of low life, Pierce Egan, in his Real life in London of 1821. But it must surely be much older. The version you give, incidentally, is comparatively recent, since the older one (the only one given in the big Oxford English Dictionary) is three sheets in the wind. However, online searches show that your version is now about ten times as common as the one containing in, so it may be that some day soon it will be the only one around. The version with to seems to be gaining ground because so many people think a sheet is a sail" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)

- Also mentioned in Tom Traubert's Blues (sub title), 1976: "Four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen"



Spare Parts 2

I wanna thank you all very much for comin' this evening. It really made my
night. It would have been real strange here if nobody would have showed up.
I'd like to introduce my group this evening and... it's been a real pressure
and... A pressure and a pliviledge to work with these gentlemen.
I'd like to introduce...
Please give a warm round of applause for Michael Melvoin(1) on piano!
On saxophone, Pete Christlieb!(2)
On bass, Jim Hughart!(3)
And on drums, Bill Goodwin!(4)
Yeah... They all come from good families, but... over the years they just
kinda individually developed some ways about them that just aren't right,
you know.
I was real pleased... I noticed everybody coming in this evening, you're all
decked out in full regalia and everything and... appreciate you gettin'
dressed up for an affair such as this. You know, I think it's something that
I've always tried to be as concerned about as possible and... Somebody said
to me one day, 'Christ, Waits! You look so goddam raggedy, why don't you get
yourself something to wear, you know?'
I said, 'Yeah well, not a bad idea'. Maybe a serious seersucker(5) Saturday
evening cranberry accoutrement ensemble would be nice. So I went down to
Seider & Seider and I said, 'I want something sharp!' I said, 'I'm kinda in the
market, in the neighborhood of something like... maybe some green gabardines
with boneroo britches. And a leviticously duteronomous sort of catastrophic
lunch-box Stetson, you know. I'd like to get some Danger High Voltage
slacks, with high top, mid noon, brushed suede penny loafers, so I can be
passing out wolf tickets(6) regardless of where I go.' Walk into the 20 Grand
Club... And the Soul & Inspirations are playin'. Yeah, and you're cuttin' a
rug and pullin' on a coat and emotin'. Band is kickin' into some long
version of 'Harlem Nocturne' or somethin'. You get designs on a girl in the
corner. You say, 'Say baby... live around here?'
Yeah... I think I'm gonna plant(7) you now and I'm gonna dig you later. Make
like a bakery truck and haul buns. Make like a(8) hockey player and get the
puck out of here. I gotta go see a man about a dog(9), I'll see you later.
Thank you very much for comin' this evening!

Written by: Tom Waits and Chuck E. Weiss
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975
Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975
(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren as sent to: Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)

Known covers:
None

Notes:

(1) Michael Melvoin.
- Born: Oshkosh/Wisc. May 10 1937. Orchestral arrangement and direction on: The heart of Saturday night. Piano on: Nighthawks at the diner. He is based in Los Angeles and has worked extensively in the studios. Has not yet gained the fame that he deserves for his impressive technique and strong jazz improvising talents. He began playing piano when he was three but graduated from Dartmouth in 1959 with a degree in English. However, Melvoin soon chose to become a professional musician. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961 and worked with many top West Coast players and performers including Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry Gibbs, Joe Williams, Peggy Lee, Gabor Szabo and off course Jim Hughart. Played for Phil Spector's "Wrecking Crew ". Although busy in the studios, he recorded for Concord in the mid-'70s. Has worked occasionally in L.A. area clubs and often teams up with singer Bill Henderson. He led two albums for Liberty in 1966 and one for Discwasher in 1979
- Michael Melvoin on studio recordings with Waits in 1974: "I knew that I was dealing with an extraordinary, different kind of talent. There were a couple of things about it. First of all, the lyrics ... I would describe them as top-rank American poetry. I thought then, and I still believe, that I was dealing with a world-class poet. My degree from school was in English literature, so I felt that I was in the presence of one of the great Beat poets. Tom's work was "a counterpoint to that experience. I was amazed by the richness of it. The musical settings that he was using reminded me of certain roots jazz experiences that I thought were very, very appropriate for that." (Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits". Jay S. Jacobs, ECW Press 2000. Telephone conversation. June 25, 1999)

(2) Pete Christlieb: Born: Los Angeles, CA, 16-02-1945. American jazz-clarinetist, flutist and saxophonist. He also played on the 1976 "Mainstreet" album

(3) Jim Hughart: James David Hughart. Born: Minneapolis, MI, July 28 1936. American jazz bass player. Played together with Waits from 1975 till 1980. Also played with Ella Fitzgerald amongst others

(4) Bill Goodwin: William Richard Goodwin. Born: Los Angeles, Ca., January 8 1942. American percussionist. Played on the "Mainstreet" album of 1976. In 1995 he played on the Bellingham Festival of Music

(5) Seersucker: n. A light thin fabric, generally cotton or rayon, with a crinkled surface and a usually striped pattern (Source: "The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language", Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

(6) Wolf tickets
- Tom Waits (1988): "Another one I like is wolf tickets, which means bad news, as in someone who is bad news or generally insubordinate. In a sentence, you'd say, "Don't fuck with me, I'm passing out wolf tickets." Think it's either Baltimore Negro or turn-of-the-century railroad use." (Source: Tom Waits 20 questions. Playboy magazine: Steve Oney. -- March 1988)
- Sell a woof/ wolf ticket, to: phr. [1960s+] (US Black) 2a. To boast, to brag. 2b. to talk nonsense, to lie [trash talk] 2c. to threaten, to intimidate (buy a woof ticket) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
- "As early as 1985, Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune defined selling woof tickets as "an invitation to fight." In 1996, Jane Kennedy of The San Francisco Examiner called it "telling lies." In The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Betty Parham and Gerrie Ferris wrote in 1992, "Although its origin is uncertain, 'woof ticket' is a somewhat dated phrase that refers to an outrageous or exaggerated boast meant to intimidate or impress the listener." Woof is a Black English pronunciation of "wolf." According to Geneva Smitherman's 1994 "Black Talk," a woof ticket is "a verbal threat, which one sells to somebody; may or may not be real. Often used as a strategy to make another person back down and surrender to what that person perceives as a superior power." Tom McIntyre, professor of special education at Hunter College in New York, noted nearly a decade ago: "Woofing is especially effective against those who are unfamiliar with it and don't realize that it is most often 'all show and no go.' . . . The menacing behavior can usually be defused and eliminated by informed, tactful action." He advised teachers to "look secure and self-assured while you withdraw." In the context of the basketball star Howard's remarks, woof tickets are not to be bought; on the contrary, he uses the phrase to show that performance, and not intimidating attitude, is needed to "get it together." (Source: "On Language by William Safire, Crying Woof!". Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company. Submitted by Monika Kottenhahn, eGroups Tom Waits discussionlist. October, 2000)
- Also mentioned in Trouble's Braids, 1983: "Passin' out wolf tickets, downwind from the bloodhounds."

(7) Plant, to: v. [early 19C] to abandon, to leave (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

(8) Make like a...: v. [1950s+] (US) as part of a number of phrs. all of which mean 'go away', 'get lost', e.g. make like a fart and blow away, ... dragster and lay rubber, ... drum and beat it, ... banana and splitt, ... cow pat and hit the trail, ... paper doll and cut out, ... tree and leave, ... rubber and roll on. (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

(9) See a man about a dog, have to
- The traditional and jocular excuse to leave a person, group, or room. Thus = excuse me, I have to leave, c1920 usu. used to excuse oneself to go out and buy bootleg liquor. c1940 usu. used as an excuse to go to the bathroom (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- phr. [mid-19C+] a euph. used to disguise one's need or desire to visit the lavatory.
- [mid-19C+] an excuse to absent oneself from home in order to visit one's mistress or to go out for a drink (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
- "This has been a useful (and usefully vague) excuse for absenting oneself from company for about 150 years, though the real reason for slipping away has not always been the same. Like a lot of such colloquial sayings, it is very badly recorded. However, an example turned up in 1940 in a book called America's Lost Plays, which proved that it was already in use in the US in 1866, in a work by a prolific Irish-born playwright of the period named Dion Boucicault, The Flying Scud or a Four-legged Fortune. This play, about an eccentric and superannuated old jockey, may have been, as a snooty reviewer of the period remarked, "a drama which in motive and story has nothing to commend it", but it does include our first known appearance of the phrase: "Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can't stop; I've got to see a man about a dog". I don't have access to the text of the play itself, so can't say why the speaker had to absent himself. From other references at the time there were three possibilities: 1) he needed to visit the loo (read WC, toilet, or bathroom if you prefer); 2) he was in urgent need of a restorative drink, presumed alcoholic; or 3) he had a similarly urgent need to visit his mistress. Of these reasons-which, you may feel, encompass a significant part of what it meant to be male in nineteenth-century America - the second became the most common sense during the Prohibition period. Now that society's conventions have shifted to the point where none of these reasons need cause much remark, the utility of the phrase is greatly diminished and it is most often used in a facetious sense, if at all." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)



Warm Beer And Cold Women

It's warm beer and cold women, no I just don't fit in

Every joint I stumbled into tonight, that's just how it's been

All these double-knit strangers with gin and vermouth

And recycled stories, in the naugahyde(2) booths

And the platinum blondes and tobacco brunettes

I'll just be drinkin' to forget you, I light another cigarette

And the band's playin' somethin' by Tammy Wynette(3)

And the drinks are on me tonight



All my conversations now, I'll just be talkin' about you, baby

I'm borin' some sailor as I try to get through

I just want him to listen now, I say that's all you have to do

He said I'm better off without you, until I showed him my tattoo

And now the moon's risin', ain't no time to lose

Time to get down to drinkin', tell the band to play the blues

And the drink's are on me, I'll buy another round

At the last ditch attempt saloon



Warm beer and cold women, no I just don't fit in

Every joint I stumbled into tonight, that's just how it's been

All these double-knit strangers with gin and vermouth

Receding hairlines, in the naugahyde booths

And the platinum blondes and tobacco brunettes

I'll just be drinkin' to forget you, baby, I light a menthol cigarette

And the band's playin' somethin' by (4)Johnnie Barnette

At the last ditch attempt saloon



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975



Known covers:

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has Been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Warm Beer And Cold Women". With: Frank Vicari: tenor saxophone. Dr. Fitz(gerald) Jenkins: upright bass. Chip White: drums. Taken from "Sange Efter Lukketid" DR2 television live music show. Copenhagen/ Denmark: June, 1976. Directed by Ole Koefoed, produced by Edmondt Jensen.



Notes:



(1) Warm Beer And Cold Women intro's

Live intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner: "Hey, how are ya? This is about a... well, I'd kinda reached the end of an emotional cul-de-sac one particular evening. It was a strange sort of evening. I ended up at a little vino place called The Three Little Pigs. Well, I was starin' at the beer nuts, and the swizzle sticks, and the three little pigs... I was gettin' a lot of visual and verbal insubordination from a double-knit character in the corner, and... One of those nights... "

Live intro from "The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, December 3, 1976": "Well, I'm all disoriented here! We'd like to do a... The ensemble here is completely nerve-ridden Well, we're gonna do a little song here... It's about a... I started out with bad directions to a party one night. You know how that is. The guy didn't speak English. Told us to get on 32 and run it all the way out. Ended up in a small little bar. And I've been into a lot of bars and... this was one of them. This (?) little place originally was a men's room, and they decided to knock out a wall and build on. A livin', breathin' example of urban renewal, extensive renovations, under new management, please pay when served, and... well..."



(2) Naugahyde: American trademark used for vinyl-coated fabrics (Source: Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)



(3) Tammy Wynette: Tammy Wynette, born Virginia Wynette Pugh in Itawamba/Mpi May 5 1942. Two of her biggest hits were "Stand by Your Man" and "DIVORCE." Her 1969 album, Tammy's Greatest Hits, sold more copies than any female country recording artist ever had and crossed over to the Top 40 pop lists. Wynette married her third husband, country superstar George ("No Show") Jones, in 1968, and the couple became known as "Mr. & Mrs. Country Music." They were also frequent fodder for the tabloids, due to Jones' fondness of the bottle. Jones was a violent drunk, however, and Wynette finally left him in 1975 ( this is when Mr.Waits recorded Warm beer). Stress-related hospitalizations; the torching of her tour bus and fifteen-bathroom house; and a 1978 kidnapping, during which she was held at gunpoint, strangled, and beaten severely by her abductor. She came honestly by her nickname, "The Heroine of Heartache." The nineties witnessed one of the most unusual collaborations in musical history: Wynette teamed with British dance band K.L.F. for the strange single, "Justified and Ancient," The First Lady of Country Music died in her sleep in April of 1998. She was fifty-five.



(4) Jonnie Barnett: Jonnie Barnett, co-writer of the Clay Walker hit, "The Chain Of Love," died August 18, 2002 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. According to information provided the Tennessean newspaper, Barnett was 56 and died of a stroke. In addition to "Chain," a 2001 BMI award-winner, Barnett also co-wrote "One Foot In The Blues," which was recorded by Johnny Adams and nominated in 1997 at the W. C. Handy Blues Awards for blues song of the year. Born Jonathan Barnett Kaye in Sumpter, SC, Barnett broke into the entertainment business as a performer, sharing the bill with such acts as Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Cheech & Chong, Howlin' Wolf, Eric Burdon and Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry. However, he was primarily a songwriter for the last 20 years of his life. Among those who recorded his songs were Hank Williams Jr., Etta James, the Holmes Brothers, Joe Simon, Eric Burdon, Irma Thomas and his sometimes co-writer Dan Penn. Occasionally doubling as a movie actor, Barnett had small parts in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975) and Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980). Barnett and his co-writer, Rory Lee, wrote a short-story version of "The Chain of Love" that appeared in the inspirational book Chicken Soup For The Country Soul before Walker released it in song form. (Source: Traditional Country Hall Of Fame, 2002 -Edward Morris, CMT)

Tom Waits (1975): "I've played audiences that hate me, that'd love to do damage to my physical person. Interviewer - what do you do? Well, you think up a lot of insults before you go on stage, I learned a lot of 'em from Jonnie Barnett." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)



Small Change, 1976



Bad Liver And A Broken Heart

Well, I got a bad liver and a broken heart

Yeah, I drunk me a river since you tore me apart

And I don't have a drinking problem 'cept when I can't get a drink

And I wish you'd known her, we were quite a pair

She was sharp as a razor and soft as a prayer



So welcome to the continuing saga

She was my better half, and I was just a dog

And so here am I slumped

I've been chipped and I've been chumped on my stool

So buy this fool some spirits and libations(2)

It's these railroad station bars

And all these conductors and the porters

And I'm all out of quarters



And this epitaph is the aftermath

Yeah, I choose my path, hey come on, Kath

He's a lawyer, he ain't the one for ya

No, the moon ain't romantic, it's intimidating as hell

And some guy's trying to sell me a watch

And so I'll meet you at the bottom of a bottle of bargain Scotch(3)

I got me a bottle and a dream, it's so maudlin(4) it seems



You can name your poison(5)

Go on ahead and make some noise I ain't sentimental

This ain't a purchase, it's a rental, and it's purgatory

And hey, what's your story, well I don't even care

Cause I got my own double-cross to bear(6)



And I'll see your Red Label, and I'll raise(7) you one more

And you can pour me a cab, I just can't drink no more

cause it don't douse the flames

that are started by dames, It ain't like asbestos

It don't do nothing but rest us assured

And substantiate the rumors that you've heard



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976



Known covers:

None



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Bad Liver And A Broken Heart". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977.  



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1976): "I put a lot into 'Bad Liver and a Broken Heart'. I tried to resolve a few things as far as this cocktail- lounge, maudlin, crying-in-your-beer image that I have. There ain't nothin' funny about a drunk. You know, I was really starting to believe that there was something amusing and wonderfully American about a drunk. I ended up telling myself to cut that shit out. On top of everything else, talking about boozing substantiates the rumours that people hear about you, and people hear that I'm a drunk. So I directed that song as much to the people that listen to me and think they know me as much as I directed it to myself." (Source: "Smelling like a brewery, lookin' like a tramp". Rolling Stone: David McGee. 1976) 



(2) Libation n.: 1. The pouring of a liquid offering as a religious ritual; the liquid so poured. 2. A beverage, especially an intoxicating beverage, informal(Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(3) And so I'll meet you at the bottom of a bottle of bargain Scotch

- Tom Waits (1978): "I don't drink when I'm working. John, my road manager, does. He buys bargain stuff, like Frank's Scotch, or Bensen & Hedges brewed in Rochester. He was my inspiration for my line, "I'll meet you at the bottom of a bottle of bargain Scotch." (Source: "Sleazy Rider - A man who works at being a derelict". RELIX magazine by Clark Peterson. May - June, 1978. Vol. 5 No. 2) 



(4) Maudlin: Stupidly sentimental. Maudlin drunk is the drunkenness which is sentimental and inclined to tears. Maudlin slip-slop is sentimental chitchat. The word is derived from Mary Magdalen, who is drawn by ancient painters with a lackadaisical face, and eyes swollen with weeping. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd) 



(5) Poison: n. [19C+] an ironic term for drink in general; thus [1910+] (Aus.) poison-shop, a public house (name your poison). (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9) 



(6) Cause I got my own double-cross to bear: "Double-cross to bear" is a play on two common expressions - "double cross" (a deliberate betrayal; violation of a promise or obligation) and "cross to bear" (a heavy burden: referring to the account in the Bible where Jesus was made to carry his own cross to the hill where he was crucified). (Source: Email by Leroy Larson to Tom Waits Library. October, 2005)



(7) Raise v.: After someone has opened betting in a round, to increase the amount of the bet is to raise. For example, if the betting limit is $5 and player A bets $5, player B can fold, call the $5, or raise it to $10 (Source: Dan's poker dictionary, Dan Kimberg)



I Can't Wait To Get Off Work

(And See My Baby On Montgomery Avenue)(1)



I don't mind working, cause I used to be jerking off

Most of my time in the bars

I've been a cabbie and a stock clerk and a soda-fountain jock-jerk(2)

And a manic mechanic on cars

It's nice work if you can get it(3), now who the hell said it?

I got money to spend on my girl

But the work never stops, and I'll be busting my chops(4)

Working for Joe and Sal(5)



And I can't wait to get off work and see my baby

She said she'd leave the porch light on for me

I'm disheveled and I'm disdainful

And I'm distracted and it's painful

But this job sweeping up here is gainfully employing me tonight



Well, "Tom, do this" and "Tom, do that" and "Tom, don't do that"

"Count the cash, clean the oven, dump the trash"

Oh, your loving is a rare and a copacetic(6) gift

And I'm a moonlight watchmanic, it's hard to be romantic

Sweeping up over by the cigarette machine

Sweeping up over by the cigarette machine



I can't wait to get off work and see my baby

She'll be waiting up with a magazine for me

"Clean the bathrooms and clean 'em good"

Oh, your loving, I wish you would

Come down here and sweep me off my feet

This broom'll have to be my baby

If I hurry, I just might get off before the dawn's early light



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976



Known covers:

Live At The Lodge. Veronica Klaus. May, 2005. Black Diamond Music 

Innocent When You Dream. Brandon Bernstein. February 26, 2010. Jazz Collective Records



Notes:



(1) I can't wait to get off work:  

Tom Waits (introducing I Can't Wait To Get Off Work, 1999): "I worked at a Pizza place when I was a kid. It was next to a mortuary and there were a lot of jokes about the food. And eh... anyway I guess this is the... this is for all the restaurant workers out there in the world...  " (Source: "KBCO Interview With Tom Waits" KBCO-C studios Los Angeles (USA), by Bret Saunders. October 13, 1999)

And See My Baby On Montgomery Avenue: There doesn't seem to be a Montgomery Avenue in San Diego (where young Tom Waits would get off work). Closest Montgomery Avenue seems to be in Cardiff By The Sea? (near Encinitas)



(2) Soda jerker, soda jerk: One, usu. a youth who prepares and dispenses refreshments at a soda fountain (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) It's nice work if you can get it

- Referring to: "Nice Work If You Can Get It". Writers: George & Ira Gershwin. From "A Damsel in Distress", 1937: "The man who only lives for making money Lives a life that isn't necessarily sunny Likewise the man who works for fame There's no guarantee that time won't erase his name The fact is, the only work that really brings enjoyment Is the kind that is for girl and boy meant Fall in love and you won't regret it That's the best work of all, if you can get it Holding hands at midnight 'Neath a starry sky Nice work if you can get it And you can get it if you try Strolling with the one girl Sighing sigh after sigh  Nice work if you can get it And you can get it if you try Just imagine someone Waiting at the cottage door Where two hearts become one Who could ask for anything more? Loving one who loves you And then taking that vow It's nice work if you can get it And if you get it, won't you tell me how? Just imagine someone Waiting at the cottage door Where two hearts become one Who could ask for anything more? Loving one who loves you And then taking that vow Nice work if you can get it And if you get it, won't you tell me how?"

- Nice work - if you can get it phr. [1940s+] implying fairly open jealousy of the previous speaker. [often lit. referring to a job/ occupation/ activity, but not invariably so] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(4) Bust one's chops: phr. [1950s] to make a great fuss about something (cf. beat one's chops, break one's chops) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9). 

- Chops [1960s+] synon. for arse, esp. in phr. freeze/ sweat/ work one's chops off. [16C SE. jazz musicians fig. ref. to the use of one's mouth and lips in playing a wind instrument] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(5) Joe and Sal

- Refers to Napoleone Pizza House (a pizza house in National City, San Diego). Further reading: Napoleone Pizza House

- Also mentioned in the subtitle for "The Ghosts Of Saturday Night".





Napoleone Pizza House. Summer, 2001. Photography: Dalsh



(6) Copacetic, copesetic, kopasetic, kopesetic, kopasetee, kopesetee

- adj.: Fine, excellent, all right, o.k. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- "Copacetic, fine, excellent, going just right. "It's possible that this word has created more column inches of speculation in the USA than any other apart from OK. It's rare to the point of invisibility outside North America. People mostly become aware of it in the sixties as a result of the US space program-it's very much a Right Stuff kind of word. But even in the USA it doesn't have the circulation it did thirty years ago. Dictionaries are cautious about attributing a source for it, reasonably so, as there are at least five competing explanations, with no conclusive evidence for any of them. One suggestion that's commonly put forward is that it was originally a word of the African-American community in the USA. The name of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a famous black tap-dancer, singer and actor of the period round the turn of the twentieth century is commonly linked to this belief about its origin. Indeed, he claimed to have invented it as a shoeshine boy in Richmond. But other blacks, especially Southerners, said later that they had heard it earlier than Mr Robinson's day. But he certainly did a lot to popularise the word. A second explanation that's given credence is that it derives from one of two Hebrew expressiona, hakol b'seder, "all is in order", or kol b'tzedek, "all with justice", which it is suggested were introduced into the USA by Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants. Other accounts say it derives from a Chinook word copasenee, "everything is satisfactory", once used on the waterways of Washington State, or from the French coupersetique, from couper, "to strike", or, in a hugely strained derivation, from the cop is on the settee, supposedly a hoodlum term used to describe a policeman who was not actively watching out for crime, and so one who was OK." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



Invitation To The Blues

Well, she's up against the register with an apron and a spatula

With yesterday's deliveries, and the tickets for the bachelors

She's a movin' violation from her conk(2) down to her shoes

But it's just an invitation to the blues



And you feel just like Cagney(3), she looks like Rita Hayworth(4)

At the counter of the Schwab's Drugstore(5)

You wonder if she might be single, she's a loner, likes to mingle

Got to be patient, try and pick up a clue



She said: How you gonna like 'em, over medium or scrambled?

You say: Anyway's the only way, be careful not to gamble

on a guy with a suitcase and a ticket gettin' out of here

in a tired(6) bus station, in an old pair of shoes

cause it ain't nothin' but an invitation to the blues



But you can't take your eyes off her, get another cup of Java

It's just the way she pours it for you, jokin' with the customers

Mercy mercy, Mr. Percy, there ain't nothin' back in Jersey

but a broken down jalopy(7) of a man I left behind

and a dream that I was chasin', and a battle with the booze

and an open invitation to the blues



But she used to have a sugar daddy(8) and a candyapple Caddy

And a bank account and everything, accustomed to the finer things

He probably left her for a socialite, and he didn't love her 'cept at night

And then he's drunk and never even told her that he cared

So they took the registration, and the car keys and his shoes

and left her with an invitation to the blues



But there's a Continental Trailways leavin' Local bus tonight, good evenin'

You can have my seat, I'm stickin' round here for a while

Get me a room at the Squire, and the fillin' station's hirin'

Now I can eat here every night, what the hell have I got to lose?

Got a crazy sensation, go or stay, and I gotta choose

And I'll accept your invitation to the blues



Written by: Tom Waits(9)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking. November 15, 1993. Chlodwig /BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Vanity. Jan Vayne. 1994. EMI (The Netherlands)

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Giant Sand

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

It Happened One Night. Holly Cole. June, 1995. Blue Note Records (Japan)

By Heart. Maggie Holland. September 14, 1995. Rhiannon (RHYD5008)

Halia. Foivos Delivorias. July, 1998. Sony Music/ BMG (in Greek)

Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)

Strike When Your Iron Is Hot. David Basse. October, 2000. City Light Records

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)

Night Rhythms 2. Various artists. 2002. Taxim Records (performed by Claudia Bettinaglio)

The Well. Jennifer Warnes. September 4, 2001. Sin-Drome Records

Ausgelacht. Arnim T�pel. September, 2002. Self-released

It's About Time. James Naughton. October 8, 2002. Drg

Ain't Your Train. The Tremors Bluesband. 2003. Self-released (live)

Too Many Spare Parts In The Yard ("Tom Waits Tribute"). Giant Sand (Howe Gelb). 2003. Self-released

Who Is D.W. Ditty? D.W. Ditty. January, 2003. Dittydisc

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

The Fourth Stream. The Fourth Stream. 2004. J. Dog Music

Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling. June 14, 2004. Buschfunk (Germany)

Journal On A Shelf. Bill Sheffield. June, 2005. American Roots & Blues Records

Journal On A Shelf. Bill Sheffield. April 22, 2006. American Roots Records (re-issue of 2005 release)

2 Blues Shoes On 2er. 2 Blues Shoes. 2006. Self-released



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Invitation To The Blues". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977.   



Notes:



(1) Intro from Sala Kongresowa. Warsaw, Poland. May 26, 2000: "Okay, this is about a restaurant... where the food is lousy... consistently... But there is a beautiful girl in there. And it's worth eating there... for an opportunity to see her. ... In fact they can poison you for all you care. As long as it's her shift. She's up against the register... "



(2) Conk

- n.: The head/ the face (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Cagney

- The epitome of rough manhood. Cagney's energetic acting style with raspy voice became synonymous with the Hollywood "tough guy" role. James Francis Cagney, Jr., born on July 17, 1899, was the child of an Irish father and Norwegian mother and was raised on New York's Lower Eastside. He was quite successful in the musical "Penny Arcade". He was signed to a contract by Warner Brothers and his role as Tom Powers in "The Public Enemy" made him a star. He went on to star in such classics as "Angels With Dirty Faces", "The Roaring Twenties", "White Heat". Cagney retired in 1961. He made a big screen comeback in 1981's "Ragtime" and starred in the small screen movie "Terrible Joe Moran" in 1984. He died of a heart attack on his farm in upstate New York on March 30, 1986. President Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Hayworth and Cagney both appeared in: "The strawberry blonde ", 1941 and the Warner Brothers musical "One Sunday Afternoon ", 1948.

- Also mentioned in Romeo Is Bleeding: "Like an angel with a bullet and Cagney on the screen."





(4) Hayworth, Rita: Margarita Carmen Cansino. Born: Brooklyn, NY, October 17 1918 - Died: New York City, NY, May 14 1987. American actress and dancer. Married to E.C. Judson, Orson Welles, Prince Ali Kahn, D.Haymes and James Hill successively. She played in films such as: Tales of Manhattan, The lady from Shanghai and The Wrath of God. Hayworth and Cagney both appeared in: "The strawberry blonde", 1941 and the Warner Brothers musical "One Sunday Afternoon", 1948.





(5) Schwab's drugstore: Los Angeles drugstore/ soda fountain (The Strip, Sunset Boulevard) where several famous stars were said to be discovered. Since Hollywood is a place of dreams, this anecdote may be inflated to dream size proportions. The place to be in the 50's and 60's. Here stars were born. It is said Lana Turner was discovered here. In the 70's Schwab's drugstore was on the downgrade and had lost all it's glory and magic. It was demolished in 1983





(6) Tired adj. Dull, boring; unimaginative; specif., out of fashion, reminiscent or repetitive of things previously seen or heard (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(7) Jalopy, jaloppy n.: An old and/ or battered automobile. 'A Jalopy is a model one step above a "junker" ... it still runs but only at great peril to life, limb and the common wealth' Any vehicle regardless of its condition or age (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) Sugar daddy

- A male sweetheart well provided with money, esp., a wealthy, usu. elderly man who spends money freely on girls; specif., a worldly, sophisticated man, usu. not young and usu. wealthy, who pays the rent and other expenses of a young woman in return for her sexual favors and companionship (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Blow, Wind Blow" (Put my Raleigh's on the dashboard, Sugar daddy caught a polocar)



(9) Invitation To The Blues: Song might be inspired by or refering to Roger Miller's "Invitation To The Blues". Released as the B-side of Ray Price's 1958 hit "City Lights", "Invitation to the Blues" rose to #3 on the US charts, giving Roger Miller his first major success in the business. "I couldn't sleep last night, just walked the floor. Don't know how i'll stand this anymore. Lonely all the time since i lost you. Received your invitation to the blues. I don't know why you cause me such pain. I just hope i'll never go through this much again. Lonely me, i don't know what to do. Received your invitation to the blues. You took the laughter from this world of mine. Thanks to you the sun will never shine. Walked the floor so much wore out my shoes. Received your invitation to the blues. I don't know why you cause me such pain. I just hope i'll never go through this much again. Lonely me, i don't know what to do. Received your invitation to the blues."



I Wish I Was In New Orleans

(In the Ninth Ward)(2)

Well, I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
Arm in arm down Burgundy(3)
A bottle and my friends and me

Hoist up a few tall cool ones
Play some pool and listen
To that tenor saxophone
Calling me home

And I can hear the band begin
"When the Saints Go Marching In"
And by the whiskers on my chin
New Orleans, I'll be there

I'll drink you under the table
Be a red nose, go for walks
The old haunts, what I wants
Is red beans and rice

And wear the dress I like so well
Meet me at the old saloon
Make sure that there's a Dixie moon
New Orleans, I'll be there

And deal the cards, roll the dice
If it ain't that old Chuck E. Weiss(4)
And Clayborn Avenue(5), me and you
Sam Jones(6) and all

And I wish I was in New Orleans
Cause I can see it in my dreams
Arm in arm down Burgundy
A bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976
Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976

Known covers:
Angel Of New Orleans. David Roe and The Royal Rounders. March, 2000. The Orchard
Big Easy Classics. Tom Hook. 2005. Self-released
Now Or Never. Dave Holt Band. August 17, 2006. Lucky Lobster (USA)
American Storyteller Vol 2 & 3. Chris Chandler And Davd Roe. September 4, 2007. Self-released
I Wish I Was In New Orleans. Tipitina. November 6, 2007. Big Bear Records
Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records

Notes:

(1) Live intro from 'Cold Beer'/ Sydney, 1979: "I used to know this girl named Suzy Montelongo. And her brother's name was Joe Montelongo. Joe always wanted to kill me. He sang in a band called the Rodbenders. Suzy Montelongo used to wear these angora sweaters. I'm crazy about angora sweaters. I guess it's kind of a hang-up of mine. She had angora socks, and angora shoes. I believe she was originally *from* Angora. I don't know where she is anymore, but every time I see an angora sweater, I think maybe inside will be Suzy Montelongo. Eh-he-he... Maybe she's in New Orleans. Well, I'll be there... " (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
- Live intro from 'Paris at Midnight': "This is about a guy who lived at a place called the Taft Hotel, which is in St Louis. He spent most of the afternoon starring at the wallpaper. And it was a water stain there. He thought it was a map of South America. Heck, it was good enough for him. This was his... the way he was traveling was just from going inside the water stains on the wallpaper in the hotels. It's just a concept... And he saved most of his time in a little bag, with a string on it." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
- Francis Thumm (1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?" Tom Waits: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)
- In the late 1970s Waits often used to perform this song as a medley with "I Dream Of Jeannie", "Since I Fell For You", "When The Saints Go Marching In"
- I Dream Of Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair (Written by Stephen Foster, 1854): "I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair. Borne like a vapor on the summer air. I see her tripping where the bright streams play. Happy as the daisies that dance on her way. Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour, Many were the blithe birds that warbled them o'er. I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair. Floating like a vapor on the soft, summer air. I sigh for Jeannie, but her light form strayed. Far from the fond parts round her native glade; Her smiles have vanished and her sweet songs flown. Flitting like the dreams that have cheered us and gone."
- Since I Fell For You (Lenny Welch. Words and music by: Buddy Johnson, 1948): "When you just give love, and never get love, you'd better let love depart. I know it's so, and yet I know, I can't get you out of my heart. You made me leave my happy home. You took my love, and now you've gone, since I fell for you. Love brings such misery and pain. I guess I'll never be the same, since I fell for you. Well it's too bad, and it's too sad, but I'm in love with you. You love me, then you snub me. But what can I do, I'm still in love with you. Well, I guess I'll never see the light. I get the blues most every night, since I fell for you. Since I fell for you."
- When The Saints Go Marching In (Wrritten in 1896 by James M Black (music) and Katherine E Purvis (words) (Emma Cotton[?]). Copyright: unknown): "We are trav'ling in the footsteps. Of those who've gone before, And we'll all be reunited, On a new and sunlit shore. Oh, when the saints go marching in. Oh, when the saints go marching in. Lord how I want to be in that number. When the saints go marching in. And when the sun begins to shine. And when the sun begins to shine. Lord, how I want to be in that number. When the sun begins to shine. Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call. Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call. Lord, how I want to be in that number. When the trumpet sounds its call. Some say this world of trouble, Is the only one we need, But I'm waiting for that morning, When the new world is revealed."

(2) In the Ninth Ward
- Ward: A division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company).
- Apparently when in New Orleans, one will hear people give directions, or talking about the city in terms of wards. The term comes from the city's voting districts, which are called wards. There are 17 wards in New Orleans and one will hear the natives and the news media refer to this or that ward. Boundaries of Ward 9 are: Almonaster, Lake Pontchartrain, St. Bernard Parish Line, & the Mississippi River. (North) Claiborne Avenue and Burgundy Street are indeed in the 9th Ward.
- Bunny Matthews: "The Ninth Ward has always been the part of New Orleans that was mired in last place. Its residents, the poorest of the poor-black and white, had no political clout, no drainage, no sewerage, and in some places, no sidewalks. The Ninth Ward was the only place in city limits where hunting game was a viable nutritional option. In 1914, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, also known as the Dock Board, decided to create an artificial waterway connecting the river and Lake Pontchartrain. The Ninth Ward was considered the perfect site because it was "a virtually uninhabited area" or at least, uninhabited by anyone capable of stopping the captains of industry. Between 1918 and 1923, the Industrial Canal was built through the heart of the Ninth Ward, resulting in the divisions known as the Ninth Ward and the Lower Ninth Ward... (Today the Ninth Ward) is a neighborhood where 99-year-old ladies wearing housecoats and hairnets sit on their stoops, making sure that everyone else's business is their business. They own Chihuahuas because, pound for pound, they're the meanest of all canines. The last time these ladies visited Canal Street, it was the site of department stores named D.H. Holmes, Maison Blanche, Gus Mayer, Krauss and Godchaux's. To them, Metairie might as well be the moon. There is no Uptown seersucker suit pretension around here, no ponytailed joggers with glistening tans and personal CD players, nobody eating free range chickens or Light 'n Fit yogurt... The staff of life in the Ninth Ward is the po-boy, limp with gravy, hot sauce and Blue Plate mayonnaise, washed down with a draft beer-no particular brand, as long as it's cheap. Dessert is a Hubig's Pie (388 calories), baked across the border in the Eighth Ward. Half the people are drunk by noon, a quarter suffer from vague but incapacitating diseases causing crusty skin inflammations and dementia, a third would rather endure root canals instead of missing their daily soap operas. Everybody is Catholic or a voodoo variant thereof. As the saying goes, people from the Ninth Ward don't mind dying, either because they've already had so much fun or because they'll try anything once. Fats Domino, residing in the Lower Ninth Ward, is the area's most famous musician. His home on Caffin Avenue is a monument to Fats' status as a pop artist second only to Elvis Presley, as well as a testament to Mr. Domino's devotion to his home turf. He could've easily deserted the Ninth Ward for a gated community or country estate, but chose to live in New Orleans' funkiest zone-a place where murders are as common as mirlitons." (Source: "WISH YOU WERE HERE, DAWL!" By Bunny Matthews. OffBeat magazine: July 2003. Copyright �2002, OffBeat, Inc.)

(3) Burgundy: Burgundy Street, New Orleans (Ninth Ward, Holy Cross Neighborhood)

(4) Weiss, Chuck E.: Chicago born and old time friend Chuck E. Weiss. Further reading: Chuck E. Weiss

(5) Clayborn Avenue: misspelled and should read "Claiborne Avenue", New Orleans (Lower Ninth Ward). Bart Bull (2005): "Claiborne runs through the Ninth Ward (prounounced Nint') and the Sevent and Sixt and all through Uptown and Downtown....It was the great street of black New Orleans, the High Street, Main Street, which is why when Urban Redevelopment came along in the 1960s, they yanked out its looming, shady oak trees and plunked the freeway right over top of it, killing all the thriving black business. Yet, in a miracle of how Afrocentric culture can respond to such as that, folks still congregate beneath along Claiborne, using the freeway for shade in the absence of the oak trees, and every second line parade makes sure that it travels under the freeway (usually called "the bridge" because the brass band booms all more reverberatingly underneath all that concrete." (Source: email conversations Bart Bull/ Tom Waits Library, October 2005)

(6) Jones, Sam: Jones is mentioned in the linernotes of the album "Nighthawks at the diner": "Special thanks to Sam (I'll pay you if I can and when I get it) Jones." In Waits' 1974 press release for The Heart Of Saturday Night a Sam Jones is listed as one of his favourite writers.
- Tom Waits: "I hitchhiked to Arizona with Sam Jones while I was still a high school student. And on New Year's Eve, when it was about 10 degrees out, we got pulled into a Pentecostal church by a woman named Mrs. Anderson. We heard a full service, with talking in tongues. And there was a little band in there - guitar, drums, and bass along with the choir." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)
- Tom Waits: "I have slept in a graveyard and I have rode the rails. When I was a kid, I used to hitchhike all the time from California to Arizona with a buddy named Sam Jones. We would just see how far we could go in three days, on a weekend, see if we could get back by Monday. I remember one night in a fog, we got lost On this side road and didn't know where we were exactly. And the fog came in and we were really lost then and it was very cold. We dug a big ditch in a dry riverbed and we both laid in there and pulled all this dirt and leaves over us Iike a blanket. We're shivering in this ditch all night, and we woke up in the morning and the fog had cleared and right across from us was a diner; we couldn't see it through the fog. We went in and had a great breakfast, still my high-water mark for a great breakfast. The phantom diner." (Source: "The Man Who Howled Wolf ". Magnet: Jonathan Valania. June/July 1999)
- Tom Waits: "Well actually I had some good things that happened to me hitchhiking, because I did wind up on a New Year's Eve in front of a Pentecostal church and an old woman named Mrs. Anderson came out. We were stuck in a town, with like 7 people in this town and trying to get out you know? And my buddy and I were out there for hours and hours and hours getting colder and colder and it was getting darker and darker. Finally she came over and she says: "Come on in the church here. It's warm and there's music and you can sit in the back row." And then we did and eh... They were singing and you know they had a tambourine an electric guitar and a drummer. They were talking in tongues and then they kept gesturing to me and my friend Sam: "These are our wayfaring strangers here." So we felt kinda important. And they took op a collection, they gave us some money, bought us a hotel room and a meal. We got up the next morning, then we hit the first ride at 7 in the morning and then we were gone. It was really nice, I still remember all that and it gave me a good feeling about traveling." (Source: "Fresh Air interview with Tom Waits", Fresh Air with Terry Gross, produced in Philadelphia by WHYY. Radio show as archived on Fresh Air website. May 21, 2002)



Jitterbug Boy

(Sharing a Curbstone With Chuck E. Weiss, Robert Marchese, Paul Body And The Mug And Artie)(16)



Well, I'm a jitterbug boy(2), by the shoe-shine

Resting on my laurels and my hardys(3) too

Life of Riley(4) on a swing shift(5), girls follow my drift

Once upon a time I was in show biz too



I've seen the Brooklyn Dodgers(6) playing at Ebbets Field(7)

Seen the Kentucky Derby(8) too

It's fast women, slower horses, I'm reliable sources

And I'm holding up a lamp post if you want to know



I've seen the Wabash Cannonball(9), buddy, I've done it all

Because I slept with the lions, and Marilyn Monroe(10)

Had breakfast in the eye of a hurricane

Fought Rocky Marciano(11), played Minnesota Fats(12)

Burned hundred-dollar bills, I've eaten Mulligan stew(13)

Got drunk with Louis Armstrong(14), what's that old song?

I taught Mickey Mantle(15) everything that he knows



So you'll ask me what I'm doing here, holding up a lamp-post

Flipping this quarter, trying to make up my mind

And if it's heads I'll go to Tennessee, and tails I'll buy a drink

If it lands on the edge I'll keep talking to you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976(17)



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Live intro's:



- Westchester Jazz Festival, 1976: "You know, I was just thinking about my first Senior Prom, just before I came out here. I tried to perish the thought. I don't know... I took a girl named Margaret Terentino to the Senior Prom. And she wasn't that good looking really... I've seen better legs on a table, but eh... Better teeth on a comb. Better hair on my ass, as a matter of fact. Well, I wasn't... I wasn't any great catch myself! I had hemorrhoids, dandruff, and terminal acne. They used to use me for third base. I took a girl named Margaret Terentino and... Her brother was a big sumo wrestler, and her parents owned an Italian restaurant. And I had to borrow a car. And I was working... It was a dish washing job and a paper route at the same time. Doing a little social climbing. So I drove her all the way to Tijuana, and parked illawstrous right in front of a big sign that said, "Toe-away! No parking! We're not responsible for articles lost or stolen". Well, to make a long story shorter, the car got towed away, I got all juiced and shit, and threw up all over her dress. That was right after she threw up all over my slacks. So I ended up hitch-hiking and I got picked up by a guy named Joe Montelongo, and Joe was a big guy who used to sing in a band, and they did one song, it was 'Walking the Dog'. But they did it for about a half hour or so. So he let us in the car, and we got into a big fight and I dropped her off at a Sanders station, to go in and fix herself up. And I went home. And just about that time was when I ran into Chuck E. Weiss, a partner of mine. And he told me a long story 'bout when he was thirteen years old and he went into a telephone booth, and he found the key in the coinbox. If you think about that it's fascinating, because not only did that key fit in that particular coinbox, but it also fit about seven hundred and fifty other telephone booths. Eh-he... Well, push came to shove, he called up 'bout ten friends in there, and they had to drag him all over the city, and a week later Chuck E was thirteen years old, ridin' a limousine and smokin' Cuban cigars. Eh-he-he... And the headlines in the newspapers said, 'Ma Belle (?) Raided by Mafia'. A real caper. This is 'bout a jitterbug cat I met in the Pennsylvania station at three o'clock in the morning, named Rocky. One of those guys who's been everywhere, knows everything, done everything, you know... I mean, he definitely would sell you a rat's asshole for a wedding ring, and I'll say that without fear of contradiction. He told me he was wearing Hank Williams' boots. And they were loafers, you know... He said, 'Well, I had the tops cut off, cause you know... ' 

- The Shaboo Inn, Willimantic. November 9, 1976: "Well... I'd like to do eh... Well, this is a new song about an evening I spent in the Pennsylvania station In the wee small hours of the morning in New York City one night I was just trying to get to Philadelphia Cause every now and then you just have to go to Philadelphia That's all there is to it Regardless of whether you know anybody there or not, you just have to go to Philadelphia I woke up in the middle of the night and [?] to get to Philadelphia so I called on the phone to the Pennsylvania station There weren't no trains, there weren't anybody answering the phone I just had to get to Philadelphia, so I ran all the way up to 34th Street Walked inside and the place was just loaded with a veritable convoluted evening compendium And one straggler of a cat named Rocky leaning up outside of the information booth I took one look at him and I knew that he'd probably been involved at some point with an academic institution of higher learning And he was all over me like a cheap suit, eh-he-he-he Couldn't shake him, eh-he-he So we went to a place called Blarney Stone Yeah, so I went to Blarney Stone and drank cheap shots and beer in the memory of a guy named Charlie Denton that died in 1937 And sang songs aaaaall night long I said, I want a girl just like the girl that married dear old Dad [cheers from the audience] You too, huh? When I fall in love it will be forever Or I'll never fall in love [scat sings] Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think Destroy yourself, it's later than you think The girl that I marry will have to be Soft as a kitten and have a whole lot of money Well, at least a Bank Americard and Master Charge As we walked up 8th Avenue he was telling me all about when he used to hang out with... it was him and Mickey Mantle and Igor Stravinski and John F. Kennedy, and... Those were back in the old days... Said, me and Sly was like this... eh-he-he-he Don Drysdale, and I knew him when he was nothing and he hasn't changed a bit So I was sitting around with the Pope one night And who dropped in but Hank Williams, let me tell ya! And Hank was eh... cause those were the days when Hank was hanging out with Louis Armstrong, so they all came in together So we got Charlie Parker on the phone and said, 'You gotta get over here, man' And he looked me right in the eyes ...?... and said I'm the jitterbug boy..."

- One Night Stand, 1976. Version 1:"Somewhere across the sea My love, she waits for me [scat sings] Well, when I fall in love Y'know, it will be forever Or I'll never fall in love Heeey, baby! I wanna know if you'll be my girl Cause wise men say, only fools rush in Well, won't you take me out to the ball game And take me out to the crowd Friendship, friendship Just a perfect friendship When other friendships have been forgotten Ours will still be hot Cause there's a place for us A time and place for us I got plenty of nuttin' And nuttin' is plenty for me I got the sun in the morning And the moon at night Cause I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- One Night Stand, 1976. Version 2"And I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair Cause when I fall in love, it will be forever Or I'll never fall in love Because the girl that I marry will have to be Soft as a kitten and have a whole lot of money And then you can take me out to the ball game Take me out to the crowd You know, one of these days I'm gonna get me a little place down there on Primrose Lane Life's a holiday on Primrose Lane Such a holiday on Primrose Lane And I got the sun in the morning And the moon at night Cause I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- WNEW radio. December 14, 1976: "This is a song about eh... a cat I met at eh Pennsylvania station eh real late one night and eh... his name's Rocky... It seems there's always a guy named Rocky at Pennsylvania station... or any station for that matter. If there isn't you know eh, they usually have a (...?...) and rent one. And eh... The guy'd been everywhere, done everything. I was going to Philadelphia. He said: "Man, I'm going to Philadelphia." He said: "I'm gonna take a train." I said: "Well you know eh, don't take a train, let the train take you.". Huh, huh... "

- Roslyn, Long Island, New York, October 10, 1977"Somewhere across the sea my love, she waits for me... There's a place for us. A time and place for us. On a bicycle built for two. Well, you can take me out to the ball game. Take me out to the crowd. Well, the girl that I marry will have to be soft as a kitten and have a whole lot of money. Because when I fall in love it will be forever or I'll never fall in love. Friendship, friendship just a perfect friendship. When other friendships have been forgotten ours will still be hot. Cause I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- Sydney. March, 1979: "Well, this is a little song about a buddy-wuddy of mine. His name is Chuck E. Weiss. Chuck E. Weiss is the kind of guy that would steal his own car. Eh-he-he-he... And I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- Kansas City, 1979"Well... thank you. It's really nice to be here. The only time I ever had any honest affiliation with Kansas City was when a friend of mine named Montclair de Havilland drove here over the weekend in a powder blue Lincoln Continental, just to get himself a can of Falstaff and some orange pants. Eh-he-he-he-he-he. Eh-he-he. He said, 'Man, this is the only city in the United States where you can get orange pants!' Eh-he-he-he... Eh-he-he... [With a voice from hell:] All right, calm down back there! Well, I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair Flowing like a river Oh, but Jeanie won't talk to me anymore And I've got plenty of nuttin' And nuttin's plenty for me And I've got the sun in the morning And the moon at night Cause I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- Storming Heaven Benefit, Healdsburg. August 11, 1996"Good evening. Thank you! I know: what have I been doing? Well, I've gone back to school... traffic school. I don't have to pick a major right away, that's what I loved about it. I'm gonna go with something really light at first, just like "seven units", and "failure to yield", something like that. Actually, I ran into somebody just the other day that I went to traffic school with, and I said 'Jeff! How are you?' And we exchanged greetings. And he was the guy that first told me that there are only two things that you can throw out the window of a moving vehicle on the freeway without getting arrested. And I know what those two things are. The first one is easy. [someone in the audience yells 'Water'] Water, exactly! The second one's a little tougher. Are you ready for this? Feathers! Think about that for a while. Now that's without the bird. That's why I got arrested. I assume. I argued... I'm a jitterbug boy..."

- Draken Theatre. Stockholm, Sweden. November, 1987"This is about when I lived in a hotel. I lived in a hotel for a long time and... Long beyond the time necessary for me to stay in a hotel. I had an analyst who insisted that I'd stay in a hotel under all circumstances. And under no circumstances was I to move out of this hotel. And I was paying him a lot of money, so I thought I'd better take his advice. So I stayed in this hotel, forever! And there was a nice little cigarette machine in the lobby, and a swimming pool that was painted black. It matched my mood in the water most of the time. It was a thrilling place. And my analyst is now living in that hotel. And he pays ME three hundred dollars, so it all balances out. Actually, I get asked a lot of questions. I guess that the question I get asked the most... well, I mean I get asked often enough that I would remark on it to you tonight. In fact, somebody just today came up to me and asked me... [somebody in the audience yells 'How's the wife and kids?'] That's the one! Thank you very much, Sir! Everybody wants to get in the act! How long have you been out of prison now, Sir? See, that's what happens when cousins marry. Anyway, you're still working out at the airport, right? Okay, we'll be seeing you bright and early! Actually, the question I get asked the most is... and somebody today, just... I mean, out of the clear blue sky, somebody came up to me and said 'Tom, is it possible for a girl to get pregnant without intercourse?' I get that all the time. I mean, I get asked that all the time! Anyway... I said, for the answer to this we're gonna have to go all the way back to the civil war. Apparently a stray bullet... This is the truth! A stray bullet actually pierced the testicle of a Union soldier, and then it went on to lodge itself in the ovaries of an eighteen year old girl who was standing two hundred, maybe three hundred feet from him at the time. They'd never even met! How's that for luck! Anyway, you know, she was very happy of course, cause there was something kind of immaculate about the conception, and she did a lot of interviews and that type of thing, and people flew in, and she was on the cover of a lot of magazines at the time. The baby was healthy. Of course, the soldier was pissed off, wouldn't you be? It's actually a FORM of intercourse, but I don't think it's for everybody. Unless you like action. I like action! This is a little song about eh... I got it right out of the encyclopedia..."



(2) Jitterbug

- n.: adj. One who, though not a musician, enthusiastically likes or understands swing music; a swing fan.. A devotee of jitterbug music and dancing; one who follows the fashions and fads of the Jitterbug devotee (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- [1960s] (US Black) a youth who lives a street life but is not invariably a criminal [app. coined 1934 by US band leader Cab Calloway (1907-44)] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) Resting on my Laurels and my Hardys: To rest on ones laurels, referring to the comical Hall Roach duo: Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy.



(4) Life Of Riley: The good life. William and Mary Morris, in "Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins", conclude that this phrase arose when the vaudevillian Pat Rooney sang a song called "Are You the O'Reilly" during the late 19th century. The audience would sing along with this song, which dealt with what it would be like to be wealthy. The lyrics included such lines as `A hundred a day will be small pay' and `on the railroads you'll pay no fare.' However, H. L. Mencken attributes the origin of the phrase to "The Best in the House is None Too Good for Reilly," popular at the turn of the century. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000)



(5) Swing shift n.: A work period or shift between the standard day and night shifts, usu. beginning in the afternoon and ending in the evening, but sometimes beginning in the early morning and ending in the afternoon; a work crew or group of workers who work during these hours (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(6) Brooklyn Dodgers: The Brooklyn Dodgers was a New York baseball team that much to the dismay of the Brooklyn people moved to LA and became the LA Dodgers. When still in New York they played their home games at Ebbets Field. In the movie 'Blue in the Face' you can hear talk about how nothing was ever the same in Brooklyn after they left.(Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000)



(7) Ebbets Field: Once the home arena for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Not to be confused with the Ebbets Field Nightclub in Denver where Waits has played in the seventies



(8) Kentucky Derby: The Kentucky Derby stands as the oldest, consecutively held Thoroughbred race in America. The first Kentucky Derby was held May 17, 1875. Further reading: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/kderby/history/index.html (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000)



(9) Wabash Cannonball

- A train. It ran for years along the Wabash River between St. Louis and Detroit. It was a steam engine that carried people, supplies, and food. The last run was in March of 1971 (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. September, 2000)

- Train, made famous by Roy Acuff's hit country song in the 40's. Wabash,a river flowing from W Ohio through Indiana, along part of the boundary between Indiana and Illinois, into the Ohio River (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(10) Monroe, Marilyn

- Norma Jean Mortenson. Born Los Angeles/ Cal. 01-06-1926. Died Brentwood/ Cal. 05-08-1962. American actress and sex-symbol. Was married to Joe Dimaggio for a while.

- Also mentioned in A Sweet Little Bullet, 1978: "I'd rather die before I wake like Marilyn Monroe" and Hold On, 1999: "With charcoal eyes and Monroe hips she went and took that California trip"



(11) Marciano, Rocky: American actor and undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. Real name Rocco Marchegiano. Born: Brockton, Ma, September 1 1924 - Died: near Des Moines, Lo, August 31 1964.





(12) Minnesota Fats: Born Rudolf Wanderone Jr., Minnesota Fats was known as New York Fats early in his career, and adopted the nickname Minnesota Fats after the 1961 movie "The Hustler". Known to fans as "the sultan of stroke", "dean of the green", and the "bank shot bandit", Minnesota Fats was probably the most famous player ever to play the game of billiards. Fats could shoot pool with either hand, but more importantly, he could entertain while doing it. Minnesota Fats had his own television show called "Celebrity Billiards Show", on which he played. Fats shot pool competitively well into the 1980's. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000)





(13) Mulligan stew

n.: A stew made of any available meat(s) or vegetable(s). Orig. hobo use, perhaps from "salmagrundi". Often used facetiously about any stewlike food, however excellent (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- A hobo dish containing just about anything you have handy. How to make just like they make it at the yearly hobo convention in Britt. Iowa. "Britt Mulligan Stew" = 450 lbs. of Beef, 900 lbs. of Potatoes, 250 lbs. of carrots, 35 lbs. of green peppers, 300 lbs. of cabbage, 100 lbs. of turnips, 10 lbs. of parsnips, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 20 lbs. of chili peppers, 25 lbs. of rice, 60 lbs. of celery, 1 lb bay leaves, 24 gallon of mixed vegetables, 10 lbs. of kitchen bouquet flavoring, about 400 loaves of bread are served, a total of 5000, 8 oz. cups ordered to serve the stew. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000).

- Might also refer to the famous verse from "Babes In Arms" (Rodgers and Hart, 1937): "I've wined and dined on Mulligan stew, and never wished for turkey."

- Also mentioned in "Whistin' Past The Graveyard": "Cooked up a mess of Mulligan and got into a fight."



(14) Armstrong, Louis

- Born in New Orleans on Aug. 4, 1901, Louis grew up in the poorest part of the city. Armstrong began to play with jazz groups and brass bands in New Orleans, developing quickly. In 1925 he began his remarkable series of Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings. In 1928 Armstrong led the Savoy Ballroom Five. "West End Blues", was considered by many (including Louis himself)to be his greatest recording. During the next decade he became a household name, making two acclaimed visits to Europe during 1932-34, appearing in small but memorable roles in movies and leading a swing-oriented big band. By the mid-'40s Louis Armstrong was considered out of style. His orchestra had declined and his own solos and clowning sounded at odds with his younger more bop-oriented sidemen. But after appearing with a variety of veteran players in the Hollywood film "New Orleans "and having success playing at an acclaimed Town Hall concert in 1947, Armstrong broke up his big band and formed the All-Stars. His sextet was an immediate success, and Armstrong began a schedule of nearly non-stop travelling.After a few years the routines became fairly predictable and critics tired of them while some in the Civil Rights community thought of Armstrong as an Uncle Tom. However when he died on July 6 1971, there was no jazz musician who could approach him in popularity.

- Tom Waits (1998): "...You always hear him smiling in his songs. I heard that the biggest disappointment for him was that he was never asked to sing the National Anthem at the opening game of the World Series. It was his big dream, and they never asked him." (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York". Interview on WNEW FM. October 1998)



(15) Mantle, Mickey

- Mickey Charles Mantle. Born: Spavinaw, Ok, October 20 1931 - Died: Dallas, Tx, August 13 1995. A famous American baseball player in the 1950's (successor of Joe DiMaggio with the New York Yankees). He was a friend of Whitey Ford. In 1969 he resigned from professional baseball.

- Also mentioned in A Sight For Sore Eyes, 1977: "That we toast to the old days and Dimagio too and old Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you."





(16) Sharing a curbstone with Chuck E. Weiss, Robert Marchese, Paul Body and The Mug and Artie:

- Notice this excerpt from It Rains On Me (Chuck E. Weiss, Extremely Cool, 1999): "Louie Lista and Marchese, Everywhere I go it rains on me, Robert Sheehan and Paul Body, Everywhere I go it rains on me."

Chuck E. Weis: Chicago born musician and longtime friend. Further reading: Chuck E. Weiss.

Robert Marchese: manager of the Troubadour in the 1970's

Paul Body: doorman of the Troubadour in the 1970's. "... Paul Body, is active in the music and spoken word and literary community. He's released a solo compact disc, "Love Is Like Rasputin" for New Alliance Records, and participated in the laserdisc collection audio/visual document L.A. JOURNAL released by The Voyager Company. He's also just completed a reading in the July, '95 "Rock and Roll In Literature" series at The MET Theater in Hollywood that featured actors Ed Harris, Bill Pullman, Chloe Webb, Beverly D'Angelo and other musicians and poets. He's also a clerk at Video Journeys and a film fanatic. (Source: "From The B's Nest", Alternative Cinema issue #6 - pgs. 8-9, 1995). "... Paul Body has many claims to fame: poet, writer, accordionist, and longtime friend of Tom Waits. On his album Love Is Like Rasputin, Body lays out his humorous and sometimes-touching thoughts on 1965 Los Angeles in a series of diary entries. Thirty years after witnessing the Watts riots, his mother's death, and the rise of his beloved Rolling Stones, Body is still actively performing across the city where he came of age." (Source: "SXSW Spoken Word: 1996" by Phil West. The Austin Chronicle) 

The Mug: Troubadour barman, blues harmonica player, actor, poet Louie Lista. Name checked in the Blue Valentine linernotes as Louis Lista. "Louie got his start in the field of blues and folk music in the early 1960's when he studied harmonica with the legendary blues musician Taj Mahal. After playing countless shows at such popular venues as the Ash Grove and Troubadour in Hollywood, he helped to found the seminal 1970's powerhouse roots rock group, The Sheiks of Shake. They recorded for Mystic Records and shared stages with such musical "national treasures" as Clifton Chenier and Muddy Waters. In the late 1970's, after David Wulff completed a year long performing stint with the Shieks, Louie and Wulff started playing as an acoustic duo covering a wide range of musical styles from folk to country to blues, jazz and even contemporary popular songs. They shared stages with a "who's who" list of then popular recording artists, including R.E.M., Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, X, and The Knitters. In the 1980's they added electric guitars, bass and drums to the mix, founded the Outer City Allstars and expanded our venues to include such unlikely performance opportunities as opening for Pro Wrestling matches. In the early 1990's, Louie signed with New Alliance Records and showcased his talent as a spoken word artist on two CDs, "To Sleep With the Lights On" and "Walkin' and Talkin'". The first CD contained several songs that David Wulff produced and the second was recorded with longtime friend David Crittendon, a talented singer, pianist and author. As the 1990's progressed, Louie's love of and training in theater (Santa Monica City College) led to a series of high profile acting jobs. He played opposite Emmy award winning Kay Lenz ("Rich Man, Poor Man", "The Big Chill") as Sir Toby Belch in Spike Stewart's modern day tribute to William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" ("The 12th Nite"). He also was a featured actor working alongside none other than Ringo Starr in Century 21 Real Estate's television commercial "Perfect Hook-ups". (Source: "Louie Lista Benefit at La Ca�ada United Methodist Church", by David Wulff. March 8, 2003)

Artie: It seems this doesn't refer to Art Fein (The L.A. Musical History TourArt's Poker Party) but to one Artie Leichter, as pointed out by Barney Hoskyns in his 2009 Waits biography “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" (Faber/ Broadway, 2009). Artie Leichter was songwriter and lighting man at the Troubadour in the 1970's.



(17) In the late 1970s Waits often used to open this song with a medley quoting from: "Can't Help Falling In Love","Enjoy Yourself","Friendship, friendship","Hey Baby!","I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'","I Got The Sun In The Morning","Primrose lane","Take Me Out To The Ball Game","The Girl That I Marry", "When I Fall In Love" 

Dan Forte (1977): "Of his approach to composing, Tom comments, "I start with a couple of changes, you know. Maybe a single-note melody sometimes. I usually have the lyrics all written; I just have to find something to hang them on. On 'Jitterbug Boy' [from Small Change), I was thinking about George Gershwin's 'I Got Plenty O' Nuthin', Nuthin's Plenty For Me.'" (Source: "Tom Waits - Offbeat Poet And Pianist" Contemporary Keyboard magazine, by Dan Forte. April, 1977)



Quoted at: "Wise men say only fools rush in..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland USA. August 25, 1976)Quoting: Can't Help Falling In Love. Words & music by George Weiss - Hugo Peretti - Luigi Creatore, 1961



Can't Help Falling In Love



Wise men say only fools rush in

but I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay would it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you



Like a river flows surely to the sea

Darling so it goes some things are meant to be, take my hand,

take my whole life too for I can't help falling in love with you



Like a river flows surely to the sea

Darling so it goes some things are meant to be, take my hand,

take my whole life too for I can't help falling in love with you

for I can't help falling in love with you



Quoted at: "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Willimantic or New York. May, 1976 - Shaboo version)Quoting: Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think). Written by Carl Sigman and Herb Magidson. Transcribed, as recorded in New York November 28, 1949 by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians



Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)



You work and work for years and years, you're always on the go

You never take a minute off, too busy makin' dough

Someday, you say, you'll have your fun when you're a millionaire

Imagine all the fun you'll have in your old rockin' chair



Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink

The years go by as quickly as a wink

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think



You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter, come what may

You've got your reservations made but you just can't get away

Next year, for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around

But how far can you travel when you're six-feet under ground?



Your heart of hearts, your dream of dreams, your ravishing brunette

She's left you and she's now become somebody else's pet

Lay down that gun, don't try my friend to reach the great beyond

You'll have more fun by reachin' for a redhead or a blonde



Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink

The years go by as quickly as a wink

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think



You never go to nightclubs and you just don't care to dance

You don't have time for silly things like moonlight and romance

You only think of dollar bills tied neatly in a stack

But when you kiss a dollar bill, it doesn't kiss you back



Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink

The years go by as quickly as a wink

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think



Quoted at: "Friendship, friendship, just a perfect friendship..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland USA. August 25, 1976)Quoting: Friendship. Words and music by Cole Porter. Introduced by Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr in the Broadway musical "DuBarry was a Lady", 1939. Words and music by Cole Porter. Popularized by Kay Kyser and His Orchestra. Also recorded by: Al Jolson, Judy Garland and Johnny Mercer (1940), Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway (1996)



Friendship



If you're ever in a jam, here I am

If you're ever in a mess, S-O-S

If you ever feel so happy, you land in jail; I'm your bail.

It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship



When other friendships have been forgot, Ours will still be hot.

Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle dig, dig, dig.

If you're ever up a tree, phone to me.

If you're ever down a well, ring my bell.

If you ever lose your teeth, and you're out to dine; borrow mine.

It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship



When other friendships have been forgate, Ours will still be great.

Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle, chuck, chuck, chuck.

If they ever black your eyes, put me wise.

If they ever cook your goose, turn me loose.

If they ever put a bullet through your brain; I'll complain.

It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship



When other friendships have been forgit, Ours will still be it.

Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle, hep, hep, hep



Quoted at: "Hey baby, I wanna know if you'll be my girl..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland USA. August 25, 1976) Quoting: Hey Baby!Margaret Cobb And Bruce Channel, 1962



Hey Baby!



Hey, hey, baby, I wanna know

if you'll be my girl;

Hey, hey, baby, I wanna know

if you'll be my girl



When I saw you walking down the street,

I said, "that's the kind of girl I just like to meet."

She's so pretty, lord, she's so fine,

I'm gonna make her mine, mine



I said, "hey, hey, baby, I wanna know

if you'll be my girl."



When you turned and walked away,

that's when I wanna say,

"come on, baby, give me a whirl,

I wanna know if you'll be my girl."



I said, "hey, hey, baby, I wanna know

if you'll be my girl."



When you turned and walked away,

that's when I wanna say,

"come on, baby, give me a whirl,

I wanna know if you'll be my girl."



I said, "hey, hey, baby, - hey, baby!

I wanna know if you'll be my girl."

All right, be my girl



Quoting at: "I got plenty of nuttin' and nuttin's plenty for me..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Sydney, Kansas City, Austin, 1979) Quoting: I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'. Lyrics by: Du Bose Heyward/ Ira Gershwin. Music by: George Gershwin (b. Jacob Gershwin). Originally performed by Todd Duncan in the jazz opera "Porgy and Bess" in 1935. Early recording by Leo Reisman and his Orchestra. Transcribed from: Ella Fitzgerald / Louis Armstrong



I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'



I got plenty of nothing

And nothing's plenty for me

I got no car - got no mule I got no misery



Folks with plenty of plenty

They've got a lock on the door

Afraid somebody's gonna rob 'em

While there out (a) making more

- what for I got no lock on the door

- that's no way to be

They can steal the rug from the floor - that's OK with me

'Cause the things that I prize - like the stars in the skies - are all free



I got plenty of nothing

And nothing's plenty for me

I got my gal - got my song

(I) Got heaven the whole day long -

Got my gal - got my love - got my song



Quoted at: "I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (several shows in mid/ late 70's). Quoting: I Got The Sun In The Morning. Words and music by Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical "Annie Get Your Gun". Sung by Betty Hutton in the 1950 film version



I Got The Sun In The Morning



Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't,

What do I find?

The things I've got will keep me satisfied.

Checking up on what I have and what I haven't

What do I find?

A healthy balance on the credit side



(chorus)

Got no mansion, got no yacht, Still I'm happy with what I've got;

I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

(I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.)

Got no silver, got no gold,

What I've got can't be bought or sold;

I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

(I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.)



Sunshine gives me a lovely day

Moonlight gives me the Milky Way

Got no checkbooks, got no banks,

Still I'd like to express my thanks;

I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

(I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.)

And with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening,

Why I'm all right!



Quoted at: "A little place down there on Primrose Lane..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy-2 (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, USA. August 25, 1976) Quoting: Primrose Lane. Writers: George Callender and Wayne Shanklin, 1959. Top chart position reached: # 8 in 1959. Re-made by O. C. Smith at # 86 in 1970



Primrose Lane



Primrose Lane, life's a holiday on Primrose Lane

Just a holiday on Primrose Lane with you

Can't explain when we're walkin' down the Primrose Lane

Even roses bloomin' in the rain with you

Sweet perfume

Those little old roses bloom



And I want to walk with you my whole life through Primrose Lane,

life's a holiday on Primrose Lane

Just a holiday on Primrose Lane with you

Sweet perfume

Those little old roses bloom



And I want to walk with you my whole life through Primrose Lane,

life's a holiday on Primrose Lane

Just a holiday on Primrose Lane with you

With you

With you

With you



Quoted at: "Won't you take me out to the ball game..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (several shows in mid/ late 70's). Jack Norworth, who wrote the lyrics to baseball's anthem in 1908, knew the game but never saw a major league game until 34 years later. His composer was Albert Von Tilzer, who himself never saw a major league game until 1928. The song is now in the public domain



Take Me Out To The Ball Game



Katie Casey was baseball mad

Had the fever and had it bad

Just to root for the home town crew

Every soul Katie blew

On a Saturday her young beau

Called to see if she'd like to go

To see a show, but Miss Kate said ... No,

I'll tell you what you can do



(Chorus:)

Take me out to the ball game

Take me out with the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack

I don't care if I ever get back

Let me root, root, root for the home team

If they don't win it's a shame

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out

At the old ball game



Katie Casey saw all the games

Knew the players by their first names

Told the umpire he was wrong

All along, good and strong

When the score was just two to two

Katie Casey knew what to do

Just to cheer up the boys she knew

She made the gang sing this song



Chorus.



Quoted at: "The girl that I marry will have to be soft as a kitten..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (Willimantic or New York, May, 1976 - Shaboo version). Quoting: The Girl That I Marry (Annie Get Your Gun, 1946). Irving Berlin



The Girl That I Marry



The girl that I marry will have to be

As soft and as pink as a nursery



The girl I call my own

Will wear wear satins and laces and smell of cologne



Her nails will be polished and in her hair

She'll wear a gardenia and I'll be there

'Stead of flittin', I'll be sittin'

Next to her and she'll purr like a kitten



A doll I can carry

The girl that I marry must be



Quoted at: "When I fall in love, it will be forever..." Performed as part of: Jitterbug Boy (several shows in mid/ late 70's). Quoting:When I Fall In Love. Words by Edward Heyman, music by Victor Young. Prime artist: Nat King Cole (whose recording, released as a single, did not chart) - Doris Day's version hit #20 in 1952 and the Lettermen's went to # 7 in 1962



When I Fall In Love



When I fall in love it will be forever

Or I'll never fall in love

In a restless world like this is

Love is ended before it's begun

And too many moonlight kisses

Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun



When I give my heart it will be completely

Or I'll never give my heart

And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too

Is when I fall in love with you.

And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too

Is when I fall in love with you



Pasties And A G-String

(At The Two O'Clock Club)(2)



Smellin' like a brewery, lookin' like a tramp

I ain't got a quarter, I got a postage stamp

Been five o'clock shadow boxin' all around the town

Talkin' with the old men, sleepin' on the ground



Bazanti bootin' al zootin' al hoot and Al Cohn(3)

Sharin' this apartment with a telephone pole

And a fishnet stocking, spike heeled shoes

Striptease, pricktease(4), car keys blues



And the porno floor show, live nude girls

Dreamy and creamy and brunette curls

Chesty Morgan(5) and Watermelon Rose

Raise my rent and take off all your clothes



With trench coats, magazines, a bottle full of rum

She's so good, it make a dead man cum(6)

Pasties and a G-string, beer and a shot(7)

Portland through a shot glass and a Buffalo squeeze



Wrinkles and Cherry and Twinkie and Pinkie

And Fifi live from Gay Paree

Fanfares, rim shots, backstage, who cares

All this hot burlesque for me



Cleavage, cleavage, thighs and hips

From the nape of her neck to the lipstick lips

Chopped and channeled and lowered and lewd(10)

And the cheater slicks(11) and baby moons(12)

She's a-hot and ready, creamy and sugared

And the band is awful and so are the tunes



Crawlin' on her belly, and shakin' like jelly

And I'm gettin' harder than Chinese algebra-ssieres

And cheers from the compendium here

Hey sweetheart, they're yellin' for more

You're squashin' out your cigarette butts on the floor



And I like Shelly, and you like Jane

And what was the girl with the snakeskin's name?

And it's an early bird matinee, come back any day

Get you a little something that you can't get at home

And get you a little something that you can't get at home



It's pasties and a G-string, beer and a shot

Portland through a shot glass and a Buffalo squeeze

Popcorn, front row, higher than a kite

And I'll be back tomorrow night

And I'll be back tomorrow night



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976(13)



Known covers:

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Andre Williams

Live! At The Blue Raccoon. Bill Sheffield. 2002. Mojo

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Pasties And A G-string". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977.  



Notes:



(1) Pasty, pastie n. One of a pair of small circular pieces of adhesive material, often decorated with sequins, etc., applied to the nipples by a burlesque performer, exotic dancer, etc., in order to satisfy laws banning the display of bare breasts, or as a gesture of propriety. Burlesque and theatrical use(Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner)





(2) At The Two O'Clock Club: This would most likely refer to the famous Two O'Clock Club in Baltimore (Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.) The club is owned by Bella Fleming, aka Blaze Starr, a retired striptease artist which made the place famous in the 1950s. Two years before the release of Small Change, Blaze Starr had published her autobiography: "Blaze Starr: My Life As Told to Huey Perry by Blaze Starr and Huey Perry" (Published by Praeger Publishers, 1974). "The famous stripper, born Fannie Belle Fleming in a West Virginia mountain cabin, ten miles from the nearest town, attended a one-room schoolhouse during the Depression but had "filled out" by the age of 13, as they say... By the age of 16 she was off to see the world, in the form of a Washington, D.C., donut shop, where she was discovered and given her showbiz name by one Red Snyder. Snyder turned out to be another would-be rapist, but he had already performed his one service to mankind by convincing her to strip at the club where she thought she was going to be playing banjo and singing. As it turns out, she loved the applause. Pretty soon she was researching the subject for herself and, still 16, turned up on "The Block," the famous night-life district in Baltimore where burlesque still thrived in the fifties. Most of her stripping career would be spent at a joint called the Two O'Clock Club in Baltimore, with the exception of the years she spent in New Orleans at the Sho-Bar on Bourbon Street. That's where she met Governor Earl Long, who was a devotee of strip joints in general, and their fabled love affair eventually inspired the movie "Blaze," with Lolita Davidovich in the title role and Paul Newman as the guv."





(3) Cohn, Al: Alvin Gilbert Cohn. Born: Brooklyn, NY, November 24 1925 - Died: February 15 1988. American arranger, composer and jazz saxophonist. Also played on Jack Kerouac's "Blues and Haikus", 1960.

Tom Waits (1976): "Al [Cohn] played with me for a couple of weeks once and I hope to have him on my next album if everything fits in with his schedule. I admire him and his style. And he drinks about a quart of Johnnie Walker Red Label a night - though how he does it I just don't know." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)





(4) Pricktease: n. [1950s+] a woman who appears to be offering unrestrained sexual favours but stops short of intercourse, leaving the male partner frustrated. v. [1950s+] to lead on sexually but to stop short of intercourse (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(5) Morgan, Chesty: Porn actress. Due to her popularity in the striptease scene in the 60's, Chesty came to the attention of filmmaker extraordinaire Doris Wishman. In 1973, Doris cast Chesty in the role of Krystal in the film "Deadly Weapons". In 1974, Doris again sought her to portray the sleuth in the film "Double Agent 73" (named for the freakishly endowed 73"-bosomed Chesty Morgan). In 1976, following her success in Wishman's films, Chesty was asked to appear in the film Casanova -- directed by none other than Frederico Fellini.You probably won't be surprised to hear there's a Chesty Morgan Worship page ...





(6) Make a dead man come: The phrase comes from Lucille Bogan's 1935 raunchy blues song "Shave 'Em Dry": (unexpurgated version) "I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb, I got somethin' between my legs'll make a dead man come, Oh daddy, baby won't you shave 'em dry? Aside: Now, draw it out! Want you to grind me baby, grind me until I cry. (Roland: Uh, huh.) Say I fucked all night, and all the night before baby, And I feel just like I wanna, fuck some more, Oh great God daddy, (Roland: Say you gonna get it. You need it.) Grind me honey and shave me dry, And when you hear me holler baby, want you to shave it dry. I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb, Daddy you say that's the kind of 'em you want, and you can make 'em come, Oh, daddy shave me dry, (Roland: She ain't gonna work for it.) And I'll give you somethin' baby, swear it'll make you cry. I'm gon' turn back my mattress, and let you oil my springs, I want you to grind me daddy, 'til the bell do ring, Oh daddy, want you to shave 'em dry, Oh great God daddy, if you can't shave 'em baby won't you try? Now if fuckin' was the thing, that would take me to heaven, I'd be fuckin' in the studio, till the clock strike eleven, Oh daddy, daddy shave 'em dry, I would fuck you baby, honey I'd make you cry. Now your nuts hang down like a damn bell sapper, And your dick stands up like a steeple, Your goddam ass-hole stands open like a church door, And the crabs walks in like people. Aside: Ow, shit! (Roland: Aah, sure enough, shave 'em dry?) Aside: Ooh! Baby, won't you shave 'em dry A big sow gets fat from eatin' corn, And a pig gets fat from suckin', Reason you see this whore, fat like I am, Great God, I got fat from fuckin'. Aside: Eeeeh! Shave 'em dry (Roland: Aah, shake it, don't break it) My back is made of whalebone, And my cock is made of brass, And my fuckin' is made for workin' men's two dollars, Great God, round to kiss my ass. Aside: Oh! Whoo, daddy, shave 'em dry." (Source: submitted by Floris Cooman, 2005. Lyrics: http://www.deltahaze.com/, 2005)



(7) Shot: n. A drink of straight whisky, usu. drunk in one gulp (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(10) Lewd: "Lewd is the most negative of all the words that refer to having or arousing sexual desire, such as lascivious, lecherous, licentious, lustful, prurient, salacious, and wanton. Dictionaries give the main sense as something like "inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery" (to quote the Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary) but add a subsidiary one of "obscene, indecent". (The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the main sense as "lascivious", which has the merit of brevity, but little else, as surely that word is even less likely to be known to the enquirer than lewd, forcing him or her to the extra effort of turning that up in turn, where it is defined as "inciting to or evoking lust".)" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)



(11) Cheater slicks: Customized cars slang from the 60's, slicks were treadless tires popular in drag racing (Submitted by Gary Tausch. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(12) Baby moons: Customized cars slang from the 60's, baby moons were a type of blank polished hub cap that was smaller than normal, moons were full size, blank, polished hub caps (Submitted by Gary Tausch. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(13) In the late 1970s Waits often used to perform this song as a medley with "Hokey Cokey" or "Saturday Night Fish Fry" or "Shake Rattle And Roll".



Hokey Cokey: Hokey Cokey (aka. "Hokey Pokey"). Words and music by: Jimmy Kennedy, 1942 Kennedy Music Co. Limited, England.

- Version 1 (Jimmy Kennedy): "Way out West where there ain't no swing Old time dancing's still the thing They've a little song they like to dance and sing It's called the Cokey Cokey! Ev'rybody on their toes This is the way it goes You put your left arm out, left arm in Left arm out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your right arm out, right arm in Right arm out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your left foot out, left foot in Left foot out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your right foot out, right foot in Right foot out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your left hip out, left hip in Left hip out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your right hip out, right hip in Right hip out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? You put your chest right out, chest right in Chest right out and shake it all about You do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See? The folks away out West, 'way out west Dance this song and never take a rest They do the Cokey Cokey and turn around That's what it's all about. See?

- Version 2 (nursery rhyme): "You put your right foot in, You put your right foot out; You put your right foot in, And you shake it all about. You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your left foot in, You put your left foot out; You put your left foot in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your right hand in, You put your right hand out; You put your right hand in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your left hand in, You put your left hand out; You put your left hand in, And you shake it all about. You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your right side in, You put your right side out; You put your right side in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your left side in, You put your left side out; You put your left side in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your nose in, You put your nose out; You put your nose in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your tail in, You put your tail out; You put your tail in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your head in, You put your head out; You put your head in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about! You put your whole self in, You put your whole self out; You put your whole self in, And you shake it all about You do the Hokey-Pokey, And you turn yourself around." Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ((c)1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III)



Saturday Night Fish Fry (Louis Jordan, Ellis Walsh, Al Carters. Transcribed from vocals by Louis Jordan, recorded 8/9/49): "Now, if you've ever been down to New Orleans Then you can understand just what I mean, Now all through the week it's quiet as a mouse, But on Saturday night, they go from house to house; You don't have to pay the usual admission If you're a cook or a waiter or a good musician. So if you happen to be just passin' by Stop in at the Saturday night fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, my buddy and me was on the main stem, Foolin' around, just me and him, We decided we could use a little something to eat, So we went to a house on Rampart Street; We knocked on the door and it opened with ease, And a loose little miss said, "Come in please," And before we could bat an eye, We were right in the middle of a big fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now the folks was havin' the time of their life, And Sam was jivin' Jimmy's wife, And over in the corner was a beat-up grand Being played by a big, fat piano man! Some of the chicks wore expensive frocks, Some of them had on bobby socks, But everybody was nice and high At this particular Saturday night fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, my buddy and me, we fell right in, And we hollered, "Let the joy begin!" Now, we figured this was a good place to play, 'Cause the party was already underway; But all of a sudden the lights went low, And everybody made straight for the front door, Man, I was so scared I didn't know where to go, I stood right there, then I fell on the floor! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, the women was screamin' and jumpin' and yellin', The bottles was flyin' and the fish was smellin'; And way up above all the noise they made, Somebody hollered, "Better get out of here; this is a raid!" Now, I didn't know we was breakin' the law, But somebody reached up and hit me on the jaw, They had us blocked off from the front and the back, And they was puttin' 'em in the wagon like potatoes in a sack. It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! I knew I could get away if I had a chance, But I was shakin' like I had the St. Vitus dance, Now, I tried to crawl under a bathtub, When the policeman said, "Where you goin' there, bub?" Now, they got us out of there like a house on fire, Put us all in that Black Maria, Now, they might have missed a pitiful few, But they got both me and my buddy, too! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! We headed for jail in a dazed condition, They booked each one of us on suspicion; Now my chick came down and went for my bail, And finally got me out of that rotten jail; Now, if you ever want to get a fist in your eye, Just mention a Saturday night fish fry! I don't care how many fish in the sea, But don't ever mention a fish to me! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! [Spoken] Give me one of them there fish sandwiches! Get away from there, boy! Yowza!"



Shake, Rattle, And Roll (Words and music by Charles Calhoun. Originally recorded by Joe Turner. First performed by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954).

- Version 1 (as performed by Joe Turner): "Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands Well, you get in that kitchen, make some noise with the pots and pans Well, you wear low dresses, the sun comes shining through Well, you wear low dresses, the sun comes shining through I can't believe my eyes all that mess belongs to you I believe to my soul you're a devil in nylon hose I believe to my soul you're a devil in nylon hose Well, the harder I work, the faster my money goes I said, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll

Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul I'm like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store I'm like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store Well, I can look at you and tell you ain't no child no more Ah, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul I said, over the hill and way down underneath I said, over the hill and way down underneath You make me roll my eyes, Baby, make me grit my teeth I said, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul.
"

- Version 2: (as performed by Bill Haley and His Comets): "Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans, Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast, 'cause I'm a hungry man. I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll; Well you never do nothin' to save your doggone soul Wearin' those dresses, your hair done up so right Wearin' those dresses, your hair done up so right; You look so warm, but your heart is cold as ice I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, Well you never do nothin' to save your doggone soul I'm like a one-eyed cat, peepin' in a sea-food store, I'm like a one-eyed cat, peepin' in a sea-food store; I can look at you, till you don't love me no more I believe you're doin' me wrong and now I know, I believe you're doin' me wrong and now I know; The more I work, the faster my money goes I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, I said Shake rattle and roll, Well you never do nothin' to save your doggone soul. Shake rattle and roll."




 



 



Small Change

(Got Rained On With His Own .38)



Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And nobody flinched down by the arcade

And the marquees weren't weeping, they went stark raving mad

And the cabbies(2) were the only ones that really had it made

And his cold trousers were twisted, and the sirens high and shrill

And crumpled in his fist was a five-dollar bill

And the naked mannequins with their Cheshire grins(3)

And the raconteurs and roustabouts said, Buddy, come on in, cause...

Cause the dreams ain't broken down here now, they're walking with a limp

Now that Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And nobody flinched down by the arcade

And the burglar alarm's been disconnected and the newsmen start to rattle

And the cops are telling jokes about some whorehouse in Seattle

And the fire hydrants plead the Fifth Amendment(5)

And the furniture is bargains galore

But the blood is by the jukebox on an old linoleum floor

And what a hot rain on 42nd Street, and now the umbrellas ain't got a chance

And the newsboy's a lunatic with stains on his pants, cause...

Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And no one's gone over to close his eyes

And there's a racing form in his pocket, circled 'Blue Boots' in the third

And the cashier at the clothing store didn't say a word

As the siren tears the night in half, and someone lost his wallet

Well, it's surveillance of assailants, if that's what you wanna call it

And the whores hike up their skirts(6) and fish for drugstore prophylactics(7)

With their mouths cut just like razor blades and their eyes are like

stilettos

And her radiator's steaming and her teeth are in a wreck

Nah, she won't let you kiss her, but what the hell did you expect?

And the Gypsies are tragic and if you want to buy perfume

Well, they'll bark you down like carneys, sell you Christmas cards in June,

but...

But Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And his headstone's a gumball machine

No more chewing gum or baseball cards or overcoats or dreams

Someone's hosing down the sidewalk, and he's only in his teens, cause...

Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight

And a fistful of dollars can't change that

And someone copped his watch fob, and someone got his ring

And the newsboy got his pork-pie Stetson hat(8)

And the tuberculosis old men at the Nelson wheeze and cough

And someone will head south until this whole thing cools off, cause...

Cause Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight, yeah

Small Change got rained on with his own thirty-eight



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

Vox Poppin'. Stormy Weather. 1993. Street Gold. "Small Change/ The One That Got Away" (a cappella medley). Re-released on "Looking For An Echo", 1999

Looking For An Echo. Stormy Weather. July 13, 1999. Street Gold. Songs covered: "Small Change/ The One That Got Away" (a cappella medley). Same version as on "Vox Poppin'", 1993



Notes:



(1) Small Change: n. [1970s+] (US) an insignificant, weak person [monetary imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

Tom Waits (1976): "It was the first time I ever covered a homocide, and the incident is a true one. I was in New York City, stayin' at the Chelsea Hotel, and a young cat was shot and killed across the street from the restaurant where I was goin' to eat - just as I walked in the door. It happened two years before I wrote anything about it. I just didn't know how to deal with it, y'know" "I was just trying to deal with the whole murder thing in New York, the whole ambience... It's all just like 'so what?, somebody got shot and killed, I don't care.' By the time you read it in the newspapers, it's gone. I mean, a newspaper doesn't weep, it's not wet, it doesn't bleed, doesn't croak. It's just facts, no ideas, no mess, no funeral, no phone calls in the middle of the night explaining it to somebody, no tears, no nothing. "The night I saw this cat blown away, the cops were sittin' around sayin', 'Hey, Charley, where you goin' on your vacation?' And there's this little cat oozin' life, lyin' in his own blood. I don't know it was just... sssshhhheeewwww," Waits said, shaking his head, unable to find the words to describe it further. (Source: "For Waits City Life Is Small Change" by Bob Claypool. The Houston Post. December 12, 1976)

Barney Hoskyns (2009): "It was during this brief stay in New York [Sep. 16-20 1975] that Waits and [writer David] McGee witnessed a singularly shocking scene one night, just along 23rd Street from the Chelsea. The two men had left the hotel to eat at a nearby pizza parlour, only to find it blocked off with police tape. Inside, with his head at the foot of a gumball machine, was a black teenager, a puddle of blood fanning out from him as he lay dead on the floor. "Some guy had just shot him," Waits recalled. "He was sprawled right there against the wall. I was scared shitless." The two men speculated as to what had happened. "Tom said something like, 'Maybe he got rained on by the pizza man's 38 "' says McGee. Born in the conjecture of that conversation was the spoken word masterpiece "Small Change". (Source: David McGee email interview April 1, 2008 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

Live intro from State Theatre, Sydney, Australia. May 2, 1979:"This is a story that takes place on 23rd street in New York City On a hot summer night A place called the Chelsea Hotel On this particular night, there was an incident that never made the papers No one squandered over this thing Kojak wasn't there this night Some little guy with bovine perspiration on the upper lip area walked over and said 'Bag 'im and tag 'im' It's about a guy named Small Change On this particular night he got rained on with his own thirty-eight..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000).

Francis Thumm (1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?" TW: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)

- In the late 1970s Waits often used to perform Small Change as a medley with "Big Spender" Written by Coleman and Fields. Originally performed by Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver and The Girls in the musical "Sweet Charity " in 1965. Originally recorded by Shirley Bassey in 1967. Big Spender: "The minute you walked in the joint. I could see you were a man of distinction. A real big spender. Good looking, so refined. Say wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind. So let me get right to the point. I don't pop my cork for every gal I see. Hey big spender. Spend a little time with me."



(2) Cabbie n. A cab-driver; now specif. a taxi driver (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(3) Cheshire grin

- He grins like a Cheshire cat. Cheese was formerly sold in Cheshire moulded like a cat. The allusion is to the grinning cheese-cat, but is applied to persons who show their teeth and gums when they laugh. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

- Also quoted in "Nighthawk Postcards": "Lookin' for some kind of a Cheshire billboard grin."



(5) Plead the fifth/a five

- To refuse to do something; to refuse to state one's opinion, reason, or objection. Derived from taking the Fifth Amendment (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

phr. [1950s+] (US) to avoid committing oneself, to refuse to take an action or make a statement. [the Fifth Amendment (1791) to the US Constitution states that no person 'shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself'] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9) 



(6) And the whores hike up their skirts: In earlier versions this goes: "But the whores still smear on Revlon and they all look like Jayne Meadows."(American actress and sex symbol. As Meadows got older she became known for using too much make-up, hence the reference). In later versions of Small Change the above line is removed for legal reasons (Revlon) and replaced with "And the whores hike/ kike up their skirts, and fish for drug-store prophylactics". The censored booklet of the Small Change album gives the incorrect and incomplete lyrics. Strangely enough the orginal lyrics are used again on the later album Asylum Years.

Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Here, in the details, is everything that Waits had learned about telling a story with music. Unfortunately, a couple of those details had to be edited out. Tom was forced to change the lines, "The whores all smear on Revlon / And they look just like Jayne Meadows," when the cosmetic giant threatened legal action. And Meadows - the wife of Steve Allen, who had performed on Waits's favorite Jack Kerouac album - also had a problem with this vivid image. When the LP Small Change was reissued the offending passage was replaced with, "The whores all hike up their skirts / And fish for drug-store prophylactics." On the CD version of the album Waits sings the compromise lines, but the printed lyrics read: "The whores all smear on / And they look just like." Apparently Waits wasn't willing to let Revlon and Meadows off the hook so easily after all." (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000).

Clark Peterson (1978): "You (also) got into trouble for singing your 'Small Change' song when you said, 'And the whores still smear on Revlon and they all look like Jayne Meadows.' When you recorded it, you changed it to, 'But the whores still kike up their skirts and search for drug store prophylactics. Tom Waits "I deleted the Jayne Meadows reference from the album 'cause Steve Allen (her husband) would have been upset. You can use a personality's name in a song but not if it's slanderous. If you say that all the whores like Jayne Meadows, regardless of whether they look like her or not you can't say that ... 'cause the whores'll get pissed off." (Source: "Sleazy Rider - A man who works at being a derelict". RELIX magazine by Clark Peterson. May - June, 1978. Vol. 5 No. 2)





(7) Prophylactic n.: A rubber; a condom. "A thin rubber sheath worn over the penis during sexual intercourse, usually as a contraceptive device, but legally available only 'for prevention of [veneral] disease." :-)(Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) Pork-pie hat

- n. [1920s+] a style of men's hat. [resemblance] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

- Etymology: from its shape. Date: 1860: a hat with a low telescoped crown, flat top, and brim turned up all around or up in back and down in front (Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary. � 2003 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated) 

- "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" was a tune written by Charles Mingus. The tune came up instinctively when at a gig Mingus learned that Lester Young (who most often was seen wearing the hat) had died. (Source: "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on the album "Mingus"). 

- Stetson, John B. Stetson: A hat made by the John B. Stetson hat company. "My good old John B. Stetson. That was 'the' hat in those days.' L. Armstrong, Satchmo, My life in New Orleans. Any man's hat, regardless of make (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)





Step Right Up

Step right up, step right up, step right up

Everyone's a winner, bargains galore

That's right, you too can be the proud owner

Of the quality goes in before the name goes on

One-tenth of a dollar, one-tenth of a dollar, we got service after sales

You need perfume? we got perfume, how 'bout an engagement ring?

Something for the little lady, something for the little lady

Something for the little lady, hmm

Three for a dollar

We got a year-end clearance, we got a white sale

And a smoke-damaged furniture, you can drive it away today

Act now, act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you

They come in all colors, one size fits all

No muss, no fuss, no spills, you're tired of kitchen drudgery

Everything must go, going out of business, going out of business

Going out of business sale

Fifty percent off original retail price, skip the middle man

Don't settle for less

How do we do it? how do we do it? volume, volume, turn up the volume

Now you've heard it advertised, don't hesitate

Don't be caught with your drawers down

Don't be caught with your drawers down

You can step right up, step right up

That's right, it filets, it chops, it dices, slices

Never stops, lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn

And it mows your lawn and it picks up the kids from school

It gets rid of unwanted facial hair

it gets rid of embarrassing age spots

It delivers a pizza, and it lengthens, and it strengthens

And it finds that slipper that's been at large under the chaise lounge(2) for several weeks

And it plays a mean Rhythm Master

It makes excuses for unwanted lipstick on your collar

And it's only a dollar, step right up, it's only a dollar, step right up

'Cause it forges your signature

If not completely satisfied, mail back unused portion of product

For complete refund of price of purchase

Step right up

Please allow thirty days for delivery, don't be fooled by cheap imitations

You can live in it, live in it, laugh in it, love in it

Swim in it, sleep in it

Live in it, swim in it, laugh in it, love in it

Removes embarrassing stains from contour sheets, that's right

And it entertains visiting relatives, it turns a sandwich into a banquet

Tired of being the life of the party?

Change your shorts, change your life, change your life

Change into a nine-year-old Hindu boy, get rid of your wife

And it walks your dog, and it doubles on sax

Doubles on sax, you can jump back Jack, see you later alligator

See you later alligator

And it steals your car

It gets rid of your gambling debts, it quits smoking

It's a friend, and it's a companion

And it's the only product you will ever need

Follow these easy assembly instructions it never needs ironing

Well it takes weights off hips, bust, thighs, chin, midriff

Gives you dandruff, and it finds you a job, it is a job

And it strips the phone company free take ten for five exchange

And it gives you denture breath

And you know it's a friend, and it's a companion

And it gets rid of your traveler's checks

It's new, it's improved, it's old-fashioned

Well it takes care of business, never needs winding

Never needs winding, never needs winding

Gets rid of blackheads, the heartbreak of Psoriasis(3)

Christ, you don't know the meaning of heartbreak, buddy

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon

'Cause it's effective, it's defective, it creates household odors

It disinfects, it sanitizes for your protection

It gives you an erection, it wins the election

Why put up with painful corns any longer?

It's a redeemable coupon, no obligation, no salesman will visit your home

We got a jackpot, jackpot, jackpot, prizes, prizes, prizes, all work guaranteed

How do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it

We need your business, we're going out of business

We'll give you the business(4)

Get on the business end of our going-out-of-business sale

Receive our free brochure, free brochure

Read the easy-to-follow assembly instructions, batteries not included

Send before midnight tomorrow, terms available

Step right up, step right up, step right up

You got it buddy: the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

Step right up, you can step right up, you can step right up

C'mon step right up

(Get away from me kid, you bother me...)

Step right up, step right up, step right up, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon

Step right up, you can step right up, c'mon and step right up

C'mon and step right up



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976(5)



Known covers:

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by The Violent Femmes



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Waits performing "Step Right Up". With: Frank Vicari (tenor saxophone), Fitz Jenkins (upright bass), Chip White (drums). Taken from Rockpalast, WDR television concert documentary. WDR Studio's/ Studio-L. Cologne/ Germany (aired April 18, 1977).



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1977): "I'm learning about stuff, too. Through the songs I'm writing now I'm changing my attitude towards things. I'm becoming a little more shrewd, a little more ..." DG: Cynical? TW: "Yeah. I don't take things at face value like I used to. So I dispelled some things in these songs that I had substantiated before. I'm trying to show something to myself, plus get some things off my chest. 'Step Right Up' - all that jargon we hear in the music business is just like what you hear in the restaurant or casket business." (Source: "Smelling like a brewery, lookin' like a tramp". Rolling Stone: David McGee. 1977)

- Song might be inspired or referring to "Little Egypt" (The Coasters, 1961). Intro and theme certainly seem similar: "Step right up folks, and see Little Egypt do her famous dance of the pyramids, she walks, she talks, she crawls on her belly like a reptile; just one dime, one tenth of a dollar. Step right up folks! - I went and bought myself a ticket and I sat down in the very first row, wo wo. They pulled the curtain but then when they turned the spotlight way down low, wo wo, little Egypt came out strotting, wearing nothing but a button and a bow, wo wo, singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah''. She had a ruby on her tummy and a diamond big as Texas on her toe, wo wo. She let her hair down and she did the hoochie koochie real slow, wo wo, When she did her special number on a zebra skin, I thought she'd stop the show, wo wo, singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah!". She did a triple somersault and when she hit the ground, she winked at the audience and then she turned around. She had a picture of a cowboy tattooed on her spine, saying Phoenix, Arizona, nineteen forty-nine. Yeah, but let me tell you people, little Egypt doesn't dance there anymore, wo wo. She's too busy mopping and a taking care of shopping at the store, wo wo. 'Cause we got seven kids and all day long they crawl around the floor, wo wo, singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah!" (Thanks to Floris Cooman, 2005 for submitting lyrics)



(2) Chaise lounge: "Many visitors to the US are surprised to find that the name for the article of furniture is not only still known (in Britain, for example, it is now virtually obsolete outside historical contexts), but is indeed often called a chaise lounge (though by no means all Americans describe it thus). This spelling and pronunciation appears in dictionaries of American English and is now so established that no amount of remonstration, condemnation or ridicule will affect its status one jot. The original form, chaise longue, is French, meaning "long chair". Though the chaise lounge form is a classic example of folk etymology's changing an odd foreign word into something more meaningful, in one way it's hard to criticise-it is, after all, a seat that one lounges on. And it's an old error-I've found examples in American literature back into the 1850s. In the issue of Scribners Monthly for April 1876 appears this sentence, which suggests the confusion had even by then become common enough to need noting: "This particular 'chaise longue', or lounge, is said to be the one on which George Fox slept". (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004) 



(3) Heartbreak of Psoriasis: quoted from a very popular US 1970's Tegrin shampoo commercial



(4) Business, give (someone) the: Rough treatment; murder; a beating; a bawling out; planned rudeness (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Linernotes to "Step Right Up": "For the lyrics to "Step Right Up" send by prepaid mail a photo of yourself, two dead creeping charlies, and a self addressed stamped envelope to: the Tropicana Motor Hotel, Hollywood, California c/o Young Tom Waits"

Creeping Charlie: Tom Waits (1980): "Ah yeah, well it's like a houseplant that you have to murder primar to sending it. And eh, what you do is eh you commit like first degree murder on your houseplant and you put it in an envelope and eh I would like send the lyrics to that particular selection. And eh I received a lot of enthusiasm over there. The offer has been discontinued so eh.." (Source: Interview for: "Radio-Radio" on W-PIX102 FM. New York. February 17, 1980)





The One That Got Away

Well, this gigolo is jumpin' salty(1), ain't no trade out on the streets

Half past the unlucky(2), and the hawk's a front-row seat

Dressed in full orchestration, stage-door Johnny's(3) got to pay

And send him home and talkin' about the one that got away



Could have been on Easy Street(4), could have been a wheel(5)

With irons in the fire and all them business deals

But the last of the big time(6) losers shouted before he drove away

'I'll be right back, as soon as I crack the one that got away'



The ambulance drivers they don't give a shit, they just wanna get off work

And the short stop(7) and the victim already gone berserk

And the shroud tailor measures him for a deep six holiday(8)

The stiff is froze, the case is closed on the one that got away



Now Jim Crow's(9) directin' traffic with them cemetery blues

With them peculiar looking trousers, them old Italian shoes

And a wooden kimona(10) was all ready to drop in San Francisco Bay

But he's mumblin' something all about the one that got away



Costello was the champion at the St. Moritz Hotel(11)

And the best this side of Fairfax, reliable sources tell

But his reputation is at large, and he's at Ben Frank's(12) every day

Waiting for the one that got away



He's got a snake skin sports shirt, and he looks like Vincent Price(13)

With a little piece of chicken, and he's carvin' off a slice

Someone tipped her off(14), and she'll be doin' a Houdini(15) now any day

She shook his hustle, and a Greyhound bus'll take the one that got away



Andre's at the piano behind the Ivar(16) in the Sewers

With a buck a shot for pop tunes(17), and a fin for guided tours

He could've been in 'Casablanca', he stood in line out there all day

Now he's spillin' whiskey and learnin' songs about the one that got away



Well, I've lost my equilibrium and my car keys and my pride

The tattoo parlor's warm, and so I hustle(18) there inside

And the grindin' of the buzz-saw, 'What you want that thing to say?'

I say, 'Just don't misspell her name, buddy, she's the one that got away'



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: Small Change, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976(19)



Known covers:

Vox Poppin'. Stormy Weather. 1993. Street Gold. Re-released on "Looking For An Echo", 1999

Looking For An Echo. Stormy Weather. July 13, 1999. Street Gold. Same version as on "Vox Poppin'", 1993

BVNovik. Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "The One That Got Away"

at the Expo Theatre, Montreal/ Canada (July 3, 1981).

As featured in Canadian television concert documentary "T�l�-Jazz - Montreal Jazz Festival"

With Teddy Edwards (tenor saxophone) and Greg Cohen (upright bass)



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

The One That Got Away as featured in "Tom Waits For No One" (1979)

Animated short directed by John Lamb

Character design by Keith Newton. Head animator: David Silverman

Filmed live on a set in 1978 in Hollywood at the La Brea stage and completed in 1979



Notes:



(1) Jump salty v.: To become angry; enraged; to become malicious. Negro use; orig, jive and teenage street-gang use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(2) Half past the unlucky: Midnight on Friday (Source: The Jive Glossary in "Really the Blues" by Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe, Random House Inc.1946. Submitted by Mikael Borg, 2007)



(3) Stage-door Johnnie/ Johnny: n. [late 19C+] a man, poss. rich, who hangs around theatre stage doors hoping to meet his female idols (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(4) Easy street: 1. Financial independance 2. A way of life characterized by wealth and luxury; a pleasant and successful life; successful business dealings (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Wheel

- n.: A person in authority (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Big wheel: n. [1930s] an important, influential person, esp. in business [the image of a smooth-running powerful machine] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Also mentioned in Paradise Alley, 1978: "And come on, you old scarecrow, and be a wheel, not a lamppost."



(6) Big Time: adv. [1950s+] (US black) very much, completely, absolutely, e.g. she really loves him big time (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(7) Short stop: [1969's-70s] a fool, a dupe, a coward. [baseball imagery] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(8) Deep six, deep-six

- n. [1920s-40s] a grave[it is six feet under]

- v. [1940s+] (orig. US) to get rid of, to abandon.

- v. [1950s+] (orig. US) to ruin, to destroy (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9). From the phrase "give (something) the deep six," an extension of the nautical term "deep six," burial at sea prob. in six or more fathoms of water (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also refered to in No One Knows I'm Gone: "Six feet underground."



(9) Jim Crow: 1. [early 19C+] a complaisant, subservient Black person (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9) 2. (derog.) A Negro (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 3. Brought out at the Adelphi in 1836. The character of Jim Crow played by T. D. Rice, as the original of the "nigger minstrels" since so popular. A renegade or turncoat is called a Jim Crow, from the burden of the song, Wheel about and turn about. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(10) Wooden kimona, wooden kimono

- A coffin. Some underworld and fictional use since c1920 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 

Steve Oney (1988): "What are some of your other favorite bits of slang, phrases you'd like to see get more everyday use? TW: For starters, I'd like to see the term wooden kimono return to the lexicon. Means coffin. Think it originated in New Orleans, but I'm not certain..." (Source: "Tom Waits 20 questions". Playboy magazine: Steve Oney. -- March 1988) 



(11) St. Moritz Hotel:

- George Duke: "Ladies and gentlemen, direct from the St. Moritz Hotel on the Sunset Strip, a friend of ours from Los Angeles, Mister Tom Waits! Sodden and wistful as he might be. How are you doing, buddy? Your beard's getting very good. He holds the distinction of being the only person at the St. Moritz Hotel in Los Angeles able to room next to Ray Collins for longer than three weeks at a time." (Transcription by Ulf Berggren as sent to Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)





St. Moritz Hotel, Los Angeles. Photo credit: Dorene LaLonde



(12) Ben Frank's: Coffeeshop bar-restaurant in Los Angeles, 8585 Sunset Boulevard. Untill 1965 this was a famous gathering place within the bohemian scene. After circa 1966 it was populated by the rising hippie-generation.





(13) Price, Vincent: Born: 1911; St Louis, Missouri. Died: 1993. Vincent Price is best remembered for his roles in horror movies, specifically the Roger Corman adaptations from Edger Allan Poe. Although these gave him a wide variety of characters to play and were striking enough, they type cast him for the remainder of his career. Price's love of art never left him and he used his education to good advantage. He was responsible, in 1951, for founding the Vincent Price Gallery on the campus of East Los Angeles College. Price's niche in the horror movie genre was carved in 1960 with the classic movie "The Fall of the House of Usher". In his later years, Price became involved with the rock industry, he was involved in music videos with performers including Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, and Michael Jackson.





(14) Tip off: To warn of something impending; to put someone wise; to inform, to forewarn; also, to point out a victim to a crook (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(15) Do a Houdini/ pull a Houdini

- phr. [20C] (US) to escape, to vanish suddenly [do + escapologist Harry Houdini] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9). 

- Houdini: Erich Weiss. Born: Appleton, WI, 1874 - Died: Detroit, 1926. American magician/ actor. He became famous for sensational stunts, escaping from: cuffs, ropes, chains, straitjackets and locked suitcases, submerged in water.

- Also mentioned in The Part You Throw Away (Punishing Kiss, 2000. Blood Money, 2002): "St. Mary's prayers, Houdini's hands."



(16) Behind the Ivar in the Sewers

Ross MacLean (2004): "The T. Waits quote, "Andr� is at the piano behind the Ivar in the sewers" (The One That Got Away, 1976) probably refers to a piano player at a gay bar, located down the alley by the stage door, called "The Sewer of Paris." There was a garbage dumpster in the corner between the two doorways, and girls could go from the theater straight to the bar. The bar held 70's glitter queens, lots of ageing closet cases, servicemen (the U.S.O. was half block down the street from the Ivar), runaways fresh from the Greyhound bus station who had come to Hollywood to become famous, thugs fresh out of jail, and drag queens of any race. I had a couple pretty scarey nights there." (Source: email message by Ross MacLean to Tom Waits Library. February, 2004. Ross J. MacLean is a produced & published playwright. Ross has written a memoir on the Ivar, and is completing a play on the same subject.)

Tom Waits (1981) on the Ivar Theatre: "A burlesque house in Hollywood, right next door to the library. It was originally a legitimate theatre. Lord Buckley and Lenny Bruce played there. Now it's just a strip joint, full of transsexuals. Behind the Ivar is another nightclub called The Gaslight. Used to be called the Sewers Of Paris. (Source: "Tom Waits: Waits And Double Measures" Smash Hits magazine by Johnny Black. March 18, 1981)

Read full story: Ivar Theatre



(17) Buck a shot for pop tunes, and a fin for guided tours

- One dollar tip per song, five dollar tip for a medeley (Source: Submitted by El RayoX. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)

- One dollar for popular tunes, five dollar with the story to go with them (tips for the piano player) (Submitted by Mark/PETSKI1, Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(18) Hustle: The "hustle" in the last verse should really be "huddle". And so it is in all the live versions. Not on 'Small Change' though. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



(19) The One That Got Away:

Dan Forte (1977): "One of the reasons Waits is able to pull off such an anachronous deception is that he spends a lot of time blending in at such haunts as pool halls, all-night diners, movie houses, and places where he is usually surrounded by men two or three decades his senior. One such hangout is the local musicians' union hall: "You go down there on Thursday afternoon " he details, "walk into the rec room downstairs. All these old cats smoking cheap cigars, checkin' out the billboard, playing snooker, and telling stories about the one that got away"(Source: "Tom Waits - Offbeat Poet And Pianist" Contemporary Keyboard magazine, by Dan Forte. April, 1977)

- This song was used for the 1978 animated short "Tom Waits For No One" by John Lamb and Bruce Lyon. Full story: Tom Waits For No One



The Piano Has Been Drinking

The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)



(An evening with Pete King)(1)



The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak

And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break

Cause the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make(2)

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking, and the menus are all freezing

And the light man's blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

And the piano tuner's got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

As the bouncer(3) is a sumo wrestler, cream-puff(4) Casper Milktoast(5)

And the owner is a mental midget with the IQ of a fence post

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger counter

And she hates you and your friends and you just can't get served without her

And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire

And the newspapers were fooling, and the ashtrays have retired

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

not me

not me

not me

not me

not

me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984





 



The Piano Has Been Drinking



(Live version: Dublin. March, 1981)



Well, the piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

and the combo went back to New York, and left me all alone

And the jude-box has to take a leak

Have you noticed that the carpet needs a haircut?

and the spotlight looks just like a prison break

and the the telephone's out of cigarettes

and as usual, the balcony is on the make(1)

and the piano has been drinking

heavily



And the piano has been drinking, he's on the hard stuff tonight

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress, even with a Geiger counter

And I guarantee you that she will hate you from the bottom of her glass

and all of your friends

But mind you, you just can't get served without her

And the piano has been drinking



The piano has been drinking



The lightman was blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

The piano-tuner has got a hearing aid and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking



Without fear of contradiction I say:

the piano has been drinking



Our Father who areth in Cribari

hallowed it be

Thy glass, thy kingdom come, I will be done

Ah yeah, as it is in the lounges

Give us this day our daily splash

Forgive us our hangovers

as we forgive all those who continue to hang over against us

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

and someone give us all a ride home



Cause the piano has been drinking

and he's your friend not mine

The piano has been drinking

and he's not my responsibility

The bouncer(2) is this Sumo wrestler, kinda cream-puff(3) Casper Milktoast(4)

And the owner is just a mental midget with the I.Q. of a fence post

And I'm going down

Hang on to me, I'm going down

Watch me skate across an acre of linoleum

I know I can do it

I'm in total control



And the piano has been drinking

and he is embarrassing me

The piano has been drinking

he raided his mini bar

The piano has been drinking

And the bar stools are all on fire

and all the newspapers were just fooling

and the ashtrays have retired

and I've got a feeling that the piano has been drinking

It's just a hunch



The piano has been drinking

and he's going to lose his lunch

And the piano has been drinking

not me

not me



The piano has been drinking

not me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981(6)



Known covers:

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking. November 15, 1993. Chlodwig (BMG/ Germany)

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Pianoet er dritings")

Beatin' The Heat. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 29, 2000. Surfdog Records SD-67113-2

Alive & Lickin'. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 7, 2001. Surfdog Records

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "The Piano Has Been Drinking" in 1977

Taken from "Fernwood 2Night" sequel 21.

Syndicated television comedy show with Martin Mull and Fred Willard/ USA

Broadcast August 1, 1977



Notes:



(1) Pete King: Peter 'Pete' Stephen George King, co-founder and club director of Ronnie Scott's Club (Soho London), in October, 1959. Waits played Ronnie Scott's Club, Soho/ London. May 31 - Jun. 12, 1976. King was born in Bow, East London, 23rd August, 1929. He worked as a semi-professional, on tenor saxophone and clarinet, with Jack Oliver's band, playing every Saturday night at the Stoke Newington Town Hall, where he first met Ronnie Scott, playing with the Tito Burns Sextet, the 'name' booked for the night. It was to be a fruitful encounter. Turning professional, Pete played with Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, Kathy Stobart, Harry Parry and Jack Parnell. It was with the latter that he was given the sack, as the female vocalist Parnell had booked insisted her husband be in the band. It was a measure of Pete's popularity that six members of the band gave notice in protest, but this led to him forsaking the reed in his mouthpiece for another mouthpiece - the telephone, in a career of management, representing Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes, the two pairing for the historic Jazz Couriers. When Ronnie and Pete opened the club in October, 1959, it was a different world





(2) On the make: To be receptive to or to encourage sexual advances from the opposite sex, usu. said of females; to make sexual advances or desire sexual intercourse with one of the opposite sex, usu. said of males; to seek or readily enter into sexual intercourse, said of both sexes (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(3) Bouncer n.: A person employed to eject unwanted customers from a saloon, restaurant, dance hall, etc. Late 1800s (Source: New dictionary of American slang, Chapman) 



(4) Cream puff, creampuff n.: A weakling; a person of slight physique; a sissy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Milquetoast n.: Any shy, timid, or extremely gentle person. From H.T. Webster's cartoon character Caspar Milquetoast, central figure of the comic strip "The Timid Soul". First published in the N.Y. "World"; later in many other forms and publications (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- "The usual sense is that of a person who is timid or meek, unassertive. Such people may appear apathetic or unmotivated, but that's not the reason for their being quiet. It's an eponym, named after a fictional cartoon character named Caspar Milquetoast, invented by the American illustrator Harold T Webster in 1924. The strip was called The Timid Soul and appeared every Sunday in the New York Herald Tribune up to his death in 1953. Mr Webster said that his character was "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The name is just a Frenchified respelling of the old American English term milk toast, an uninspiring, bland dish which was created from slices of buttered toast laid in a dish of milk, usually considered to be food for invalids. There's an even older foodstuff, milksop, which was untoasted bread soaked in milk, likewise something suitable only for infants or the sick. From the thirteenth century on, milksop was a dismissive term for "an effeminate spiritless man or youth; one wanting in courage or manliness", as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it. Mr Milquetoast is in the same tradition." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(6) In the mid 1970s Waits sometimes performed this song in a medley with "Makin' Whoopee!" Written by: Gus Kahn/ Walter Donaldson, 1928. Prime artist: Ella Fitzgerald/ Louis Armstrong. Performed as part of: The Piano Has Been Drinking (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, USA, August 25, 1976): "Another bride, another June Another sunny honeymoon Another season, another reason For makin' whoopee A lot of shoes, a lot of rice The groom is nervous, he answers twice Its really killin' That he's so willin' to make whoopee Now picture a little love nest Down where the roses cling Picture the same sweet love nest Think what a year can bring, yes He's washin dishes and baby clothes He's so ambitious he even sews But don't forget folks, Thats what you get folks, for makin' whoopee Another year, maybe less What's this I hear? Well, can't you guess? She feels neglected, and he's suspected Of makin' whoopee Yeah, she sits alone, Most every night He doesn't phone, he doesn't write He says he's busy, But she says, "Is he?" He's makin' whoopee Now he doesn't make much money Only five thousand per Some judge who thinks he's funny Says, "You'll pay six to her." He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?" Judge say, "Budge. Right into jail. You'd better keep her. I think it's cheaper Than makin' whoopee. "Yes, yeah, you better keep her Daddy", I think it's cheaper Then makin' whoopee."



Tom Traubert's Blues

 



(Four sheets to the wind(1) in Copenhagen)



Wasted(2) and wounded, it ain't what the moon did

I got what I paid for now

See you tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow

A couple of bucks from you?

To go waltzing Matilda(3), waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley(4)

And I'm tired of all these soldiers here

No one speaks English, and everything's broken

And my Stacys(5) are soaking wet

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cabs parking

A lot they can do for me

I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open

And I'm down on my knees tonight

Old Bushmills(6) I staggered, you buried the dagger

In your silhouette window light

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now I've lost my St. Christopher(7), now that I've kissed her

And the one-armed bandit(8) knows

And the maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs

And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say

That the streets aren't for dreaming now

And manslaughter dragnets, and the ghosts that sell memories

They want a piece of the action anyhow

Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer

And the old men in wheelchairs know

That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred

And she follows wherever you may go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace

And a wound that will never heal

No prima donna, the perfume is on

An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey

And goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen, flame keepers

And goodnight, Matilda, too



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Home And Deranged. The English Country Blues Band. 1984. Rogue FMSL2004

Unplugged And Seated. Rod Stewart. March, 1993. Warner Bros. Records

Lead Singer. Rod Stewart. March 12, 1993. Wea/ Warner

Tubas From Hell. Dave Gannet. February 28, 1994. Summit/ D'Note Classics

Dry County. Bon Jovi. March 31, 1994. Polygram International (sung by Tico Torres)

Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)

Irish Cream. Seasons. November 23, 1994. Edel

Tanz Um Den Heiligen Bim Bam. Gerd K�ster. October 30, 1995. Chlodwig (BMG)

Stars On Classic, Rod Stewart. Classic Dream Orchestra. May, 1997. Ariola (Germany)

Street Jams. David Roe. October 1998. Self-released

Gerd K�ster und... Gerd K�ster. March 22, 1999. Chlodwig (Pavement Records)

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Sand And Water. Tommy Fleming. March 15, 2002. Clann Records (Ireland)

Unruly. English Country Blues Band. June, 2002. Weekend Beatnik

The Collection. Tommy Fleming. December, 2002. Clann Records/ Ireland (same version as on "Sand And Water", 2002)

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Undercovers. Maria & Laginh Joao. March, 2003. Emarcy Rec (Universal)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Waltzing Matilda. Waltzing Matilda. September 15, 2003. Factory Ou (Leicom)

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released

Somebody's Darling. Carol Noonan. May, 2004. Noonan Music/ Self-released

Rein Alexander. Rein Alexander. November, 2004. Sony/ Epic (Norway)

Austropop Kult. Wolfgang Ambros. January, 2005. Sony BMG/ Ariola (same version as on "Nach Mir Die Sintflut", 2000)

Playing For Change. Various artists. February 15, 2005. Higher Octave (performed by The Royal Rounders)

Deep Forbidden Lake. Jazz Mandolin Project. May 3, 2005 Label: Doyle Kos Dk.E.

15 Jahre Buschfunk. Various artists. December 9, 2005. Buschfunk/ Germany (performed by: Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling)

Heroes And Villains. Heroes And Villains. March 14, 2006. Emeritus Records



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Watch Waits performing "Tom Traubert's Blues"

With Frank Vicari: tenor saxophone, Dr. Fitz(gerald) Jenkins: upright bass and Chip White: drums.

Taken from The Old Grey Whistle Test (1977).

BBC television live music show with Bob Harris. London/ UK. May 3, 1977



Might be Waits' most famous song. Covered by artists like: Rod Steward, The Pogues, The Dubliners, Rolf Harris, John McDermott and Dave Gannet. Featured on the Basquiat soundtrack (Polygram, 1996). A tune easily recognized and easy to sing along. It's 1976, Waits at the crowning moment of his" beatnik-glory-meets-Hollywood-noir period". But "Tom Traubert's Blues" stands out from his other more jazzy tunes. Waits himself must have had special feelings for the song, because in the 1970's and 1980's he used to close his shows with this song, giving his audience some food for thought on their way home. And unlike most of his other songs, he kept it unchanged for over 20 years. It's finished, nothing to add, it doesn't get any better.



It's the opening track on the album "Small Change", recorded from July 15 to July 20 1976 at the Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood and released in September 1976 by Asylum Records. Most of the songs were written in May/ June 1976 in London after his gig at: "Ronnie Scott's Club", Soho/ London. It is said Waits stayed there for about two weeks after which he continued to tour Europe.



(1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?"

Tom Waits: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)



Tom Traubert's Blues is evidently based on the Australian hymn Waltzing Matilda (written by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson). So it's tempting to assume both songs deal with the same subject-matter. But this is not the case. The only thing similar in both songs is the chorus.



In 2007 Waits was asked by Mojo Magazine to nominate a record for their list of “100 records that changed the world”. Waits nominated Harry Belafonte’s “Streets I Have Walked” (RCA/ Victor LPM-2695) which features Waltzing Matilda. So Waits had been familiar with the song from a very young age.



Tom Waits (2007): "Streets I Have Walked (RCA 1963) is a beautiful record. It's collected songs - lullabies from Japan, Woody Guthrie, Waltzing Matilda, cowboy songs, Jewish songs, all kinds of things. Belafonte was a great collector of songs - he had that Lomax bone, I think. And he introduced a lot of songs from different cultures that had never , in that sense, been heard. The first time I heard Hava Nagila it was Harry Belafonte who sang it... I think I was maybe 13 when I first heard , and I still have it. It definitely had an impact. You see, he loved melody, and I was at a time in my life when I was really nourished by that, by melody itself. I know that with kids, at a certain point, music becomes a costume - you wear the music, and there's certain music that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing - but to me music was always a completely interior experience, not a fashion." (Source: “100 records that changed the world”, Mojo Magazine 163. June, 2007/ May 2, 2007).



There has been a lot of discussion about the origins and copyrights of the Australian version. For more info on "Waltzing Matilda" go to this site by Roger Clarke, or try WaltzingMatilda.com.



Waltzing Matilda:

'Banjo' (A.B.) Paterson, c. 1890


(Lyrics submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee

And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred

Up Jumped the troopers, one, two, three

"Who's [
as in "whose IS"] that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
 (10)



Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong

"You'll never take me alive!", said he

And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by the billabong

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me 



In Australia the song gained such popularity, it more or less became their second national anthem, an Australian icon.



Waits introducing "Tom Traubert's Blues" in Sydney Australia, March 1979: 

"This is eh, a song here uh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done! Uh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And uh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..."



Roger Clarke did some interesting research into the copyrights of the song:

"The copyrights in the song and the words passed through several hands. At one stage it was owned by the once-famous Billy Tea' company; Copyright can of course exist in variants and performances of the song; The copyright has expired in Australia (and in almost every other country in the world), because in civilized countries copyright lasts for 50 years after the death of the originator, and Banjo Paterson died in 1941. In that renegade nation, the U.S.A., other rules hold, and copyright still exists. The copyright is owned by Carl Fischer New York Inc. As a result, the use of the Australian tune in the Atlanta Olympics Closing Ceremony resulted in a payment by the Australian organisers to an American company. Ergo ... If we decide to make 'Waltzing Matilda' the real national anthem, we will have to either buy back the copyright from an American company, or pay royalties on such occasions as our national anthem is played in the United States. "



One wonders whether "Tom Traubert's Blues" is subject to these Fischer owned copyrights.



Some claim "Tom Traubert's Blues" to be about Vietnam. The lyrics however don't give any reason to assume this is true. The idea probably came about after Eric Bogle's 1972 version: "Eric Bogle wrote, performed and recorded a song that ends with a haunting rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" (And the band played waltzing Matilda). It's an anti-war song, nominally about Gallipoli, but really about Vietnam (different decades, different countries, different protagonists, but much the same outcome)".



Its title suggests it is about a guy named Tom Traubert. But other than this title Waits never referred to this character. Some people claim to have known Tom Traubert, some claim to be his only legal child, some claim to be Tom Traubert. For now he will probably remain a mystery forever. Only Waits himself could give us a clou, but he won't.



What does Waltzing Matilda mean? There are numerous explanations. Most of them have to do with traveling. Here's an explanation by Senani Ponnamperuma: "The phrase Waltzing Matilda is believed to have originated with German immigrants who settled in Australia. Waltzing is derived from the German term auf der Walz which meant to travel while learning a trade. Young apprentices in those days traveled the country working under a master craftsman earning their living as they went - sleeping where they could. Matilda has teutonic origins and means Mighty Battle Maiden. It is believed to have been given to female camp followers who accompanied soldiers during the Thirty Year's War in Europe. This came to mean "to be kept warm at night" and later to mean the great army coats or blankets that soldiers wrapped themselves with. These were rolled into a swag tossed over their shoulder while marching. So the phrase Waltzing Matilda came to mean: to travel from place to place in search of work with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth."



One would expect "Waltzing Matilda" to be used in this context but this doesn't seem to be the case. The same words, the same rhythm, but a different meaning. In Tom Traubert's Blues "Waltzing Matilda" has become a metaphor for: alcoholism, seduction and self-destruction.



Jay S. Jacobs quotes Bones Howe in "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits" remembering when Waits wrote Tom Traubert's Blues. Somehow this memory doesn't feel right as Tom Traubert's Blues isn't about skid row or about being penniless or being abandoned. This memory seems to fit better with the song On The Nickel (Heartattack And Vine, 1980)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" is the album's stunning opener, and it sets the tone for what follows. It tells the story of a man who finds himself stranded and penniless in a foreign land "where no one speaks English, and everything's broken." Traubert is etched as a sympathetic character, but it's clear that he inhabits a hell of his own making. He'll never make his way home again because any cash he gets his hands on he squanders on drink. The song's chorus incorporates "Waltzing Matilda," the classic Australian ballad of aimless travel. ("Matilda" is Aussie slang for "backpack," and "waltzing matilda" means being on the road or hitchhiking.) Bones Howe distinctly remembers when Waits wrote "Tom Traubert's Blues." Howe's phone rang in the middle of the night. It was Tom. Howe had long since become accustomed to the fact that being Tom's friend meant receiving calls from him at all hours. "He said the most wonderful thing about writing that song," Bones recalls. "He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, 'I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag.' I said, 'Oh really?"' Waits replied to Howe, "Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues."' Howe was even more struck by what Waits said to him next: "Every guy down there ... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there." Howe was amazed when he first heard the song, and he's still astonished by it. "I do a lot of seminars," he says. "Occasionally I'll do something for songwriters. They all say the same thing to me. 'All the great lyrics are done.' And I say, 'I'm going to give you a lyric that you never heard before."' Howe then says to his aspiring songwriters, "A battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace / And a wound that will never heal." This particular Tom Waits lyric Howe considers to be "brilliant. " It's "the work of an extremely talented lyricist, poet, whatever you want to say. That is brilliant, brilliant work. And he never mentions the person, but you see the person." (Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits". Jay S. Jacobs, ECW Press, 2000)



So according to Bones Howe "Tom Traubert's Blues" was inspired by Los Angeles skid row. There have been rumours however about a Danish singer called Mathilde Bondo claiming to be the muse for this song. This story seems to be confirmed by a 1998 article from Danish newspaper Politiken.



Peter Sander (2000): "Back in the 70's Tom had been doing a gig in Copenhagen, and attending the concert was this Danish folk-singer by the name Mathilde. She was pretty popular in Denmark in the 70's, even though I never thought much of her myself. But after the show she somehow met Waits, and they got along so well that they went out bar-crawling through Copenhagen, and finally ended up at his hotel room, drunk as skunks. What happened there, in that very hotel room? Nobody except the two of them knows, because Mathilde wont tell! The story was a rumor until a DJ on national Danish radio heard about it, about 5 years ago, told his listeners about it, and called up Mathilde live on air. She was surprised to hear that anyone knew, but she confirmed the story. She even said that a few months later Tom sent her the "Small Change" album as a memory of a good night, with Waltzing Mathilda as first cut." (Submitted by Peter Sander. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist, 2000)



COPENHAGEN SONGS - Songs of a city(11)

By Janus K�ster-Rasmussen and Henrik Vesterberg, 1998



THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING

Tom Waits



With the subtitle Four Sheets To The Wind in Copenhagen, Tom Traubert's Blues is the first song on the American nightowl-singer Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. From streets where "No one speaks English and everything's broken", our hero tells us of a city which clearly, it seems, could be Copenhagen seen through whisky-wet eyes. He passes the striptease shows, and must realize that "the streets aren't for dreaming now."



But it's the chorus, which paraphrases the well known Australian folk tune, which is most important for these matters: "Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, You'll go waltzing Matilda with me... "



For a long time the story has been told, that Tom Waits wrote the song for the violinist Mathilde Bondo, one half of the duo Lasse & Mathilde. And that's the truth, Mathilde assures us: 'He was in Copenhagen in 1976 to perform in a tv-show, in which I played the violin. And afterwards I of course had to show him the City - we were in Tivoli and on Christianshavn. It was a lovely night out", says Mathilde Bondo.



Did you waltz? "Yes, we waltzed a lot."

Did you talk to him since then? "We've kept in contact per letter. But I do hope to meet him again. We swinged together so well, and I'm really proud to have been the muse for his song. It's a shame you don't have copyright for muses, because Rod Stewart made the song into a giant hit later on, you know." What do you think of Tom Waits' description of Copenhagen? "It is somewhat ambiguous, but it's a wonderful song."



Tom Waits was indeed in Copenhagen in June, 1976. And he did indeed do a TV show (DR2 TV, known as "Sange Efter Lukketid". Copenhagen/ Denmark. June, 1976). And it is indeed assumed Waits wrote most of the songs for Small Change during this tour (to be recorded in July, 1976). It is therefore plausible to assume the subtitle "Four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen" is inspired by Waits' stay in Copenhagen in 1976.


























Mathilde Bondo, 1976



Mathilde Bondo, 1977



Mathilde Bondo, 1996



(Pictures taken from Lasse & Mathilde official site (Lasse Helner & Mathilde Bondo)




In conclusion: there doesn't seem to be an explanation for Waits re-working "Waltzing Matilde" other then the song having the name "Matilde" in it. Waits wasn't interested in its original meaning, he only took the melody and the verse. So the Mathilde Bondo interpretation seems very plausible. Waits himself has never confirmed (nor denied) this story, but the sub-title mentioning Copenhagen is yet another pointer falling in place. It might be, Waits didn't want the general public to know about his Copenhagen memoire. Maybe that is why he gave the song such a misleading title, making the listener believe it was the story of another Tom.



Here's what Waits himself said about the song...




  • "All right, thank you, like to do a couple of tunes here. A new song here. New uncharted territory here. This is about throwing up on yourself in a foreign country. You think it's eh inconvenient here. Try explaining it to someone who doesn't speak English. Will incarcerate your ass, put you in the barbed wire hotel for a couple of years and no one will ever hear from you again. Couldn't even get a post card off. This is eh.... " (Cleveland USA, 1976)

  • "This is a new song and it's called 'Waltzing Matilda'. Well it's really called 'Tom Traubert's Blues'..." (Sunday Night Live At Faces", The Faces Club, Dallas USA, 1976)

  • "This a new song about throwing up in a foreign country..." (Royal Oak Theatre, Detroit USA. November 14 1976)

  • Vin Scelsa:... Do we know eh the origin of "Waltzing Matilda"? Did someone actually write that or is that just one of those old folk things that goes back and...

    TW: Oh, you mean the original?

    VC: The Australian song "Waltzing Matilda" yeah...

    TW: Well, I believe it was a 1903 eh... Yeah I think it was 1903, and eh what happened was eh...Originally I believe it was a poem, it was a poem and eh... And it eh was put to music and became the unofficial national anthem of eh Australia I believe. A Matilda is a eh backpack. So "Waltzing Matilda" just means, really just to take off, you know? Like blow town, you know? And eh, you know, that's what the song means, maybe.
     (WNEW FM: Tom Waits Radio Special w. Vin Scelsa, MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976)

  • "This is about vomiting in a foreign country... " (Trenton State College Trenton New Jersey USA, December 15 1976)

  • "I'm gonna do a song called 'Waltzing Matilda'. It's not really the original 'Waltzing Matilda', I kinda bent it out of shape. And eh... but eh.. I was eh around this beautiful girl for a while and I was really crazy about her... so was her husband. So we could've made quit a trio on piano bass and drums. So eh what happened was eh... Well it's eh... Actually it's a real short story. I drank too much and I threw op over my tennis shoes and went to sleep in a men's room..." (West Chester Jazz Festival. West Chester, USA, 1976)

  • "You're all right, eh? .. You know now it'll start get a little quiet in here..." (Club Roslyn Long Island New York USA, October 10 1977)

  • "This is eh, a song here eh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done. Eh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And eh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..." (Sydney Australia, May 2, 1979)

  • Q: What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood" ("One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

  • "Eh this is about throwing up in a foreign country. They look on you different eh. It's not like throwing up here. It's hard to get people understand eh. This is about eh going away... You got 60 dollars on a car. Drive all the way to eh Florida..." (Beverley Theatre Los Angeles USA -early show, November 23 1985)

  • "This is kind of an old song eh..." (Italian Dream San Remo Italy, 22 November 1986)

  • "Ok, eh let's see... You're seeing a moment of indecision. I may jump right in. Ok, oh here's one! Eh, no we'd better do this one..." (Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles USA, November 9 1987)

  • "This is a eh, a lullaby for people who can't sleep..." (Dragen Theatre Stockholm Sweden, November 27 1987)

  • "It's funny eh. This is one of those songs that I sung[?] and I never quite figured it out. It's like a rug, you know some rugs have a design and you go: "Hey what is that?" Oh it's not like a rug! That was a bad eh analogy, well you know. Well it's just one of those songs that puzzles me. And eh, so I sing it and I get further puzzled. Eh, alcohol and eh writing don't mix. If they do it takes a long time to unravel them..." (Center for the performing arts San Jose USA, December 30 1990)

  • Q: Did you share many fans' view that Small Change was the crowning moment of your beatnik-glory- meets-Hollywood-noir period? TW: "Well, gee. I'd say there's probably more songs off that record that I continued to play on the road, and that endured. Some songs you may write and record but you never sing them again. Others you sing em every night and try and figure out what they mean. Tom Traubert's Blues was certainly one of those songs I continued to sing, and in fact, close my show with." ("Mojo interview with Tom Waits". Mojo: Barney Hoskyns. April, 1999)

  • TW: He is a friend of a friend of mine. DD: Really! TW: Yeah, who lives in Denver... and died in jail. DD: Oh... TW: And uh... So, he's a real guy. And uhm... so that's you know, a song that is about a lot of things. But mostly I think, you know, the idea that uh... A "Mathilda" is a backpack, you know? So it's about going on the... being on the loose. Out on the road. Chasing your dream and all the things you encounter in the process." (Source: "Tom Waits: Rock Classics, With A Gravelly Rasp", NPR's World Caf� from WXPN (USA) by David Dye. December 15, 2006)



Notes:



(1) Four sheets to the wind

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1: "Well, I don't need you, baby You see, it's a well known fact, you know I'm four sheets to the wind, I'm glad you're gone I'm glad you're gone, cause I'm finally alone." (Nighthawks At The Diner, 1975)

- Drunk. Synonymous with the phrase "Three Sheets to the Wind" (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Unsteady from over-drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in the wind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a rope called a "tack;" the other corner is left more or less free as the rope called a "sheet" is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is said to be "in the wind," and the sail flaps and flutters without restraint. If all the three sails were so loosened, the ship would "reel and stagger like a drunken man." "Captain Cuttle looking, candle in hand, at Bunsby more attentively, perceived that he was three sheets in the wind, or, in plain words, drunk."- Dickens; Dombey and Son.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- "It's a sailor's expression, from the days of sailing ships. The terminology of sailing ships is excessively complicated and every time I refer to it people write in to say I've got it wrong, usually contradicting each other. So treat what follows as a broad-brush treatment, open to dispute on fine points. We ignorant landlubbers might think that a sheet is a sail, but in traditional sailing-ship days, a sheet was actually a rope, particularly one attached to the bottom corner of a sail (it actually comes from an Old English term for the corner of a sail). The sheets were vital, since they trimmed the sail to the wind. If they ran loose, the sail would flutter about in the wind and the ship would wallow off its course out of control. Extend this idea to sailors on shore leave, staggering back to the ship after a good night on the town, well tanked up. The irregular and uncertain locomotion of these jolly tars must have reminded onlookers of the way a ship moved in which the sheets were loose. Perhaps one loose sheet might not have been enough to get the image across, so the speakers borrowed the idea of a three-masted sailing ship with three sheets loose, so the saying became three sheets in the wind. Our first written example comes from that recorder of low life, Pierce Egan, in his Real life in London of 1821. But it must surely be much older. The version you give, incidentally, is comparatively recent, since the older one (the only one given in the big Oxford English Dictionary) is three sheets in the wind. However, online searches show that your version is now about ten times as common as the one containing in, so it may be that some day soon it will be the only one around. The version with to seems to be gaining ground because so many people think a sheet is a sail" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(2) Wasted adj.: Extremely inebriated, usually to the point of vomiting heavily and/or passing out. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(3) Matilda: An Australian folk anthem, written by poet Banjo Paterson, about a hobo (swagman) being arrested for stealing a sheep (jumbuk) and escaping by diving into a creek (billabong) where he drowns. It's so popular in Australia it's regarded as the unofficial national song. Around the time the song was written, a pack on someone's back was called a "Matilda". If you walked behind someone with a pack on his back for a long time, the pack moved up and down and appeared to "waltz"



(4) Blind/ blinded alley

- A "cul de sac," an alley with no outlet. It is blind because it has no "eye" or passage through it. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] an unlicensed drinking house (cf. BLIND PIG) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(5) Stacey's

Slang expression, born from Stacy Adams which is a fancy dress shoe. To buy your own Stacys check out this site.

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1, 1975: "So I combed back my Detroit, jacked up my pegs, I wiped my Stacy Adams and I jackknifed my legs."

- Tom Waits (1976): "Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe... if you had them on then nobody messed with you and you could go anywhere. Stacey's stayed ahead of current affairs and were considered extremely hip." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



(6) Bushmills: Bushmill's: Irish whiskey from the: "Old Bushmills Destillery" Ireland



(7) Christopher, St.: Catholic patron saint of travellers, or the religious medal dedicated to him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. His former holy day is July 25. The religious medal dedicated to this saint says: "Protect me" or "Protect us". So losing one's St. Christopher could mean, one feels unprotected. Later also mentioned in the Frank's Wild Years track of the same name





(8) One-armed-bandit, one-arm bandit : A slot machine. Because the operative lever of the machine resembles an arm, and because the odds on winning are fixed against the player (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) Lyrics only refer to this expression



(10) Who's that jolly jumbuck: "We didn't have 'Policemen' - we had (much-hated) British troops 'enforcing the law'.. the line means they were accusing the swaggie of stealing the sheep - and you could get hanged for that ..." (Submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



(11) Translated from Danish. Original text: K�benhavnersange: Sange om en by Politiken 18 december 1998, I byen side 6 Af Janus K�ster-Rasmussen og Henrik Vesterberg. THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING Tom Waits - Med undertitlen Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen er Tom Traubert's Blues den f�rste sang p� den amerikanske natuglesanger Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. Fra gader hvor No one speaks English and everything's broken fort�ller vores helt om en by, der alts� sagtens kan v�re K�benhavn set gennem whiskyv�de �jne. Han kommer forbi the striptease shows og m� indse at the streets aren't for dreaming now. Men det er omkv�det, der parafraserer den kendte australske folkemelodi, der er vigtigt i denne forbindelse: Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me... Der har l�nge verseret en historie om, at Tom Waits skrev sangen til violinisten Mathilde Bondo, den ene halvdel af duoen Lasse & Mathilde. Og det er ogs� sandheden, forsikrer Mathilde: "Han var i K�benhavn i 1976 for at optr�de i et tv-show, hvor jeg spillede violin. Og bagefter m�tte jeg jo vise ham byen - vi var i Tivoli og p� Christianshavn. Det var en dejlig bytur", siger Mathilde Bondo. Valsede I? "Ja, vi valsede meget". Har du snakket med ham siden? "Vi har holdt kontakt pr. brev. Men jeg h�ber da p� at m�de ham igen. Vi swingede godt sammen, og jeg er virkelig stolt over at v�re muse til hans sang. Det er en skam, at der ikke findes en muse-afgift ligesom koda-afgiften, for Rod Stewart gjorde jo sangen til et k�mpe hit senere". Hvad synes du om Tom Waits' beskrivelse af K�benhavn? "Den er noget tvetydig, men det er en vidunderlig sang". (Article provided by Jakob S�rensen as sent to Tom Waits Library October 11, 2002. Translated by Jakob Dall as sent to Tom Waits Yahoo Groups discussionlist October 15, 2002. I byen ["In Town" = Fridays Cultural weekend section in Politiken])



Foreign Affairs, 1977



A Sight For Sore Eyes

A sight for sore eyes(1), it's a long time no see

Workin' hard hardly workin', hey man, you know me

Water under the bridge, did you see my new car?

Well, it's bought and it's payed for, parked outside of the bar(2)



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas(3), hey, you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio(4) too

And old Drysdale(5) and Mantle(6), Whitey Ford(7) and to you



Oh, you know, the old gang ain't around, everyone has left town

'cept for Thumm and Giardina, said they just might be down

Oh, half drunk all the time and I'm all drunk the rest

Yeah, Monk's(8) still the champion, oh but I am the best



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas, hey you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio too

And old Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you



Guess you heard about Nash, he was killed in a crash

Oh, that must have been two or three years ago now

Yeah, he spun out and he rolled, he hit a telephone pole

And he died with the radio on



No, she's married, with a kid, finally split up with Sid

He's up North for a nickel's worth(9) for armed robbery

And I'll play you some pinball, no you ain't got a chance

Then go on over and ask her to dance



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas, hey you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio too

And Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977

Official release:" Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch



Notes:



(1) Sight for sore eyes: 1. Informal. One whom it is a relief or joy to see (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition) 2. n. [early 19C+] a welcome appearance, often used as an affectionate greeting, you're a sight for sore eyes



(2) Notice the extensive use of variations on tired cliches in the first verse: "Sight for sore eyes" and "Long time, no see" are both overused cliches. "Workin' hard, hardly workin'" comes from an extremely overused cliche "Are you working hard or hardly working?". "Water under the bridge" is another cliche and "It's bought and paid for" is another redundant cliche. (Source: Email from Leroy Larson to Tom Waits Library. October, 2005)



(3) Palooka, paluka, palooker n.: 1. Any stupid or mediocre person, esp. if big or strong; An oafish hoodlum (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 2. A large and stupid person. [coined by Jack Conway (d.1928) of Variety magazine, and given wide currency by Ham Fisher's comic strip 'Joe Palooka' (launched 1930)] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



"The word has two main senses. One refers to an unsuccessful boxer, especially one who is both large and stupid, the other to any large and stupid or clumsy person, an oaf or lout. Many older people first came across the word as the name of the boxer in Ham Fisher's famous comic strip. This first appeared in 1928; it featured the eponymous Joe Palooka as a slow-witted and inarticulate boxer, even though "his heart was pure and his ideals high". But Ham Fisher didn't invent the word: it had been around for several years as a slang term and is first recorded in print in 1925. The boxing associations seem to have been particularly strong, to judge from the magazine The Ring, which in November 1926 glossed the word to mean "A tenth rater, a boxer without ability, a nobody" and which implied it had been known for some time. It's often said that palooka was the invention of Jack Conway, a former baseball player who became the editor of Variety magazine; he is credited by some with creating a whole group of slang terms that include pushover and baloney. Whether he actually invented palooka, or popularised it, we have no way of knowing, nor do we have any idea what it was based on. Some of Joe Palooka's adventures were made into films, and Palookaville came to be a slang term for a hick town full of gentle losers." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)



(4) Dimagio: Joseph Paul DiMaggio (misspelled in the tracklisting). Born: Martinez,Ca. November 25 1914 - Died: 1999. American base ball legend. He played from 1936 til 1951 for the NY Yankees. With this team he won the American Baseball League Championships 10 times and the World Series 9 times. Had a shortlived affair with Marylin Monroe





(5) Drysdale: Don Drysdale. American sports announcer. Born: July 23 1936. Ex-pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers





(6) Mantle, Mickey

- Mickey Charles Mantle. Born: Spavinaw, Ok, October 20 1931 - Died: Dallas, Tx, August 13 1995. A famous American baseball player in the 1950's (successor of Joe DiMaggio with the New York Yankees). He was a friend of Whitey Ford. In 1969 he resigned from professional baseball.

- Also mentioned in Jitterbug Boy (Small Change, 1976): "I taught Mickey Mantle everything he knows."





(7) Ford, Whitey: American baseball player from the 50's. He was a friend of Mickey Mantle





(8) Monk

1. Most likely refers to some American sportsman nicknamed "Monk" (or Monck?), but could refer to Thelonious Monk. Monk is recognized as one of the most influential figures in the history of Jazz. He was one of the architects of bebop and his impact as a composer and pianist has had a profound influence on every genre of music. Born on October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but his parents, Barbara Batts and Thelonious Monk, soon moved the family to New York City. Monk began piano lessons as a young child and by the age of 13 he had won the weekly amateur contest at the Apollo Theater so many times that he was barred from entering. At the age of 19, Monk joined the house band at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, where along with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and a handful of other players, he developed the style of jazz that came to be known as bebop. In the decade that followed, Monk played on recordings with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Rollins and recorded as a leader for Prestige Records and later for Riverside Records. He passed away on February 5, 1982.



2. "Tom Waits, Artist Choice". HearMusic.com. October 1999. TW: "Monk said "There is no wrong note, it has to do with how you resolve it." He almost sounded like a kid taking piano lessons.. I could relate to that when I first started playing the piano, because he was decomposing the music while he was playing it. It was like demystifying the sound, because there is a certain veneer to jazz and to any music, after a while it gets traffic rules, and the music takes a backseat to the rules. It's like aerial photography, telling you that this is how we do it. That happens in folk music too. Try playing with a bluegrass group and introducing new ideas. Forget about it. They look at like you're a communist. On "Solo Monk", he appears to be composing as he plays, extending intervals, voicing chords with impossible clusters of notes. "I Should Care" kills me, communion wine with a twist. Stride, church, jump rope, Bartok, melodies scratched into the plaster with a knife. A bold iconoclast. "Solo Monk" lets you not only see these melodies without clothes, but without skin. This is astronaut music from Bedlam."





(9) Nickels worth, Up north for a

- Tom Waits (1976): "And 'He went up north for a nickel's worth' means he went up north to jail for five years - usually for armed robbery. I learned that when I was in jail. I go there a lot and they just know me." (Source: "The Ramblin' Street Life Is The Good Life For Tom Waits", from "Rambler" magazine. Chicago. December 30, 1976. Interview by Rich Trenbeth)



Barber Shop

Good morning Mister, snip snip snip

With your hair cut just as short as mine

Good morning Mister, snip snip snip

With your hair cut just as short as mine



Bay Rum, Lucky Tiger, Butch Wax, Crackerjacks(1)

Shoe shine, jaw breaker, magazine racks

Hangin' round the barber shop, a side-burnin' close crop

Mornin' Mr. Furgeson, what's the good word with ya?

Stayin' out of trouble like a good boy should

I see you're still cuttin' hair, I'm still cuttin' classes

I got a couple passes to the Ringle Bros. Barn Bail circus(2) afternoon



You lost a little round the middle and you're lookin' real good

Sittin' on the wagon(3) 'stead of under the hood

What's the low-down(4), Mr. Brown, I heard your boy's leavin' town?

I bought myself a Struggle Buggy(5), sucker's powder blue(6)

Throw me over th' sports page, Cincinnati lookin' good

I always been for Pittsburgh, and I lay you 10 to 1

The Pirates get the pennant and the series 'fore their done

The hair's gettin' longer, you know the skirts are gettin' shorter

And don't you know that you can get a cheaper haircut if you wanna cross the border

If your mama saw you smokin', well she'd kick your ass

Now you put it out, you juvenile, and put it out fast

Well, if I had a million dollars, what would I do?

I'd probably be a barber, not a bum(7) like you

Still got your paper route, now that's just fine

And you can pay me double, 'cause you gypped me last time



And don't you know that you can keep a little circus money and spend it on a girl

And just remember that I give the best haircuts in the whole wide world

I give the best haircuts in the whole wide world



Good morning Mister, snip snip snip

With your hair cut just as short as mine

Good morning Mister, snip snip snip

With your hair cut just as short

You got your hair cut just as short

You got your hair cut just as short as mine



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 (7)

Official release: Foreign Affairs, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Bay Rum, Lucky Tiger, Butch Wax, Crackerjacks

- Bay Rum is an aromatic liquid originally prepared by distilling the leaves of the bay rum tree in rum and water. 

- Lucky Tiger is a brand name for a line of haircare products including Butch Wax (also mentioned in "Swordfishtrombone": "With Lucky Tiger in his angel hair, and Benzedrine for getting there.") 

- Cracker Jack is the brand name of a snack food (Thanks to Leroy Larson for pointing out these references. October, 2005)



(2) Ringle Bros. Barn Bail circus:"Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus". P.T. Barnum the flamboyant 19th century American entrepreneur/ swindler born: 1810 - died: 1891. The first and perhaps greatest showman of the US. In 1842 he opened his "American Museum of Curiosities" in NY city, in which he displayed all kinds of real but also fake curiosities and freaks. In 1871 he opened his circus "The greatest show on earth" in Brooklyn. The original circus was called simply the "P. T. Barnum Circus". He then merged with his competitor and formed the Barnum & Bailey Circus. When Barnum died, Bailey ran the circus. When Bailey died, the Ringling Brothers bought them out. That's how we get the incredibly long "Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus".



(3) Wagon, on the: Not drinking alcoholic beverages, either for a short or a long period (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(4) Low-down, lowdown

- n.: The real truth; confidential or authentic information; relevant facts; little known intimate facts; info; dope (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Notice the same phrase being mentioned in intro to Emotional Weather Report, 1975: "Slip me a little crimson Jimson. Gimme the lowdown, Brown."



(5) Buggy n.: A car, esp. an old and rickety one (Source: New dictionary of American slang, Chapman)



(6) Powder blue

- n. A moderate to pale blue or purplish blue. Etymology: From the color of powdered smalt (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company).

- Also mentioned in "On A Foggy Night" (1975): "Cause there's no consolation, what kind of situation to be aimlessly skewed amidst a powder blue." and "Downtown" (1980): "Just another dead soldier in a powder blue night."



(7) Inspired by or refering to "Good Morning Mr. Zip-Zip-Zip". Good Morning Mr. Zip-Zip-Zip is a ragtime song written by Robert Lloyd and published as sheet music in 1918 by Leo Feist Inc. of New York City. It was a popular if quirky tune with United States soldiers during the WW-I. In 1918, both Victor Records (VI18510) and Columbia Records (A-2530) issued a recording of the song by Arthur Fields and the Peerless Quartet. The reference to "Camels" and "Fatimas" are references to popular cigarettes of the time. "Verse 1 - We come from ev'ry quarter, From North, South, East and West, To clear the way to freedom For the land we love the best. We've left our occupations and home, so far and dear, But when the going's rather rough, We raise this song in cheer: Chorus - Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip, With your hair cut just as short as mine, Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip, You're surely looking fine! Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, If the Cam-ls don't get you, The Fatimas must, Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip, With your hair cut just as short as, your hair cut just as short as, your hair cut just as short as mine. Verse 2 - You see them on the high-way, You meet them down the pike, In olive drab and khaki Are soldiers on the hike; And as the column passes, The word goes down the line, Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip, You're surely looking fine." (Submitted by Tricia Hubert, as sent to the Tom Waits Yahoo discussionlist. January 19, 2005)



Burma Shave

 



(Foreign Affairs studio version, 1977)



Licorice tattoo turned a gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of a dying town

Took the one eyed Jacks(2) across the railroad tracks(3)

And the scar on its belly pulled a stranger passing through

He's a juvenile delinquent, never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look in Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair slicked back

She says 'I'm a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.

How far are you going?'

Said 'Depends on what you mean'

He says 'I'm only stopping here to get some gasoline'

'I guess I'm going thataway, just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And with her knees up on the glove compartment

She took out her barrettes, and her hair spilled out like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and arched her back

'Hell, Marysville(1) ain't nothing but a wide spot in the road

Some nights my heart pounds like thunder

Don't know why it don't explode

Cause everyone in this stinking town's got one foot in the grave

And I'd rather take my chances out in Burma-Shave'



'Presley's(5) what I go by, why don't you change the stations

Count the grain elevators in the rearview mirror'

She said, 'Mister, anywhere you point this thing

It got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Of going to bed with every dream that dies here every mornin'

And so drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

And I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

Why don't you have another swig(8), and pass that car if you're so brave

I wanna get there 'fore the sun comes up in Burma-Shave '



And the spider web crack and the mustang screamed

The smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Just a nickel's worth of dreams, and every wishbone that they saved

Lie swindled from them on the way to Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

And when they pulled her from the wreck

You know, she still had on her shades(10)

They say that dreams are growing wild

just this side

of Burma-Shave



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986





 



Burma Shave



(Live version State Theatre, Sydney/ Australia. May 2, 1979)



You know, I remember...

It rained all day the day that Elvis Presley(5) died

And only a legend can make it do that!

And you know, I remember when my baby said we were through

And she was gonna walk out on me

It was Elvis Presley that talked her out of it

And he gave me my first leather jacket

And taught me how to comb my hair just right in a filling station bathroom

It was Elvis that gave you a rubber on prom night

And told you that you looked real sharp

And you know, I think he maybe just got a little tired

Of repairing all the broken hearts in the world.

And now I think maybe I understand

Why mechanics' cars never start

And why night watchmen are always sleeping on the job

And why shoeshine boys always have worn-out scooped-up shoes.

But eh... [mumbles]

A legend never dies, he just teaches you everything he knows

To give you the courage to ask her out

And I know, there's a small little town where dreams are still alive

And there's a hero on every corner

And they're all on their way to a place called

Burma-Shave



Scrawled out across the shoulders of this dying little town, see?

And every night it takes the one eyed Jacks

You know, a one eyed Jack is like a...

You got one headlight burned out on your car

It's called a one eyed Jack

You can see them from across the railroad tracks(3)

Over the scar on its belly, there came a stranger passing through

And he was a juvenile delinquent

He never learned how to behave

But the cops never think to look

When you're on your way to Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, man

Yeah, and the moon was like a bone and

He didn't seem to be like any guy that she'd ever known

He kinda looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair ssslicked back

And she said, 'Honey I've always been a sucker for a fella that wears a cowboy hat

And just how far do you think you might be going, Mister?'

He said 'Baby, that all depends on... what you mean

Cause I'm only stopping here tonight, cause I gotta get myself some gasoline'

'And I guess I'm going out thataway, at least ride as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Well, that's cool Why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment?'

Well, she took out her barrettes, and man, her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

She popped her gum and she arched her back

She said, 'Man, this little town don't amount to nothin'

It's just a wide spot in the road

And some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

And everybody in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

And I'm gonna take my chances with you tonight

On the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Eh, well you know.... okay Eh... how old are you?

Ah! That's... a problem...

Uh, where do you go to school, babe? Oh yeah? I went to Sweetwater

Oh yeah, I dropped out, y'know You know how it is. Got in trouble...

You know a guy named Eddie Alvarez? No?

Well, Presley's what they call me

Why don't you change the stations, baby?

And count the grain elevators,

Watch'em go by in he rear view mirror'



'Any way you point this thing is gonna beat the hell out of the sting!(6)

Cause every night I go to bed with all my dreams

I lie down and they die right here every morning

So come on, Presley, and drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole like a fugitive tonight

Let's have another swig of that sweet Black Velvet

That sweet Black Velvet...

Let's pass that car!

Are you brave enough?

We can get there just before the sun comes up

You and me, on the way to Burma-Shave



Yeah... Cause I'm going crazy in this town, man

Yeah, my old man gives me nothing but shit!

I don't know, I don't care what they say

Let's get out of town tonight!'



Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Well... I was talking to my brother-in-law

He said there was a wreck out on the highway

He saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Oh, but all you've got is just a nickle's worth of dreams

And they've been swindled from you on the way to a place called Burma-Shave

You let the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

It's up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

But you know something, baby?

I swear to God, when they pulled you from the wreck you still had on your shades

And dreams are growing wild every night

Just this side of Burma-Shave

And there's another young girl out by the highway tonight

with her thumb out

Just a few trucks going by...



Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'(10)

And the cotton is high



Written by: Tom Waits

Unofficial release: "Cold Beer On A Hot Night". KTS, 1993

(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





 



Burma Shave



(Live version. Austin/ USA. Austin City Limits. December 5, 1978)



Aarghhh... yeahhhh... You know eh... when I was a kid... my dad had a 1957 station wagon... It was a Chevrolet. And man did I love that car. I used to go in the garage at night and turn out all the lights and roll up against it. (laughter) Huh, huh. I think that's against the law! But I remember driving all the way across country, when I was a kid in the back... I remember seeing Burma Shave signs all the way across the country along Route 66. And eh, well this is a story about a young girl. This small little town, a place called Marysville. It's up around Yuba City, Gridley, Chico, they're all the same. The names are different. It takes about... oh 23 miles and you're in the next one and they got a Foster Freeze just like they had in the one you were trying to get out of...



And eh you see there was this liquorice tattoo, he used to turn the gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of his dying little town

And he used to take the one eyed Jacks(2) out across the railroad tracks(3)

With a scar on his belly there came a stranger passing through

And he was just a juvenile delinquent, he never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look out in Burma-Shave



When the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), the way he had his hair slicked back

And she said 'Well honey I've always been a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.



And just how far do you think you might be going?

He said 'Honey that would all depend on what you mean'

Cause you see eh, I'm only stopping here cause I got to get myself some of this gasoline'

'And I guess you should say I'm going thataway, why just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: 'Honey why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment just like that'

She took out her barrettes, and man her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and she arched her back

And she said: 'Marysville(1) don't amount to nothing

it's just a wide spot in the road

and some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

If you ask me buddy, everyone in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

I'd rather take my chances with you, take me all the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: Honey, nothing to it. Cause you see eh... Presley's(5) what I go by,

why don't you change the stations

Let's count the grain elevators as they go by in the rearview mirror'

Cause anyway you point this thing,

it's got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Cause every night I go to bed and I lie down all my dreams

and they die here every mornin'

So comon Presley, drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

And let's have another swig of that Black Velvet.

let's pass that car man if you're brave enough

So we can get there just before the sun comes up

Out in Burma-Shave '



Just you and me baby,

cause this town is driving me crazy

driving me crazy, I'm going crazy baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



Oh honey you know, I don't care what they say.

Go ahead and let them talk, yeah let them talk,

Cause tonight I'm gonna drive, I'm gonna drive baby

It's just you and me, it's just you and me baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



You see, the spider web cracked and the mustang I heard it scream

Someone said there was a wreck out on the highway.

I saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Well all you got is a nickel's worth of dreams,

and they've been swindled from you

when you're on your way to a place

called Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door over on the shotgun side(8)

and baby when they pulled you from the wreck,

you still had on your shades.

But dreams are growing wild tonight,

just this side of a place I know... 

called Burma Shave.



And over by the Foster Freeze, well they're closing up now... 

Yeah, they're closing up... The waitress is going through her purse... There's only a few cars left... A truck rolls by... and there's another young girl, up against the Coke machine... with swizzle-stick legs, sucking on a Lucky Strike, and with a sign in her hand that says

"I'm On My Way To Burma Shave."



And it's a hot summer night.

And the fish are jumpin'. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton, the cotton is high... Your daddy's rich, your daddy's rich and your mamma's good-looking. She's so good-looking baby.



Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.

So hush now, hush now. Hush now, don't you cry, don't you cry baby , don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry... don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry baby, don't you cry.

Don't you cry...



Written by: Tom Waits

No official release

(Transcribed by Pieter from Holland as published on Tom Waits Library, 2002)



Known covers:

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Burma Shave:

- Further readingBurma-Shave.org 

- Larry Goldstein (1978): Waits' latest LP is entitled Foreign Affairs, and it seems destined to be his biggest seller to date. His voice has never been better, though to the new listener it migh t grate like flesh over gravel. The difference in his vocal performance is best evidenced on the cut "Burma Shave" on which, as Waits explained, "I was trying to sing instead of just growling and grunting, which, by the time I get off the road is all I can muster up." (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)

Brian Case (1979): Did he get "Burma Shave" from the Nick Ray movie, They Live By Night, from 1947? TW: "Yeah, that's the one. In fact that's a great story. Very sad at the end where he gets mowed down at the motel. Farley Granger does soap operas now, I think. He was in Minneapolis and this woman disc jockey played it for him and he got a real kick out of it. He always played the baby-face hood. He don't work much any more. I guess Sal Mineo got most of his roles. Yeah, I used that. I kept coming back to that movie image. Also, I have a lot of relatives in this little town called Marysville, and a cousin, her name is Corrine Johnson, and every time I'd go up there from Los Angeles in the summers, she was alway s like you know 'Christ man - I gotta get outa this fucking town. I wanna go to LA.' She finally did. She hitch-hiked out and stood by this Foster Freeze on Prom Night. Got in a car with a guy who was just some juvinile delinquent, and he took her all the way to LA where she eventually cracked up. Burma Shave was a shaving cream company. Abandoned in the late Fifties. Useta advertise all along the highway. I always thought it was the name of a town. (Source: "Wry & Danish to go". "MelodyMaker" magazine. Brian Case. Copenhagen, Early 1979)





- Kristine McKenna (1983): What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood". (Source: "One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

Tom Waits (1985): "Burma Shave is an American shaving-cream company, like Colgate. They advertise on the side of the road and they have these limericks which are broken up into different signs like pieces of a fortune cookie. You drive for miles before you get the full message. "PLEASE DON'T"... five miles... "STICK YOUR ARM OUT SO FAR"... another five miles... "IT MIGHT GO HOME"... five more miles... "IN ANOTHER MAN'S CAR - BURMA SHAVE." They reel you in. So when I was a kid I'd see these signs on the side of the road - BURMA SHAVE, BURMA SHAVE - and I'm young and I think it's the name of a town and I ask my dad, "When we getting to Burma Shave?" So in the song I used Burma Shave as a dream, a mythical community, a place two people are trying to get to. They don't make it." (Source: "Dog Day Afternoon" Time Out magazine (UK), by Richard Rayner. Date: New York, October 3-9, 1985)

Live intro from 'Storming Heaven Benefit". Healdsburg. August 11, 1996: "Ths is about a small little town... When I was a kid we used to drive cross country. And for those of you who are old enough, you might remember the Burma-Shave signs on the side of the highway [some applause]. Thank you, all six of you! Anyway, this is about that. My dad yelling at me to hold my horses! And thirty years later I yelled at my kids to hold THEIR horses. So this is about a small little town. One of those tiny little towns by the side of the road. And somebody thumbing a ride trying to get out of town..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





(2) Across the (railroad) tracksphr. [20C] inferior, second-rate (cf. WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS). [the area of a town in which the poor supposedly live; f. an era when many US towns were literally divided, socially as well as physically, by the railroadtracks] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) One Eyed Jack

- Tom Waits 
(1979): "You know, a one eyed Jack is like a... You got one headlight burned out on your car. It's called a one eyed Jack." (Live version of "Burma Shave". Sydney, Australia. March, 1979)



(4) Granger, Farley: Farley Earle Granger. Born: San Jose, Ca., July 1 1925. American actor and author. From 1943 on he played in films like: Edge of Doom, Arrowsmith, Strangers On A Train and They Live by Night (this movie by Nick Ray from 1947 (1949?) was the inspiration for the song Burma Shave). "Synopsis: "This boy...and this girl...were never properly introduced to the world we live in." With this superimposed opening title, director Nicholas Ray inaugurates his first feature, They Live by Night. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell play a "Bonnie and Clyde"-type fugitive couple, who in trying to escape their past are hell-bent down the road to Doom. Despite their criminal activities, Bowie (Granger) and Keechie (O'Donnell) are hopelessly na�ve, fabricating their own idyllic dream world as the authorities close in. The entrapment -- both actual and symbolic -- of the young misfit couple can now be seen as a precursor to the dilemma facing James Dean in Ray's 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. A box-office disappointment upon its first release, They Live by Night has since gained stature as one of the most sensitive and least-predictable entries in the film noir genre. The film was based on a novel by Edward Anderson, and in 1974 was filmed by Robert Altman under its original title, Thieves Like Us. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide"





(5) Presley, Elvis: Elvis Aaron Presley. Born: January 8 1935. Died: August 16, 1977. (Burma Shave was released 1977). 

- Tom Waits (1993): "I was in Memphis recently for a wedding and I couldn't resist going to Graceland. I especially liked the bullet holes in the swing set and the red faced uniformed teen usherettes and their memorized text delivered while gesturing at the rusted play structure. "Elvis and the boys were just having a little too much fun one night and came out for a some target practice." They also mentioned that Elvis had picked out all the furniture for the Jungle Room in just thirty minutes." (Source: "Tom Foolery - Swapping stories with inimitable Tom Waits". Buzz Magazine: May 1993)



(6) Sting: [1970s] a police undercover operation designed to entrap alleged criminals (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(7) Barber pole: The medieval symbol of a barber was a vertical pole with red and white spiraling stripes. In the 20th century some of these were displayed on the street powered by an electric motor, and had the appearance of a drill drilling into the sidewalk (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



 



(8) Swig n.: A swallow, gulp, or mouthful, esp. of whisky (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in Falling Down: "Go on take a swig of that poison and like it."



(9) Shotgun side n.: The passenger seat in a vehicle. Origin: the American west (i.e. during the 1800s.) The "shotgun" was the person that sat next to the driver of a wagon with a shotgun, watching for trouble. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(10) Shades

- n. pl.: A pair of sunglasses. Orig. bop musician use c1948-c1955; now mainly beat and student use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun" (Now never trust a scarecrow wearin' shades after dark)



(11) Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'. Quoting: Summertime. Written by: Gershwin/ Heyward. Originally performed by Abbie Mitchell in "Porgy and Bess", 1935: "Summertime and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. Yo' daddy's rich and yo' mama's good lookin'. So hush little baby, don't you cry. One of these mornin's, you're gonna rise up singin'. You're gonna spread yo' wings and take to the sky. But til that mornin' ain't nothin' can harm you. With yo' daddy and mammy standin' by."



Foreign Affair

When travelling abroad in the continental style,

it's my belief one must attempt to be discreet,

and subsequently bear in mind your transient position

allows you a perspective that's unique



And though you'll find your itinerary(1) a blessing and a curse,

your wanderlust won't let you settle down

And you'll wonder how you ever fathomed that you'd be content

to stay within the city limits of a small midwestern town



Most vagabonds I knowed don't ever want to find the culprit

that remains the object of their long relentless quest

The obsession's in the chasing and not the apprehending

The pursuit, you see, and never the arrest



Without fear of contradiction, bon voyage is always hollered

in conjunction with a handkerchief from shore,

by a girl who drives a Rambler(2) and furthermore is overly concerned

that she won't see him anymore



Planes and trains and boats and buses characteristically

evoke a common attitude of blue(3)

unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport

and the cargo that they're carrying is you



A foreign affair, juxtaposed with a stateside

and domestically approved romantic fancy,

is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances,

knowing it will only be parlayed into a memory



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1977

Official release: Foreign Affairs, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977



Known covers:

Extensions. Manhattan Transfer, 1979. Atlantic

Clandestina (Con La Memoria). Mimmo Locasciulli. April, 1987. RCA

The Anthology: Down in Birdland. Manhattan Transfer. October 13, 1992. Rhino Records

Profile. Richie Cole. June 16, 1993. Heads Up (instrumental)

Man-Tora!: Live in Tokyo. Manhattan Transfer. April 9, 1996. Rhino Records

Enrico VIII (Con La Memoria). Enrico Ruggeri. February 25, 1999. WEA

La Vie En Rouge (Con La Memoria). Enrico Ruggeri. January 1, 2002. Musicrama, Inc.

Foreign Affair. Lincoln Briney. August 23, 2006. Self-released

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Itinerary n.: The notification of the route followed by a traveller. The Itinerary of Antoninus marks out all the main roads of the Roman Empire, and the stations of the Roman army. The Itinerary of Peutinger (Tabula Peutingeriana) is also an invaluable document of ancient geography, executed A.D. 393, in the reign of Theodosius the Great, and hence called sometimes the Theodosian Table. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(2) Rambler: Classic car developed in 1902/ 1918 by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Later produced by AMC. On June 30, 1969 the last U.S.-produced Rambler rolled off the line in Kenosha. A total of 4,204,925 had been made





(3) Blue: adj. 1. [late 18C-19C] confused, terrified, disappointed. 2. [late 18C+] miserable, depressed (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



I Never Talk To Strangers

 



[Bartender, I'd like a Manhattan please](1)



Stop me if you've heard this one

But I feel as though we've met before

Perhaps I am mistaken

But it's just that I remind you of

Someone you used to care about

Oh, but that was long ago

Now tell me, do you really think I'd fall for that old line

I was not born just yesterday(2)

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Hell, I ain't a bad guy when you get to know me

I just thought there ain't no harm

Hey, yeah, just try minding your own business, bud

Who asked you to annoy me

With your sad, sad repartee

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Your life's a dimestore novel

This town is full of guys like you

And you're looking for someone to take the place of her

You must be reading my mail

And you're bitter cause he left you

That's why you're drinkin' in this bar

Well, only suckers fall in love with perfect strangers



It always takes one to know one stranger

Maybe we're just wiser now

Yeah, and been around that block so many times

That we don't notice

That we're all just perfect strangers

As long as we ignore

That we all begin as strangers

Just before we find

We really aren't strangers anymore



[Aw, you don't look like such a chump]

[Aw, hey baby]



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986(4)

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Tom Waits: vocals and piano. Bette Midler: vocals(3)

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Broken Blossom. Bette Midler, 1977/ 1995. Atlantic (same cut as on "Foreign Affairs")

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (Met Fremde kein Verdr��ch)

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003.Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Perfect Strangers. Margaret Wakeley. May, 2004. Self-released

Oh Marie! (7" version). Ladyfuzz. July 13, 2006.: WEA

Levenslijn. Various artists. August 29, 2006. Universal Music Belgium (performed by Wendy Van Wanten & Roland)



Notes:



(1) Manhattan

- A cocktail based on Canadian whisky (Canadian whisky, red Vermouth, Angostura).

- Also mentioned in "I'll Take New York", 1986/ 1987: "I'm on the caboose, I'm drinkin' Manhattan"





(2) I was not born just yesterdayphr. [late 19C+] aware, sophisticated, 'on the ball'(Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) Bette Midler:

- Barney Hoskyns (2009): “Inevitably these veterans of heartbreak overcame their cynicism as they got to the first base of flirtation. "Bette was in the middle of making Broken Blossom," [Bones] Howe recalls. "But she came to the studio and we put two mics at the piano and she went out and sat next to Tom on the piano bench and we probably did six takes before we got it." The song was slightly below Midler's range, forcing her to sing more conversationally. "When you write for a duet," says Bob Alcivar, "you've got to kind of psych out the two singers and decide what the key's going to be. In this case it was Tom's key, so Bette had to kind of fake it and go up and down and change the registers.” Vocal jazz connoisseurs would surely have something to say about Midler as canary, but her turn here as a kind of white Betty Carter worked because of its imperfection. "She drove me crazy for three months," says Howe. "She kept saying, 'I was sharp on that note, I was flat on that one,' I said, 'It doesn't get any better than that, it could be a stage performance."' (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

Larry Goldstein (1978) : "One of the few people with whom he can work is Bette (as in Midler.) "I met her, now let me see, a couple of years ago at the bottom Line (a nightclub) in New York," he said, "and we got along famously. I admire her a great deal. And you know...I'll kick anybody's ass who knocks her. I wrote a couple of tunes for her." ("Shiver Me Timbers" among them.) The two stayed close friends and then one day Bette dropped by the studio during the recording of Foreign Affairs just to say hello. The topic of duets arose, and she asked Waits to try and write one for them. So Tom went home and went to work and came back the next day with a brand new song, to be recorded that day, I Never Talk To Strangers, which has become the most popular song on the album. When I asked him about the possibility of more collaboration between the two, Waits was intentionally vague and mysterious. "We might work something out," he said. (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)



(4) One From The Heart

- In 1980 this song prompted Francis Ford Coppola to contact Waits on working together on the soundtrack for One From The Heart.

Tom Waits (1981): "When I was in New York back in April of 1980, Francis was there auditioning people he wanted to be involved with the film. Somebody had sent him my records and Francis liked the song "I Never Talk to Strangers," a duet I'd done with Bette Midler [on Waits' Foreign Affairs LP released in '77]. He liked the relationship between the singers, a conversation between a guy and a girl in a bar. That was the impetus for him contacting me and asking me if I was interested in writing music for his film." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Jack & Neal

Jack(1) was sittin' poker faced(2) with bullets backed with bitches(3)

Neal(4) hunched at the wheel, puttin' everyone in stitches(5)

Braggin' 'bout some nurse he screwed while drivin' through Nebraska

And when she came she honked the horn

and Neal just barely missed a truck

And then he asked her if she'd like to come like that to Californy

You see, a red head in a uniform will always get you horny

Yeah, and with her hairnet and those white shoes and a name tag and a hat

She drove like Andy Granatelli(6)and knew how to fix a flat(7)

And Jack was almost at the bottom of his MD 2020(8)

Neal was yellin' out the window, tryin' to buy some bennies(9)

From a Lincoln full of Mexicans, and the left rear tire blowed

And the sons of bitches pretty near almost ran us off the road

And while the nurse had spilled the Maneshewitz(10 all up and down her dress

And then she lit the map on fire, Neal just had to guess

Should we try and find a bootleg route or a fillin' station open

The nurse was dumpin' out her purse and lookin' for an envelope

And Jack was out of cigarettes, and as we crossed the yellow line

The gas pumps looked like tombstones from here

And it felt lonelier than a parkin' lot when the last car pulls away

And the moonlight dressed the double breasted foothills in the mirror

Weaving out a negligee and a black brassiere

And the Mercury(11) was runnin' hot and we were almost out of gas

Just then Florence Nightingale(12) she dropped her drawers and

Stuck her fat ass half way out of the window to a Wilson Pickett(13) tune

And shouted 'Get a load of this' and gave the finger to the moon



Countin' one eyed Jacks(14) and whistlin' Dixie in the car

Neal was doin' least a hundred when we saw a fallin' star

And Florence wished that Neal would hold her 'stead of chewin' on his cigar

Jack was noddin' out and wishin' he was in a bar

With Charlie Parker(15) on the bandstand, and not a worry in the world

And a glass of beer in one hand and his arms around a girl

Neal was singin' to the nurse, 'Underneath the Harlem Moon'(16)

And somehow you could just tell we'd be in California soon...



Open up your golden gates(17)

California, here I come

I said: California, here I come

Look out: California, here I come



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977

Official release: Foreign Affairs, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Jack & Neal: Refers to beat authors Jack Kerouac and beat epitome Neal Cassady.

- Jack Kerouac: Born: March 12, 1922: Lowell, Massachusetts. Died: October 21, 1969: St. Petersburg, Florida. At a young age Kerouac had written a novel, stylistically reminiscent of Thomas Wolfe, about the torments he was suffering as he tried to balance his wild city life with his old-world family values, 'The Town and the City' which earned him respect and some recognition as a writer, although it did not make him famous. Later he decided to write about his cross-country trips with Neal Cassady exactly as they had happened, without pausing to edit, fictionalize or even think. "On The Road" was finally published in 1957, and when it became a tremendous popular success Kerouac did not know how to react. Embittered by years of rejection, he was suddenly expected to snap to and play the part of Young Beat Icon for the public. Trying to live up to the wild image he'd presented in 'On The Road,' he developed a severe drinking habit that aged him prematurely. He kept busy, appearing on TV shows, writing magazine articles and recording three spoken-word albums, but his momentum as a serious writer had been completely disrupted. Defeated and lonesome, he left California to live with his mother in Long Island, and would not stray from his mother for the rest of his life. Despite the 'beatnik' stereotype, Kerouac was a political conservative, especially when under the influence of his Catholic mother. As the beatniks of the 1950's began to yield their spotlight to the hippies of the 1960's, Jack took pleasure in standing against everything the hippies stood for. He supported the Vietnam War and became friendly with William F. Buckley. His health destroyed by drinking, he died at home in 1969.

- Barney Hoskyns (2009): “It's interesting to consider here how the Kerouac Cassady dynamic was paralleled by the friendship between Waits and Chuck E. Weiss. For Waits, Weiss embodied the same recklessness Cassady did for Kerouac. "[He] had become ... the great Idiot of us all," Kerouac wrote in Visions of Cody, his almost homoerotic paean to Cassady, " [ ... ] entirely, irresponsible to the point of wild example and purgation for us to learn and not to have to go through." While Weiss and Cassady harboured aspirations to being artists themselves, really they functioned as Ids to the Egos of the men who observed them and had the discipline to make art of their observations. For Waits to note that Kerouac wasn't "nearly as mad and impetuous" as the damaged Cassady may have been an interesting admission of his own relative cautiousness.” (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)





(2) Poker face: A face lacking in expression. Used in poker, where one tries not to reveal his hand by his facial expression (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Bullets backed with bitches n.: Among American poker players, a bullet is an ace (Source: The dictionary of the teenage revolution and its aftermath, Hudson) Bullets = a pair of aces in the hole (Source: Dan's poker dictionary, Dan Kimberg). Bitch n. In playing cards, a queen of any suit. Fairly common by c1900 (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(4) Neal Cassady. Born: February 8, 1926: Salt Lake City, Utah. Died: February 4, 1968: San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. Neal Cassady was raised by an alcoholic father in the skid row hotels of Denver's Larimer Street. In December 1946 Cassady moved to New York. It was here that he met Kerouac and Ginsberg. Soon he and Kerouac began the series of cross-country adventures that would later become 'On The Road'. Cassady married several women and fathered many children (much of this activity is discussed in 'On The Road'). After a night of hard partying in Mexico in 1968, Cassady wandered onto a deserted railroad, intending to walk fifteen miles to the next town. He fell asleep on the way, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans. It was a cold rainy night, and Cassady was found beside the tracks the next morning. He was in a coma, and died in a hospital later that day. Kerouac would die a year later. The real genius behind the Beat movement in literature never published a book during his life. He appeared as a main character in many books, though, from "Go" by John Clellon Holmes to "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac to "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe. His free-flowing letter writing style inspired the young Kerouac to break his ties to the sentimental style he'd picked up from Thomas Wolfe and invent his notion of "spontaneous prose." Without Neal Cassady, the Beat Generation would never have happened.





(5) Puttin' everyone in stitches: In stitches (Informal) Laughing uncontrollably (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(7) Flat n.: A punctured or "flat" automobile tire. Stand. since c1930. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) MD 20/20: (Mad Dog)Mogen David Wineries developed this product several decades ago, and it has been a favorite of high school and college students ever since. College students recognize its above average potency and use it as a "quick drunk." It is produced in several flavors that resemble soda pop, including: "pink grapefruit," "wild berry," "Hawaiian blue," and "lightning creek," which make it more palatable to the tastes of "new drinkers." (Source: Indiana Prevention Resource Center," Factline on high potency alcoholic beverages")



(9) Bennies n.: Any amphetamine pill, esp. Benzedrine. Addict and student use since c1945 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Benny/ Bennie/ Bennies n. [1940s] (orig. US drugs) Benzedrine; thus benny-head. (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(10) Manischewitz: Kosher wine from New York/ New Jersey based producer of kosher foods and wines. Foreign Affairs lyrics spell this as 'Manoshevitz". All Manischewitz wines are made and bottled under the Rabbinical supervision of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Source: Manischewtz official site)



(12) Nightingale, Florence: British nurse, hospital reformer, and humanitarian. Born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820. After the Crimean War broke out in 1854, Nightingale, stirred by reports of the primitive sanitation methods and grossly inadequate nursing facilities at the large British barracks-hospital at �sk�dar (now part of Istanbul, Turkey), volunteered her services in the Crimea. Under Nightingale's supervision, efficient nursing departments were established. Through her tireless efforts the mortality rate among the sick and the wounded was greatly reduced. Nightingale founded the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses at Saint Thomas's Hospital in London. The opening of this school marked the beginning of professional education in nursing. Her contributions to the evolution of nursing as a profession were invaluable. Before she undertook her reforms, nurses were largely untrained personnel who considered their job a menial chore; through her efforts the stature of nursing was raised to a medical profession with high standards of education and important responsibilities. She died in London on August 13, 1910



(13) Picket, Wilson: Born: March 18, 1941, Prattville, AL. Of the major '60s soul stars, Wilson Pickett was one of the roughest and sweatiest, working up some of the decade's hottest dancefloor grooves on hits like "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1000 Dances," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway." He tends to be held in somewhat lower esteem than more versatile talents like Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. One early hit was: "In the Midnight Hour," whose chugging horn line, loping funky beats, and impassioned vocals combined into a key transitional performance. Picket's biggest pop hit was "Land of 1000 Dances ", a soul anthem of sorts with its roll call of popular dances



(14) One eyed jack:

Tom Waits (1979): "You know, a one eyed Jack is like a... You got one headlight burned out on your car. It's called a one eyed Jack." (Live version of "Burma Shave". Sydney, Australia. March, 1979)



(15) Parker, Charlie: Charles Christopher Parker, Jr. was born on August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas.Parker was an amazing saxophonist who gained wide recognition for his solos and innovative improvisations. He was, without a doubt, one of the most influential and talented musicians in jazz history. He could play remarkably fast lines, if slowed down to half speed, would reveal that every note made sense. He could play amazingly fast and complex solos or sweet, slow ballads. He was given the nicknames "Bird" and "Yardbird". Since a chicken is a "yard bird" and Parker was quite fond of chicken, Parker was given the nickname Charlie "Yardbird" Parker. He was also nicknamed "Bird" for his tendency to "live free as a bird". Round 1950 drugs started to consume his daily life, his cabaret license was revoked in New York, making it much more difficult for him to play in clubs. March 5, 1955 was Parker's last public engagement at Birdland. He died a week later at a friends apartment



(16) Underneath the Harlem Moon: Referring to: "Underneath The Harlem Moon" (Gordon-Revel). Transcribed from Don Redman and His Orchestra, vocals by Harlan Lattimore. Recorded October 6, 1932: "Creole ladies walk along with rhythm in their thighs Rhythm in their feet and in their lips and in their eyes, Where do highbrows find the kind of love that satisfies? Underneath the Harlem moon! There's no fields of cotton; picking cotton is taboo; They don't live in cabins like the old folks used to do. Their cabin is a penthouse up on Lennox Avenue, Underneath that Harlem moon! Why, they just live on dancing, They're never blue or forlorn, 'Cause it ain't no sin to laugh and grin; That's why darkies were born Oh, they shout, "Hallelujah!" every time they're feeling low; Every sheik is dressed up like a Georgia gigolo, You may call it madness but they call it hi-de-ho, Underneath the Harlem moon!"



(17) Open up your golden gates: Quoting: "California, Here I Come"Written by: Al Jolson, B. DeSylva, Joe Meyer, 1924: "When the wintry winds are blowing, And the snow is starting in to fall, Then my eyes turn westward, knowing that's the place I love the best of all. California, I've been blue, Since I've been away from you, I can't wait 'til I get going, Even now I'm starting in to call Chorus: California here I come, Right back where I started from, Where bowers of flowers bloom in the sun, Each morning at dawning birdies sing an' ev'rything: A sunkist Miss said, don't be late, That's why I can hardly wait, Open up that Golden Gate, California here I come! Anyone who likes to wander, Ought to keep this saying in his mind Absence makes the heart grow fonder Of the good old place you leave behind. When you've hit the trail awhile Seems you rarely see a smile; That's why I must fly out yonder, Where a frown is mighty hard to find! Chorus:"



Muriel

 



Muriel since you left town

the clubs closed down

and there's one more burned out lamppost

on Main Street

down where we used to stroll



And Muriel

I still hit all the same old haunts(2)

and you follow me wherever I go



And Muriel I see you

on a Saturday night

in a penny arcade

with your hair tied back

And the diamond twinkle

is in your eye

is the only wedding ring that I'll buy you

Muriel



And Muriel how many times

I've left this town

to hide from your memory

and it haunts me



But I only get as far

as the next Whiskey bar

I buy another cheap cigar

and I'll see you every night



Hey Muriel

Muriel

Hey buddy

got a light?



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1977

Official release: Foreign Affairs, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977



Known covers:

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Eleni Mandell



Notes:



(1) Muriel:

Tom Waits (ntroducing "Muriel" London, 1981): "This is a song about an American television personality named Ernie Kovacs who was very popular in the late 50's. He had his own show and he had a beautiful wife, Edie Adams, (here in a high pitched goofy voice he sings): "And you may ask yourself, how did you get that beautiful wife? How did you get that beautiful car?" Ernie was very fond of Edie, they were very close for many years. They went to a party in Beverley Hills one night. Edie took the Rolls and Ernie took the Corvair. That's just the way they had things worked out, and on Ernie's way home, he'd had a few cocktails, and he wrapped himself around a telephone pole there on Santa Monica and La Cienega, he's history now. Edie used to do advertisements for Muriel Cigars, it's a real cheap 10 cent cigar in the States and so this is about a guy in the lounge who's smoking a cigar and remembering - remember with me now." (Source: London, 1981. Transcription from tape by Gary Tausch as sent to Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. July 19, 2000)

Muriel/ Edie Adams: "Edie Adams, spokesperson in the 1960s for the Muriel Cigar Company where she provocatively coaxed the male viewers with her seductive sales pitch: "Hey big spender, spend a little dime on me" and "Pick me up and smoke me sometime." Edie's husband (at the time) was comedian Ernie Kovacs who did competing ad spots for Dutch Master Cigars. In a number of the Muriel commercials singer/comedienne Edie Adams appeared in different ethnic settings―German, French, Spanish, Chinese―to sing the Muriel song in many accents. Edie also did her own series of singing commercials for the "Muriel" brand of cigarillo "It's the light cigar that keeps a cool head," she crooned in a sultry voice. Edie Adams was the first of the sexy commercial females on television. Susan Anton later took over her role in the late seventies... Muriel Cigar sponsored a series of "Here's Edie" specials on the ABC Network in the late 1960s. One 1968 promotional ad for the show came in the form of a Decca LP album ($3.98 value) called "Behind Those Swingin' Doors" where the "Fabulous Edie Adams" interpreted twelve top all-time classics. To get it you had to "Simply send $1 (Case, check or money order), five bands from any size Muriel and your name and address to: Muriel Record offer P.O. Box 150, Pinckneyville, Illinois. Like Now!" In the 1950s, before Edie Adams, Muriel Cigar commercials featured a cartoon female who sang the lyrics "I'm today's new Muriel, the fine cigars..." (the animated ads also included a husband and $5 child cigar)." (Source: "Tobacco & Smoking", Copyright © TV Acres)





Edie Adams as featured in a Muriel cigars commercial from 1964



(2) Haunt n.: A place much frequented (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



Potter's Field

Well, you can buy me a drink and I'll tell you what I've seen

And I'll give you a bargain from the edge of a maniac's dream

That buys a black widow spider with a riddle in his yarn

That's clingin' to the furrow of a blind man's brow

And I'll start talkin' from the brim of a thimble full of whiskey

On a train through the Bronx that will take you just as far

As the empty of a bottle to the highway of a scar

That stretched across the blacktop(2) of my cheek like that

And then ducks beneath the brim of a fugitive's hat

You'll learn why liquor makes a stool pigeon(3) rat on every face

That ever left a shadow down on Saint Mark's place



Hell, I'd double-cross(4) my mother if it was whiskey that they paid

And so an early bird says Nightstick's(5) on the hit parade

And he ain't got a prayer and his days are numbered

And you'll track him down like a dog

But it's a tough customer you're gettin' in this trade

Cause the Nightstick's heart pumps lemonade

And whiskey keeps a blind man talkin' all right

And I'm the only one who knows just where he stayed last night



He was in a wreckin' yard in a switchblade storm

In a wheelbarrow with nothin' but revenge to keep him warm

And a half a million dollars in unmarked bills

Was the Nightstick's blanket in a February chill

And the buzzards drove a crooked sky beneath a black wing halo

He was dealin' high Chicago(6) in the mud

And stackin' the deck(7) against a dragnet's eye(8)

And the shiverin' Nightstick in a miserable heap

With the siren for a lullaby singin' him to sleep

And bleedin' from a buttonhole, and torn by a slug

Fired from the barrel of a two dollar gun

That scorched a blister on the grip of a punk by now

Is learnin' what you have to pay to be a hero anyhow



He dressed the hole in his gut with a hundred dollar bandage

A king's ransom for a bedspread that don't amount to nothin'

Just cobweb strings on a busted ukulele



And the Nightstick leaned on a black shillelagh(10)

With the poison of a junkie's broken promise(14) on his lip

He staggered in the shadows screamin', 'I ain't never been afraid'

And he shot out every street light on the promenade

Past the frozen ham-and-eggers(11) at the penny arcade

Throwin' out handfuls of a blood stained salary

They were dead in their tracks at the shootin' gallery(12)

And they fired off a twenty-one gun salute

And from the corner of his eye he caught the alabaster orbs

Of a dime-a-dance-hall girl and stuffed a thousand dollar bill in her blouse

And caught the cruel and unusual punishment of her smile

And the Nightstick winked beneath a rain soaked brim

Ain't no one seen hide nor hair(13) of him since

No one 'cept a spade on Riker's Island and me



So if you're mad enough to listen to a full of whiskey blind man

And you're mad enough to look beyond where the bloodhounds(14) dare to go

And if you want to know where the Nightstick's hidin' out

You be down at the ferry landin', oh let's say 'bout half past a nightmare

When it's twisted on the clock, and you tell 'em Nickel sent you

Whiskey always makes him talk

And you ask for Captain Charon(15) with the mud on his kicks

He's the skipper of the Deadline steamer

And she sails from the Bronx across the river Styx

And a riddle's just a ticket for a dreamer



Cause when the weathervane's sleepin' and the moon turns his back

You crawl on your belly 'long the railroad tracks(16)

And cross your heart and hope to die, and stick a needle in your eye

Cause he'd cut my bleedin' heart out if he found out that I squealed(17)

Cause you see a scarecrow is just a hoodlum(18)

Who marked the cards that he dealed

And pulled a gypsy switch

Out on the edge of Potter's Field



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Jay S. Jacobs: "Perhaps the most arresting Foreign Affairs cut is "Potter's Field," a spoken-word piece about a blind, alcoholic stool pigeon who tries to score some booze in exchange for his account of a gangland hit. Behind Waits's voice, drums pound, horns wail, and a short, wonderfully nuanced crime drama unfolds in the listener's mind. There is an immediacy, a catch-you-by-the-throat urgency to this track, which was the most successful of Waits's spoken-word pieces to date. Howe remembers that Waits said of "Potter's Field," "I've written this lyric, and I don't think I want it to be a song. I think I want to recite it." Responded Howe: "If you're going to recite it and not sing it, maybe we should score it like it's a little movie." Waits thought this was a great idea. "That's how [Bob] Alcivar got involved," says Bones. "Alcivar had been doing arrangements for me and had done some scoring and stuff for T.V. movies. I said [to Tom], you'll read it and the orchestra will play and we'll do it live. We'll score it live. We did it once, and it didn't exactly work out. But we had the tape of it. We took the tape back and Bob worked with the tape. I remember he shortened some places, and Tom wanted some things to be faster and some things to be slower, and we went back in and recorded it again... live." (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



Potter's field

- A public burial place for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals (Source: Websters Dictionary)

- "Potter's Field is in the East River, in between Williamsburg Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. The river makes a sharp bend there, an elbow. On an ebb tide there's an eddy in the elbow that picks up anything loose coming down river, afloat or submerged, and sweeps it into a stretch of backwater on the Brooklyn side. This backwater is called the Wallabout Bay on charts; the men on the dredges call it Potter's Field. The eddy sweeps driftwood into the backwater. Also, it sweeps drowned bodies into there. As a rule, people that drown in the harbour in winter stay down until spring. When the water begins to warm, gas forms in them and that makes them buoyant and they rise to the surface. Every year, without fail, on or about the fifteenth of April, bodies start showing up, and more of them show up at Potter's Field than any other place. In a couple of weeks or so, the Harbour Police always find ten to two dozen over there -- suicides, bastard babies, old barge captains that lost their balance out on a sleety night attending towropes, now and then some gangster or other." (Mitchell, Joseph. "The Bottom of the Harbour". 1960)

Tom Waits (1977): "Potter's Field is just a stone's throw from Riker's Island, you know, the prison. When someone is found cold on a street, with no identification, they freeze 'em until they're identified, and if nobody claims 'em, and they aren't identified, they just throw 'em in a pine box with all their personal belongings and effects... They put 'em on a barge and send 'em out to Potter's Field. Bela Lugosi (the original Hollywood Dracula), was buried in Potter's Field - he made eleven million dollars and died penniless on the Lower East Side. It's right out of Dante's Inferno, they put 'em on a barge that leaves at midnight, they scratch their name on the side of the coffin with a piece of chalk, they throw 'em in a mud ditch. They stack 'em twelve high in the excavation. So 'Potter's Field' is my story about a stool pigeon in a bar selling information to a hit man who's lookin' for a guy named 'Nightsticks' who's hidin' out in Potter's Field. It's mostly a mystery like 'Odd Man Out.' " (Source: "The Odyssey Of Tom Waits" Circus magazine (USA), by David Koepp. Issue nr. 171, December 22, 1977)

Tom Waits (1979): "Clarinet [for Potter's Field] was like the opening of 'Rhapsody In Blue'. That was what I had in mind '85 What I had in mind was Wildmark on the prow of a barge, bringing Thelma Ritter's coffin back from the pauper's burial ground of Potter's Field in a grey dawn: Pickup On South Street, Sam Fuller, 1952." (Source: "Wry & Danish to go". "MelodyMaker" magazine. Brian Case. Copenhagen. May 5, 1979)



(2) Blacktop

- n [20C] (US) a minor road, a back road, [its black asphalt surface] (Blacktop: A bituminous material, such as asphalt, used to pave roads) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Notice the same phrase being used in Blow Wind Blow, 1987: "Mary's on the black top, there's a husband in the dog house."



(3) Stool pigeon: 1. A person serving as a decoy. From fact that pigeons were often tied to a stool as a decoy for other pigeons 2. An informer, usu. a police informer (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(4) Double cross v.: To betray or cheat (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Nightstick: The club carried by American policemen - painted black and with a short handle attached at a right angle to the main shaft at one end (Submitted by Russell Fischer. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(6) High Chicago

- A variation of 7 card stud in poker, the difference being that the highest spade in the hole wins half the pot (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. September, 2000)

- The way we play high chicago in our weekly poker games- the game is seven card stud. the dealer deals 2 cards face down to every player and one face up. then there's a betting round. then everyone gets one more card up. then there's another betting round. this goes on until everyone's got 3 cards down and 4 cards up. the goal is to make your highest 5-card hand. the high chicago part is that the highest spade face down (in the hole) splits the pot with the high hand (Submitted by Django Bohren. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(7) Dragnet's eye n.:The cops (Submitted by Dorene LaLonde. September, 2000)



(8) Stackin' the deck: Stack the deck/ cards, to: phr. [early 19C+] (US) to arrange things in one's favour, use. dishonestly. [poker imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(10) Shillelagh: (pronounce she-lay-lah). An oaken sapling or cudgel (Irish). (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd.)



(11) Ham-and-egger

- An average person; a worker limited to routine tasks; one as common as ham and eggs or one who may make average wages or live an average, unexciting life (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in A Nickel's Worth Of Dreams: "And the ham-and-eggers win the Irish Sweepstakes every day."



(12) Shooting gallery: 1. Any place where an addict or addicts can receive an injection of a narcotic drug; a pad. Addict use. 2. A gathering party of addicts who have assembled for the purpose of taking drugs by injection. Addict use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(13) Hide nor hair, neither: The reverse of the ancient saying "In hide and hair" meaning "wholly, entirely". The American phrase means "nothing whatsoever". First occurred in the early work of Josiah G. Holland The Bay Path 1857. (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle)



(14) Bloodhound: n. [early 19C+] a policeman. [reverse anthropomorphism] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(15) Charon: Charon, in Greek mythology, is the ferryman of the dead. The souls of the deceased are brought to him and Charon ferries them across the river Acheron (Styx). He only accepts the dead which are buried or burned with the proper rites, and if they pay him an obolus (coin) for their passage. For that reason a corpse had always an obolus placed under the tongue. Charon is depicted as an sulky old man, or as a winged demon carrying a double hammer. Only a couple times were the living able to catch a ride with Charon to enter the underworld.





Detail from Michelangelo's "Last Judgement"



(16) Quoting from "Scarecrow" (Unreleased track, from 'Foreign Affairs' sessions, July through August, 1977): "Buzzards drive a crooked sky Make a junkie's promise in a courier's eye And a bankrupt corduroy wad on the thigh A strangled acre by a thirsty stream A crucified body, just a three day stubble On the chin of a nightmare stampede And tomorrow'll be hirin' a two dollar gun And I tell you that someone's gonna pay Cause when the weathervane's sleeping And the moon turns its back And crawl on the belly on the railroad tracks And keep well hidden till the porchlight's dim And pump sixteen shells in the belly of a scarecrow And blame it all on him."



(17) Squeale: v.i.: to complain, to protest; to inform to the police: since c1900; orig. and mainly underworld use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(18) Hoodlum: A Californian rough. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



Blue Valentine, 1978



$ 29.00

Little black girl, in a red dress, on a hot night, with a broken shoe

Little black girl, you should've never left home

There's probably someone still waitin' up for you

It's cold back in Chicago, but the Los Angeles street is worse

All you got is twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse



See that vulture in the Fleetwood(2), with the chartreuse hood

Sees you're tryin' to get your bearings(3)

Say, 'Hey baby, which way's the main stem?'(4)

Wherever you say you're from, he'll say he grew up there himself

He gonna come on and make you feel like you grew up right next door to him

'Take a left on Central', he gonna throw it in reverse

All you got is twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse



He gonna come on just like a gentleman

And oh baby, you're gonna be a little shy

You say your ex-old man was a sax player

He says, 'Baby, I used to play bass with Sly'(5)

And you say you like his Cadillac(2)

Says 'Honey, I got two or three

Sweetheart, you're sure fortunate that you ran into me'

You've done a dime in the joint(6), you figure nothin' could be worse

than twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse



Got Pharoh(7) on 8-track, you start smokin' a little boo(8)

Thinkin' gettin' out of Chicago was just about

the best thing that's ever happened to you

You startin' to like it already, this cat seems to be cool

He says, 'Baby, I know a good old jailhouse(9) in West-Hollywood

be just right for you'

He ain't no good Samaritan(10), he gonna make sure he's reimbursed

A lot more than twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse



And when the streets get hungry baby, and you almost hear 'em growl

Someone's savin' a place for you, when the dogs begin to howl

And the streets are dead, they creep up and take whatever's left on the bone

And remember suckers always make mistakes

when they're far away from home

Chicken in the pot(11), whoever gets there first, is gonna get themselves

twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse(12)



And the siren's just an epilog, the cops here always get there too late

They always stop for coffee on their way to the scene of the crime

They always try so hard to look just like movie stars

But they couldn't catch a cold

Baby, don't waste your dime

'She's lucky to be alive', the doctor whispered to the nurse

'She only lost half a pint of blood, twenty-nine dollars and an alligator purse...'



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978





 



Known covers:

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Careless Love. 2 Blue Shoes. 2004. Self-released (re-release in 2006)



Notes:



(1) $ 29.00:

Tom Waits (1978): "Brand new song called $29, which was originaly inspired by my neighbor. I live next door to two pimps and one night about three in the morning I heard somebody screaming on the phone. 'Twenty-nine dollars! Twenty- nine dollars! Twenty-nine DOLLARS!! One of his girls had her dress ripped by a trick and she wanted him to reimburse her for the dress and the dress cost $29. "So I heard $29 for an hour and I was trying to watch the Twilight Zone. So I opened the window and I said fuck a whole bunch of $29, and they got quiet. Months later it stayed abreast in my imagination and I wrote $29." (Source: "Tom Waits - Little Murders" Twin Cities Reader. November 17, 1978. By Greg Linder)



(2) Fleetwood: Classic car from Cadillac Fleetwood series c1965 (Source: ClassicCars.net). The "Fleetwood" name was used from 1965 to designate a group or series of Cadillac models at the top of the price range.





(3) Bearings: 1. Direction (especially angular direction measured from one position to another using geographical or celestial reference lines). 2. Awareness of one's position or situation relative to one's surroundings. Often used in the plural: lost my bearings after taking the wrong exit (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(4) Stem n.: A, or usu. the, major street in a town or city. Orig. hobo use; now associated with theatrical use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Sly: Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) from "Sly and the family Stone". Music came early to Sylvester Stewart, who at age four recorded his first side as a gospel singer with his nuclear family group, the Stewart Four (bass player unknown). By high school, in Vallejo, California, he'd taken on the nickname Sly and played rock 'n' roll with Joey Piazza and the Continentals (bass player unknown). Already a multi-instrumentalist. Sly recruited siblings Freddie and Rosie, cousin Larry Graham (bass player !), white high school buddy Jerry Martini and his cousin Greg Errico, and former high school horn player Cynthia Robinson to form the Family Stone. Sly's successful melt-down of formerly segregated genres helped pave the way for the funk, glam and disco of future decades. Sly's image appeal helped to bring black youth over to rock, and may have encouraged black militants to try and make him an agent of their cause. Under their pressure and internal group friction, Sly began to exhibit signs of a bleeding ulcer, and sought relief through drugs. Racial rage and inner turmoil resurfaced late in 1971 with the release of the disturbing but compelling album, "There's a Riot Goin' On", which featured guitar work by Bobby Womack. It brought the Family its last number one hit, "Family Affair" and Sly became more overindulgent in drugs making records at less frequent intervals.



(6) Dime in the joint

- Dime. A ten-year prison sentence. Some underworld use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 

- Joint: Slang. A prison. Often used with ' the' (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(7) Pharoh: Pharoah Sanders of the "John Coltrane Quintet". A respected jazz horn player (Submitted by El RayoX. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(8) Smokin' a little boo: Boo/ bu: n. [1950s+] (drugs) Marijuana, [abbr. abooby]. (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(9) I know a good old jailhouse: Blue Valentine linernotes have this transcribed as: "... I know a good hotel".



(10) SamaritanA good Samaritan. A philanthropist, one who attends upon the poor to aid them and give them relief. (Luke x. 30-37.) (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(11) Chicken in the pot

- Chicken: 1. An attractive young woman. 2. A victim of a robbery, kidnaping, confidence game, etc. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)3. [late 19C+] A weak or naive person (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(12) And when the streets... and an alligator purse: verse not transcribed in original linernotes



A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun

 



Well, it's raining it's pouring(2)

you didn't bring a sweater

Nebraska will never let you come back home



Now on Hollywood and Vine(3)

by the Thrifty Mart sign

any night I'll be willin' to bet



There's a young girl

with sweet little dreams and pretty blue wishes

standin' there just gettin' all wet



Now there's a place off the drag(4)

called the Gilbert Hotel(5)

and there's a couple letters

burned out in the sign



And it's better than a bus stop

they do good business every time it rains

for little girls with nothing in their jeans

but pretty blue wishes and sweet little jeans



And it's raining it's pouring

the old man is snoring

Now I lay me down to sleep(6)

I hear the sirens in the street

All my dreams are made of chrome

I have no way to get back home

I'd rather die before I wake

like Marilyn Monroe(7)

and you could throw my dreams out in the street

and let the rain make 'em grow



Now the night clerk he got a club foot

he's heard every hard luck story

at least a hundred times or more



He says: check out time is 10 am

and that's just what it means

Go on up the stairs

with sweet little wishes and pretty blue dreams



And it's raining it's pouring

and Hollywood's just fine

Swindle a little girl out of her dreams

another letter in the sign



Now never trust a scarecrow wearin' shades(8) after dark

be careful of that old bow tie he wears

It takes a sweet little bullet from a pretty blue gun(9)

to put those scarlet ribbons in your hair(10)



No that ain't no cherry bomb

4th of July's all done

Just some fool playin' that second line

from the barrel of a pretty blue gun



No that ain't no cherry bomb

4th of July's all done

Just some fool playin' that second line

from the barrel of a pretty blue gun



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun:

Tom Waits (1978): "I've got a song on the album called 'Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun. It's about a suicide on Hollywood Blvd. About a year ago, this 15 year old girl jumped out of a 17th floor window with a guitar. Never made Crawdaddy magazine. You never hear those stories." (Source: "Tom Waits - Little Murders" Twin Cities Reader. November 17, 1978. By Greg Linder)

- Live intro from Austin City Limits. March 24, 1979: "This is a story about Hollywood Boulevard. And uh... Now you know there's all these young girls from the mid-west. Still pick up a Modern Screen magazine, get on a Greyhound bus, come on up looking for Clark Gable. And uh... they end up down on uh Wilcox Avenue. And uhm... there's a pimp feeding icecream to a dog. You know? It's uh... "Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen". This is about any night, when it's raining and it's pouring... "



(2) Quoting nursery rhyme: "It's raining, it's pouring":

- Version 1: "It's raining, it's pouring; The old man is snoring. He went to bed and he Bumped his head And he couldn't get up in the morning"

- Version 2: "It's raining, it's pouring; The old man is snoring Bumped his head And he went to bed And he couldn't get up in the morning Rain, rain, go away; Come again another day; Little Johnny wants to play." (Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ( (c) 1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III)



(3) Hollywood and Vine: The corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, Hollywood/ Los Angeles California



(4) Drag n.: A town or city street, esp. the main street (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Gilbert Hotel: These days there's a "Gilbert Hotel" on 1550 N. Wilcox ave Hollywood/ California



(6) Quoting a children's prayer: "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take." (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



(7) Monroe, Marilyn: Norma Jean Mortenson. Born Los Angeles /Cal. 01-06-1926. Died Brentwood /Cal. 05-08-1962. American actress and sex-symbol. Was married to Joe Dimaggio for a while.

- Also mentioned in Jitterbug Boy, 1976: "Because I slept with the lions, and Marilyn Monroe" and Hold On, 1999: "With charcoal eyes and Monroe hips she went and took that California trip"



(8) Shades n. pl.: A pair of sunglasses. Orig. bop musician use c1948-c1955; now mainly beat and student use (Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in "Burma Shave" (And when they pulled her from the wreck You know, she still had on her shades)



(9) Blue gun:

- 'Blueing' is a treatment applied to gunmetal, to keep it from rusting among other things. It leaves the metal with a characteristic lustre, more of a deep smoky charcoal than blue (Submitted by Russell Fischer. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)

- Gunsmiths use a process called blueing which coats the surfaces of the gun with a very thin coat of oxidized iron compound, which prevents rust and corrosion, and which gives a blue-black color to the steel. The heat which comes from frequent use of the weapon can cause loss of the blueing, and a gun can be re-blued. This may imply that the gun in question was new. Or it had been reprocessed recently (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(10) Scarlet ribbons: could be referring to the classic song Scarlet Ribbons, made famous by Harry Belafonte in 1952/ 1955. Words and Music by: Jack Segal and Evelyn Danzig (1952): "I peeked in to say good-night When I heard my child in prayer "And for me, some scarlet ribbons Scarlet ribbons for my hair" All our stores were closed and shuttered All the streets were dark and bare In our town, no scarlet ribbons Scarlet ribbons for her hair Through the night my heart was aching Just before the dawn was breaking In our town, no scarlet ribbons Scarlet ribbons for her hair I peeked in and on her bed In gay profusion lying there Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons Scarlet ribbons for her hair If I live to be a hundred I will never know from where Came those lovely scarlet ribbons Scarlet ribbons for her hair."



Blue Valentines

 



She sends me blue valentines(1)

All the way from Philadelphia

To mark the anniversary

Of someone that I used to be

And it feels like a warrant

Is out for my arrest

Baby, you got me checkin' in my rearview mirror

That's why I'm always on the run

It's why I changed my name

And I didn't think you'd ever find me here



To send me blue valentines

Like half forgotten dreams

Like a pebble in my shoe

As I walk these streets

And the ghost of your memory

Baby, it's the thistle(2) in the kiss

It's the burglar that can break a rose's neck

It's the tatooed broken promise I gotta hide beneath my sleeve

I'm gonna see you every time I turn my back



Oh, you send me blue valentines

Though I try to remain at large

They're insisting that our love must have a eulogy(3)

Why do I save all this madness

Here in the nightstand drawer

There to haunt 'pon my shoulders

Baby, I know I'd be luckier to walk around everywhere I go

With this blind and broken heart

That sleeps beneath my lapel



Instead these blue valentines

To remind me of my cardinal sin

I can never wash the guilt

Or get these bloodstains off my hands

And it takes a whole lot of whiskey

To make these nightmares go away

And I cut my bleedin' heart out every night

And I'm gonna die just a little more

On each St. Valentine's day(4)

Don't you remember I promised I would write you



These blue valentines

Blue valentines

Blue valentines



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Blue Valentine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986





 



Known covers:

Fjorton Sånger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hjärtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Blå violer")

Blue Valentine. Sarah Jane Morris. July 25, 1995. IRMA/ Jazzhouse Records (re-released in 1996 on Ronnie Scott's Jazz).

Long John Baldry Trio Live. Long John Baldry, 2000. Canada on Stony Plain Records and Hypertension Records in Europe

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Being Tom Waits. Billy`s Band. 2001. Self-released demo album (Russia)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

The Big Parade. The Beatniks Of Babylon. 2003. The Big Parade

Raw. Kiko. 2003. Discaudio (Portugal)

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

After Blue. G.T. Nash. July, 2003. Belltree Records

Speeding Or Shyness. Speeding Or Shyness. 2004. Self-released

Your Head, Their Wall. Rod Fotheringham. May 9, 2006. Self-released

Lullabies For A Sleepless World. Julain Molnar. June 7, 2006. Self-released (Canada)

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)

Raking The Mules. Mescaline Smugglers. August 30, 2007.: Self-released

Live At Gaste Garage. Matt Taylor Band. November 7, 2007. Self-released

Box. Keram. January 29, 2008. Self-released 

Innocent When You Dream. Brandon Bernstein. February 26, 2010. Jazz Collective Records



Notes:



(1) Blue Valentines

- Valentine: 1. Roman Christian who according to tradition was martyred during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Claudius II. Saint Valentine's Day was primarily celebrated in his honor, but was also inspired by another martyr named Valentine, who was bishop of Terni, a region in central Italy 2. A sentimental or humorous greeting card sent to a sweetheart, friend, or family member, for example, on Saint Valentine's Day. 3. A gift sent as a token of love to one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day. (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

Tom Waits (2004): "I used to think I was making movies for the ears - writing them, directing them, releasing them. Kind of making a fiction in a non-fiction world. Taking the real world and then getting rid of certain things that I didn't want to be there and adding certain things that I hoped would have been there. I was overly maudlin and romantic and I really hadn't grown up. I still very much lived in a fantasy world. But I like that Blue Valentines song. Still play it sometimes. Somebody asked me to play it at a wedding recently." (Source: "Tom Waits Speaks - The Mojo Interview" Mojo magazine by Sylvie Simmons. Issue October 2004)



(2) Thistle: Any of numerous weedy plants, chiefly of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, or Onopordum of the composite family, having prickly leaves and variously colored flower heads surrounded by prickly bracts (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(4) Eulogy: A laudatory speech or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has died (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(5) St. Valentine's day: a day sacred to St. Valentine; the 14th of February. It was a very old notion, alluded to by Shakespeare, that on this day birds begin to mate. Hence, perhaps, arose the custom of sending love tokens at that time (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)



Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

 



Hey Charlie, I'm pregnant and living on 9th Street

Right above a dirty bookstore off Euclid Avenue

And I stopped takin' dope and I quit drinkin' whiskey

And my old man plays the trombone and works out at the track



He says that he loves me, even though it's not his baby

He says that he'll raise him up like he would his own son

And he gave me a ring that was worn by his mother

And he takes me out dancin' every Saturday night



And hey Charlie, I think about you everytime I pass a fillin' station

On account of all the grease you used to wear in your hair

And I still have that record of Little Anthony and the Imperials(2) (3)

But someone stole my record player, now how do you like that?



Hey Charlie, I almost went crazy after Mario got busted

I went back to Omaha to live with my folks

But everyone I used to know was either dead or in prison

So I came back to Minneapolis, this time I think I'm gonna stay



Hey Charlie, I think I'm happy for the first time since my accident

And I wish I had all the money we used to spend on dope

I'd buy me a used car lot and I wouldn't sell any of 'em

I'd just drive a different car every day dependin' on how I feel



Hey Charlie, for chrissakes, if you want to know the truth of it

I don't have a husband, he don't play the trombone

I need to borrow money to pay this lawyer, and Charlie, hey

I'll be eligible for parole come Valentine's day



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Known covers:

Interzone. Interzone. June 5, 1981. WEA Musik GmbH (Germany) WEA LP # 58322. Re-released in 1990

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Julkort fr�n en hora")

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has Been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Magnapop

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Julekort fra ei hore i Minneapolis")

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Neko Case

Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead. Kacey Jones. September 12, 2000. IGO Records/ Kinkajou Records # 1880

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Weihnachtsgr��e von aner Hur aus Floridsdorf")

Starting To Breathe. David Broza. August 28, 2001. RGB ("Happy New-Year Card from Shoshana")

When The Rain Falls Up. Melissa Langton. November, 2002. Self-released (Australia).

Bar-Humbug. Walker and the Brotherhood of the Grape. 2003. Walker Hornung

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

The Platinum Collection. Aslan. October 17, 2005. Self-released

Torch Song. Maria Tecce. September 22, 2006. Divine Productions

Fiese Weihnacht. Bukowski Waits For You. November, 2005. BuschFunk

Bucket Of Honey. Michele Stephens. September 23, 2009. Self-released



Notes:



(1) Intro from: New York, Nov 21, 1985. Tom Waits: "I was in Minneapolis - it was 200 degrees below zero - I know - you think I'm bullshitting, no, I swear to God, I was wearing just a bra and a slip and a kind of dead squirrel around my neck - he was colder than I was. The police cars would go by and they'd wave - **** Tom's standard car Vrooooom sound effect **** - Merry Xmas, Merry Xmas, Merry Xmas - anyway - I got caught in the middle of a pimp war between 2 kids in Chinchilla coats, they couldn't have been more than 13 years old- they're throwing knives and forks and spoons out into the street - it was deep - so I grabbed a ladle - and Dinah Washington was singing "Our Day Will Come" and I knew that was it." (Transcription by Gary Tausch as sent to Tom Waits Yahoo Groups discussionlist. December 7, 2001)



(2) Little Anthony: After high school, Anthony Gourdine, born and bred in Brooklyn, joined "The Chesters ". In early 1958 "End Records "spotted the group and signed them to a contract and named them The Imperials. Their first record was a double-sided ballad smash. The "A" side, "Tears On My Pillow", instantly lauched their career into musical history. "I'm On The Outside Looking In" became their biggest hit since "Tears On My Pillow". The follow up "Goin Out Of My Head" rose to #6 Pop and #22 R&B in late '64 and the hits kept coming. In 1975 the group broke up (again), with Little Anthony officially separating from the Imperials. It was in 1992 that Little Anthony & The Imperials came together for their first reunion show in NYC and decided to get back together. Amazing as it may seem, Little Anthony & The Imperials have recently begun to take the concert stages by storm once again. The group had not performed together for over 17 years. In the late 70's Mr. Waits used to sing "Goin' out of my head" as an intro to " A Christmas card from a hooker."





(3) In the late 1970's Waits used to perform Christmas Card From A Hooker as a medley with "Goin' Out Of My Head", or "Silent Night" (also covered on the album "SOS United" (SOS United charity album), 1989).

Goin' Out Of My Head (Writers: Teddy Randazzo - Bobby Weinstein. Recorded by: Little Anthony and the Imperials): "Well, I think I'm goin' out of my head. Yes, I think I'm goin' out of my head. Over you, over you. I want you to want me. I need you so badly. I can't think of anything but you. And I think I'm goin' out of my head. 'Cause I can't explain the tears that I shed. Over you, over you I see you each morning. But you just walk past me. You don't even know that I exist. Chorus:Goin' out of my head over you. Out of my head over you. Out of my head day and night. Night and day and night. Wrong or right. I must think of a way. Into your heart. There's no reason why. My being shy should keep us apart. Well, I think I'm goin' out of my head. Yes, I think I'm goin' out of my head. [repeat chorus] Night and day and night. Wrong or right."

Silent Night(Traditional. Written by: Joseph Mohr (translated). Music by: Franz Gruber. Written in 1818): "Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Saviour is born Christ, the Saviour is born Silent night, holy night Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.



Kentucky Avenue

 



Well, Eddie Grace's Buick got four bullet holes in the side(2)

And Charlie DeLisle is sittin' at the top of an avocado tree(3)

Mrs. Storm(4) will stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn

I got a half a pack of Lucky Strikes, man, so come along with me

And let's fill our pockets with macadamia nuts

And go over to Bobby Goodmanson's and jump off the roof



Well, Hilda plays strip poker when her mama's cross the street

Joey Navinski says she put her tongue in his mouth

And Dicky Faulkner's got a switchblade and some gooseneck risers

That eucalyptus is a hunchback, there's a wind down from the south

So let me tie you up with kite string and I'll show you the scabs on my knee

Watch out for the broken glass, put your shoes and socks on

And come along with me



Let's follow that fire truck, I think your house is burnin' down

And go down to the hobo jungle(5) and kill some rattlesnakes with a trowel

And we'll break all the windows in the old Anderson(6) place

And we'll steal a bunch of boysenberries and I'll smear 'em on your face

I'll get a dollar from my mama's purse and buy that scull and crossbones ring

And you can wear it 'round your neck on an old piece of string



Then we'll spit on Ronnie Arnold and flip him the bird(7)

And slash the tires on the school bus, now don't say a word

I'll take a rusty nail and scratch your initials in my arm

And I'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore

I'll take the spokes from your wheelchair(8) and a magpie's wings

And I'll tie 'em to your shoulders and your feet

I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad and cut the braces off your legs

And we'll bury them tonight out in the cornfield

Just put a church key(9) in your pocket, we'll hop that freight train(10) in the hall

We'll slide all the way down the drain to New Orleans in the fall



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Blue Valentine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Known covers:

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Kvarteret Stormen")



Notes:



(1) Kentucky Avenue: 

Tom Waits (introducing Kentucky Avenue, 1976): "I grew up on a street called Kentucky Avenue in Whittier, California. My dad was teaching night school at Montebello. I had a little tree fort and everything. I had my first cigarette when I was about seven years old. It was such a thrill. I used to pick 'em up right out of the gutter after it was raining. My dad smoked Kents. Now, I never liked Kents - I tried to get him to change brands. I used to repair everybody's bicycles in the neighborhood. I was the little neighborhood mechanic. There was a guy called Joey Navinski who played the trombone, and a guy called Dickie Faulkner whose nose was always running. And there was a woman called Mrs. Storm. She lived with her sister. She used to sit in her kitchen with her window open and a twelve-gauge shotgun [sticking] out of it ... so we took the long way around." (Source: Live at the Apollo Theatre, London, UK. March 23, 1976)

Tom Waits (introducing Kentucky Avenue, 1979): "Here's a song about growing up. I grew up at a street called Kentucky Avenue. Well, I was born at a very young age, and eh when I was about 5 years old I used to... I used to walk down Kentucky Avenue collecting cigarette buts. And I finally got me a paper route. I used to get up at 1 o' clock in the morning so I could deliver my papers and still have time to break the law..." (Source: BBC's "Tonight In Person" TV show. July 26, 1979)

Tom Waits (1981): "My best friend, when I was a kid, had polio. I didn't understand what polio was. I just knew it took him longer to get to the bus stop than me. I dunno. Sometimes I think kids know more than anybody. I rode a train once to Santa Barbara with this kid and it almost seemed like he lived a life somewhere before he was born and he brought what he knew with him into this world and so..." His voice fades off for a moment, then, "...It's what you don't know that's usually more interesting. Things you wonder about, things you have yet to make up your mind about. There's more to deal with than just your fundamental street wisdom. Dreams. Nightmares." (Source: "Tom Waits: Waits And Double Measures" Smash Hits magazine by Johnny Black. March 18, 1981)

Tom Waits (1985): "Childhood is very important to me as a writer, I think the things that happen then, the way you perceive them and remember them in later life, have a very big effect on what you do later on." "That one came over a little dramatic, a little puffed up, but when I was 10 my best friend was called Kipper, he had polio and was in a wheelchair - we used to race each other to the bus stop." (Source: "Hard Rain" New Musical Express (UK), by Gavin Martin. Date: New York. October 19, 1985)



(2) Eddie Grace's Buick got four bullet holes in the side: Might refer to Buick trademark portholes, reminiscent of large bulletholes. The post-war Buick Roadmaster (as sung about in Ol' '55), had the famous Buick Ventiports, better known as portholes (created by Buick designer Ned Nickles). While lesser Buicks had only three on each fender, the Roadmaster sported four, making it instantly recognizable.





(3) And Charlie DeLisle is sittin' at the top of an avocado tree: In 1978 Waits was interviewed for The Santa Barbara News And Review, by Charley Delisle Waits's childhood friend.



(4) Mrs. Storm:

- Also mentioned in Spidey's Wild Ride (Orphans - bastards, 2006): "And big John Jizom from downtown Chizom flew away with old mrs. Storm."

Tom Waits (1999): "When I was a kid, I had a friend whose dad was a truck driver. His name was Gale Storm. We had moved to National City, and his dad was coming through town, and he picked me up and he took me back up to L.A., to Whittier, to stay for a weekend. And I rode in the truck all the way up there. I was just like, "I'm gonna -- I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I'm changed." (Source: "Gone North, Tom Waits, upcountry" L.A. Weekly. Robert Lloyd. April 23-29, 1999)

Tom Waits (1976): "And there was a woman called Mrs. Storm. She lived with her sister. She used to sit in her kitchen with her window open and a twelve-gauge shotgun [sticking] out of it ... so we took the long way around." (Source: Live at the Apollo Theatre, London, UK. March 23, 1976)



(5) Hobo jungle n.: 1. A hobo camp and rendezvous, usu. a clear space in a thicket (for fuel) near a railroad (for transportation), and ideally also near water and on the outskirts of a city 2. A gathering place for the unemployed of a city, often near the dumping ground and usu. equipped with homemade shacks or huts for those with no other place to live. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(6) Anderson: Tom Waits (1983): "I was stranded in Arizona on the route 66. It was freezing cold and I slept at a ditch. I pulled all these leaves all over on top of me and dug a hole and shoved my feet in this hole. It was about 20 below and no cars going by. Everything was closed. When I woke up in the morning there was a pentecostal church right over the road. I walked over there with leaves in my hair and sand on the side of my face. This woman named Mrs. Anderson came. It was like New Years' Eve... Yeah, it was New Years' Eve. She said: "We're having services here and you are welcome to join us." So I sat at the back pew in this tiny little church...." (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)



(7) Flip the bird, flip a bird v.i.: To gesture (to someone) by raising a clenched fist with the second finger extended; to give the finger to (Source: American - Australian slang dictionary, O'Shea)



(8) Wheelchair:

Gavin Martin (1985): "Blue Valentine' has the Waits song I keep coming back to. 'Kentucky Avenue' starts as fanciful childhood reminiscence and builds to a climax that is at once absurd and heartbreaking, TW: "Childhood is very important to me as a writer, I think the things that happen then, the way you perceive them and remember them in later life, have a very big effect on what you do later on." "That one came over a little dramatic. a little puffed up, but when I was 10 my best friend was called Kipper, he had polio and was in a wheelchair - we used to race each other to the bus stop." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)



(9) Church key n.:

- A bottle or can opener, esp. as used to open a container of beer (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner). 

- Also mentioned in "Mr. Henry": "Tuggin' at his shirttail, jinglin' his church key."

- "The shape of the business end of the tool reminded people of the often ornate handles to big, old-fashioned door keys. The link with churches in particular was surely because in the experience of most people such big keys opened church doors. It's also more than probable that an irreverent joke was attached as well, in that drinking beer was an unchurchly thing to do. Before the messages start to be written, let me rapidly move on to a further stage in the development of the term. As you say, the phrase church key is only recorded in print from 1951, though there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest it is rather older in the spoken language, perhaps from the late 1930s. This was around the time at which beer began to be sold in cans rather than bottles. These early cans also needed a tool to open them, since the pull tabs of today were not to be introduced until about 1962. The tool was a stout flat strip of metal with a sharp point, which you pressed into the top of the can to puncture a triangular hole (two were needed on opposite sides, I recall, to let air in so the beer would flow easily). By an obvious analogy, these also came to be called church keys, even though they were a completely different shape. The cap on these beer bottles, by the way, is a crown cork, named after a fanciful view of the ring of crinkled points around the edge of the metal closure before it was clamped on the neck of the bottle. It was invented in 1898 by William Painter, and his firm, the Crown Cork and Seal Company of Baltimore, is still very much around, though these days it spends most of its time making aluminium cans and other packaging products. (Please forgive an enthusiast's digression: I used to run a museum of cidermaking and would demonstrate a hand crown corker to visiting parties. A good operator could do 15 a minute but I never managed so many)" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)



(10) Freight train in the hall:

Kristine McKenna (1983): What's the earliest memory fixed in your mind? Tom Waits: "I have a very early memory of getting up in the middle of the night and standing at my doorway by the hall in the house and having to stand there and wait while a train went by. And after the train passed I could cross the hall into my parent's room." (Source: "One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. Interview by: Kristine McKenna. October 1, 1983)

Tom Waits (1987): "When I was a kid there used to be a train in the hall. Every night a train went through the hall. To get into the bathroom I used to have to wait into my doorway. The freight train used to run right through the center of the house." (Source: "MTV's The Cutting Edge 'Limo Interview"The Best of the Cutting Edge, Volume II. 1987)



Red Shoes By The Drugstore

 



(Blue Valentine studio version, 1978)



She wore red shoes by the news-stand

as the rain splashed the Nickle(1)

and spilled like Chablis all along the midway

There's a little bluejay

in a red dress, on a sad night



One straw in a rootbeer

A compact(2) with a cracked mirror

A bottle of evening in Paris perfume

What's this sad tune?



He told her to wait in by the magazines

To take care of some business it seems

Bring a raincoat

Bring a suitcase

Bring your dark eyes

and wear those red shoes



There's a dark huddle(3) at the bus stop

Umbrellas arranged in a sad bouquet

li'l Caesar (4) got caught

he was going down to second

He was cooled

Changing stations on the chamber

to steal a diamond ring

from a jewelry store for his baby

He loved the way she looked

in those red shoes



She waited by the drugstore

Caesar had never been this late before

The dogs bayed the moon(5)

and rattled their chain

and the cold jingle of taps in a puddle

was the burglar alarm

snitchin'(6) on Caesar



The rain washes memories from the sidewalks

and the hounds splash the Nickle full of soldiers

and Santa Claus is drunk

in the Ski Room(7)

and it's Christmas Eve

in a sad caf�

when the moon gets it's way

there's a little blue jay by the news-stand

Red shoes

Red shoes



So meet me tonight by the drugstore

Meet me tonight by the drugstore

Meet me tonight by the drugstore



Goin out tonight

Goin out tonight

Goin out tonight

Wear your red shoes



Red shoes

Red shoes

Red shoes

Red shoes



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Big Time" (Amsco Publications, 1988)





 



Red Shoes



(Big Time live version, 1988)



She wore red shoes by the news-stand

and the rain splashed the Nickel(1)

and it spilled like Chablis, all along the midway

There's a little bluejay

wearing red shoes, on a sad night



One straw in a rootbeer

A compact(2) with a cracked mirror

A bottle of evening in Paris perfume

What is this sad tune?



He told her to wait in by the magazines

For, he told her to wait for the magazines

Oh, bring a raincoat

Oh, bring a suitcase

Oh, bring your dark eyes

Wear those red shoes, red shoes, red shoes

red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes

red shoes, red shoes



There's a dark huddle(3) at the bus stop

Umbrellas arranged in a sad bouquet

Caesar(4) got caught

Oh, Little Caesar got caught, going down to second

Little Caesar got caught, going down to second

He was cooled

Changing stations on the chamber

to steal a diamond ring from a jewelry store for his baby

He loved the way she looked in those red shoes

He loved the way she looked in those red shoes

He loved the way she looked in those red shoes

Red shoes, red shoes



You got to meet me tonight by the drugstore baby

Meet me tonight by the drugstore baby

Going out tonight

Going out tonight wear those red shoes

Going out tonight put on those red shoes

Going out tonight put on those red shoes

Red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes



Now the hounds splash the Nickle full of soldiers

Now Santa Claus is drunk in the Ski Room(7)

And it's Christmas Eve in a sad caf�

When the moon gets it's way

There's a little blue jay by the news-stand

Wearing red shoes

She wearing red shoes

You got to meet me tonight by the drugstore baby

Meet me tonight by the drugstore baby

Going out tonight

Put on your red shoes

Put on your red shoes

Put on your red shoes

Put on your red shoes

Put on your red shoes

Red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes

Red shoes

Put on your red shoes baby

Red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes

Red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes

Red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes, red shoes



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978-1988

Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Big Time" (Amsco Publications, 1988)

Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by The Wedding Present

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "En r�d sko ved butikken")

Singles 1995-97. The Wedding Present. October, 1999. Cooking Vinyl Records - COOK CD 184 (same version as on "Step Right Up: The Songs Of Tom Waits", 1995)

Red Harmony. Riguelle & Hautekiet. 2000. LC Music (Belgium)



Notes:



(1) The Nickle/ The Nickel:

Tom Waits: (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1979): "In downtown Los Angeles, there's a place called Fifth Street, it's a place where all the hoboes are, and they call it "on the nickel". There was a motion picture called "On the nickel" that was written by Ralph Waite and this is a story, kinda a wino's lullaby."(Source: Tom Waits on the Don Lane show, 1979. Transcribed by Luke Martin) 

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1979): "I'd like to do a new song here. This is eh, it's about downtown Los Angeles on 5th Street. And eh all the winos affectionately refer to it as The Nickel. So this is kind of a hobo's lullaby." (Source: BBC - Tonight In Person, July 1979)

The Nickel: also mentioned in On the Nickel, 1980: "Well they're lined up all around the block, on the Nickel over there.."



(2) Compact: a small portable case used to contain face powder, usually comes with a foldable mirror.



(3) Huddle n.: 1. A densely packed group or crowd, as of people or animals 2. A small private conference or meeting (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(4) Little Caesar: Might be inspired by or referring to Warner Bros.' classical gangster film "Little Caesar" from 1930. "One of the most well-known and best of the early classical gangster films is Warner Bros.' and director Mervyn LeRoy's Little Caesar (1930). It is often called the grandfather of the modern crime film, with its quintessential portrayal of an underworld character that rebelliously challenged traditional values. Although it was not the first gangster film of the talkies era, it is generally considered the prototype of future gangster films. It is a taut, fast-moving (at a brisk 80 minutes) and vivid film that set the genre's standards and launched the entire popular film type. Little Caesar reflects the technically primitive nature of early film-making, with a straight-forward, blunt narrative (composed of a series of tableaux), yet its hard-hitting gritty realism gripped audiences. Unlike many other gangster films, the film did not feature graphic bloodshed, depict violence on-screen, or sensationalize street language, but its tone was somber and tough. Its low-budget sets and cheap, sleazy atmosphere added to the film's impact. The crime film's impact at the start of the sound era was remarkable - its box-office popularity spawned many others like it (mostly from the Warner Bros. studios) in the decade of the 1930's. The film's title character was based, in part, after the character of real-life, ruthless gangster Al Capone - a vain and cruelly vicious Italian mobster who experienced a similar rise and fall. [Little Caesar also resembled Brooklyn underworld gangster Buggsy Goldstein.]" (Further reading: Little Caesar review at filmsite.org. Thanks to Floris Cooman for pointing out this reference).





(5) Bay the moon: To bark at the moon. (French, aboyer, to bark at.). (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(6) Snitch: 

- v.t.: To steal or take small items. v.i. To inform against, betray, squeal, esp. to another's superior or teacher (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 

- Also mentioned in "Wrong Side Of The Road" (And get the eyeball of a rooster and the stones from a ditch and wash 'em down with bilge water and say you'll never snitch)



(7) Ski Room: A bar at 5851 Sunset Blvd. LA/ USA (close to Herb Cohen's office) that Waits, Chuck E. Weis and Rickie Lee Jones regularly frequented.



Romeo Is Bleeding

 



Romeo is bleeding but not so as you'd notice

He's over on 18th Street as usual

Looking so hard against the hood of his car

puttin' out a cigarette in his hand

And for all the Pachucos(2) at the pumps

at Romero's Paint and Body(3)

they all seein' how far they can spit

Well it was just another night

and now they're huddled(4) in the brake lights

of a '58 Bel Air(5)

and listenin' how Romeo

killed a sherif with his knife



And they all jump when they hear the sirens

but Romeo just laughs

all the racket(6) in the world

ain't never gonna save that copper's(7) ass

He ain't never gonna see another summertime

for gunnin' down my brother

and leavin' him like a dog

beneath a car without his knife

Romeo says: hey man gimme a cigarette

and they all reach for their pack

and Frankie lights it for him

and pats him on the back

And throws a bottle at a milk truck

and as it breaks he grabs his nuts

They all know they could be just like Romeo

if they only had the guts



Romeo is bleeding but nobody can tell

sings along with the radio

with a bullet in his chest

And he combs back his fenders

and they all agree it's clear

and that everything is cool

now that Romeo's here



Romeo is bleeding

He winces now and then

He leans against the car door

Feels the blood in his shoes

And someone's cryin' at the 5 Points(8)

in the phone booth by the store

Romeo starts his engines

wipes the blood of the door



And he brodys(9) through the signal

with the radio full blast(10)

Leavin' the boys there hikin' up their chinos(11)

And then they all try to stand like Romeo

beneath the moon cut like a sickle

And they're talkin' now in Spanish

all about their hero



Romeo is bleeding

as he gives the man his ticket

He climbs the balcony at the movies

And he'll die without a whimper

like every hero's dream

Like an angel with a bullet

and Cagney on the screen(12)



And Romeo is bleeding

Romeo is bleeding, hey man

Romeo is bleeding, hey man

Romeo is bleeding, hey man

Romeo is bleeding



Andele pues!(13)

Hey Pachuco!

Hey Pachuco!

Hago la lucha!

D�me esa pistola, hombre!

Hijo de la chingada madre!

Ay, que pinche pancho!

Hey man!

Hago la lucha!

Hago la lucha!

Vamos a dormir, hombre

Hey man!



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978





 



Known covers:

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by MC 900ft Jesus

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Romeo er s�ra")

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Dexter Romweber's Infernal Racket

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Romeo verliert Bluat")

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Romeo Is Bleeding". With: Herbert Hardesty, Arthur Richards, John Tomassie and Greg Cohen. Taken from "Austin City Limits" PBS television concert documentary. KLRU-TV Studio, University Of Texas, Austin/ USA. Recorded December 5, 1978.



Notes:



(1) Romeo Is Bleeding:

- Tom Waits (1979): "Most of the stories on Blue Valentine took place in Los Angeles in the last few months," Waits continues. 'Romeo Is Bleeding' is about a Mexican gang leader who was shot and died in a movie house in downtown L.A." (Source: "Tom Waits For No One" Circus Weekly, by Stan Soocher. Date: January 23, 1979)



(2) Pachucoc1940s A Mexican-American youth or teenager, especially one who dresses in flamboyant clothes and belongs to a neighborhood gang (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(3) Paint and Body: Automobile shop/ repair facility typically found in the US, specialized in reconstructing/ repairing a damaged vehicle to pre-accident condition



(4) Huddle n.: 1. A densely packed group or crowd, as of people or animals 2. A small private conference or meeting (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(5) '58 Bel-Air: Car model produced in 1958 by General Motors-Chevrolet. One of the most popular production automobiles in the US during the late 1950's. The longer, lower, wider and larger 1958 model had distinctive new styling, with tasteful, moderately sized "gullwing'' fins. In 1978, of course, the car had an entirely different rock 'n' roll/ hotrod image.





(6) Racket: 1. Any shady or dishonest business or occupation; a swindle (Source: "Dictionary of American Slang". Wentworth and Flexner, 1975.Thomas Y. Crowell Company. ISBN 0-690-00670-5). 2. (Early 19C) any form of deception, criminal trickery, hoaxing (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(7) Copper n.: A policeman; esp., a tough policeman or one who is intent on enforcing the law to its fullest (Source: "Dictionary of American Slang". Wentworth and Flexner, 1975.Thomas Y. Crowell Company. ISBN 0-690-00670-5)



(8) 5 Points:1. An intersection of three streets, leaving five street corners. Kinda like Times Square in NYC on a smaller scale (Submitted by Russell Fischer. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000) 2. In the town that I grew up in there was an intersection where 5 different streets came together and it was referred to as the 5 Points - there was a store there called the 5 Points Variety Store - so I think this is probably something similar (Submitted by Gary Tausch. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000) 3. There is a famous Five Points on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the edge of present day Chinatown, which used to be a center for all kinds of illegal activities (Submitted by Mikael Borg. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. September, 2000)



(9) Brodie, brody v.: 1. n. (US) [1950s+] a spin made by a skidding vehicle. 2. To take a brodie: phr. [late 19C+] to commit suicide (do a brodie). [Steve Brodie, a 23-year old New York saloon-keeper who on 23 July 1886 allegedly leaped some 41,5m (135ft.) from the city's Brooklyn Bridge in order to win a $200 wager. He survived the fall and was scooped out of the East River by a friend in a small boat. He was subsequently charged by the police with attempted suicide. Whether he actually made the jump remains unproven (the witnesses, all of them his friends, claimed that he did, but the general consensus was that a dummy was tossed over the bridge and Brodie, hiding on shore, quickly swam underwater to the point where it had hit the river, in time to be 'rescued') This scepticism is reflected in theatrical jargon: a brodie, a (much touted) flop] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(10) Full-blast, full blast adj.: Complete; on a large scale; intense. Adv. At or with maximum speed, efficiency, or intensity (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(11) Chino: A style of trousers having tapered legs, a belt in the back, and made of a cotton twill cloth (Source: "Dictionary of American Slang". Wentworth and Flexner, 1975.Thomas Y. Crowell Company. ISBN 0-690-00670-5)



(12) Like an angel with a bullet and Cagney on the screen:

- James Cagney, The epitome of rough manhood. Cagney's energetic acting style with raspy voice became synonymous with the Hollywood "tough guy" role. James Francis Cagney, Jr., born on July 17, 1899, was the child of an Irish father and Norwegian mother and was raised on New York's Lower Eastside. He was quite successful in the musical "Penny Arcade". He was signed to a contract by Warner Brothers and his role as Tom Powers in "The Public Enemy" made him a star. He went on to star in such classics as "Angels With Dirty Faces", "The Roaring Twenties", "White Heat". Cagney retired in 1961. He made a big screen comeback in 1981's "Ragtime" and starred in the small screen movie "Terrible Joe Moran" in 1984. He died of a heart attack on his farm in upstate New York on March 30, 1986. President Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Hayworth and Cagney both appeared in: "The strawberry blonde ", 1941 and the Warner Brothers musical "One Sunday Afternoon ", 1948.

- Also mentioned in Invitation To The Blues: "And you feel just like Cagney, she looks like Rita Hayworth"





"Angel with a bullet" might refer to Cagney starring in "Angels With Dirty Faces" as Rocky Sullivan, who is released from prison and returns to the old neighborhood. One might assume Waits has seen more than one of the famous "Dead End Kids" series. From 1937 through 1958 the comedy troupe "The Dead End Kids" (later: East Side Kids -- Bowery Boys) of lovable New York street kids entertained America in over 91 films and serials. Starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Bobby Jordan as the comedy team centerpiece, the gang also played opposite stars including Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Boris Karloff. The stories centered around a gang of street kids who turn away from a life of crime towards positive alternatives that include boxing, friendship and family ties. The great mix of comedy, hardboiled action, and positive messages make these classics to be remembered. Through the years they changed their name from the Dead End Kids, to The East Side Kids and finally to The Bowery Boys. Hugely popular during their initial run, they entertained even more generations through the 1960s and 1970s as re-runs on television.



(13) Andele pues! [Come on, let's go!]. Hey Pachuco! [Hey jerk!]. Hago la lucha! [I'll take you on!]. D�me esa pistola, hombre! [Give me that pistol, man!]. Hijo de la chingada madre! [You son of a fucking whore!]. Ay, que pinche pancho! [Oh, what a fucking wimp!]. Vamos a dormir, hombre [Let's go to sleep, man] (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Somewhere

 



There's a place for us

Somewhere a place for us

Peace and quiet, and open air

Wait for us, somewhere



There's a time for us

Someday a time for us

Time together, a time to spare

Time to learn, and time to care



Someday, somewhere

We'll find a new way of living

We'll find a way of forgiving

Somewhere



There's a place for us

A time and a place for us

Hold my hand and we're halfway there

Hold my hand and I'll take you there



Somehow, someday, somewhere



Words by: Stephen Sondheim. Music by: Leonard Bernstein, � 1957

Originally performed by Reri Grist in the musical 'West Side Story', 1957

Recorded in 1966 by Len Barry

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1978 & Chapell Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Blue Valentine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986(1)





 



Known covers:

N.A



Notes:



(1) Somewhere. Bob Alcivar (2007): "Tom said, 'I've always wanted to do that song'. I said, 'How are we getting to do it?' He said: 'Why don't you pretend I'm Frank Sinatra and write what Nelson Riddle would write? ' And it was perfect." (Source: Bob Alcivar interview March 14, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Whistlin' Past The Graveyard

 



(Blue Valentine studio version, 1978)



I come in on a night train with an arm full of boxcars(1)

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan(2) night

And I busted up a chifforobe(3) way out by the Kokomo

Cooked up a mess of mulligan(4) and got into a fight



Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard(5), Papa one eyed Jack(6)



You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks

Go on and ask the Prince of darkness,

what about all that smoke come from the stack

Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood

Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud



I'm gonna be whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I know you seen my headlights, and the honkin' of my horn

I'm callin' out my bloodhounds, chase the Devil through the corn

Last night I chugged the Mississippi, now that sucker's dry as a bone

I was born in a taxi cab, I'm never goin' home



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch

I only come to Baton Rouge I gotta find myself a witch

I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains

You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye

That ring around my finger's called the 4th of July

When I get a little bit lonesome and a tear falls from my cheek

There's gonna be an ocean in the middle of the week



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I come into town on a night train, with an arm full of boxcars

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan night

I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie

I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

A mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Whistlin' Past The Graveyard



(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1981)



I come in on a night train with an arm full of boxcars(1)

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan(2) night

And I busted up a chifforobe(3) way out by the Kokomo

Cooked up a mess of mulligan(4) and got into a fight



Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard(5), Papa one eyed Jack(6)



You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks

Go and ask the Prince of darkness,

what about that smoke come from the stack

Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood

Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I know you seen my headlights, and the honkin' of my horn

I'm callin' out my bloodhounds, chase the Devil through the corn

Last night I chugged the Mississippi, now that sucker's dry as a bone

I was born in a taxi cab, I'm never goin' home



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch

I only come to Baton Rouge to find myself a witch

I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains

You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train



Whistlin past the graveyard. steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye

That ring around my finger called the 4th of July

I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie

I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978

Official release:"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981



Known covers:

Somethin' Funny Goin' On, Screamin' Jay Hawkins. March, 1994. Bizarre/ Planet (40105). Produced by Robert Duffey (re-released in 2000 "New Coat Of Paint"/ Manifesto)

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins (same version as on: "Somethin' Funny Goin' On", 1994)

Songs From My Heart. Knucklebone Oscar. 2001. Bluelight Records

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Three For All. We Three (Liebman, Swallow, Nussbaum). June 26, 2006. Challenge Records

Drivin' Rain. Michael Nash. March 13, 2007. Self-released



Notes:



(1) Boxcar, an armful of: Grab an armful of boxcars. To Jump on a moving freight train in order to get free transportation c1915. Hobo use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(2) Hooligan n.: A hoodlum; a ruffian; a tough guy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Chifforobe n.: A tall piece of furniture typically having drawers on one side and space for hanging clothes on the other (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(4) Mulligan stew n.:

- A stew made of any available meat(s) or vegetable(s). Orig. hobo use, perhaps from "salmagrundi". Often used facetiously about any stewlike food, however excellent (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 

- A hobo dish containing just about anything you have handy. How to make just like they make it at the yearly hobo convention in Britt. Iowa. "Britt Mulligan Stew" = 450 lbs. of Beef, 900 lbs. of Potatoes, 250 lbs. of carrots, 35 lbs. of green peppers, 300 lbs. of cabbage, 100 lbs. of turnips, 10 lbs. of parsnips, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 20 lbs. of chili peppers, 25 lbs. of rice, 60 lbs. of celery, 1 lb bay leaves, 24 gallon of mixed vegetables, 10 lbs. of kitchen bouquet flavoring, about 400 loaves of bread are served, a total of 5000, 8 oz. cups ordered to serve the stew. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000). 

- Also mentioned in "Jitterbug Boy": "Burned hundred-dollar bills, I've eaten Mulligan stew."



(5) Mother Hubbard:

- Phrase comes from the nursery rhyme: "Old Mother Hubbard. Went to the cupboard. To get her poor dog a bone; But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor doggie had none." (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Mother-hubba/ -hubbard n. [20C] euph. for motherfucker (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(6) One eyed Jack: 1. adj. [1960s+] (US) in poker, used of a king or jack, esp. as wild cards. [the design of the face depicted in profile on cards] 2a. adj. [early-mid-19C] (US) crooked, dishonest. 2b. adj. [late 19C+] (orig. US) inferior, inadequate, unimportant] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).



Wrong Side Of The Road

 



Put a dead cat on the railroad tracks

when the wolf bains blooming by the tressel

And get the eyeball of a rooster

and the stones from a ditch

and wash 'em down with bilge water(1)

and say you'll never snitch(2)

Take the buttons from a yellow jacket

the feather from a buzzard

The blood from a bounty hunter's cold black heart

Catch the tears of a widow in a thimble made of glass

Tell your mama and papa they can kiss your ass



Poison all the water in the wishin' well

and hang all them scarecrows from a Sycamore tree(3)

Burn down all them honeymoons put 'em in a pillow case

Wait next to the switch blades at the amusement park for me

Strangle all the Christmas carols scratch out all the prayers

Tie 'em up with barbed wire and push 'em down the stairs

And I'll whittle you a pistol for keep the nightmares of the blinds

Them sunabitches always seem to sneak up from behind

Syphon all the gas from your daddy's pickup truck

Fill up Johnny's T-bird(4) I got a couple of bucks

Put on a little perfume and wear ribbon in your hair

Careful that you don't wake up the hounds

Tear a bolt of lightning of the side of the sky

Throw it in the cedar chest if you want to tell me why

Bring me the gear shift knob from a 49 Merc

Lay down here beside me let me hold you in the dirt

And you're gonna tremble

Tear the throat out of the night

Sink your teeth into my shoulder

Dig your nails into my back

Tell that little girl to let go of my sleeve

You'll be a woman when I catch you come baby fall in love with me

Then with my double barrel shotgun and a whole box of shells

We'll celebrate the 4 of July

We'll do 100 mph spendin' someone elses dough

We'll drive all the way to Reno(5)

on the wrong side of the road



The wrong side of the road

On the wrong side of the road

The wrong side of the road

Wrong side of the road

Wrong side of the road

Hey baby



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978





 



Known covers:

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Bilgewater:

- Filthy drainings. The bilge is the lowest part of a ship, and, as the rain or sea-water which trickles down to this part is hard to get at, it is apt to become foul and very offensive. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

- n. [late 19C+] thin beer, thus any thin, tasteless drink, alcoholic or otherwise. [bilgewater, the foul water that collects in a vessel's bilges] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).

- Also mentioned in Town With No Cheer, 1983: "No spirits, no bilgewater, and eighty dry locals, And the high noon sun beats a hundred and four"



(2) Snitch: 

- v.t.: To steal or take small items. v.i. To inform against, betray, squeal, esp. to another's superior or teacher (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in Red Shoes By The Drugstore, 1978: "and the cold jingle of taps in a puddle was the burglar alarm snitchin' on Caesar"



(3) Sycamore tree:

- Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Platanus, especially P. occidentalis of eastern North America, having palmately lobed leaves, ball-like, nodding, hairy fruit clusters, and bark that flakes off in large colorful patches. Also called buttonball, buttonwood (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition).

Sycamore (American Sycamore): Platanus occidentalis. In keeping with its size, Sycamores have the largest leaves of any native tree in North America. Frequently, the trunk of a Sycamore will be divided into several large, secondary trunks. The bark of the Sycamore perhaps is its most striking feature: mottled creamy white and brown with the darker bark of older trees peeling away from the lighter-colored, younger bark. Typically, the Sycamore grows on bottomlands, floodplains, and on the banks of streams. The tough, coarse-grained wood is difficult to split and work. It has various uses, including butchers' blocks. A few birds feed on the fruit, and several mammals eat twigs and bark. The related Oriental and London Planetrees are ornamental shade trees, frequently planted along streets. (Source: OPLIN: � 1997 Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) & The Ohio Historical Society (OHS)) 

- The tree which Zacchaeus climbed to get a better look at Jesus.

- Also mentioned in Gun Street Girl: "He's sittin' in a sycamore in St. John's Wood. Soakin' day old bread in kerosene."





(4) T-bird: 1. a Ford Thunderbird.

- Dave Lewis (1979): "Cars, in fact, are one of Waits' real passions. He sports an elaborate tattoo on his arm emblazoned with the word 'Nighthawk', which was the name of a 'car-club' he belonged to as a teenager and he can readily run off a list of the wheels he's owned, including his current emerald green '64 T-bird." (Source: "Tom Waits: A Sobering Experience", Sounds magazine, by Dave Lewis. Date: August 4, 1979)

- John Lamb (2002): "Tom also came to our studio (ca. 1978) in a middle class neighborhood on the outskirts of Beverly Hills/West L.A....primary residences to old silent era movie stars and the families of Hollywood entertainment personalities like Allen Carr, Yashur Heifitz, Arthur Freed and the sort. So Tom drives up in his 66' Bird with "Blue Valentine" spray-painted on the rear quarter panels [late 1978, as shown on the back cover of the album Blue Valentine]. His Bird was stuffed with newspapers, manuscripts and clothing from floor to ceiling, just like his apartment. There was only enough room for the driver behind the wheel, even the passenger seat was stuffed to the roof, his vision was completely obstructed except for his forward view out the wind shield, and all these old neighbors are peering out their windows watching this seedy looking character with a wrinkled suit and porkpie Stetson hat meander across the street ...pause and head up the stairs to our old Spanish - studio house. One of the old neighbors called after his arrival to see if everything was ok or if we wanted her to call the police." (Source: E-mail conversations Tom Waits Library/ John Lamb. April 13 - May 24, 2002)



(5) Reno: also mentioned in: Better off without a wife, 1975: "Never been no Valentino, had a girl who lived in Reno.", Hang on St. Christopher, 1987: "Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go, get me to Reno and bring it in low.



Heartattack And Vine, 1980



Downtown

 



Red Pants and the Sugarman in the Temple Street gloom

Drinkin' Chivas Regal in a four dollar room

Just another dead soldier(2) in a powder blue night(3)

Sugarman says baby, everything's alright



Goin' downtown(4), down downtown

Goin' down downtown



Montclaire de Havelin(5) doin' the St. Vitus dance(6)

Lookin' for someone to chop the lumber in his pants

How am I gonna unload all of this ice and all this mink

All the traffic in the street, but it's so hard to think



Goin' downtown, down downtown

Goin' down downtown



Frankie's wearin' lipstick, Pierre Cardin(7)

I swear to God I seen him holdin' hands with Jimmy Bond(8)

Sally's high on crank(9) and hungry for some sweets

Fem in the sheets but she's butch in the streets



Goin' downtown, down downtown

Goin' down downtown



It's the cool of the evening, the sun's goin' down

I want to hold you in my arms, I want to push you around

I wanna break your bottle and spill out all your charms

Come on baby, we'll set off all the burglar alarms



Goin' downtown, down downtown

Goin' down downtown



Red Pants and the Sugarman in the Temple Street gloom

Are drinkin' Chivas Regal in a four dollar room

Just another dead soldier in a powder blue night

Red Pants says to Sugarman, said everything's alright



Goin' downtown, down downtown

Goin' down downtown



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980



Known covers:

Waiting For The Dawn. Big Sky/ Steve Louw. 1990. Gallo Records (ASF 3324), re-issued in June 2001 on Epic (CDEPC 8170)

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Alex Chilton

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Hush!. Ana Popovic. January 22, 2002. Ruf (Idn).

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by Alex Chilton (same version as on Step Right Up, 1995)

Pining For The Fjords. Stunned Parrots. July 3, 2006. Self-released (Spain)



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "That's a first take. I was just running it down to the band just to learn it, but it became the record. We tried several other versions of it but this take seemed to be the one that took. I love Ronnie's organ solo. It's real amphetamine. The tune's just a fast story, like a fast news update." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(2) Dead soldier, dead marine n.: An empty bottle, esp. an empty beer or whisky bottle (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Powder blue

- n. A moderate to pale blue or purplish blue. Etymology: From the color of powdered smalt (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

- Notice the same phrase being used in On A Foggy Night, 1975: "Cause there's no consolation, what kind of situation to be aimlessly skewed amidst a powder blue." Barber Shop, 1977: "I just bought myself a struggle buggy suckers powder blue."



(4) Down townI am going down town, i.e. to the business part of the town. Down the country properly means down the slope of the land, or as the rivers run. We say "I am going up to town" when we mean out of the country into the chief city. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(5) Montclaire de Havelin

Tom Waits (1980): "... It's a name I came up with when I was on the road. I used to check into hotels and use my real name on the registration form. I had some unfortunate experiences because of that (clears throat and smiles), so I decided to change my name, at least on the road, so I wouldn't have people I didn't want to associate with trying to get in touch with me." (Source: "Heartattack And Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(6) Vitus' dance, St.

- St. Vitus dance (Sydenham chorea), is a childhood movement disorder characterized by rapid, irregular, aimless, involuntary movements of the muscles of the limbs, face, and trunk. Named after: St. Vitus. For obscure reasons, some 16th century Germans believed they could obtain a year's good health by dancing before the statue of Saint Vitus on his feast day. This dancing developed almost into a mania, and was confused with chorea, the nervous condition later known as Saint Vitus' dance, the saint being invoked against it. Patronage: actors, comedians, dancers, epileptics.

St. Vitus's dance, once widely prevalent in Germany and the Low Countries, was a "dancing mania." So called from the supposed power of St. Vitus over nervous and hysterical affections. "At Strasbourg hundreds of folk began to dance and leap, both maid and man; In open market, lane, or street, They skipped along, nor cared to eat, Until their plague had ceased to fright us. 'Twas called the dance of holy Vitus." Jan of Konigshaven (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- Might be referring to: "But I was shakin' like I had the St. Vitus dance" from Saturday Night Fish Fry. Louis Jordan, Ellis Walsh, Al Carters. Transcribed from vocals by Louis Jordan, recorded 8/9/49.Saturday Night Fish Fry. Louis Jordan, Ellis Walsh, Al Carters.: "Now, if you've ever been down to New Orleans Then you can understand just what I mean, Now all through the week it's quiet as a mouse, But on Saturday night, they go from house to house; You don't have to pay the usual admission If you're a cook or a waiter or a good musician. So if you happen to be just passin' by Stop in at the Saturday night fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, my buddy and me was on the main stem, Foolin' around, just me and him, We decided we could use a little something to eat, So we went to a house on Rampart Street; We knocked on the door and it opened with ease, And a loose little miss said, "Come in please," And before we could bat an eye, We were right in the middle of a big fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now the folks was havin' the time of their life, And Sam was jivin' Jimmy's wife, And over in the corner was a beat-up grand Being played by a big, fat piano man! Some of the chicks wore expensive frocks, Some of them had on bobby socks, But everybody was nice and high At this particular Saturday night fish fry! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'!

You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, my buddy and me, we fell right in, And we hollered, "Let the joy begin!" Now, we figured this was a good place to play, 'Cause the party was already underway; But all of a sudden the lights went low, And everybody made straight for the front door, Man, I was so scared I didn't know where to go, I stood right there, then I fell on the floor! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! Now, the women was screamin' and jumpin' and yellin', The bottles was flyin' and the fish was smellin'; And way up above all the noise they made, Somebody hollered, "Better get out of here; this is a raid!" Now, I didn't know we was breakin' the law, But somebody reached up and hit me on the jaw, They had us blocked off from the front and the back, And they was puttin' 'em in the wagon like potatoes in a sack. It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! I knew I could get away if I had a chance, But I was shakin' like I had the St. Vitus dance, Now, I tried to crawl under a bathtub, When the policeman said, "Where you goin' there, bub?" Now, they got us out of there like a house on fire, Put us all in that Black Maria, Now, they might have missed a pitiful few, But they got both me and my buddy, too! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! We headed for jail in a dazed condition, They booked each one of us on suspicion; Now my chick came down and went for my bail, And finally got me out of that rotten jail; Now, if you ever want to get a fist in your eye, Just mention a Saturday night fish fry! I don't care how many fish in the sea, But don't ever mention a fish to me! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! It was rockin'! It was rockin'! You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin' till the break of dawn! [Spoken] Give me one of them there fish sandwiches! Get away from there, boy! Yowza!
"



(7) Cardon, Pierre: Sung as "Cardon", but probably refering to cosmetics brand name Pierre Cardin



(8) Jimmy Bond: James Edward Bond [?]. Born Philadelphia 27-01-1933. American composer and jazz bass player. Played with "The Wrecking Crew" in the early sixties.



(9) Crank

- [1960s+] (drugs) any form of amphetamine drug (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)

- Methamphetamine. Crank (or crystal) is usually used when in powder form (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)



Heartattack And Vine

 



Liar, liar, with your pants on fire(2)

White spades hangin' on the telephone wire

Gamblers re-evaluate along the dotted line

You'll never recognize yourself on Heartattack and Vine



Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief(3)

Philly Joe(4) Remarkable looks on in disbelief

If you want a taste of madness, you'll have to wait in line

You'll prob'ly see someone you know on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white(5), Shorty found a punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk(6)

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



See that little Jersey girl in the see-thru top

With the pedal pushers(7), suckin' on a soda pop

Well, I'll bet she's still a virgin, but it's only twenty-five to nine

You can see a million of 'em on Heartattack and Vine



Better off in Iowa against your scrambled eggs

Than crawlin' down Cahuenga on a broken pair of legs

You'll find your ignorance is blissful every goddam time

You're waitin' for the RTD(8) on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white, Shorty found a p-p-p-punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



Liar, liar, with your pants on fire

White spade hangin' on the telephone wire

Gamblers re-evaluate along the dotted line

You'll never recognize yourself on Heartattack and Vine



Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief

Philly Joe Remarkable looks on in disbelief

If you want a taste of madness, you'll have to wait in line

You'll prob'ly see someone you know on Heartattack and Vine



See that little Jersey girl in the see-thru top

With the pedal pushers, suckin' on a soda pop

Well, I'll bet she's still a virgin, but it's only twenty-five to nine

You can see a million of 'em on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white, Shorty found a punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 & "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981



Known covers:

Black Music For White People. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. July, 1991. Rhino/ Bizarre 1991 (Manifesto re-release, produced by Robert Duffey)

Heart Attack & Vine. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. 1993. Epic: Levi's commercial release (Holland)/ Columbia: Levi's commercial release (UK)

(same version as on: "Black Music For White People", 1991/ Levi's ad, 1993)

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (Kopp in d�r Sand)

Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)

Hit The High Hard One. Popa Chubby. 1996. Prime CD PCD030

Cover Live. Bernardo Lanzetti. 1997. FAMA Music

Swingin' The Blues, Vol. 5. Various Artists. December 15, 1998. Wanna Dance Records. Performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Lydia Lunch

Best Of The Bizarre Sessions: 1990 - 1944. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. June, 2000. Manifesto (Bizarre)

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)

Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin

Graveyard For The Blues. Scotty Mac and The Rockin Bonnevilles. July 31, 2001. Self-released (medley w. “Theme from Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse”)

It’s A Shame. Mark Keen Band. October 31, 2001. Self-released

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Kathi McDonald. Kathi McDonald. 2004. Self-released 

God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo 

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: Lydia Lunch (same version as on New Coat Of Paint, 2000) 

Crosseyed Cat. Turnip Greens. March 21, 2006. Cope Records (Denmark)

Clara. Clara Bakker. July 10, 2006. Claraphon (Netherlands)

Deviations On A Theme. Lydia Lunch. March 5, 2007. Wildstar (compilation) 

Zombie Strong. Cavemen. Aug. 25, 2008. Self-released (Netherlands)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing 'Heartattack And Vine". Paris/ France (March, 1981). With Teddy Edwards: tenor saxophone, Ronnie Barron: organ, Greg Cohen: upright bass, ..?..: drums. Live show recorded for TF1 television at "Le Palace" Paris/ France (March, 1981).



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "I was in a bar one night on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine Street, and this lady came in with a dead animal over her arm, looking like she'd obviously been sleeping outdoors. She walked up to the bartender and said, "I'm gonna have a heart attack," and he says, "Yeah, right, you can have it outside." I thought that was pretty chilly. So I re-named Hollywood Blvd. "Heartattack." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(2) Liar, liar, with your pants on fire: American mocking children's rhyme: "Liar, liar, pants on fire, hang them up on telephone wire." (Said to a lying child)



(3) Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief: Referring to: "Rich Man Poor Man" (Nursery rhyme/ jump rope rhyme). 

- Version 1 (nursery rhyme): "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief!" (Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ( (c) 1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III).

- Version 2 (Jump rope rhyme): "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief. Her shoes will be Wood, leather, high heel, low heel, sandals, wooden Her dress will be made of Silk, satin, cotton, batten, rags Her house will be Big house, little house, pigpen, barn Her rings shall be made of Diamonds, rubies,  emeralds, glass How many children will she get? 1, 2, 3 . . . . . And now you're married you must obey, You must be true in every way You must be kind, you must be good, And make your husband chop the wood" (Source: submitted by: Marilyn Sloan, Alfred, NY to AACS jump rope rhymes page



(4) Philly Joe: Might refer to Philly Joe Jones. Joseph Rudolph (Philly Joe) Jones (1923-1985) was a Philadelphia-born jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet. The name "Philly Joe" was used to avoid confusion with Jo Jones, the drummer from the Count Basie Orchestra, who became known as "Papa Jo Jones".



(5) China White: Street name for Heroin (90% pure & dangerous Heroin). Also China Cat (Source: Drug Free Workplace, Daniel C. Drew, M.D.). This is almost a brand. It refers to heroin from "China" (Southeast Asia) which is both whiter and stronger than heroin from the middle east. It became popular in the 60s/70s when the CIA worked with the Hmong to bring heroin into the US to support covert actions (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)



(6) There's just god when he's drunk

Ian Penman (1981): That line (there ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk) about god is great. TW: "The line was just...I was just sitting on the toilet, and there was this spider web in the corner, and I lit a match and a cigarette, and I held the match up to the spider and the spider started crawling up the web. So I got the match closer. I opened up a can of beer, drank the beer, tried to decide whether I should burn the spider off his web or let him go on his way... "I figured there must be somebody like that up there: has a coupla cocktails every now and then and there's trouble on Times Square." Q: Is that your last word on religion? TW: "There's...these evangelists in the States like stand-up comics. They have the same kind of delivery. Actually advertise that they can heal the sick, raise the dead. It's just an epidemic, it's big business. Thousands and thousands come to see them and bring them their crippled children and their blind grandmother and their dead dog. And stand in front of this guy in a 700 dollar suit..." (Source: "Tom Waits: The Beat Buff Speed Poet Home Booze Hayseed" New Musical Express (UK). Ian Penman. March 28, 1981)



(7) Pedal pushers

- A style of pants in which the pant leg ends right at the calf; three-quarter length trousers (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Putnam County" (And pedal pushers stretched out over a midriff bulge)



(8) R.T.D.: Rapid Transit District i.e., public train or bus (Submitted by Dorene LaLonde. May, 2001)



Jersey Girl

 



(Heartattack And Vine studio version, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 & "Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Jersey Girl



(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la, sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

On my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la yeah

Don't bother ne cause I ain't got no time

Sha la la la la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981





 



Jersey Girl



(Live version with Bruce Springsteen, 1981)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no girls on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night

Don't you know that my dreams come true

when I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday she's gonna wear my ring



So don't bother me man I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

when you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la



I see you on the street and you look so tired

I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired

When I come by to take you out to eat

I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep(3)



Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on

We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's

Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free

Come on girl, won't you go with me?(3)



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

No official release. Live duet with Bruce Springsteen. L.A. Sports Arena. August 24, 1981



Known covers:

Suspicion, Lisa Bade. 1982. Elektra SP 6-4897

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1987. Sony Music/ Legacy Records

Hessel Live Ahoy '91, Hessel. 1991. Self-released

Fat Cats. Johnny Hooper. December, 1992. Self-released CDJRH2

To All My Friends In Far Flung Places. Dave Van Ronk. December, 1994. Gazell

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Pale Saints

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Blue York, Blue York. Various artists. November 20, 1996. Blue Note Records

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1997. Legacy Records (re-release of 1987 version, 3 box set)

Ugly. Jon Bon Jovi. 1998. Mercury Records (single)

Live From The Mountain Stage Lounge. Various artists. April, 1998. Blue Plate (live version performed by Holly Cole)

Live At The World Cafe (Vol. 7). Moxy Fruvous. April, 1998. The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, WC9807/ PRI (live version)

Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)

Country Lover. Ben Olander. 1998. Leco Music

Don't Ask Me. Brian Fraser. 1999. Black Market Music

Getting There. The Bacon Brothers. August, 1999. Bluxo Records

Santa Baby: Live In Toronto. Holly Cole. January 25, 2000. EMI International

The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records

Tropical Soul. Dennis McCaughey & Tropical Soul. November, 2000. Migration Music

Taivas Sinivalkoinen. Bablo. February 12, 2001. Self- released

10:30 Thursdays. Andy Cowan. May, 2001. Self-released BMM 245.2

Live At The Kammerspiele. Me And Cassity. 2002. Tapete Records

Jersey�s Talkin. Various artists. September, 2002. BluesKid (performed by The Mango Brothers)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Sometimes. Claudia Bettinaglio. September, 2003. CrossCut Records

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Swingin� it. 8 To The Bar. 2004. Self-released (Germany) 

Songman V. Mike Sinatra. 2004. Monophonic

Sometimes... Claudia Bettinaglio. August, 2004. CrossCut Records

The Holly Cole Collection - Vol. 1. Holly Cole. October 12, 2004. Magada International (same version as on Temptation, 1995)

Twenty Fifth Anniversary Collection. Bagatelle. November 29, 2004. Self-released

Crosseyed Cat. Turnip Greens. March 21, 2006. Cope Records (Denmark)

Ameri-mf-cana. Ameri-mf-cana (Sue Burkhart and Ed Vadas). September 1, 2007. Self-released

Absolutely Live. The Bluesbreakers. July 2008. Extraplatte (Austria)

Misfits. The Hot Java Band. August 22, 2008. Cool Vision Records

Father Time. Hal Ketchum. September 9, 2008. Curb Records

Fragile. Joni Keen Jazz. February 5, 2009. Skylark Records

Under Cover #1. Peter Viskinde. March 2, 2009. Poplick Records



Notes:



(1) Jersey Girl:



Tom Waits (1980): "I never thought I would catch myself saying "sha la la" in a song. This is my first experiment with "sha la la." It has one of them kinda Drifters feels. I didn't wanna say "muscular dystrophy" in it or anything, 'cause I didn't think it fit in with the feel of the number. So lyrically I tried to do it straight ahead, a guy walking down the street to see his girl." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(1998): When you wrote "Jersey Girl," [TW "mmm"] did you have Bruce Springsteen in the back of your mind? I know you've been asked this. [TW] No, well I wrote it for my wife, she's from Jersey, well she's originally from Illinois, she moved to New Jersey, and she grew up there, Morristown, New Jersey, and so I wrote it for her when we met, and eh, so.. eh. [DJ] Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? [TW] Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... [DJ] It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. [TW] Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... [DJ] I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. [TW] No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York ". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Waits had invited Jerry Yester to arrange and conduct "Jersey Girl" and "Ruby's Arms," and he later remarked that Yester's arrangement for the latter just blew him away - he loved the fact that the brass choir sounded so much like a Salvation Army band." It would be the last time Yester and Waits ever worked together. "Right after Heartattack and Vine - or like a year after - I moved to Hawaii," Yester recalls. "And he moved up North. And I haven't seen him since. I've talked to him on the phone, but I haven't seen him since then - except in the movies . . ." (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



(2) Cornerboy

- n. [late 19C+] (orig. US) an idler who whiles away the time hanging around on street corners (corner cove, corner cowboy, corner man, drugstore cowboy, lounge lizzard, saloon-bar cowboy) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Annie's back In Town": "And all the corner boys are trouble-makers."



(3) The best known cover is of course that made by Bruce Springsteen. He first performed the song at Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, July 2, 1981. There is a bootleg (audience) tape available from that show. He performed it again a week later, on July 9, 1981, and this time he recorded it himself and released it as B-side of the 7" single 'Cover Me' in 1981. It's also available in the box-set 'Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985' released in 1986. ...Bruce added a verse of his own: "I see you on the street and you look so tired I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired When I come by to take you out to eat I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free Come on girl, won't you go with me?" There is also a version with Tom and Bruce doing the song together. It was recorded at a Springsteen concert at LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles, August 24, 1981'. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. March, 2000)



Michael Tearson (1985): "I have to ask you about the Springsteen cover of "Jersey Girls". How did you first hear that and how did you first react when you heard it?" Tom Waits: "I don't know when I first heard that. Oh I got a tape... yeah. I heard it on the eh... I don't know, I guess I heard it on the radio. Yeah, I heard it on the radio. I said: "Yeah, that's a pretty good song there." (laughs) Yeah, I did what I could to help him out. As far as I'm concerned he's on his own now. Eh, I've done what I can for his career and eh... y'know? Well, I liked it, I really liked it. And I heard it a lot, it was on some jukeboxes and that's kinda nice too, y'know? Yeah, it was a good feeling. And I liked the way he did it. Yeah, I liked it a lot. Yeah, he's a real nice guy." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)



(1998): Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? Tom Waits: Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... DJ: It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. TW: Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... DJ: I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. TW: No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Mr. Siegal

 



I spent all my money in a Mexican whorehouse baby

across the street from a Catholic church

And then I wiped off my revolver

and I buttoned up my Burgundy shirt



I shot the morning in the back, with my red wings on

old the sun he'd better go back down

And if I can find a book of matches

I'm goin' to burn this hotel down



You got to tell me brave captain

why are the wicked so strong

How do the angels(2) get to sleep

when the Devil leaves his porchlight on



Well I dropped thirty Grand on the nugget slots

I had to sell my ass on Fremont Street

and the drummer said there's sanctuary

over at the Bagdad Room



Oh, and now that's one for the money, two for the show

three to get ready, and go man go

I said tell me mister Siegel

how do I get out of here



Willard's knocked out on a bottle of heat

drivin' dangerous curves across the dirty sheets

He said: man you ought to see her when her parents are gone

Man you ought to hear her when the siren's on



I said: tell me brave captain

why are the wicked so strong

How do the angels get to sleep

when the Devil leaves the porchlight on



Don't you know that ain't no broken bottle, that I picked up in my headlights

on the other side of the Nevada line

Where they live hard die young

and have a good lookin' corpse every time



Well you know, the pit-boss said: I should keep movin'

This is where you go when you die

So I shot a black beauty(3)

and I kissed her right between the eyes



Oh, well Willard's knocked out(4) on a bottle of heat

drivin' dangerous curves across the dirty sheets

He said: when the bitch is wound up, and her parents are gone

Man you ought to hear her with the siren on



I said: tell me brave captain

why are the wicked so strong

How do the angels get to sleep

when the Devil leaves his porchlight on



I spent all my money now, in a Mexican whorehouse

across the street from a Catholic church

And then I wiped off my revolver

and I buttoned up my Burgundy shirt



I shot the morning in the back, with my red wings on

I told the sun he'd better go back down

and if I can find a book of matches

I'm goin' to burn this hotel down



Well it's one for the money, two for the show(5)

I said: three to get ready, and go man go

I said: tell me mister Siegel

how do I get out of here



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980



Known covers:

Shopping In Bed. Jim Preen. 1997 (re-released in 2007). Self-released

Gonna Burn. Pete Cornelius & The De Villes. 2005. Only Blues Music

The Great Pretender. Seth Kibel. July 31, 2007. Azalea City Recordings



Notes:



(1) Siegal: Spelled as: Siegal, Siegel, Siegle, Seigle. Refers to: Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel. Jewish gangster and dandy in the 30's and 40's. Earned fortunes during the Prohibition with bootlegging. Founded the Screen Actors Guild. was killed by the mafia in 1947. Hit ordered by Lucky Luciano and carried out by Frankie Carbo.

Stephen Peeples (1980): "Is the subject of the next tune titled "Mr. Siegal," anyone in particular? TW: "I'm trying to kind of refer to Bugsy Siegal." SP: Several people who've heard this tune already think the line "how do the angels get to sleep/when the devil leaves his porch light on" was pretty good. TW: "I like it too." ("Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)





(2) Angels: n. [19C] 1. a prostitute. 2. a young woman, esp. a pretty one (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(3) Black Beauty

- Street name for amphetamine. Amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine are collectively referred to as amphetamines. Their chemical properties and actions are so similar that even experienced users have difficulty knowing which drug they have taken. The effects of amphetamines, especially methamphetamine, are similar to cocaine, but their onset is slower and their duration is longer (Source: Drug Free Workplace, Daniel C. Drew, M.D.). 

- Biphetamine. This is really a kind of amphetimine, as is dexedrine. Black Beauty is the street name for biphetamine because the pharmaceutical drug came in a black capsule (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000) 



(4) Knocked out v.: 1. Drunk 2. Tired exhausted 3. Emotionally exhausted (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Well it's one for the money, two for the show: Quoting: "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Lee Perkins (1955): "Well it's one for the money, two for the show. Three to get ready now go cat go. But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes. You Can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. You can knock me down, step on my face. Slander my name all over the place. Do anything that you wanna do. But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes. You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. You can burn my house, you can steal my car. Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar. Do anything that you wanna do But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes. But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes. Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Well it's one for the money, two for the show. Three to get ready, Now go cat go. But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes. You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes yeh! Well blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes."



On The Nickel

 



Sticks and stones will break my bones(2), I always will be true

And when your mama's dead and gone, I'll sing this lullaby just for you

And what becomes of all the little boys, who never comb their hair

They're lined up all around the block, on the Nickel over there



So better bring a bucket, there's a hole in the pail

And if you don't get my letter, then you'll know that I'm in jail

And what becomes of all the little boys, who never say their prayers

They're sleepin' like a baby, on the Nickel over there



And if you chew tobacco, and wish upon a star

You'll find out where the scarecrows sit, just like punch lines between the cars

And I know a place where a royal flush(3) can never beat a pair

And even Thomas Jefferson(4) is on the Nickel over there



So ring around the rosy(5), sleepin' in the rain

And you're always late for supper, man you let me down, let me down again

And I thought I heard a mockingbird, Roosevelt knows where

You can skip the light with Grady Tuck(6), on the Nickel over there(7)



So what becomes of all the little boys, who run away from home

The world just keeps gettin' bigger once you get out on your own(8)

So here's to all the little boys, the sandman takes you where

You're sleepin' with a pillow man, on the Nickel over there(9)



So climb up through that button hole and fall right up the stairs

And I'll show you where the short dogs(10) grow, on the Nickel

Over there



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Rites of Passage. Georgette Fry. 1995. Self-released

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Carla Bozulich

Ausgelacht. Arnim T�pel. September, 2002. Self-released



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "On The Nickel". Taken from "Tonight In Person" BBC television concert documentary filmed at the BBC television Theatre, London/ UK (aired July 26, 1979).



Notes:



(1) On The Nickel

Tom Waits (1979): "Well, you know.. most of my songs are kinda travelogues. It's difficult to say exactly where they come from . You gotta sleep with one eye open. This song here is entitled "On the nickel" In downtown Los Angeles, there's a place called fifth street, it's a place where all the hoboes are, and they call it "on the nickel". There was a motion picture called "On the nickel" that was written by Ralph Waite and this is a story, kinda a wino's lullaby." (Source: "Tom Waits on the Don Lane show", 1979. Transcribed by Luke Martin)

Tom Waits (1980): "That was written for the Ralph Waite motion picture of the same name. I don't think it's still showing anywhere. It was released about the time I got back from New York, in April sometime. It was a wonderful picture, I mean it, but it didn't make it. It wasn't no "Towering Inferno," just a small picture with a lot of feeling. It was set on skid row in Los Angeles, Fifth Street, downtown. The locals call it "the nickel." The film was about a couple of old friends who were reunited after some years. One had cleaned up and moved off the nickel and the other was still there, an dying from it. The one who'd cleaned up went back to find his old pal. It's a wonderful story. SP: What happened at the end? TW: You'll have to see it." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1979): "I'd like to do a new song here. This is eh, it's about downtown Los Angeles on 5th Street. And eh all the winos affectionately refer to it as The Nickel. So this is kind of a hobo's lullaby." (Source: BBC - Tonight In Person, July 1979)

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1979): "This is eh, a little wino's nursery rhyme. It's about a place in downtown Los Angeles they call 'The Nickel'. It's 5th Street and a gentleman named Ralph Waite... Eh Ralph Waite wrote a story entitled 'On The Nickel". This is about a couple of old partners, they were separated for many years and then re-united... on The Nickel. So, this is eh about eh, it's a little lullaby." (Source: Austin City Limits, 1979)

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1979): "I'll do a song about a place in downtown Los Angeles, they call it 'The Nickel'. It's 5th Street, and eh... it's just a little nursery rhyme I wrote for a gentleman named Ralph Waite. Who wrote a story about two old hobos and eh they were re-united after many years. And this is a little story called 'On The Nickel'." (Source: Canada After Dark. January 5, 1979)

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1982): "This is a song about eh, about downtown Los Angeles. And this is dedicated to all the little boys who are far away from home. There's a little park about two blocks off eh Main Street in downtown Los Angeles, where a lot of the gentleman of the area congregate around the 14th of April and do their taxes every year. And eh... and mostly all they talk about is Christmas and Easter, Thanksgiving and birthdays and eh..." (Source: Royal Oak Theatre Detroit, May 1982)

Tom Waits (introducing 'On The Nickel', 1982): "We're gonna do kind of a new song here. It's eh about eh... it's dedicated to all the little boys who've run away from home. In downtown Los Angeles on 5th Street, they call it the Nickel. And eh it's probably ...?... And eh, so this is dedicated to all the hobos and eh... April 14th is a big day for them. It's when they all come together and do their income tax." (Source: Tyrone Guthrie Theatre Minneapolis May 1982)

The Nickel: also mentioned in Red Shoes By The Drugstore, 1978: "She wore red shoes by the newsstand as the rain splashed the Nickel."



(2) Sticks and stones will break my bones: Quoting from the traditional American saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." A traditional children's reply to teasing, or being picked on or being called names. Implying words don't hurt



(3) Royal flush: An ace high straight flush is a royal straight flush, or a royal flush, or just a royal. Some traditionalists dislike the phrase "royal flush" (preferring "ace high straight flush"), but no one dislikes the hand. It's the most powerful hand in casino poker (Source: Dan's poker dictionary, Dan Kimberg)



(4) Jefferson, Thomas: Born: Shadwell, Va, April 13 1743 - Died Monticello, Va, July 4 1826. American politician, philosopher and artist. Considered to be one of the spiritual fathers of the American nation.





Thomas Jefferson is on the Nickel over there 



(5) Ring around the rosy: Quoting from the English nursery rhyme: "Ring around the Rosy. Pocket full of Posy. Ashes, Ashes, We all Fall Down". Traditionally sung by children holding hands in a circle, rotating slowly while singing the song, then collapsing in a giggling heap at its conclusion. The song actually has its origins in Europe during the 3 year period 1347-1350 when it was hit by the Black Plague



(6) Grady Tuck

Rick Miller (guitarist for Trailer Park Rangers, 2006); "My second big influence was Grady Tuck who taught me how to entertain and how to frail a banjo". "In the couple years I played with Grady in San Diego, I watched him do his thing like nobody I've seen before or since". "He bore a physical resemblance to Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), crooned like Perry Como, and made me laugh my ass off like Richard Pryor". "Grady was immortalized in the Tom Waits song 'On The Nickel'". "I lost touch with him back in the early '70's and later learned through Michael Cooney, another of his runnin' buddies, that he'd passed away". "I'd love to hear from anybody who knows something about Grady, has any pictures of him or stories about him"! I started a page at www.myspace.com/gradytuck where folks can post comments or email with any information they might have." (Source: Rick Miller MySpace site, 2006).





Grady Tuck, photo courtesy of Bob Webb, as published on www.myspace.com/gradytuck



(7) Odd line from the 'Anthology' songbook: "And I thought I heard a mockingbird, Roosevelt knows where. Well, I'm whistling past the graveyard, and they're on the Nickel over there." Possibly this was the original line, later changed to the one about Grady Tuck. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000). 

- These lines also used for: Austin City Limits 1979, Canada After Dark 1979, BBC - Tonight In Person 1979.



(8) Patrick Humphries: "The version of the song used in the film has the lines 'You never know how rich you are, you haven't got a prayer/ Heads you win. tails they lose, on the nickel over there' which never made it onto the album." (Source: "Small Change, A life of Tom Waits". Patrick Humphries, 1989. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-312-04582-4).

- These lines also used for: Austin City Limits 1979, Canada After Dark 1979, BBC - Tonight In Person 1979. Later live versions have the original album lines



(9) Extra verse "Canada After Dark, 1979": "Well you know I hate to leave you, but it's time to say goodbye. But the buffaloed can't find you, when you're on the other side."



(10) Short dogs: n. [1960+] (US Black) a small bottle of cheap wine (short neck) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



Ruby's Arms

 



(Heartattack And Vine studio version, 1980)



I will leave behind all of my clothes, I wore when I was with you

All I need's my railroad boots and my leather jacket

As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms, although my heart is breaking

I will steal away out through your blinds, for soon you will be waking



The morning light has washed your face, and everything is turning blue now

Hold on to your pillow case, there's nothing I can do now

As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms, you'll find another soldier

And I swear to God by Christmas time, there'll be someone else to hold you



The only thing I'm taking is the scarf off of your clothesline

I'll hurry past your chest of drawers and your broken wind chimes

As I say goodbye, I say goodbye, I say goodbye to

Ruby's arms



I will feel my way down the darkened hall, and out into the morning

The hobos at the freight yards have kept their fires burning

So Jesus Christ, this goddamn rain, will someone put me on a train

I'll never kiss your lips again, or break your heart

As I say goodbye, I say goodbye, I say goodbye to

Ruby's arms



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Ruby's Arms



(Big Time live version, 1988)



I will leave behind all of my clothes

I wore when I was with you

All I need's my railroad boots

and my leather jacket



As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms

although my heart is breaking

I will steal away out through your blinds

for soon you will be waking



The morning light has washed your face

and everything is turning blue now

Hold on to your pillow case

there's nothing that I can do now



As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms

you'll find another soldier

And I swear to God by Christmas time

there'll be someone else to hold you



The only thing I'm taking is

the scarf off of your clothesline

I'll hurry past your chest of drawers

and your broken wind chimes



As I say goodbye

I'll say goodbye

Say goodbye

to Ruby's arms



I steal away down the darkened hall

out into the morning

The hobos at the freight yards

have kept their fires burning



So, Jesus Christ this goddamn rain

will someone put me on a train

I'll never kiss your lips again

or break your heart



As I say goodbye

I say goodbye

I say goodbye

to Ruby's arms



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980-1988

Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Rubys famn")

Vanity. Jan Vayne. 1994. EMI (The Netherlands)

Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Frente!

The Sweetheart Break-in. The Supreme Music Program/ Megan Mullally. 2000

Nach Mir Die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Es is vorbei")

Wordless Dialogues. Diego Conti & Stefano Taglietti (instrumental). 2001.Ecamlab (Italy)

V.S.O.P. Casino Steel. February 26, 2001. The Orchard

Carlotta's Portrait. Trio Ptak/ Gonsior/ Mayerhofer. 2004. Turkish Bath Records

23. Golly. July, 2004. Media - Arte (Knopf Germany)

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker

Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "I love Jerry's arrangement on it. He used a brass choir and made it sound like a Salvation Army band at the top of the tune. It really got me. It's a little bit like that Matt Monro thing, "I Will Leave You Softly" (sings a verse). I was trying to visualize this guy getting up in the morning before dawn and leaving on the train, with the clothesline outside. I just closed my eyes and saw this scene and wrote about it." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



Saving All My Love For You

 



(Foreign Affairs sessions alternate take, 1977)(1)



[Studio chat and count-in:]



We get rolling and make some mistakes,

you can just keep going cause it's almost Friday night (?)

Three... four...



It's too early for the circus, it's too late for the bars

Everyone's sleepin' but the paperboys

And no one in this town is makin' any noise

But the dogs and the milkmen and me



The girls around here all look like Cadillacs

And no one likes a stranger here

I'd come home but I'm afraid that you won't take me back

But I'd trade off everything just to have you near



I know I'm irresponsible and I don't behave

And I ruin everything that I do

And I'll probably get arrested when I'm in my grave

But I'll be savin' all my love for you



I paid fifteen dollars for a prostitute

With too much makeup and a broken shoe

But her eyes were just a counterfeit, she tried to gyp me out of it

But you know that I'm still in love with you



Don't listen to the rumors that you hear about me

Cause I ain't half as bad as they make me out to be

Well, I may lose my mind but baby, can't you see

That I'll be savin' all my love for you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980

(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. July, 2000)





 



Saving All My Love For You



(Heartattack And Vine studio version, 1980)(1)



It's too early for the circus, it's too late for the bars

Everyone's sleepin' but the paperboys

And no one in this town is makin' any noise

But the dogs and the milkmen and me



The girls around here all look like Cadillacs

And no one likes a stranger here

I'd come home but I'm afraid that you won't take me back

But I'd trade off everything just to have you near



I know I'm irresponsible and I don't behave

And I ruin everything that I do

And I'll probably get arrested when I'm in my grave

But I'll be savin' all my love for you



I paid fifteen dollars for a prostitute

With too much makeup and a broken shoe

But her eyes were just a counterfeit, she tried to gyp me out of it

But you know that I'm still in love with you



Don't listen to the rumors that you hear about me

Cause I ain't half as bad as they make me out to be

Well, I may lose my mind but baby, can't you see

That I'll be savin' all my love for you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980



Known covers:

For The City. Johnny Hooper. January, 1994. Townsend Records

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "That's an old song, about four years old. It was scratched off of another album, I think Foreign Affairs. SP: There's a line in that tune about a prostitute with too much makeup and a broken shoe. On your last LP, Blue Valentine, the tune "$29.00" talks about another lady of the night who had a broken shoe... TW: (laughs) Same girl!" (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



'Til The Money Runs Out

 



Check this strange beverage that falls out from the sky

Splashin' Bagdad on the Hudson in Panther Martin's eyes

He's high and outside, wearin' candy apple red

Scarlet gave him twenty-seven stitches in his head

With a pint of green Chartreuse, ain't nothin' seems right

You buy the Sunday paper on a Saturday night



Can't you hear the thunder, someone stole my watch

I sold a quart of blood and bought a half a pint of Scotch

Someone tell those Chinamen on Telegraph Canyon Road(1)

When you're on the bill with the spoon, there ain't no time to unload

So bye bye baby, baby bye bye



Droopy Stranger, Lonely Dreamer, Toy Puppy and the Prado

Were laughin' as they piled into Olmos' Eldorado(2)

Jesus whispered eeni meany miney moe

They're too proud to duck their heads, that's why they bring it down so low

So bye bye baby, baby bye bye



The pointed man is smack dab in the middle of July

Swingin' from the rafters in his brand new tie

He said, 'I can't go back to that hotel room, all they do is shout

But I'll stay with you, baby, till the money runs out'

So bye bye baby, baby bye bye



So bye bye baby, baby bye bye

Bye bye, bye

By bye baby, baby bye bye

Bye bye baby, baby bye bye.



Bye bye baby, baby bye bye

Bye bye baby, baby bye bye

Bye bye baby, baby bye bye

Oh, bye bye baby

Bye bye baby, baby bye bye



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: Heartattack And Vine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980



Known covers:

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Tills pengarna tar slut")

Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin

Raw Deal. Bill Perry. August 31, 2004. Blind Pig



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "It's an old mambo-type beat. SP: Do you know any of the Chinamen on Telegraph Road? TW: It's just a line about some Chinamen on Telegraph Road. Got outta that one pretty good, huh? SP: Okay. Just curious." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(2) Olmos' Eldorado: The Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2002. The Cadillac Eldorado was the longest running American personal luxury car as it was the only one sold after the 1999 model year. Although cars bearing the name varied considerably in bodystyle and mechanical layout during this long period, the Eldorado models were always near the top of the Cadillac line.




 




Bounced Checks, 1981 (Compilation)



Burma Shave

 



(Foreign Affairs studio version, 1977)



Licorice tattoo turned a gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of a dying town

Took the one eyed Jacks(2) across the railroad tracks(3)

And the scar on its belly pulled a stranger passing through

He's a juvenile delinquent, never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look in Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair slicked back

She says 'I'm a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.

How far are you going?'

Said 'Depends on what you mean'

He says 'I'm only stopping here to get some gasoline'

'I guess I'm going thataway, just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And with her knees up on the glove compartment

She took out her barrettes, and her hair spilled out like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and arched her back

'Hell, Marysville(1) ain't nothing but a wide spot in the road

Some nights my heart pounds like thunder

Don't know why it don't explode

Cause everyone in this stinking town's got one foot in the grave

And I'd rather take my chances out in Burma-Shave'



'Presley's(5) what I go by, why don't you change the stations

Count the grain elevators in the rearview mirror'

She said, 'Mister, anywhere you point this thing

It got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Of going to bed with every dream that dies here every mornin'

And so drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

And I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

Why don't you have another swig(8), and pass that car if you're so brave

I wanna get there 'fore the sun comes up in Burma-Shave '



And the spider web crack and the mustang screamed

The smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Just a nickel's worth of dreams, and every wishbone that they saved

Lie swindled from them on the way to Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

And when they pulled her from the wreck

You know, she still had on her shades(10)

They say that dreams are growing wild

just this side

of Burma-Shave



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986





 



Burma Shave



(Live version State Theatre, Sydney/ Australia. May 2, 1979)



You know, I remember...

It rained all day the day that Elvis Presley(5) died

And only a legend can make it do that!

And you know, I remember when my baby said we were through

And she was gonna walk out on me

It was Elvis Presley that talked her out of it

And he gave me my first leather jacket

And taught me how to comb my hair just right in a filling station bathroom

It was Elvis that gave you a rubber on prom night

And told you that you looked real sharp

And you know, I think he maybe just got a little tired

Of repairing all the broken hearts in the world.

And now I think maybe I understand

Why mechanics' cars never start

And why night watchmen are always sleeping on the job

And why shoeshine boys always have worn-out scooped-up shoes.

But eh... [mumbles]

A legend never dies, he just teaches you everything he knows

To give you the courage to ask her out

And I know, there's a small little town where dreams are still alive

And there's a hero on every corner

And they're all on their way to a place called

Burma-Shave



Scrawled out across the shoulders of this dying little town, see?

And every night it takes the one eyed Jacks

You know, a one eyed Jack is like a...

You got one headlight burned out on your car

It's called a one eyed Jack

You can see them from across the railroad tracks(3)

Over the scar on its belly, there came a stranger passing through

And he was a juvenile delinquent

He never learned how to behave

But the cops never think to look

When you're on your way to Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, man

Yeah, and the moon was like a bone and

He didn't seem to be like any guy that she'd ever known

He kinda looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair ssslicked back

And she said, 'Honey I've always been a sucker for a fella that wears a cowboy hat

And just how far do you think you might be going, Mister?'

He said 'Baby, that all depends on... what you mean

Cause I'm only stopping here tonight, cause I gotta get myself some gasoline'

'And I guess I'm going out thataway, at least ride as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Well, that's cool Why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment?'

Well, she took out her barrettes, and man, her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

She popped her gum and she arched her back

She said, 'Man, this little town don't amount to nothin'

It's just a wide spot in the road

And some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

And everybody in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

And I'm gonna take my chances with you tonight

On the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Eh, well you know.... okay Eh... how old are you?

Ah! That's... a problem...

Uh, where do you go to school, babe? Oh yeah? I went to Sweetwater

Oh yeah, I dropped out, y'know You know how it is. Got in trouble...

You know a guy named Eddie Alvarez? No?

Well, Presley's what they call me

Why don't you change the stations, baby?

And count the grain elevators,

Watch'em go by in he rear view mirror'



'Any way you point this thing is gonna beat the hell out of the sting!(6)

Cause every night I go to bed with all my dreams

I lie down and they die right here every morning

So come on, Presley, and drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole like a fugitive tonight

Let's have another swig of that sweet Black Velvet

That sweet Black Velvet...

Let's pass that car!

Are you brave enough?

We can get there just before the sun comes up

You and me, on the way to Burma-Shave



Yeah... Cause I'm going crazy in this town, man

Yeah, my old man gives me nothing but shit!

I don't know, I don't care what they say

Let's get out of town tonight!'



Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Well... I was talking to my brother-in-law

He said there was a wreck out on the highway

He saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Oh, but all you've got is just a nickle's worth of dreams

And they've been swindled from you on the way to a place called Burma-Shave

You let the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

It's up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

But you know something, baby?

I swear to God, when they pulled you from the wreck you still had on your shades

And dreams are growing wild every night

Just this side of Burma-Shave

And there's another young girl out by the highway tonight

with her thumb out

Just a few trucks going by...



Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'(10)

And the cotton is high



Written by: Tom Waits

Unofficial release: "Cold Beer On A Hot Night". KTS, 1993

(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





 



Burma Shave



(Live version. Austin/ USA. Austin City Limits. December 5, 1978)



Aarghhh... yeahhhh... You know eh... when I was a kid... my dad had a 1957 station wagon... It was a Chevrolet. And man did I love that car. I used to go in the garage at night and turn out all the lights and roll up against it. (laughter) Huh, huh. I think that's against the law! But I remember driving all the way across country, when I was a kid in the back... I remember seeing Burma Shave signs all the way across the country along Route 66. And eh, well this is a story about a young girl. This small little town, a place called Marysville. It's up around Yuba City, Gridley, Chico, they're all the same. The names are different. It takes about... oh 23 miles and you're in the next one and they got a Foster Freeze just like they had in the one you were trying to get out of...



And eh you see there was this liquorice tattoo, he used to turn the gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of his dying little town

And he used to take the one eyed Jacks(2) out across the railroad tracks(3)

With a scar on his belly there came a stranger passing through

And he was just a juvenile delinquent, he never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look out in Burma-Shave



When the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), the way he had his hair slicked back

And she said 'Well honey I've always been a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.



And just how far do you think you might be going?

He said 'Honey that would all depend on what you mean'

Cause you see eh, I'm only stopping here cause I got to get myself some of this gasoline'

'And I guess you should say I'm going thataway, why just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: 'Honey why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment just like that'

She took out her barrettes, and man her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and she arched her back

And she said: 'Marysville(1) don't amount to nothing

it's just a wide spot in the road

and some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

If you ask me buddy, everyone in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

I'd rather take my chances with you, take me all the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: Honey, nothing to it. Cause you see eh... Presley's(5) what I go by,

why don't you change the stations

Let's count the grain elevators as they go by in the rearview mirror'

Cause anyway you point this thing,

it's got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Cause every night I go to bed and I lie down all my dreams

and they die here every mornin'

So comon Presley, drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

And let's have another swig of that Black Velvet.

let's pass that car man if you're brave enough

So we can get there just before the sun comes up

Out in Burma-Shave '



Just you and me baby,

cause this town is driving me crazy

driving me crazy, I'm going crazy baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



Oh honey you know, I don't care what they say.

Go ahead and let them talk, yeah let them talk,

Cause tonight I'm gonna drive, I'm gonna drive baby

It's just you and me, it's just you and me baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



You see, the spider web cracked and the mustang I heard it scream

Someone said there was a wreck out on the highway.

I saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Well all you got is a nickel's worth of dreams,

and they've been swindled from you

when you're on your way to a place

called Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door over on the shotgun side(8)

and baby when they pulled you from the wreck,

you still had on your shades.

But dreams are growing wild tonight,

just this side of a place I know... 

called Burma Shave.



And over by the Foster Freeze, well they're closing up now... 

Yeah, they're closing up... The waitress is going through her purse... There's only a few cars left... A truck rolls by... and there's another young girl, up against the Coke machine... with swizzle-stick legs, sucking on a Lucky Strike, and with a sign in her hand that says

"I'm On My Way To Burma Shave."



And it's a hot summer night.

And the fish are jumpin'. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton, the cotton is high... Your daddy's rich, your daddy's rich and your mamma's good-looking. She's so good-looking baby.



Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.

So hush now, hush now. Hush now, don't you cry, don't you cry baby , don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry... don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry baby, don't you cry.

Don't you cry...



Written by: Tom Waits

No official release

(Transcribed by Pieter from Holland as published on Tom Waits Library, 2002)



Known covers:

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Burma Shave:

- Further readingBurma-Shave.org 

- Larry Goldstein (1978): Waits' latest LP is entitled Foreign Affairs, and it seems destined to be his biggest seller to date. His voice has never been better, though to the new listener it migh t grate like flesh over gravel. The difference in his vocal performance is best evidenced on the cut "Burma Shave" on which, as Waits explained, "I was trying to sing instead of just growling and grunting, which, by the time I get off the road is all I can muster up." (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)

Brian Case (1979): Did he get "Burma Shave" from the Nick Ray movie, They Live By Night, from 1947? TW: "Yeah, that's the one. In fact that's a great story. Very sad at the end where he gets mowed down at the motel. Farley Granger does soap operas now, I think. He was in Minneapolis and this woman disc jockey played it for him and he got a real kick out of it. He always played the baby-face hood. He don't work much any more. I guess Sal Mineo got most of his roles. Yeah, I used that. I kept coming back to that movie image. Also, I have a lot of relatives in this little town called Marysville, and a cousin, her name is Corrine Johnson, and every time I'd go up there from Los Angeles in the summers, she was alway s like you know 'Christ man - I gotta get outa this fucking town. I wanna go to LA.' She finally did. She hitch-hiked out and stood by this Foster Freeze on Prom Night. Got in a car with a guy who was just some juvinile delinquent, and he took her all the way to LA where she eventually cracked up. Burma Shave was a shaving cream company. Abandoned in the late Fifties. Useta advertise all along the highway. I always thought it was the name of a town. (Source: "Wry & Danish to go". "MelodyMaker" magazine. Brian Case. Copenhagen, Early 1979)





- Kristine McKenna (1983): What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood". (Source: "One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

Tom Waits (1985): "Burma Shave is an American shaving-cream company, like Colgate. They advertise on the side of the road and they have these limericks which are broken up into different signs like pieces of a fortune cookie. You drive for miles before you get the full message. "PLEASE DON'T"... five miles... "STICK YOUR ARM OUT SO FAR"... another five miles... "IT MIGHT GO HOME"... five more miles... "IN ANOTHER MAN'S CAR - BURMA SHAVE." They reel you in. So when I was a kid I'd see these signs on the side of the road - BURMA SHAVE, BURMA SHAVE - and I'm young and I think it's the name of a town and I ask my dad, "When we getting to Burma Shave?" So in the song I used Burma Shave as a dream, a mythical community, a place two people are trying to get to. They don't make it." (Source: "Dog Day Afternoon" Time Out magazine (UK), by Richard Rayner. Date: New York, October 3-9, 1985)

Live intro from 'Storming Heaven Benefit". Healdsburg. August 11, 1996: "Ths is about a small little town... When I was a kid we used to drive cross country. And for those of you who are old enough, you might remember the Burma-Shave signs on the side of the highway [some applause]. Thank you, all six of you! Anyway, this is about that. My dad yelling at me to hold my horses! And thirty years later I yelled at my kids to hold THEIR horses. So this is about a small little town. One of those tiny little towns by the side of the road. And somebody thumbing a ride trying to get out of town..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





(2) Across the (railroad) tracksphr. [20C] inferior, second-rate (cf. WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS). [the area of a town in which the poor supposedly live; f. an era when many US towns were literally divided, socially as well as physically, by the railroadtracks] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) One Eyed Jack

- Tom Waits 
(1979): "You know, a one eyed Jack is like a... You got one headlight burned out on your car. It's called a one eyed Jack." (Live version of "Burma Shave". Sydney, Australia. March, 1979)



(4) Granger, Farley: Farley Earle Granger. Born: San Jose, Ca., July 1 1925. American actor and author. From 1943 on he played in films like: Edge of Doom, Arrowsmith, Strangers On A Train and They Live by Night (this movie by Nick Ray from 1947 (1949?) was the inspiration for the song Burma Shave). "Synopsis: "This boy...and this girl...were never properly introduced to the world we live in." With this superimposed opening title, director Nicholas Ray inaugurates his first feature, They Live by Night. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell play a "Bonnie and Clyde"-type fugitive couple, who in trying to escape their past are hell-bent down the road to Doom. Despite their criminal activities, Bowie (Granger) and Keechie (O'Donnell) are hopelessly na�ve, fabricating their own idyllic dream world as the authorities close in. The entrapment -- both actual and symbolic -- of the young misfit couple can now be seen as a precursor to the dilemma facing James Dean in Ray's 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. A box-office disappointment upon its first release, They Live by Night has since gained stature as one of the most sensitive and least-predictable entries in the film noir genre. The film was based on a novel by Edward Anderson, and in 1974 was filmed by Robert Altman under its original title, Thieves Like Us. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide"





(5) Presley, Elvis: Elvis Aaron Presley. Born: January 8 1935. Died: August 16, 1977. (Burma Shave was released 1977). 

- Tom Waits (1993): "I was in Memphis recently for a wedding and I couldn't resist going to Graceland. I especially liked the bullet holes in the swing set and the red faced uniformed teen usherettes and their memorized text delivered while gesturing at the rusted play structure. "Elvis and the boys were just having a little too much fun one night and came out for a some target practice." They also mentioned that Elvis had picked out all the furniture for the Jungle Room in just thirty minutes." (Source: "Tom Foolery - Swapping stories with inimitable Tom Waits". Buzz Magazine: May 1993)



(6) Sting: [1970s] a police undercover operation designed to entrap alleged criminals (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(7) Barber pole: The medieval symbol of a barber was a vertical pole with red and white spiraling stripes. In the 20th century some of these were displayed on the street powered by an electric motor, and had the appearance of a drill drilling into the sidewalk (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



 



(8) Swig n.: A swallow, gulp, or mouthful, esp. of whisky (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in Falling Down: "Go on take a swig of that poison and like it."



(9) Shotgun side n.: The passenger seat in a vehicle. Origin: the American west (i.e. during the 1800s.) The "shotgun" was the person that sat next to the driver of a wagon with a shotgun, watching for trouble. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(10) Shades

- n. pl.: A pair of sunglasses. Orig. bop musician use c1948-c1955; now mainly beat and student use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun" (Now never trust a scarecrow wearin' shades after dark)



(11) Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'. Quoting: Summertime. Written by: Gershwin/ Heyward. Originally performed by Abbie Mitchell in "Porgy and Bess", 1935: "Summertime and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. Yo' daddy's rich and yo' mama's good lookin'. So hush little baby, don't you cry. One of these mornin's, you're gonna rise up singin'. You're gonna spread yo' wings and take to the sky. But til that mornin' ain't nothin' can harm you. With yo' daddy and mammy standin' by."



Diamonds On My Windshield

 



(Early demo version, 1971)



Diamonds on my windshield

Tears from heaven

Pullin' into town on the Interstate

Pullin' a steel train in the rain

Wind bites my cheek through the wing

Fast flying and freeway driving

Always makes me sing

Duster tryin' to change my tune

Pullin' up fast on the right

Rollin' restlessly, twenty-four hour moon



Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head

Wishin' he's home in a Wisconsin bed

Fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And Oceanside, it ends the ride,

San Clemente coming up

Sunday desperadoes slip by

Texaco station close in, you cruise by with a dry back

The orange drive-in, neon billin'

Theatre's fillin' to the brim

Slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area, interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights from Riverside

Black and white plates, out of state, running a little late



Sailors jockey for the fast lane 101 don't miss it

Rollin' hills and concrete fields

Broken line on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

See your sign, you cross the line, signal with a blink

Radio's gone off the air, and gives you time to think

Easy ridin', creep across, this intersection [?]

Hear the rumble as you fumble for a cigarette

Blazin' through the neon jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

And whispers: home at last

Whispers

Whispers

Whispers home at last

Home at last



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Diamonds On My Windshield



(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)



Well, these diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well, I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

And it's these late nights and this freeway flying

It always makes me sing



There's a Duster(2) trying to change my tune(3)

He's pulling up fast on the right

Rolling restlessly by a twenty-four hour moon

And a Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head(4)

He's wishing he was home in a Wisconsin bed

But there's fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And it's colder than a welldigger's ass



Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up(5)

Those Sunday desperadoes(6) slip by and cruise with a dry back



And the orange drive-in, the neon billin'

And the theatre's fillin' to the brim

With slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area with interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights(7) from Riverside

And out of state plates running a little late



But the sailors jockey(8) for the fast lane

So 101 don't miss it

There's rolling hills and concrete fields

And the broken line's on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

You see your sign, cross the line, signalling with a blink

And the radio's gone off the air

Gives you time to think

And you hear the rumble

As you fumble for a cigarette

And blazing through this midnight jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

Whispers 'home at last'

It whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'



And the diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got me a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

Late nights and freeway flying

Always makes me sing

It always makes me sing



Hey, look here, Jack

Okay



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

Life Imitates Art. Steve Glotzer. September 12, 2000. The Orchard



Notes:



(1) Jay S. Jacobs: "Diamonds on My Windshield" was scribbled on the back of a tour itinerary in a single spontaneous burst, and it recalls Tom's days of shuffling between San Diego and Los Angeles, stopping regularly for a cup of coffee, a bathroom break, or a car repair. Pulling out this scrap of paper in the studio, Tom began to wrestle with his jotted lyrics, but "Diamonds" just wouldn't click. Finally, the session musicians caught a vibe that Tom liked. The bassist, Jim Hughart, hit on a cool bass line, and the drummer, who that day was Jim Gordon, pulled out the brushes and delivered a hot shuffle beat. Gordon, a brilliant studio musician, was once a member of Eric Clapton's supergroup, Derek and the Dominoes; he cowrote the rock anthem "Layla" with Clapton. Years later, in a fit of dementia, he killed his mother, and he was forced to spend his later years in a mental hospital. But that day at Wally Heider Recording the atmosphere was unclouded by specters of tragedy. Waits, Hughart, and Gordon nailed "Diamonds on My Windshield" on the first take. (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)

Tom Waits: (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, Folkscene, 1974): "This is about driving in the rain. I used to make that track from San Diego to Los Angeles a lot, usually with several pit stops on the way with engine trouble. So this is about driving in the rain, circa 1973, so slip me some crimson, Jimson." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))

Tom Waits: On Diamonds On My Windshield (WAMU Radio, 1975): "I didn't really know what to do with that piece cause it was written out just as some spontaneous verse that I had written on the back of an itinerary and I didn't know what the hell to do with it. So we went in the studio and I tried singing it, tried doing it a-capella - nothing worked. Jim Hughart was playing the upright bass with me for that session just started playing a modal bass line and I just started talking and Jim Gordon started playing a cool 12 bar shuffle on brushes and we just winged it in one take and we had it and I like the way it came out. I'm gonna do more of that on this 3rd album that I'm thinking about right now and writing for out here. I bring a tape recorder with me and when I get back to the hotel I talk to myself and I'm working on some spoken word pieces that I want to do with accompaniment. I call it Metropolitan Doubletalk and I'm going to be doing more of that on this forthcoming album. It's called Nighthawk Postcards From Easy Street so I'm going to explore some more of that kind of thing." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview, audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

Tom Waits (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, 1976): "Well, let's see here uh... I uh... uhm. I'm gonna do a thing about cars uh. This is kind of a, sort of a mutational uh sub cultural uh automotive uh Southern California fascination with the internal combustion engine. Maybe we do something here uh.. [starts snapping fingers] This is about a uh... I don't know uh, it seemed like getting my drivers license when I was a kid, was like uhm... You know uh, certainly a major event, you know uh. I mean it was almost as important as puberty. You know uh, so uh... Well the first car I ever had I bought for $125 from a guy uh who was leaving town, and he had to let it go and it was like uh, real sentimental to him, you know uh? It was a Buick Roadmaster and uh he said: "Well, turn it over." [imitates starting engine trouble]. Well I said: "Well, I give you $100 for it." Huh, huh... And uh, so this is a little bit of uh... little piece here about driving in the rain... No wipers, and a glove compartment full of moving violations. You know? Huh, huh..." (Source: WNEW FM: Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight Date: Recorded MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976. Aired December 18, 1976 on WNEW-FM. Rebroadcast March 24, 1996 WNEW-FM)



(2) Duster: American car produced by Chrystler (Plymouth Duster, Plymouth Valiant Duster)





(3) Change one's tune

- phr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions or statements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musical imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Also mentioned in Drunk On The Moon, 1974: "Don't try and change my tune."



(4) Cueball, cue-ball n.: A man or a boy who has just had a close or crew haircut. Army and student use. Because of the resemblance between a white billiard cue ball and a closely cropped head. Archaic (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up: Driving from San Diego along the Interstate (I-5 freeway) in the Los Angeles direction. "The I-5 freeway has replaced the notorious old US-101 highway, a three-lane road whose center passing lane was so dangerous it earned the name "blood alley", the site of more fatalities per mile than any other stretch of road in the state." The I-5 freeway was completed in 1960 and was the last major section of US-101 to be signed on a new alignment south of Los Angeles.





(6) Desperado n.: A person who borrows or gambles larger sums than he will be able to pay; one whose standard of living is sensationally more costly than his income warrants (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(7) Fly-by-night

- n.: One who defrauds his creditors by decamping at night-time. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] anyone dubious, crooked, criminal, esp. of a businessman who takes one's money but fails to provide any or at least adequate recompense



Eggs & Sausage

 



(In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)(1)



Nighthawks at the diner(2) of Emma's 49'er

There's a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight

All the gypsy hacks and the insomniacs(3)

Now the paper's been read, now the waitress said



Eggs and sausage and a side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns(4) over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? Yeah...



It's a graveyard(5) charade, it's a late shift masquerade

And it's two for a quarter, dime for a dance

Woolworth(6) rhinestone diamond earrings and a sideway's glance

Now the register rings, now the waitress sings



Eggs and sausage and a side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? Yeah



Now well, the classified section offers no direction

It's a cold caffeine in a nicotine cloud

Now the touch of your fingers lingers burning in my memory

I've been 86'ed(7) from your scheme

Now I'm in a melodramatic nocturnal scene

Now I'm a refugee from a disconcerted affair

Now the lead pipe morning falls, now the waitress calls



Eggs and sausage, another side of toast

Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy

Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries

Now what kind of pie?



A la mode if you will(8)

Just come in and join the crowd

Had some time to kill, yeah

You see, I just come in to join the crowd

Had some time to kill

Just come in to join the crowd

Cause I had some time to kill



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1975

Official release:"Nighthawks At The Diner", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

None



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Eggs & Sausage". Taken from "Soundstage" PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA (aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier).



Notes:



(1) Intro: "I was always uh... kinda wanted like to consider myself kind of a pioneer of the palate. A restaurateur if you will. I've wined, dined, sipped and supped in some of the most demonstrably demi-epitomable bistros in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Uh-huh-huh-huh... Yeah, I've had strange looking pattie melts at Norm's. I've had dangerous veal cutlets at the Copper Penny. Well, what you get is a breaded Salisbury steak and a Shake'n'Bake, and topped with a provocative sauce of Velveeta and half-and-half..., uh-huh-huh-huh. Smothered with Campbell's tomato soup. Huh-huh-huh-huh... You see, I had kind of a uh... well, I ordered my veal cutlet, Christ it left the plate and it walked down to the end of the counter. (...?...) waitress (...?...), boy she's wearing those rhinestone glasses with the little pearl thing clipped on her sweater. The veal cutlet come down trying to beat the shit out of my cup of coffee but... Coffee just wasn't strong enough to defend itself. Uh-huh-huh-huh..." (Transcript by Pieter from Holland as published on the Tom Waits Library)

Pattie melt n.: A rissole (the pattie) with melted swiss cheese (the melt, q.v.) on top, served on a piece of rye bread soaked with melted butter and grilled (s.a. foods). (Source: American - Australian slang dictionary, O'Shea)

Norm's: Norms Restaurant, 470 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles





- Shake 'n Bake: Brandname of a popular US instant food. Introduced in 1965 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (SHAKE 'N BAKE� coating mix in two versions, chicken and fish)

- Velveeta: Brandname of a US soft processed-cheese spread. Introduced in 1928 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (VELVEETA�)

- Half-and-Half: 1. Coffee creamer, semi-skimmed milk 2. A blend of dark and medium roast coffee beans 3. A cup of half coffee and half milk.

- Campbell: Brand of soup in the typical red-and-white can. Made famous by the graphic work of Andy Warhol in 1968.





- Intro to Eggs & Sausage (WAMU Radio, 1975): "This is new, I don't know what the hell to do with it really yet, but after you hang around enough diners, it seems a place you always go when you're feeling like a refugee from a disconcerted love affair - you end up at a 24 hour place, in LA we got a place called Norm's - all the losers are there and the waitresses are all good looking." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview Source: audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

-Intro to Eggs & Sausage (Ebbets Field. Denver/ USA, 1975): "This is about a little diner in East Lansing/ Michigan..."



(2) Nighthawks At The Diner

- Refers to Edward Hopper's famous painting: "Nighthawks", 1942. Oil on canvas: 30 x 60 in. The Art Institute of Chicago

Dave Lewis (1979): "Cars, in fact, are one of Waits' real passions. He sports an elaborate tattoo on his arm emblazoned with the word 'Nighthawk', which was the name of a 'car-club' he belonged to as a teenager and he can readily run off a list of the wheels he's owned, including his current emerald green '64 T-bird." (Source: "Tom Waits: A Sobering Experience", Sounds magazine, by Dave Lewis. Date: August 4, 1979)



(3) Insomniac adj: Experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness; "insomniac old people"; "insomniac nights"; "lay sleepless all night"; "twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights"- Shakespeare [syn: sleepless, watchful] n : someone who cannot sleep [syn: sleepless person] (Source: WordNet � 1.6, � 1997 Princeton University)



(4) Hash browns, Hash-brown potatoes

- Finely chopped, cooked potatoes that are fried (often in bacon fat) until well browned. The mixture is usually pressed down into a flat cake in the pan and browned on one side, then turned and browned on the other. It's sometimes only browned on one side. Other ingredients such as chopped onion and green pepper are often added for flavor excitement (Source: Epicurious food dictionary, Cond�Net Inc.).

- Notice "Hash browns" also being mentioned in The Ghosts Of Saturday Night, 1974: "Hash browns, hash browns, you know I can't be late."



(5) Graveyard shift n.: A working shift that begins at midnight or 2:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. It refers, of course, to the ghostlike hour of employment (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(6) Woolworth: Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852-1919). U.S. merchant, born in Rodman, N.Y.; from profits of his chain of five-and-ten-cent stores built the Woolworth Building, New York City. The Woolworth Building is located at 233 Broadway and was completed in 1913, it was the tallest building in the world from 1913-1930. It was financed by Frank Woolworth and often called the "Cathedral of Commerce." So, "Woolworth rhinestone diamond earrings" would be really cheap earrings.



(7) Eighty-six v.t.: 1. Lit. and fig., to reject or disqualify a person; to ignore, insult, or tease someone; to eject someone from a place or group esp. from a bar, against his will. Common lunch-counter use; used by the cook to inform waiters that there is no more of a specific dish 2. A person who is not to be served, as at a lunch counter, because he is thought to be undesirable or unable to pay; a person who is not to be served liquor, as at a bar, because he is or will become drunk and/ or disorderly. All uses because the term rhymes with "nix." Used by waiters, bartenders, etc. so that customers will not understand (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) A la mode if you will: originally transcribed as: "Have a bowl if you will." A la mode: adj. Served with ice cream: apple pie � la mode. (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



Heartattack And Vine

 



Liar, liar, with your pants on fire(2)

White spades hangin' on the telephone wire

Gamblers re-evaluate along the dotted line

You'll never recognize yourself on Heartattack and Vine



Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief(3)

Philly Joe(4) Remarkable looks on in disbelief

If you want a taste of madness, you'll have to wait in line

You'll prob'ly see someone you know on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white(5), Shorty found a punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk(6)

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



See that little Jersey girl in the see-thru top

With the pedal pushers(7), suckin' on a soda pop

Well, I'll bet she's still a virgin, but it's only twenty-five to nine

You can see a million of 'em on Heartattack and Vine



Better off in Iowa against your scrambled eggs

Than crawlin' down Cahuenga on a broken pair of legs

You'll find your ignorance is blissful every goddam time

You're waitin' for the RTD(8) on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white, Shorty found a p-p-p-punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



Liar, liar, with your pants on fire

White spade hangin' on the telephone wire

Gamblers re-evaluate along the dotted line

You'll never recognize yourself on Heartattack and Vine



Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief

Philly Joe Remarkable looks on in disbelief

If you want a taste of madness, you'll have to wait in line

You'll prob'ly see someone you know on Heartattack and Vine



See that little Jersey girl in the see-thru top

With the pedal pushers, suckin' on a soda pop

Well, I'll bet she's still a virgin, but it's only twenty-five to nine

You can see a million of 'em on Heartattack and Vine



Boney's high on China white, Shorty found a punk

Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk

Well, this stuff will prob'ly kill you, let's do another line

What you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 & "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981



Known covers:

Black Music For White People. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. July, 1991. Rhino/ Bizarre 1991 (Manifesto re-release, produced by Robert Duffey)

Heart Attack & Vine. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. 1993. Epic: Levi's commercial release (Holland)/ Columbia: Levi's commercial release (UK)

(same version as on: "Black Music For White People", 1991/ Levi's ad, 1993)

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (Kopp in d�r Sand)

Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)

Hit The High Hard One. Popa Chubby. 1996. Prime CD PCD030

Cover Live. Bernardo Lanzetti. 1997. FAMA Music

Swingin' The Blues, Vol. 5. Various Artists. December 15, 1998. Wanna Dance Records. Performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Lydia Lunch

Best Of The Bizarre Sessions: 1990 - 1944. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. June, 2000. Manifesto (Bizarre)

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)

Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin

Graveyard For The Blues. Scotty Mac and The Rockin Bonnevilles. July 31, 2001. Self-released (medley w. “Theme from Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse”)

It’s A Shame. Mark Keen Band. October 31, 2001. Self-released

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Kathi McDonald. Kathi McDonald. 2004. Self-released 

God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo 

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: Lydia Lunch (same version as on New Coat Of Paint, 2000) 

Crosseyed Cat. Turnip Greens. March 21, 2006. Cope Records (Denmark)

Clara. Clara Bakker. July 10, 2006. Claraphon (Netherlands)

Deviations On A Theme. Lydia Lunch. March 5, 2007. Wildstar (compilation) 

Zombie Strong. Cavemen. Aug. 25, 2008. Self-released (Netherlands)



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing 'Heartattack And Vine". Paris/ France (March, 1981). With Teddy Edwards: tenor saxophone, Ronnie Barron: organ, Greg Cohen: upright bass, ..?..: drums. Live show recorded for TF1 television at "Le Palace" Paris/ France (March, 1981).



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1980): "I was in a bar one night on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine Street, and this lady came in with a dead animal over her arm, looking like she'd obviously been sleeping outdoors. She walked up to the bartender and said, "I'm gonna have a heart attack," and he says, "Yeah, right, you can have it outside." I thought that was pretty chilly. So I re-named Hollywood Blvd. "Heartattack." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(2) Liar, liar, with your pants on fire: American mocking children's rhyme: "Liar, liar, pants on fire, hang them up on telephone wire." (Said to a lying child)



(3) Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief: Referring to: "Rich Man Poor Man" (Nursery rhyme/ jump rope rhyme). 

- Version 1 (nursery rhyme): "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief!" (Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ( (c) 1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III).

- Version 2 (Jump rope rhyme): "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief. Her shoes will be Wood, leather, high heel, low heel, sandals, wooden Her dress will be made of Silk, satin, cotton, batten, rags Her house will be Big house, little house, pigpen, barn Her rings shall be made of Diamonds, rubies,  emeralds, glass How many children will she get? 1, 2, 3 . . . . . And now you're married you must obey, You must be true in every way You must be kind, you must be good, And make your husband chop the wood" (Source: submitted by: Marilyn Sloan, Alfred, NY to AACS jump rope rhymes page



(4) Philly Joe: Might refer to Philly Joe Jones. Joseph Rudolph (Philly Joe) Jones (1923-1985) was a Philadelphia-born jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet. The name "Philly Joe" was used to avoid confusion with Jo Jones, the drummer from the Count Basie Orchestra, who became known as "Papa Jo Jones".



(5) China White: Street name for Heroin (90% pure & dangerous Heroin). Also China Cat (Source: Drug Free Workplace, Daniel C. Drew, M.D.). This is almost a brand. It refers to heroin from "China" (Southeast Asia) which is both whiter and stronger than heroin from the middle east. It became popular in the 60s/70s when the CIA worked with the Hmong to bring heroin into the US to support covert actions (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)



(6) There's just god when he's drunk

Ian Penman (1981): That line (there ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk) about god is great. TW: "The line was just...I was just sitting on the toilet, and there was this spider web in the corner, and I lit a match and a cigarette, and I held the match up to the spider and the spider started crawling up the web. So I got the match closer. I opened up a can of beer, drank the beer, tried to decide whether I should burn the spider off his web or let him go on his way... "I figured there must be somebody like that up there: has a coupla cocktails every now and then and there's trouble on Times Square." Q: Is that your last word on religion? TW: "There's...these evangelists in the States like stand-up comics. They have the same kind of delivery. Actually advertise that they can heal the sick, raise the dead. It's just an epidemic, it's big business. Thousands and thousands come to see them and bring them their crippled children and their blind grandmother and their dead dog. And stand in front of this guy in a 700 dollar suit..." (Source: "Tom Waits: The Beat Buff Speed Poet Home Booze Hayseed" New Musical Express (UK). Ian Penman. March 28, 1981)



(7) Pedal pushers

- A style of pants in which the pant leg ends right at the calf; three-quarter length trousers (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Putnam County" (And pedal pushers stretched out over a midriff bulge)



(8) R.T.D.: Rapid Transit District i.e., public train or bus (Submitted by Dorene LaLonde. May, 2001)



I Never Talk To Strangers

 



[Bartender, I'd like a Manhattan please](1)



Stop me if you've heard this one

But I feel as though we've met before

Perhaps I am mistaken

But it's just that I remind you of

Someone you used to care about

Oh, but that was long ago

Now tell me, do you really think I'd fall for that old line

I was not born just yesterday(2)

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Hell, I ain't a bad guy when you get to know me

I just thought there ain't no harm

Hey, yeah, just try minding your own business, bud

Who asked you to annoy me

With your sad, sad repartee

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Your life's a dimestore novel

This town is full of guys like you

And you're looking for someone to take the place of her

You must be reading my mail

And you're bitter cause he left you

That's why you're drinkin' in this bar

Well, only suckers fall in love with perfect strangers



It always takes one to know one stranger

Maybe we're just wiser now

Yeah, and been around that block so many times

That we don't notice

That we're all just perfect strangers

As long as we ignore

That we all begin as strangers

Just before we find

We really aren't strangers anymore



[Aw, you don't look like such a chump]

[Aw, hey baby]



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986(4)

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Tom Waits: vocals and piano. Bette Midler: vocals(3)

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Broken Blossom. Bette Midler, 1977/ 1995. Atlantic (same cut as on "Foreign Affairs")

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (Met Fremde kein Verdr��ch)

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003.Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Perfect Strangers. Margaret Wakeley. May, 2004. Self-released

Oh Marie! (7" version). Ladyfuzz. July 13, 2006.: WEA

Levenslijn. Various artists. August 29, 2006. Universal Music Belgium (performed by Wendy Van Wanten & Roland)



Notes:



(1) Manhattan

- A cocktail based on Canadian whisky (Canadian whisky, red Vermouth, Angostura).

- Also mentioned in "I'll Take New York", 1986/ 1987: "I'm on the caboose, I'm drinkin' Manhattan"





(2) I was not born just yesterdayphr. [late 19C+] aware, sophisticated, 'on the ball'(Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) Bette Midler:

- Barney Hoskyns (2009): “Inevitably these veterans of heartbreak overcame their cynicism as they got to the first base of flirtation. "Bette was in the middle of making Broken Blossom," [Bones] Howe recalls. "But she came to the studio and we put two mics at the piano and she went out and sat next to Tom on the piano bench and we probably did six takes before we got it." The song was slightly below Midler's range, forcing her to sing more conversationally. "When you write for a duet," says Bob Alcivar, "you've got to kind of psych out the two singers and decide what the key's going to be. In this case it was Tom's key, so Bette had to kind of fake it and go up and down and change the registers.” Vocal jazz connoisseurs would surely have something to say about Midler as canary, but her turn here as a kind of white Betty Carter worked because of its imperfection. "She drove me crazy for three months," says Howe. "She kept saying, 'I was sharp on that note, I was flat on that one,' I said, 'It doesn't get any better than that, it could be a stage performance."' (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

Larry Goldstein (1978) : "One of the few people with whom he can work is Bette (as in Midler.) "I met her, now let me see, a couple of years ago at the bottom Line (a nightclub) in New York," he said, "and we got along famously. I admire her a great deal. And you know...I'll kick anybody's ass who knocks her. I wrote a couple of tunes for her." ("Shiver Me Timbers" among them.) The two stayed close friends and then one day Bette dropped by the studio during the recording of Foreign Affairs just to say hello. The topic of duets arose, and she asked Waits to try and write one for them. So Tom went home and went to work and came back the next day with a brand new song, to be recorded that day, I Never Talk To Strangers, which has become the most popular song on the album. When I asked him about the possibility of more collaboration between the two, Waits was intentionally vague and mysterious. "We might work something out," he said. (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)



(4) One From The Heart

- In 1980 this song prompted Francis Ford Coppola to contact Waits on working together on the soundtrack for One From The Heart.

Tom Waits (1981): "When I was in New York back in April of 1980, Francis was there auditioning people he wanted to be involved with the film. Somebody had sent him my records and Francis liked the song "I Never Talk to Strangers," a duet I'd done with Bette Midler [on Waits' Foreign Affairs LP released in '77]. He liked the relationship between the singers, a conversation between a guy and a girl in a bar. That was the impetus for him contacting me and asking me if I was interested in writing music for his film." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Jersey Girl (alternate take)

 



(Heartattack And Vine studio version, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 & "Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Jersey Girl



(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la, sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

On my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la yeah

Don't bother ne cause I ain't got no time

Sha la la la la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981





 



Jersey Girl



(Live version with Bruce Springsteen, 1981)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no girls on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night

Don't you know that my dreams come true

when I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday she's gonna wear my ring



So don't bother me man I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

when you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la



I see you on the street and you look so tired

I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired

When I come by to take you out to eat

I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep(3)



Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on

We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's

Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free

Come on girl, won't you go with me?(3)



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

No official release. Live duet with Bruce Springsteen. L.A. Sports Arena. August 24, 1981



Known covers:

Suspicion, Lisa Bade. 1982. Elektra SP 6-4897

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1987. Sony Music/ Legacy Records

Hessel Live Ahoy '91, Hessel. 1991. Self-released

Fat Cats. Johnny Hooper. December, 1992. Self-released CDJRH2

To All My Friends In Far Flung Places. Dave Van Ronk. December, 1994. Gazell

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Pale Saints

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Blue York, Blue York. Various artists. November 20, 1996. Blue Note Records

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1997. Legacy Records (re-release of 1987 version, 3 box set)

Ugly. Jon Bon Jovi. 1998. Mercury Records (single)

Live From The Mountain Stage Lounge. Various artists. April, 1998. Blue Plate (live version performed by Holly Cole)

Live At The World Cafe (Vol. 7). Moxy Fruvous. April, 1998. The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, WC9807/ PRI (live version)

Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)

Country Lover. Ben Olander. 1998. Leco Music

Don't Ask Me. Brian Fraser. 1999. Black Market Music

Getting There. The Bacon Brothers. August, 1999. Bluxo Records

Santa Baby: Live In Toronto. Holly Cole. January 25, 2000. EMI International

The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records

Tropical Soul. Dennis McCaughey & Tropical Soul. November, 2000. Migration Music

Taivas Sinivalkoinen. Bablo. February 12, 2001. Self- released

10:30 Thursdays. Andy Cowan. May, 2001. Self-released BMM 245.2

Live At The Kammerspiele. Me And Cassity. 2002. Tapete Records

Jersey�s Talkin. Various artists. September, 2002. BluesKid (performed by The Mango Brothers)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Sometimes. Claudia Bettinaglio. September, 2003. CrossCut Records

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Swingin� it. 8 To The Bar. 2004. Self-released (Germany) 

Songman V. Mike Sinatra. 2004. Monophonic

Sometimes... Claudia Bettinaglio. August, 2004. CrossCut Records

The Holly Cole Collection - Vol. 1. Holly Cole. October 12, 2004. Magada International (same version as on Temptation, 1995)

Twenty Fifth Anniversary Collection. Bagatelle. November 29, 2004. Self-released

Crosseyed Cat. Turnip Greens. March 21, 2006. Cope Records (Denmark)

Ameri-mf-cana. Ameri-mf-cana (Sue Burkhart and Ed Vadas). September 1, 2007. Self-released

Absolutely Live. The Bluesbreakers. July 2008. Extraplatte (Austria)

Misfits. The Hot Java Band. August 22, 2008. Cool Vision Records

Father Time. Hal Ketchum. September 9, 2008. Curb Records

Fragile. Joni Keen Jazz. February 5, 2009. Skylark Records

Under Cover #1. Peter Viskinde. March 2, 2009. Poplick Records



Notes:



(1) Jersey Girl:



Tom Waits (1980): "I never thought I would catch myself saying "sha la la" in a song. This is my first experiment with "sha la la." It has one of them kinda Drifters feels. I didn't wanna say "muscular dystrophy" in it or anything, 'cause I didn't think it fit in with the feel of the number. So lyrically I tried to do it straight ahead, a guy walking down the street to see his girl." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(1998): When you wrote "Jersey Girl," [TW "mmm"] did you have Bruce Springsteen in the back of your mind? I know you've been asked this. [TW] No, well I wrote it for my wife, she's from Jersey, well she's originally from Illinois, she moved to New Jersey, and she grew up there, Morristown, New Jersey, and so I wrote it for her when we met, and eh, so.. eh. [DJ] Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? [TW] Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... [DJ] It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. [TW] Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... [DJ] I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. [TW] No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York ". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Waits had invited Jerry Yester to arrange and conduct "Jersey Girl" and "Ruby's Arms," and he later remarked that Yester's arrangement for the latter just blew him away - he loved the fact that the brass choir sounded so much like a Salvation Army band." It would be the last time Yester and Waits ever worked together. "Right after Heartattack and Vine - or like a year after - I moved to Hawaii," Yester recalls. "And he moved up North. And I haven't seen him since. I've talked to him on the phone, but I haven't seen him since then - except in the movies . . ." (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



(2) Cornerboy

- n. [late 19C+] (orig. US) an idler who whiles away the time hanging around on street corners (corner cove, corner cowboy, corner man, drugstore cowboy, lounge lizzard, saloon-bar cowboy) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Annie's back In Town": "And all the corner boys are trouble-makers."



(3) The best known cover is of course that made by Bruce Springsteen. He first performed the song at Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, July 2, 1981. There is a bootleg (audience) tape available from that show. He performed it again a week later, on July 9, 1981, and this time he recorded it himself and released it as B-side of the 7" single 'Cover Me' in 1981. It's also available in the box-set 'Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985' released in 1986. ...Bruce added a verse of his own: "I see you on the street and you look so tired I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired When I come by to take you out to eat I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free Come on girl, won't you go with me?" There is also a version with Tom and Bruce doing the song together. It was recorded at a Springsteen concert at LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles, August 24, 1981'. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. March, 2000)



Michael Tearson (1985): "I have to ask you about the Springsteen cover of "Jersey Girls". How did you first hear that and how did you first react when you heard it?" Tom Waits: "I don't know when I first heard that. Oh I got a tape... yeah. I heard it on the eh... I don't know, I guess I heard it on the radio. Yeah, I heard it on the radio. I said: "Yeah, that's a pretty good song there." (laughs) Yeah, I did what I could to help him out. As far as I'm concerned he's on his own now. Eh, I've done what I can for his career and eh... y'know? Well, I liked it, I really liked it. And I heard it a lot, it was on some jukeboxes and that's kinda nice too, y'know? Yeah, it was a good feeling. And I liked the way he did it. Yeah, I liked it a lot. Yeah, he's a real nice guy." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)



(1998): Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? Tom Waits: Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... DJ: It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. TW: Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... DJ: I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. TW: No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Mr. Henry

 



(Early demo version, 1977. Also known as: Tie Undone)



In the evening he staggers home with his tie undone(1)

He's as poor as a church mouse(2), and he's whistlin' at the night

And he's tuggin' at his shirttail, and jinglin' a church key(3)

And chewin' on a toothpick, on another binge(4)

And tramplin' the rosebush, whistlin' to himself

Now don't wake up the neighbors, spittin' on the hinge

And rattlin' the milk bottles, trippin' on a skate

And hidin' from the paper boy before it's too late



Well, the screen door's open, don't make no noise in the kitchen

He got no excuse for a cold, gray wife that starts bitchin'

That the no good bum(5) is at it again

After she's given him all the best years of her life

(you must be kidding me!)



He'll tell her he was celebrating Savage's divorce

And he played a hunch(6) out at Yonkers(7), you never can trust a horse

And thrown in jail, swore he'd never do these things again

He's got an alibi, but never tells her

where he's been



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc., � 1977

No official release. Foreign Affairs sessions, July to August, 1977





 



Mr. Henry



(Studio version, 1981. Also known as: Tie Undone)



Mr. Henry staggers home when the evening's done

He's as poor as a church mouse(2), high on the Meyer's rum

Tuggin' at his shirttail, jinglin' his church key(3)

Chewin' on a toothpick, on another binge(4)

Tramplin' the rosebush, whistlin' to himself

Now don't wake up the neighbors, spittin' on the hinge

Rattlin' the milk bottles and trippin' on a skate

Hidin' from the newsboy

before it's too late



The screen door's open, don't make no noise in the kitchen

Got no excuse for a cold gray wife that starts bitchin'

That the no good bum(5) is at it again

After she's given him all the best years of her life

He'll tell her he was celebrating Savage's divorce

Played a hunch(6) out at Yonkers(7), you can never trust a horse

And thrown in jail, and swore he'd never do these things again

He's got an alibi,

but never tells her

where he's been



"Henry!"

"Henry!"



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc., � 1977

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) In the evening he staggers home with his tie undone: Notice the same opening being used for Annie's Back In Town ("Paradise Alley" soundtrack, 1978)



(2) Church mouse, poor as a:

In a church there is no cupboard or pantry, where mice most do congregate. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd). 

- Also mentioned in "Blow Wind Blow": "I got quiet as a church mouse."



(3) Church key 

- n.: A bottle or can opener, esp. as used to open a container of beer (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in Kentucky Avenue: "Just put a church key in your pocket, we'll hop that freight train in the hall."



(4) Binge n.: 1. A drunken spree 2. A spree of any kind; a period of self-indulgence (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(5) Bum

- n.: 1. Generally, a beggar, tramp, hobo, vagrant, or loafer; also, any jobless man or youth having little or no income; a poor, poorly dressed, and unkempt frequenter of saloons; a down-and-outer; sometimes , a hoodlum 2. A drifter; a grifter 3. Any male without a professional occupation, goal in life, or social prestige; any disreputable or disliked youth (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Better Off Without A Wife" (Here's to the bachelors and the Bowery bums), "Barber Shop" (Well, if I had a million dollars, what would I do? I'd probably be a barber, not a bum like you)



(6) Hunch: n. A strong, intuitive impression that something will happen; -- said to be from the gambler's superstition that it brings luck to touch the hump of a hunchback. [Colloq. or Slang] (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)



(7) Yonkers: Famous horse racetrack at the city of Yonkers, north of New York City



The Piano Has Been Drinking (Live Version)

The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)



(An evening with Pete King)(1)



The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak

And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break

Cause the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make(2)

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking, and the menus are all freezing

And the light man's blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

And the piano tuner's got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

As the bouncer(3) is a sumo wrestler, cream-puff(4) Casper Milktoast(5)

And the owner is a mental midget with the IQ of a fence post

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger counter

And she hates you and your friends and you just can't get served without her

And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire

And the newspapers were fooling, and the ashtrays have retired

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

not me

not me

not me

not me

not

me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984





 



The Piano Has Been Drinking



(Live version: Dublin. March, 1981)



Well, the piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

and the combo went back to New York, and left me all alone

And the jude-box has to take a leak

Have you noticed that the carpet needs a haircut?

and the spotlight looks just like a prison break

and the the telephone's out of cigarettes

and as usual, the balcony is on the make(1)

and the piano has been drinking

heavily



And the piano has been drinking, he's on the hard stuff tonight

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress, even with a Geiger counter

And I guarantee you that she will hate you from the bottom of her glass

and all of your friends

But mind you, you just can't get served without her

And the piano has been drinking



The piano has been drinking



The lightman was blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

The piano-tuner has got a hearing aid and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking



Without fear of contradiction I say:

the piano has been drinking



Our Father who areth in Cribari

hallowed it be

Thy glass, thy kingdom come, I will be done

Ah yeah, as it is in the lounges

Give us this day our daily splash

Forgive us our hangovers

as we forgive all those who continue to hang over against us

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

and someone give us all a ride home



Cause the piano has been drinking

and he's your friend not mine

The piano has been drinking

and he's not my responsibility

The bouncer(2) is this Sumo wrestler, kinda cream-puff(3) Casper Milktoast(4)

And the owner is just a mental midget with the I.Q. of a fence post

And I'm going down

Hang on to me, I'm going down

Watch me skate across an acre of linoleum

I know I can do it

I'm in total control



And the piano has been drinking

and he is embarrassing me

The piano has been drinking

he raided his mini bar

The piano has been drinking

And the bar stools are all on fire

and all the newspapers were just fooling

and the ashtrays have retired

and I've got a feeling that the piano has been drinking

It's just a hunch



The piano has been drinking

and he's going to lose his lunch

And the piano has been drinking

not me

not me



The piano has been drinking

not me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981(6)



Known covers:

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking. November 15, 1993. Chlodwig (BMG/ Germany)

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Pianoet er dritings")

Beatin' The Heat. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 29, 2000. Surfdog Records SD-67113-2

Alive & Lickin'. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 7, 2001. Surfdog Records

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "The Piano Has Been Drinking" in 1977

Taken from "Fernwood 2Night" sequel 21.

Syndicated television comedy show with Martin Mull and Fred Willard/ USA

Broadcast August 1, 1977



Notes:



(1) Pete King: Peter 'Pete' Stephen George King, co-founder and club director of Ronnie Scott's Club (Soho London), in October, 1959. Waits played Ronnie Scott's Club, Soho/ London. May 31 - Jun. 12, 1976. King was born in Bow, East London, 23rd August, 1929. He worked as a semi-professional, on tenor saxophone and clarinet, with Jack Oliver's band, playing every Saturday night at the Stoke Newington Town Hall, where he first met Ronnie Scott, playing with the Tito Burns Sextet, the 'name' booked for the night. It was to be a fruitful encounter. Turning professional, Pete played with Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, Kathy Stobart, Harry Parry and Jack Parnell. It was with the latter that he was given the sack, as the female vocalist Parnell had booked insisted her husband be in the band. It was a measure of Pete's popularity that six members of the band gave notice in protest, but this led to him forsaking the reed in his mouthpiece for another mouthpiece - the telephone, in a career of management, representing Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes, the two pairing for the historic Jazz Couriers. When Ronnie and Pete opened the club in October, 1959, it was a different world





(2) On the make: To be receptive to or to encourage sexual advances from the opposite sex, usu. said of females; to make sexual advances or desire sexual intercourse with one of the opposite sex, usu. said of males; to seek or readily enter into sexual intercourse, said of both sexes (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(3) Bouncer n.: A person employed to eject unwanted customers from a saloon, restaurant, dance hall, etc. Late 1800s (Source: New dictionary of American slang, Chapman) 



(4) Cream puff, creampuff n.: A weakling; a person of slight physique; a sissy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Milquetoast n.: Any shy, timid, or extremely gentle person. From H.T. Webster's cartoon character Caspar Milquetoast, central figure of the comic strip "The Timid Soul". First published in the N.Y. "World"; later in many other forms and publications (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- "The usual sense is that of a person who is timid or meek, unassertive. Such people may appear apathetic or unmotivated, but that's not the reason for their being quiet. It's an eponym, named after a fictional cartoon character named Caspar Milquetoast, invented by the American illustrator Harold T Webster in 1924. The strip was called The Timid Soul and appeared every Sunday in the New York Herald Tribune up to his death in 1953. Mr Webster said that his character was "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The name is just a Frenchified respelling of the old American English term milk toast, an uninspiring, bland dish which was created from slices of buttered toast laid in a dish of milk, usually considered to be food for invalids. There's an even older foodstuff, milksop, which was untoasted bread soaked in milk, likewise something suitable only for infants or the sick. From the thirteenth century on, milksop was a dismissive term for "an effeminate spiritless man or youth; one wanting in courage or manliness", as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it. Mr Milquetoast is in the same tradition." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(6) In the mid 1970s Waits sometimes performed this song in a medley with "Makin' Whoopee!" Written by: Gus Kahn/ Walter Donaldson, 1928. Prime artist: Ella Fitzgerald/ Louis Armstrong. Performed as part of: The Piano Has Been Drinking (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, USA, August 25, 1976): "Another bride, another June Another sunny honeymoon Another season, another reason For makin' whoopee A lot of shoes, a lot of rice The groom is nervous, he answers twice Its really killin' That he's so willin' to make whoopee Now picture a little love nest Down where the roses cling Picture the same sweet love nest Think what a year can bring, yes He's washin dishes and baby clothes He's so ambitious he even sews But don't forget folks, Thats what you get folks, for makin' whoopee Another year, maybe less What's this I hear? Well, can't you guess? She feels neglected, and he's suspected Of makin' whoopee Yeah, she sits alone, Most every night He doesn't phone, he doesn't write He says he's busy, But she says, "Is he?" He's makin' whoopee Now he doesn't make much money Only five thousand per Some judge who thinks he's funny Says, "You'll pay six to her." He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?" Judge say, "Budge. Right into jail. You'd better keep her. I think it's cheaper Than makin' whoopee. "Yes, yeah, you better keep her Daddy", I think it's cheaper Then makin' whoopee."



Tom Traubert's Blues

 



(Four sheets to the wind(1) in Copenhagen)



Wasted(2) and wounded, it ain't what the moon did

I got what I paid for now

See you tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow

A couple of bucks from you?

To go waltzing Matilda(3), waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley(4)

And I'm tired of all these soldiers here

No one speaks English, and everything's broken

And my Stacys(5) are soaking wet

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cabs parking

A lot they can do for me

I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open

And I'm down on my knees tonight

Old Bushmills(6) I staggered, you buried the dagger

In your silhouette window light

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now I've lost my St. Christopher(7), now that I've kissed her

And the one-armed bandit(8) knows

And the maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs

And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say

That the streets aren't for dreaming now

And manslaughter dragnets, and the ghosts that sell memories

They want a piece of the action anyhow

Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer

And the old men in wheelchairs know

That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred

And she follows wherever you may go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace

And a wound that will never heal

No prima donna, the perfume is on

An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey

And goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen, flame keepers

And goodnight, Matilda, too



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Home And Deranged. The English Country Blues Band. 1984. Rogue FMSL2004

Unplugged And Seated. Rod Stewart. March, 1993. Warner Bros. Records

Lead Singer. Rod Stewart. March 12, 1993. Wea/ Warner

Tubas From Hell. Dave Gannet. February 28, 1994. Summit/ D'Note Classics

Dry County. Bon Jovi. March 31, 1994. Polygram International (sung by Tico Torres)

Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)

Irish Cream. Seasons. November 23, 1994. Edel

Tanz Um Den Heiligen Bim Bam. Gerd K�ster. October 30, 1995. Chlodwig (BMG)

Stars On Classic, Rod Stewart. Classic Dream Orchestra. May, 1997. Ariola (Germany)

Street Jams. David Roe. October 1998. Self-released

Gerd K�ster und... Gerd K�ster. March 22, 1999. Chlodwig (Pavement Records)

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Sand And Water. Tommy Fleming. March 15, 2002. Clann Records (Ireland)

Unruly. English Country Blues Band. June, 2002. Weekend Beatnik

The Collection. Tommy Fleming. December, 2002. Clann Records/ Ireland (same version as on "Sand And Water", 2002)

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Undercovers. Maria & Laginh Joao. March, 2003. Emarcy Rec (Universal)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Waltzing Matilda. Waltzing Matilda. September 15, 2003. Factory Ou (Leicom)

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released

Somebody's Darling. Carol Noonan. May, 2004. Noonan Music/ Self-released

Rein Alexander. Rein Alexander. November, 2004. Sony/ Epic (Norway)

Austropop Kult. Wolfgang Ambros. January, 2005. Sony BMG/ Ariola (same version as on "Nach Mir Die Sintflut", 2000)

Playing For Change. Various artists. February 15, 2005. Higher Octave (performed by The Royal Rounders)

Deep Forbidden Lake. Jazz Mandolin Project. May 3, 2005 Label: Doyle Kos Dk.E.

15 Jahre Buschfunk. Various artists. December 9, 2005. Buschfunk/ Germany (performed by: Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling)

Heroes And Villains. Heroes And Villains. March 14, 2006. Emeritus Records



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Watch Waits performing "Tom Traubert's Blues"

With Frank Vicari: tenor saxophone, Dr. Fitz(gerald) Jenkins: upright bass and Chip White: drums.

Taken from The Old Grey Whistle Test (1977).

BBC television live music show with Bob Harris. London/ UK. May 3, 1977



Might be Waits' most famous song. Covered by artists like: Rod Steward, The Pogues, The Dubliners, Rolf Harris, John McDermott and Dave Gannet. Featured on the Basquiat soundtrack (Polygram, 1996). A tune easily recognized and easy to sing along. It's 1976, Waits at the crowning moment of his" beatnik-glory-meets-Hollywood-noir period". But "Tom Traubert's Blues" stands out from his other more jazzy tunes. Waits himself must have had special feelings for the song, because in the 1970's and 1980's he used to close his shows with this song, giving his audience some food for thought on their way home. And unlike most of his other songs, he kept it unchanged for over 20 years. It's finished, nothing to add, it doesn't get any better.



It's the opening track on the album "Small Change", recorded from July 15 to July 20 1976 at the Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood and released in September 1976 by Asylum Records. Most of the songs were written in May/ June 1976 in London after his gig at: "Ronnie Scott's Club", Soho/ London. It is said Waits stayed there for about two weeks after which he continued to tour Europe.



(1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?"

Tom Waits: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)



Tom Traubert's Blues is evidently based on the Australian hymn Waltzing Matilda (written by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson). So it's tempting to assume both songs deal with the same subject-matter. But this is not the case. The only thing similar in both songs is the chorus.



In 2007 Waits was asked by Mojo Magazine to nominate a record for their list of “100 records that changed the world”. Waits nominated Harry Belafonte’s “Streets I Have Walked” (RCA/ Victor LPM-2695) which features Waltzing Matilda. So Waits had been familiar with the song from a very young age.



Tom Waits (2007): "Streets I Have Walked (RCA 1963) is a beautiful record. It's collected songs - lullabies from Japan, Woody Guthrie, Waltzing Matilda, cowboy songs, Jewish songs, all kinds of things. Belafonte was a great collector of songs - he had that Lomax bone, I think. And he introduced a lot of songs from different cultures that had never , in that sense, been heard. The first time I heard Hava Nagila it was Harry Belafonte who sang it... I think I was maybe 13 when I first heard , and I still have it. It definitely had an impact. You see, he loved melody, and I was at a time in my life when I was really nourished by that, by melody itself. I know that with kids, at a certain point, music becomes a costume - you wear the music, and there's certain music that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing - but to me music was always a completely interior experience, not a fashion." (Source: “100 records that changed the world”, Mojo Magazine 163. June, 2007/ May 2, 2007).



There has been a lot of discussion about the origins and copyrights of the Australian version. For more info on "Waltzing Matilda" go to this site by Roger Clarke, or try WaltzingMatilda.com.



Waltzing Matilda:

'Banjo' (A.B.) Paterson, c. 1890


(Lyrics submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee

And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred

Up Jumped the troopers, one, two, three

"Who's [
as in "whose IS"] that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
 (10)



Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong

"You'll never take me alive!", said he

And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by the billabong

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me 



In Australia the song gained such popularity, it more or less became their second national anthem, an Australian icon.



Waits introducing "Tom Traubert's Blues" in Sydney Australia, March 1979: 

"This is eh, a song here uh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done! Uh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And uh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..."



Roger Clarke did some interesting research into the copyrights of the song:

"The copyrights in the song and the words passed through several hands. At one stage it was owned by the once-famous Billy Tea' company; Copyright can of course exist in variants and performances of the song; The copyright has expired in Australia (and in almost every other country in the world), because in civilized countries copyright lasts for 50 years after the death of the originator, and Banjo Paterson died in 1941. In that renegade nation, the U.S.A., other rules hold, and copyright still exists. The copyright is owned by Carl Fischer New York Inc. As a result, the use of the Australian tune in the Atlanta Olympics Closing Ceremony resulted in a payment by the Australian organisers to an American company. Ergo ... If we decide to make 'Waltzing Matilda' the real national anthem, we will have to either buy back the copyright from an American company, or pay royalties on such occasions as our national anthem is played in the United States. "



One wonders whether "Tom Traubert's Blues" is subject to these Fischer owned copyrights.



Some claim "Tom Traubert's Blues" to be about Vietnam. The lyrics however don't give any reason to assume this is true. The idea probably came about after Eric Bogle's 1972 version: "Eric Bogle wrote, performed and recorded a song that ends with a haunting rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" (And the band played waltzing Matilda). It's an anti-war song, nominally about Gallipoli, but really about Vietnam (different decades, different countries, different protagonists, but much the same outcome)".



Its title suggests it is about a guy named Tom Traubert. But other than this title Waits never referred to this character. Some people claim to have known Tom Traubert, some claim to be his only legal child, some claim to be Tom Traubert. For now he will probably remain a mystery forever. Only Waits himself could give us a clou, but he won't.



What does Waltzing Matilda mean? There are numerous explanations. Most of them have to do with traveling. Here's an explanation by Senani Ponnamperuma: "The phrase Waltzing Matilda is believed to have originated with German immigrants who settled in Australia. Waltzing is derived from the German term auf der Walz which meant to travel while learning a trade. Young apprentices in those days traveled the country working under a master craftsman earning their living as they went - sleeping where they could. Matilda has teutonic origins and means Mighty Battle Maiden. It is believed to have been given to female camp followers who accompanied soldiers during the Thirty Year's War in Europe. This came to mean "to be kept warm at night" and later to mean the great army coats or blankets that soldiers wrapped themselves with. These were rolled into a swag tossed over their shoulder while marching. So the phrase Waltzing Matilda came to mean: to travel from place to place in search of work with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth."



One would expect "Waltzing Matilda" to be used in this context but this doesn't seem to be the case. The same words, the same rhythm, but a different meaning. In Tom Traubert's Blues "Waltzing Matilda" has become a metaphor for: alcoholism, seduction and self-destruction.



Jay S. Jacobs quotes Bones Howe in "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits" remembering when Waits wrote Tom Traubert's Blues. Somehow this memory doesn't feel right as Tom Traubert's Blues isn't about skid row or about being penniless or being abandoned. This memory seems to fit better with the song On The Nickel (Heartattack And Vine, 1980)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" is the album's stunning opener, and it sets the tone for what follows. It tells the story of a man who finds himself stranded and penniless in a foreign land "where no one speaks English, and everything's broken." Traubert is etched as a sympathetic character, but it's clear that he inhabits a hell of his own making. He'll never make his way home again because any cash he gets his hands on he squanders on drink. The song's chorus incorporates "Waltzing Matilda," the classic Australian ballad of aimless travel. ("Matilda" is Aussie slang for "backpack," and "waltzing matilda" means being on the road or hitchhiking.) Bones Howe distinctly remembers when Waits wrote "Tom Traubert's Blues." Howe's phone rang in the middle of the night. It was Tom. Howe had long since become accustomed to the fact that being Tom's friend meant receiving calls from him at all hours. "He said the most wonderful thing about writing that song," Bones recalls. "He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, 'I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag.' I said, 'Oh really?"' Waits replied to Howe, "Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues."' Howe was even more struck by what Waits said to him next: "Every guy down there ... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there." Howe was amazed when he first heard the song, and he's still astonished by it. "I do a lot of seminars," he says. "Occasionally I'll do something for songwriters. They all say the same thing to me. 'All the great lyrics are done.' And I say, 'I'm going to give you a lyric that you never heard before."' Howe then says to his aspiring songwriters, "A battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace / And a wound that will never heal." This particular Tom Waits lyric Howe considers to be "brilliant. " It's "the work of an extremely talented lyricist, poet, whatever you want to say. That is brilliant, brilliant work. And he never mentions the person, but you see the person." (Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits". Jay S. Jacobs, ECW Press, 2000)



So according to Bones Howe "Tom Traubert's Blues" was inspired by Los Angeles skid row. There have been rumours however about a Danish singer called Mathilde Bondo claiming to be the muse for this song. This story seems to be confirmed by a 1998 article from Danish newspaper Politiken.



Peter Sander (2000): "Back in the 70's Tom had been doing a gig in Copenhagen, and attending the concert was this Danish folk-singer by the name Mathilde. She was pretty popular in Denmark in the 70's, even though I never thought much of her myself. But after the show she somehow met Waits, and they got along so well that they went out bar-crawling through Copenhagen, and finally ended up at his hotel room, drunk as skunks. What happened there, in that very hotel room? Nobody except the two of them knows, because Mathilde wont tell! The story was a rumor until a DJ on national Danish radio heard about it, about 5 years ago, told his listeners about it, and called up Mathilde live on air. She was surprised to hear that anyone knew, but she confirmed the story. She even said that a few months later Tom sent her the "Small Change" album as a memory of a good night, with Waltzing Mathilda as first cut." (Submitted by Peter Sander. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist, 2000)



COPENHAGEN SONGS - Songs of a city(11)

By Janus K�ster-Rasmussen and Henrik Vesterberg, 1998



THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING

Tom Waits



With the subtitle Four Sheets To The Wind in Copenhagen, Tom Traubert's Blues is the first song on the American nightowl-singer Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. From streets where "No one speaks English and everything's broken", our hero tells us of a city which clearly, it seems, could be Copenhagen seen through whisky-wet eyes. He passes the striptease shows, and must realize that "the streets aren't for dreaming now."



But it's the chorus, which paraphrases the well known Australian folk tune, which is most important for these matters: "Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, You'll go waltzing Matilda with me... "



For a long time the story has been told, that Tom Waits wrote the song for the violinist Mathilde Bondo, one half of the duo Lasse & Mathilde. And that's the truth, Mathilde assures us: 'He was in Copenhagen in 1976 to perform in a tv-show, in which I played the violin. And afterwards I of course had to show him the City - we were in Tivoli and on Christianshavn. It was a lovely night out", says Mathilde Bondo.



Did you waltz? "Yes, we waltzed a lot."

Did you talk to him since then? "We've kept in contact per letter. But I do hope to meet him again. We swinged together so well, and I'm really proud to have been the muse for his song. It's a shame you don't have copyright for muses, because Rod Stewart made the song into a giant hit later on, you know." What do you think of Tom Waits' description of Copenhagen? "It is somewhat ambiguous, but it's a wonderful song."



Tom Waits was indeed in Copenhagen in June, 1976. And he did indeed do a TV show (DR2 TV, known as "Sange Efter Lukketid". Copenhagen/ Denmark. June, 1976). And it is indeed assumed Waits wrote most of the songs for Small Change during this tour (to be recorded in July, 1976). It is therefore plausible to assume the subtitle "Four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen" is inspired by Waits' stay in Copenhagen in 1976.


























Mathilde Bondo, 1976



Mathilde Bondo, 1977



Mathilde Bondo, 1996



(Pictures taken from Lasse & Mathilde official site (Lasse Helner & Mathilde Bondo)




In conclusion: there doesn't seem to be an explanation for Waits re-working "Waltzing Matilde" other then the song having the name "Matilde" in it. Waits wasn't interested in its original meaning, he only took the melody and the verse. So the Mathilde Bondo interpretation seems very plausible. Waits himself has never confirmed (nor denied) this story, but the sub-title mentioning Copenhagen is yet another pointer falling in place. It might be, Waits didn't want the general public to know about his Copenhagen memoire. Maybe that is why he gave the song such a misleading title, making the listener believe it was the story of another Tom.



Here's what Waits himself said about the song...




  • "All right, thank you, like to do a couple of tunes here. A new song here. New uncharted territory here. This is about throwing up on yourself in a foreign country. You think it's eh inconvenient here. Try explaining it to someone who doesn't speak English. Will incarcerate your ass, put you in the barbed wire hotel for a couple of years and no one will ever hear from you again. Couldn't even get a post card off. This is eh.... " (Cleveland USA, 1976)

  • "This is a new song and it's called 'Waltzing Matilda'. Well it's really called 'Tom Traubert's Blues'..." (Sunday Night Live At Faces", The Faces Club, Dallas USA, 1976)

  • "This a new song about throwing up in a foreign country..." (Royal Oak Theatre, Detroit USA. November 14 1976)

  • Vin Scelsa:... Do we know eh the origin of "Waltzing Matilda"? Did someone actually write that or is that just one of those old folk things that goes back and...

    TW: Oh, you mean the original?

    VC: The Australian song "Waltzing Matilda" yeah...

    TW: Well, I believe it was a 1903 eh... Yeah I think it was 1903, and eh what happened was eh...Originally I believe it was a poem, it was a poem and eh... And it eh was put to music and became the unofficial national anthem of eh Australia I believe. A Matilda is a eh backpack. So "Waltzing Matilda" just means, really just to take off, you know? Like blow town, you know? And eh, you know, that's what the song means, maybe.
     (WNEW FM: Tom Waits Radio Special w. Vin Scelsa, MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976)

  • "This is about vomiting in a foreign country... " (Trenton State College Trenton New Jersey USA, December 15 1976)

  • "I'm gonna do a song called 'Waltzing Matilda'. It's not really the original 'Waltzing Matilda', I kinda bent it out of shape. And eh... but eh.. I was eh around this beautiful girl for a while and I was really crazy about her... so was her husband. So we could've made quit a trio on piano bass and drums. So eh what happened was eh... Well it's eh... Actually it's a real short story. I drank too much and I threw op over my tennis shoes and went to sleep in a men's room..." (West Chester Jazz Festival. West Chester, USA, 1976)

  • "You're all right, eh? .. You know now it'll start get a little quiet in here..." (Club Roslyn Long Island New York USA, October 10 1977)

  • "This is eh, a song here eh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done. Eh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And eh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..." (Sydney Australia, May 2, 1979)

  • Q: What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood" ("One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

  • "Eh this is about throwing up in a foreign country. They look on you different eh. It's not like throwing up here. It's hard to get people understand eh. This is about eh going away... You got 60 dollars on a car. Drive all the way to eh Florida..." (Beverley Theatre Los Angeles USA -early show, November 23 1985)

  • "This is kind of an old song eh..." (Italian Dream San Remo Italy, 22 November 1986)

  • "Ok, eh let's see... You're seeing a moment of indecision. I may jump right in. Ok, oh here's one! Eh, no we'd better do this one..." (Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles USA, November 9 1987)

  • "This is a eh, a lullaby for people who can't sleep..." (Dragen Theatre Stockholm Sweden, November 27 1987)

  • "It's funny eh. This is one of those songs that I sung[?] and I never quite figured it out. It's like a rug, you know some rugs have a design and you go: "Hey what is that?" Oh it's not like a rug! That was a bad eh analogy, well you know. Well it's just one of those songs that puzzles me. And eh, so I sing it and I get further puzzled. Eh, alcohol and eh writing don't mix. If they do it takes a long time to unravel them..." (Center for the performing arts San Jose USA, December 30 1990)

  • Q: Did you share many fans' view that Small Change was the crowning moment of your beatnik-glory- meets-Hollywood-noir period? TW: "Well, gee. I'd say there's probably more songs off that record that I continued to play on the road, and that endured. Some songs you may write and record but you never sing them again. Others you sing em every night and try and figure out what they mean. Tom Traubert's Blues was certainly one of those songs I continued to sing, and in fact, close my show with." ("Mojo interview with Tom Waits". Mojo: Barney Hoskyns. April, 1999)

  • TW: He is a friend of a friend of mine. DD: Really! TW: Yeah, who lives in Denver... and died in jail. DD: Oh... TW: And uh... So, he's a real guy. And uhm... so that's you know, a song that is about a lot of things. But mostly I think, you know, the idea that uh... A "Mathilda" is a backpack, you know? So it's about going on the... being on the loose. Out on the road. Chasing your dream and all the things you encounter in the process." (Source: "Tom Waits: Rock Classics, With A Gravelly Rasp", NPR's World Caf� from WXPN (USA) by David Dye. December 15, 2006)



Notes:



(1) Four sheets to the wind

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1: "Well, I don't need you, baby You see, it's a well known fact, you know I'm four sheets to the wind, I'm glad you're gone I'm glad you're gone, cause I'm finally alone." (Nighthawks At The Diner, 1975)

- Drunk. Synonymous with the phrase "Three Sheets to the Wind" (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Unsteady from over-drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in the wind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a rope called a "tack;" the other corner is left more or less free as the rope called a "sheet" is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is said to be "in the wind," and the sail flaps and flutters without restraint. If all the three sails were so loosened, the ship would "reel and stagger like a drunken man." "Captain Cuttle looking, candle in hand, at Bunsby more attentively, perceived that he was three sheets in the wind, or, in plain words, drunk."- Dickens; Dombey and Son.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- "It's a sailor's expression, from the days of sailing ships. The terminology of sailing ships is excessively complicated and every time I refer to it people write in to say I've got it wrong, usually contradicting each other. So treat what follows as a broad-brush treatment, open to dispute on fine points. We ignorant landlubbers might think that a sheet is a sail, but in traditional sailing-ship days, a sheet was actually a rope, particularly one attached to the bottom corner of a sail (it actually comes from an Old English term for the corner of a sail). The sheets were vital, since they trimmed the sail to the wind. If they ran loose, the sail would flutter about in the wind and the ship would wallow off its course out of control. Extend this idea to sailors on shore leave, staggering back to the ship after a good night on the town, well tanked up. The irregular and uncertain locomotion of these jolly tars must have reminded onlookers of the way a ship moved in which the sheets were loose. Perhaps one loose sheet might not have been enough to get the image across, so the speakers borrowed the idea of a three-masted sailing ship with three sheets loose, so the saying became three sheets in the wind. Our first written example comes from that recorder of low life, Pierce Egan, in his Real life in London of 1821. But it must surely be much older. The version you give, incidentally, is comparatively recent, since the older one (the only one given in the big Oxford English Dictionary) is three sheets in the wind. However, online searches show that your version is now about ten times as common as the one containing in, so it may be that some day soon it will be the only one around. The version with to seems to be gaining ground because so many people think a sheet is a sail" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(2) Wasted adj.: Extremely inebriated, usually to the point of vomiting heavily and/or passing out. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(3) Matilda: An Australian folk anthem, written by poet Banjo Paterson, about a hobo (swagman) being arrested for stealing a sheep (jumbuk) and escaping by diving into a creek (billabong) where he drowns. It's so popular in Australia it's regarded as the unofficial national song. Around the time the song was written, a pack on someone's back was called a "Matilda". If you walked behind someone with a pack on his back for a long time, the pack moved up and down and appeared to "waltz"



(4) Blind/ blinded alley

- A "cul de sac," an alley with no outlet. It is blind because it has no "eye" or passage through it. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] an unlicensed drinking house (cf. BLIND PIG) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(5) Stacey's

Slang expression, born from Stacy Adams which is a fancy dress shoe. To buy your own Stacys check out this site.

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1, 1975: "So I combed back my Detroit, jacked up my pegs, I wiped my Stacy Adams and I jackknifed my legs."

- Tom Waits (1976): "Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe... if you had them on then nobody messed with you and you could go anywhere. Stacey's stayed ahead of current affairs and were considered extremely hip." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



(6) Bushmills: Bushmill's: Irish whiskey from the: "Old Bushmills Destillery" Ireland



(7) Christopher, St.: Catholic patron saint of travellers, or the religious medal dedicated to him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. His former holy day is July 25. The religious medal dedicated to this saint says: "Protect me" or "Protect us". So losing one's St. Christopher could mean, one feels unprotected. Later also mentioned in the Frank's Wild Years track of the same name





(8) One-armed-bandit, one-arm bandit : A slot machine. Because the operative lever of the machine resembles an arm, and because the odds on winning are fixed against the player (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) Lyrics only refer to this expression



(10) Who's that jolly jumbuck: "We didn't have 'Policemen' - we had (much-hated) British troops 'enforcing the law'.. the line means they were accusing the swaggie of stealing the sheep - and you could get hanged for that ..." (Submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



(11) Translated from Danish. Original text: K�benhavnersange: Sange om en by Politiken 18 december 1998, I byen side 6 Af Janus K�ster-Rasmussen og Henrik Vesterberg. THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING Tom Waits - Med undertitlen Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen er Tom Traubert's Blues den f�rste sang p� den amerikanske natuglesanger Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. Fra gader hvor No one speaks English and everything's broken fort�ller vores helt om en by, der alts� sagtens kan v�re K�benhavn set gennem whiskyv�de �jne. Han kommer forbi the striptease shows og m� indse at the streets aren't for dreaming now. Men det er omkv�det, der parafraserer den kendte australske folkemelodi, der er vigtigt i denne forbindelse: Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me... Der har l�nge verseret en historie om, at Tom Waits skrev sangen til violinisten Mathilde Bondo, den ene halvdel af duoen Lasse & Mathilde. Og det er ogs� sandheden, forsikrer Mathilde: "Han var i K�benhavn i 1976 for at optr�de i et tv-show, hvor jeg spillede violin. Og bagefter m�tte jeg jo vise ham byen - vi var i Tivoli og p� Christianshavn. Det var en dejlig bytur", siger Mathilde Bondo. Valsede I? "Ja, vi valsede meget". Har du snakket med ham siden? "Vi har holdt kontakt pr. brev. Men jeg h�ber da p� at m�de ham igen. Vi swingede godt sammen, og jeg er virkelig stolt over at v�re muse til hans sang. Det er en skam, at der ikke findes en muse-afgift ligesom koda-afgiften, for Rod Stewart gjorde jo sangen til et k�mpe hit senere". Hvad synes du om Tom Waits' beskrivelse af K�benhavn? "Den er noget tvetydig, men det er en vidunderlig sang". (Article provided by Jakob S�rensen as sent to Tom Waits Library October 11, 2002. Translated by Jakob Dall as sent to Tom Waits Yahoo Groups discussionlist October 15, 2002. I byen ["In Town" = Fridays Cultural weekend section in Politiken])



Whistlin' Past The Graveyard (Alternate Take)

Whistlin' Past The Graveyard



(Blue Valentine studio version, 1978)



I come in on a night train with an arm full of boxcars(1)

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan(2) night

And I busted up a chifforobe(3) way out by the Kokomo

Cooked up a mess of mulligan(4) and got into a fight



Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard(5), Papa one eyed Jack(6)



You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks

Go on and ask the Prince of darkness,

what about all that smoke come from the stack

Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood

Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud



I'm gonna be whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I know you seen my headlights, and the honkin' of my horn

I'm callin' out my bloodhounds, chase the Devil through the corn

Last night I chugged the Mississippi, now that sucker's dry as a bone

I was born in a taxi cab, I'm never goin' home



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch

I only come to Baton Rouge I gotta find myself a witch

I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains

You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye

That ring around my finger's called the 4th of July

When I get a little bit lonesome and a tear falls from my cheek

There's gonna be an ocean in the middle of the week



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I come into town on a night train, with an arm full of boxcars

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan night

I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie

I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

A mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978

Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Whistlin' Past The Graveyard



(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1981)



I come in on a night train with an arm full of boxcars(1)

On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan(2) night

And I busted up a chifforobe(3) way out by the Kokomo

Cooked up a mess of mulligan(4) and got into a fight



Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard(5), Papa one eyed Jack(6)



You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks

Go and ask the Prince of darkness,

what about that smoke come from the stack

Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood

Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



I know you seen my headlights, and the honkin' of my horn

I'm callin' out my bloodhounds, chase the Devil through the corn

Last night I chugged the Mississippi, now that sucker's dry as a bone

I was born in a taxi cab, I'm never goin' home



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch

I only come to Baton Rouge to find myself a witch

I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains

You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train



Whistlin past the graveyard. steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye

That ring around my finger called the 4th of July

I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie

I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie



Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack

Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1978

Official release:"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981



Known covers:

Somethin' Funny Goin' On, Screamin' Jay Hawkins. March, 1994. Bizarre/ Planet (40105). Produced by Robert Duffey (re-released in 2000 "New Coat Of Paint"/ Manifesto)

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins (same version as on: "Somethin' Funny Goin' On", 1994)

Songs From My Heart. Knucklebone Oscar. 2001. Bluelight Records

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Three For All. We Three (Liebman, Swallow, Nussbaum). June 26, 2006. Challenge Records

Drivin' Rain. Michael Nash. March 13, 2007. Self-released



Notes:



(1) Boxcar, an armful of: Grab an armful of boxcars. To Jump on a moving freight train in order to get free transportation c1915. Hobo use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(2) Hooligan n.: A hoodlum; a ruffian; a tough guy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Chifforobe n.: A tall piece of furniture typically having drawers on one side and space for hanging clothes on the other (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)



(4) Mulligan stew n.:

- A stew made of any available meat(s) or vegetable(s). Orig. hobo use, perhaps from "salmagrundi". Often used facetiously about any stewlike food, however excellent (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 

- A hobo dish containing just about anything you have handy. How to make just like they make it at the yearly hobo convention in Britt. Iowa. "Britt Mulligan Stew" = 450 lbs. of Beef, 900 lbs. of Potatoes, 250 lbs. of carrots, 35 lbs. of green peppers, 300 lbs. of cabbage, 100 lbs. of turnips, 10 lbs. of parsnips, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 20 lbs. of chili peppers, 25 lbs. of rice, 60 lbs. of celery, 1 lb bay leaves, 24 gallon of mixed vegetables, 10 lbs. of kitchen bouquet flavoring, about 400 loaves of bread are served, a total of 5000, 8 oz. cups ordered to serve the stew. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000). 

- Also mentioned in "Jitterbug Boy": "Burned hundred-dollar bills, I've eaten Mulligan stew."



(5) Mother Hubbard:

- Phrase comes from the nursery rhyme: "Old Mother Hubbard. Went to the cupboard. To get her poor dog a bone; But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor doggie had none." (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Mother-hubba/ -hubbard n. [20C] euph. for motherfucker (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(6) One eyed Jack: 1. adj. [1960s+] (US) in poker, used of a king or jack, esp. as wild cards. [the design of the face depicted in profile on cards] 2a. adj. [early-mid-19C] (US) crooked, dishonest. 2b. adj. [late 19C+] (orig. US) inferior, inadequate, unimportant] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).



One From The Heart, 1982



Broken Bicycles

 



Broken bicycles, old busted chains

With rusted handle bars, out in the rain

Somebody must have an orphanage for

All these things that nobody wants any more



September's reminding July

It's time to be saying goodbye

Summer is gone, but our love will remain

Like old broken bicycles out in the rain



Broken bicycles, don't tell my folks

There's all those playing cards pinned to the spokes

Laid down like skeletons out on the lawn

The wheels won't turn when the other has gone



The seasons can turn on a dime

Somehow I forget every time

For all the things that you've given me will always stay

Broken, but I'll never throw them away



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Out Of This Dream. Mathilde Santing. 1987. Megadisc (Holland)

Mother The Wardrobe Is Full Of Infantrymen. Agnes Bernelle. 1988. Some Bizzare/ Milo Music

A Real Life Story. Maura O'Connell. February, 1991. Warner Bros. records (9-26342-2)

So Far So Good (The Best Of Mathilde Santing). Mathilde Santing. 1992. Megadisc (Holland)

Ballads. Mathilde Santing. 1994. Megadisc (Holland)

La Primera Avalancha. H�roes Del Silencio. 1995. Kobra Records

Blue Aconite. Christine Collister. 1996. Fledg'ling Records

Songbird. Christine Collister. 1999. Fledg'ling Records

Everybody Has A Dream. Mitchell Howard. 2000. Cling Peaches Music

Willis Moore. So Far. March 22, 2000. Self-released

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Botanica

Kupfermond. Georgette Dee, July 31, 2000. Viellieb R (DA Music) "Zerbrochene Fahrr�der"

Walzerdelirium. Tim Fischer. 2001. Self-released

For the Stars. Anne Sofie Von Otter, Elvis Costello. April 10, 2001. Uni/ Deutsche Grammophon

Nobody Else But Me. Laura Zakian. August 13, 2001. FMR

You'd Be Paradise. Mary Foster Conklin. October 9, 2001. MockTurtle Music

Home. Christine Collister. 2003. Stereoscout Records (live version)

Voice & Bass. Georgette Dee. November 17, 2003. Dmd Music (DA Music Germany). "Zerbrochne Fahrr�der"

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Perfoemed by: Botanica (same version as on New Coat Of Paint, 2000)

Start It All Over Again. Sally Dworsky. 2006. A Prairie Home Companion

Happiness Is Not Included. Veronica Mortensen. April 16, 2007. Stunt/ Sundance Records



Notes:



Tom Waits (1982): "Francis and Richard Beggs were constantly trying different songs against different scenes. They were very experimental in that way, always thinking, "What would happen if we moved this song there and replaced it with another one?" There was a song called "Empty Pockets" that was originally designed for the opening. Francis' brother August had mentioned the line to me. I wrote it down and later developed it into a song. So it was in, then out, then in again... now it's been replaced by a song called "Wages of Love." "Broken Bicycles" was an orphan for a while, until Francis shot a separate scene with Freddie in the junkyard, despondent. We tried that song against the scene; it worked and stayed in the film." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



I Beg Your Pardon

 



I'm just a scarecrow without you

Baby, please don't disappear

I beg your pardon, dear



I got a bottle for a trumpet

And a hatbox for a drum

And I beg your pardon, dear



I got upset, I lost my head

I didn't mean the things I said

You are the landscape of my dreams

Darling, I beg your pardon



I'd give you Boardwalk and Park Place

And all of my hotels(2)

I beg your pardon, dear



Please don't go back to St. Louis(3)

Can't you tell that I'm sincere

I beg your pardon, dear



I got upset, I lost my head

I didn't mean the things I said

You are the landscape of my dreams

Darling, I beg your pardon



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

From There To Here. Kyle Eastwood. September 15, 1998. Sony/ Columbia Records

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1985): "Your musical diet determines a lot of what comes out of you, and I was listening to Ellington at the time of 'I Beg Your Pardon'. In fact there's a quote from 'Sophisticated Lady' in that song. I've always had a real fascination with Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer and those people." (Source: "The Marlowe Of The Ivories". New Musical Express magazine. Barney Hoskyns. May 25, 1985) 



(2) I'd give you Boardwalk and Park Place and all of my hotels: refers to American board game Monopoly. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. There are different international editions. The Parker Brothers standard US version (based on Atlantic City) of the game has been produced since 1935. Boardwalk and Park Palace and hotels are the most valuable pieces of property on the Monopoly board. Standard (American Edition) property names are: Mediterranean Avenue, Baltic Avenue, Oriental Avenue, Vermont Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, Boardwalk, St. Charles Place, Park Place, States Avenue, Virginia Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, St. James Place, North Carolina Avenue, Tennessee Avenue, Pacific Avenue, New York Avenue, Marvin Gardens, Ventnor Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Illinois Avenue, Indiana Avenue, Kentucky Avenue.



(3) St. Louis

- Also mentioned in: Time, 1985: "And you're East of East Saint Louis and the wind is making speeches.", Train Song, 1987: "Well I broke down in East St. Louis, on the Kansas City Line.", Hold On, 1999: "Well, God bless your crooked heart, St. Louis got the best of me."

Jonathan Valania (1999): Getting back to the names of places, St. Louis seems to pop up a lot, in "Hold on" from the new record and "Time" from Rain Dogs and you've mentioned it a lot in interviews. Ever live there? TW: "No, never lived there. It's a good name to stick in a song. Every song needs to be anatomically correct: You need weather, you need the name of the town, something to eat - every song needs certain ingredients to be balanced. You're writing a song and you need a town, and you look out the window and you see "St. Louis Cardinals" on some kid's T-shirt. And you say, "Oh, we'll use that." (Source: "The Man Who Howled Wolf ". Magnet: Jonathan Valania. June/July, 1999)



Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?

 



I can clearly see nothing as clear

I keep falling apart every year

Let's take a hammer to it

There's no glamour in it

Is there any way out of this dream?



I'm as blue as I can possibly be

Is there someone else out there for me

Summer is dragging its feet

I feel so incomplete

Is there any way out of this dream?



Summer is dragging its feet

I feel so incomplete

Is there any way out of this dream?



Written by: Tom Waits.(1)

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Out Of This Dream. Mathilde Santing. 1987. Megadisc (Holland)

So Far So Good (The Best Of Mathilde Santing). Mathilde Santing. 1992. Megadisc (Holland)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)



Notes:



(1) Q (1982): Did you write any songs that were specifically designed for her to sing? Tom Waits"Is there Any Way Out of This Dream?" and "Take Me Home" were written for Crystal to sing. "Old Boyfriends" was originally for me, then for her, then it turned into a duet. "Picking Up After You" and "This One's From the Heart" were written as duets. I found that it was hard writing for a woman. There are certain words they're uncomfortable with. I can get away with a certain vernacular, while a woman singing it would have trouble. I had to change things around, put everything into her words. It was tough. I felt like I was writing lines for an actress (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn(2)

The dish ran away with the spoon(3)

Home again, home again Saturday morn

He never gets up before noon



Well, she used to render you legal and tender

When you used to send her your promises, boy

A diller, a dollar(4), unbutton your collar

And come out and holler out all of your noise



So Little Boy Blue, come blow your top

And cut it right down to the quick

Don't sit home and cry on the Fourth of July

Around now you're hittin' the bricks(5)



So abracadabra, now she disappeared

Everything's Canada Dry

So watch your behavior and rattle your cage

With a bottle of Bourbon, goodbye



So Little Boy Blue lost little Bo Peep

She fell through a hole in the nest

Now ain't it peculiar that she's finally cooled



Your big wheel's(6) just like all of the rest



Whenever it rains, the umbrellas complain

They always get played for a chump



So mark it and strike it, she's history now

And you're hangin' out at the pump



Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn

The dish ran away with the spoon

Home again, home again Saturday morn

He never gets up before noon



Well, she used to render you legal and tender

When you used to send her your promises boy

A diller, a dollar, unbutton your collar

And come out and holler out all of your noise



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Eclipse. Astrid Seriese. July, 1993. Bridgadoon

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon

Bachelorette. Melissa Stylianou. November, 2001. SBM

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)



Notes:



(1) Little Boy Blue:

- Tom Waits (1982): "That was originally a song I was singing. Just another song in the movie. Then they cut it, sliced it up and adapted it for her to sing." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



(2) Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn: quoting "Little Boy Blue" (nursery rhyme, unknown copyright): " Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haycock, fast asleep Will you wake him? No, not I, For if I do, he's sure to cry
."



(3) The dish ran away with the spoon: Quoting from "Hey, diddle, diddle" (nursery rhyme, copyright unknown). "Hey, Diddle, Diddle: "Hey, diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon."

- Also quoted in Jayne's Blue Wish (Big Bad Love, 2002/ Orphans, 2006): "The sky holds all our wishes The dish ran away with the spoon" andEverything You Can Think Of Is True (Alice, 1999): "Everything you can think of is true The dish ran away with the spoon."



(4) A Diller A Dollar: Quoting from "A Diller A Dollar" (nursery rhyme, copyright unknown): "A diller, a dollar A ten o'clock scholar What makes you come so soon? You used to come at ten o'clock But now you don't come until noon."



(5) Bricks:

n.: 1. The pavement or sidewalk; the street 2. The world outside prison walls. Prison use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "9th & Hennepin" (And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos)



(6) Big wheel n.: - An important influential person; a person in authority; a big shot. One who has a little authority; a loyal, diligent subordinate (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



Old Boyfriends

 



Old boyfriends

Lost in the pocket of your overcoat

Like burned out light bulbs on a Ferris Wheel

Old boyfriends



You remember the kinds of cars they drove

Parking in an orange grove

He fell in love, you see

With someone that I used to be



Though I very seldom think of him

Nevertheless sometimes a mannequin's

Blue summer dress can make the window like a dream

Ah, but now those dreams belong to someone else

Now they talk in their sleep

In a drawer where I keep all my



Old boyfriends

Remember when you were burning for them

Why do you keep turning them into

Old boyfriends



They look you up when they're in town

To see if they can still burn you down

He fell in love, you see

With someone that I used to be



Though I very seldom think of him

Nevertheless sometimes a mannequin's

Blue summer dress can make the window like a dream

Ah, but now those dreams belong to someone else

Now they talk in their sleep

In a drawer where I keep all my



Old boyfriends

Turn up every time it rains

Fall out of the pages in a magazine

Old boyfriends



Girls fill up the bars every spring

Not places for remembering

Old boyfriends

All my old boyfriends

Old boyfriends



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Old Boyfriends. Claire Martin. 1994. Linn Records (Scotland)

New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records (performed by Preacher Boy)

Don�t Stop Lovin Me. Val Denn. September 4, 2001. Lone Wolf Pack

A Place That's Make Believe. Margret Avery. December 9, 2002. Queenmae

All Smiles. Andersson, Söderberg & Milder. August 25, 2008. EMI (Sweden)

Haunted Heart. Hilary Kole. February 10, 2009. Justin Time Records



Notes:



Jeff Burger (1975): Tom's recollection of an article by Nat Hentoff seems to sum up the singer's temporal displacement. "Hentoff was talking about the old days," Tom explains, as he reaches in his pocket for change to leave the waiter. "He said he ran into Miles Davis on the street; he hadn't seen him in several years and he was wondering how Davis would react to him 'cause they had been close before. He said they embraced and everything and Davis said, "We're from another time, Nat, and we need our old friends'," Tom leaves the restaurant booth, pulls on his coat and looks up reflectively. "We need our old friends," he repeats. "It was just real touching, I thought." (Source: "Waits: The Beats Go On" MelodyMaker. June 21, 1975 by Jeff Burger)



Dave Zimmer (1982): "Did you write any songs that were specifically designed for her (Gayle) to sing? Tom Waits"Is there Any Way Out of This Dream?" and "Take Me Home" were written for Crystal to sing. "Old Boyfriends" was originally for me, then for her, then it turned into a duet. "Picking Up After You" and "This One's From the Heart" were written as duets. I found that it was hard writing for a woman. There are certain words they're uncomfortable with. I can get away with a certain vernacular, while a woman singing it would have trouble. I had to change things around, put everything into her words. It was tough. I felt like I was writing lines for an actress (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Once Upon A Town

 



I wish I had a dollar

for each time I took a chance

On all those two-bit(1) Romeos

who counterfeit romance



Somehow always thinking

of the last time I fell down

Knowing that you fall in love

once upon a town



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc./ Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Two-bit: adj. [mid 19C+] (US) second-rate, inferior (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



Picking Up After You

 



Here comes the bride, and there goes the groom

Looks like a hurricane went through this room

Smells like a pool hall, where's my other shoe

And I'm sick and tired of pickin' up after you



Looks like you spent the night in a trench

And tell me, how long have you been combin' your hair with a wrench

The roses are dead and the violets are too

And I'm sick and tired of pickin' up after you



Well, I've told you before, I won't tell you again

You don't defrost the icebox with a ball point pen

This railroad apartment is held together with glue

And I'm sick and tired of pickin' up after you



Because I know I've been swindled, I never bargained for this

What's more, you never cared about me

Why don't you get your own place so you can live like you do

And I'm sick and tired of pickin' up after you



Take all your relatives and all of your shoes

Believe me, I'll really swing when you're gone

I'll be living on chicken and wine after we're through

With someone I pick up after you

With someone I pick up after you

With someone I pick up after you

With someone I pick up after you



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Alternate version (demo) released on the 2004 DVD re-issue of One From The Heart

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Picking Up After You:

- The last session Waits and Gayle had together was, in Howe's estimation, the most incredible one of all. They posed for the album-cover photos, and then they performed two duets, the centerpieces of the score: one was the angry lover's spat, "Picking Up After You"; and the other was "This One's from the Heart." Yet the perfect session came very close to being scuttled. While in L.A., Crystal learned that her mother had become gravely ill. She called Howe to say that she was too upset to come to the studio. "The rap on Crystal Gayle in those days was she had this beautiful voice but no soul," Howe recalls. "I thought she sounded really vulnerable and figured if I could get her to the studio now, I might really get something." He urged her to reconsider, saying that working might prove therapeutic for her - at the very least it would keep her mind off her mother's condition, a situation she couldn't control. "She came into the studio, and she and Tom sang those duets together that day. They sat at the piano together and sang those duets. It was such a wonderful, wonderful day in the studio." During that final session, Crystal also recorded the redemption piece of the score, a beam of sunlight that penetrates the dark, smoky atmosphere. Said Waits, "Toward the end of shooting, Francis said, Everything's so sad, we need something with hope in it.' That's when 'Take Me Home' came about. The musical idea came early on, but the words were some of the last ones I wrote. I tried to sing it and it sounded real soppy, so I gave it to Crystal. I sat down at the piano, played it three or four times for her, then she cut it. I liked the way she did it. " (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



(1982): Did you write any songs that were specifically designed for her to sing? TW: "Is there Any Way Out of This Dream?" and "Take Me Home" were written for Crystal to sing. "Old Boyfriends" was originally for me, then for her, then it turned into a duet. "Picking Up After You" and "This One's From the Heart" were written as duets. I found that it was hard writing for a woman. There are certain words they're uncomfortable with. I can get away with a certain vernacular, while a woman singing it would have trouble. I had to change things around, put everything into her words. It was tough. I felt like I was writing lines for an actress (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Take Me Home

 



Take me home, you silly boy

Put your arms around me

Take me home, you silly boy

All the world's not round without you



I'm so sorry that I broke your heart

Please don't leave my side

Take me home, you silly boy

Cause I'm still in love with you



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Alternate version (demo) released on the 2004 DVD re-issue of One From The Heart

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Point of Departure. Mary Ellen Bernard. March, 1995. Original Cast Record/ Triple Z

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Undercovers. Maria & Laginh Joao. March, 2003. Emarcy Rec (Universal)

Reprieve. The Blake Wilner Quartet. January, 2004. Ant Records

Collage. Luba Mason. October 5, 2004. P.S. Classics

Take Me Home. Kaz Simmons. March 28, 2005. 33 Jazz Records

Oud En Wijs Genoeg. Dorine Bijl. March 7, 2008. Bridgadoon

Take Me Home. Laura Hull. May 8, 2009. Hullarious Records

Saal 3. Fraucontrabass. August 21, 2009. Klangraum (Pool Music & Media)



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Take Me Home" in the studio with Greg Cohen on upright bass 

Taken from "One From The Heart: Reportage" (1982) 

French TV documentary for TF1. Directed by Jean-Claude Arie. Date: Los Angeles. January 5, 1982



Notes:



(1) Take Me Home:

- Jay S. Jacobs (2002): "The last session Waits and Gayle had together was, in Howe's estimation, the most incredible one of all. They posed for the album-cover photos, and then they performed two duets, the centerpieces of the score: one was the angry lover's spat, "Picking Up After You"; and the other was "This One's from the Heart." Yet the perfect session came very close to being scuttled. While in L.A., Crystal learned that her mother had become gravely ill. She called Howe to say that she was too upset to come to the studio. "The rap on Crystal Gayle in those days was she had this beautiful voice but no soul," Howe recalls. "I thought she sounded really vulnerable and figured if I could get her to the studio now, I might really get something." He urged her to reconsider, saying that working might prove therapeutic for her - at the very least it would keep her mind off her mother's condition, a situation she couldn't control. "She came into the studio, and she and Tom sang those duets together that day. They sat at the piano together and sang those duets. It was such a wonderful, wonderful day in the studio." During that final session, Crystal also recorded the redemption piece of the score, a beam of sunlight that penetrates the dark, smoky atmosphere. Said Waits, "Toward the end of shooting, Francis said, Everything's so sad, we need something with hope in it.' That's when 'Take Me Home' came about. The musical idea came early on, but the words were some of the last ones I wrote. I tried to sing it and it sounded real soppy, so I gave it to Crystal. I sat down at the piano, played it three or four times for her, then she cut it. I liked the way she did it. " (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



Tom Waits (1982)"Is there Any Way Out of This Dream?" and "Take Me Home" were written for Crystal to sing. "Old Boyfriends" was originally for me, then for her, then it turned into a duet. "Picking Up After You" and "This One's From the Heart" were written as duets. I found that it was hard writing for a woman. There are certain words they're uncomfortable with. I can get away with a certain vernacular, while a woman singing it would have trouble. I had to change things around, put everything into her words. It was tough. I felt like I was writing lines for an actress (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Q (1982): Do you feel your personal idea of romance is reflected in the songs in One From the Heart? Tom Waits: "The cynicism comes out, I think. There's not a lot of hope in the score. In fact, towards the end of the shooting Francis said, "Everything's so sad, we need something with some hope in it." That's when "Take Me Home" came about... The musical idea came early on, but the words were some of the last ones I wrote. I tried to sing it and it sounded real soppy, so I gave it to Crystal. She was in town for just this one day. I sat down at the piano, played it three or four times for her, then she cut it. I liked the way she did it." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



The Wages Of Love

 



Down through the ages, all of the sages

Said, don't spend your wages on love

It's graft and collusion about the intrusion

And preceding foreclosures, there's overexposure



Down at the crossroads the question is posed

Bridge is washed out and the highway is closed

Gotta have good reason to firmly believe

Love was designed to exploit and deceive



There's an addendum, wherever you send 'em

(?) in your chest, you will see

Simple addition keeps with tradition

Don't spend your wages on love



Take any burgh, any city or town

Just get on Main Street and drive all the way down

You see, love has a graveyard nurtured for those

That fell on their sabers and paid through the nose(2)



Your shovel's a shot glass, dig your own hole

Bury what's left of your miserable soul

Down through the ages, all of the sages

Said don't spend your wages on love



It's graft and collusion about the intrusion

And preceding foreclosure, there's overexposure

Down at the crossroads the question is posed

And the bridge is washed out and the highway is closed



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Alternate version (demo) released on the 2004 DVD re-issue of One From The Heart

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Wages of Love: Might refer to "The Wages Of Sin". To earn the wages of sin. To be hanged, or condemned to death. "I believe some of you will be hanged unless you change a good deal. It's cold blood and bad blood that runs in your veins, and you'll come to earn the wages of sin."- Boldrewood: Robbery under Arms, ii. "The wages of sin is death."- Rom. vi. 23. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

Tom Waits (1982): "Francis and Richard Beggs were constantly trying different songs against different scenes. They were very experimental in that way, always thinking, "What would happen if we moved this song there and replaced it with another one?" There was a song called "Empty Pockets" that was originally designed for the opening. Francis' brother August had mentioned the line to me. I wrote it down and later developed it into a song. So it was in, then out, then in again... now it's been replaced by a song called "Wages of Love." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



(2) Pay through the nose

- To pay excessively (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- To pay reluctantly or to pay an exorbitant price. (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle).

- Lyrics might also refer to using cocaine. Also mentioned in Nighthawk Postcards, 1975: "As I attempt to consolidate all my missed weekly rendezvous into one low monthly payment, through the nose."



This One's From The Heart

 



I should go out and honk the horn, it's Independence Day

But instead I just pour myself a drink

It's got to be love, I've never felt this way

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



The shadows on the wall look like a railroad track

I wonder if he's ever comin' back

The moon's a yellow stain across the sky

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



Maybe I'll go down to the corner and get a racin' form

But I should prob'ly wait here by the phone

And the brakes need adjustment on the convertible

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



The worm is climbin' the avocado tree

Rubbin' its back against the wall

I pour myself a double sympathy

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



Blondes, brunettes, and redheads put their hammer down

To pound a cold chisel(2) through my heart.

But they were nothin' but apostrophes

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



I can't tell, is that a siren or a saxophone?

But the roads get so slippery when it rains

I love you more than all these words can ever say

Oh baby, this one's from the heart



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Sax At The Movies - 2. Jazz At The Movies Band. January 17, 1995. Discovery/ Wea (instrumental)

Bedroom Mixes. Jazz at the Movies Band. November 7, 2000. Warner Brothers (instrumental, same version as on "Sax At The Movies - 2", 1995)

A Minor Work. The Priestess And The Fool. February 20, 2008. Exotic Recordings

The Movie Songbook. Sharleen Spiteri. May 1, 2010. Mercury



Notes:



(1) The last session Waits and Gayle had together was, in Howe's estimation, the most incredible one of all. They posed for the album-cover photos, and then they performed two duets, the centerpieces of the score: one was the angry lover's spat, "Picking Up After You"; and the other was "This One's from the Heart." Yet the perfect session came very close to being scuttled. While in L.A., Crystal learned that her mother had become gravely ill. She called Howe to say that she was too upset to come to the studio. "The rap on Crystal Gayle in those days was she had this beautiful voice but no soul," Howe recalls. "I thought she sounded really vulnerable and figured if I could get her to the studio now, I might really get something." He urged her to reconsider, saying that working might prove therapeutic for her - at the very least it would keep her mind off her mother's condition, a situation she couldn't control. "She came into the studio, and she and Tom sang those duets together that day. They sat at the piano together and sang those duets. It was such a wonderful, wonderful day in the studio." During that final session, Crystal also recorded the redemption piece of the score, a beam of sunlight that penetrates the dark, smoky atmosphere. Said Waits, "Toward the end of shooting, Francis said, Everything's so sad, we need something with hope in it.' That's when 'Take Me Home' came about. The musical idea came early on, but the words were some of the last ones I wrote. I tried to sing it and it sounded real soppy, so I gave it to Crystal. I sat down at the piano, played it three or four times for her, then she cut it. I liked the way she did it. " (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



(1982): Did you write any songs that were specifically designed for her to sing? TW: "Is there Any Way Out of This Dream?" and "Take Me Home" were written for Crystal to sing. "Old Boyfriends" was originally for me, then for her, then it turned into a duet. "Picking Up After You" and "This One's From the Heart" were written as duets. I found that it was hard writing for a woman. There are certain words they're uncomfortable with. I can get away with a certain vernacular, while a woman singing it would have trouble. I had to change things around, put everything into her words. It was tough. I felt like I was writing lines for an actress (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



(2) Cold-chisel

- A chisel of tempered steel for cutting cold metal. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

- Also mentioned in "Black Wings": "When the moon is a cold chiseled dagger."



You Can't Unring A Bell

 



You can't unring a bell, Junior

It'll cost you to get out of this one, Junior

She's got big plans that don't include you

Take it like a man



Cause you, you can't unring a bell, sucker

You'll need an attorney for this journey, Junior



How's it feel

How do you like it in the slam

You're a little man in a great big town

Perhaps you were a little hasty

He-he-he-he-he-he-he

You can't take back the things you said, man



Cause you can't unring a bell, Junior

Ah, hurts don't it

Take it like a man

Get it through your head

Suffer

He-he-he-he-he-he-he



Written by: Tom Waits.

Published by: Warner Chapell Music Ltd. � 1982

Official release: One From The Heart, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (Columbia), 1982

Read full story: One From The Heart



Known covers:

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by These Immortal Souls

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Perfoemed by: These Immortal Souls (same version as on Step Right Up, 1995)



16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six

 



(Swordfishtrombones studio version, 1983)



I plugged(2) sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six(3)

And a black crow snuck through a hole in the sky

So I spent all my buttons on an old pack mule

Oh, and I made me a ladder from a pawn shop marimba(4)

And I leaned it up against a dandelion tree

Leaned it up against a dandelion tree

Leaned it up against a dandelion tree



Ma, cook them feathers on a tire iron spit

And I filled me a sachel(5) full of old pig corn(6)

And I beat me a billy(7) from an old French horn

Whoa, and I kicked that mule to the top of the tree

Kicked that mule to the top of the tree

Blew me a hole 'bout the size of a kickdrum(8)

And I cut me a switch from a long branch elbow



I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin''(9)

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



Well, I slept in the holler of a dry creek bed

And I tore out the buckets from a red Corvette(10)

Tore out the buckets(11) from a red Corvette

Lionel and Dave and the Butcher made three

Oh, you got to meet me by the knuckles of the skinnybone tree

With the strings of a Washburn(12) stretched like a clothes line

Oh, you know me and that mule scrambled right through the hole

Me and that mule scrambled right through the hole



I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin'

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



Now I hold him prisoner in a Washburn jail

That I strapped on the back of my old kick mule

Strapped it on the back of my old kick mule

I bang on the strings just to drive him crazy

Oh, I strum it loud to rattle his cage

Strum it loud just to rattle his cage

Strum it loud just to rattle his cage

Strum it loud just to rattle his cage



Whoa, I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin'

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music admin. by Ackee Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983-1998

Official release: "Swordfishtrombones", Island Records Inc., 1983 &

"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)





 



16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six



(Big Time live version, 1988)



Good evening!

Plugged(2) sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six(3)

And a black crow snuck through a hole in the sky

And I spent all my buttons on an old pack mule

And I made me a ladder from a pawn shop marimba(4)

I leaned it all up 'gainst a dandelion tree

I leaned it all up 'gainst a dandelion tree



Gonna whittle you into kindlin''(9)

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



Now, I slept in the holler of a dry creek bed

And I tore out the buckets from a red Corvette(10)

Tore out the buckets(11) from a red Corvette

Lionel and Dave, Butcher made three

Meet me by the knuckles of the skinnybone tree

With the strings of a Washburn(12) like a clothes line

Now, me and that mule, right through the hole

Me and that mule, right through the hole



Whittle you into kindlin'

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



I will whittle you into kindlin'

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six

Whittle you into kindlin'

Sixteen shells from a thirty-ought six



Gonna take a

38 hours long gone train

I just

Long gone train

Just long gone train

I just long

I just long

I just long

Long



Hey-hey. 

Good evening!



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983-1988

Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)

Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

It's A Mystery. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. 1995. Capitol/ EMI Records

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin

God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo

For My Smoke. Shiloh Lindsey. July 30, 2004. Self-released

Koskenkorvapuusti. The Mescaline Smugglers. 2006. Self-released

Wailin´Inc. Live. Wailin´Inc. (James Wailin). May 16, 2006. No Cover Productions (NCPR42)



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Music video promoting: "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six" taken from the Big Time concert video.

Recorded live at the Warfield Theatre. San Francisco/ USA. November 5, 1987.

PolyGram Video (Island Visual Arts)/ Fries Home Video (Fries Entertainment Inc.), 1988.

With: Michael Blair, Ralph Carney, Greg Cohen, Marc Ribot and Willy Schwarz.

Stage show concept: Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits. Directed by Chris Blum.



Notes:



(1) 16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six

- Tom Waits 
(1983): "I tried to get a 'chain gang work song-feel holler. Get a low trombone to give a feeling of a freight train going by. It's Stephen Hodges on drums, Larry Taylor on acoustic bass, Fred Tackett on electric guitar, Victor Feldman on brake drum and bell plate and Joe Romano on trombone. So, I wanted to have that kind of a sledgehammer coming down on anvil. Originally I saw the story as a guy and a mule going off looking for this crow. He has a Washburn guitar strapped on the side of his mule and when he gets the crow he pulls the strings back and shoves this bird inside the guitar and then the strings make like a jail. Then he bangs on the strings and the bird goes out of his mind as he is riding off over the hill. So I tried to make the story a bit impressionistic but at the same time adding some very specific images in there. I worked a long time on this. The feel of it was really critical. I added snare and we pulled the snare off 'cause it made it shuffle too much. I liked the holes in it as much as I liked what was in them. It was a matter of trying to get that feeling of a train going. Originally I tried it just with organ and bass. Then I was afraid to add too much to it 'cause sometimes you get a feel that's appropiate. If you try to heap too much on it then it crumbles into the strain" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "16 Shells - I wanted a chain gang sort of a feel - banging a hammer on an anvil - Huuh - like a work song -Huuh. used brake drum and bell plate and tried to take it outside -certain instruments bring you indoors, other instruments take you outdoors, trying to get that kind of feel on it" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Tom Waits (1983): "16 Shells From A 30.6" is a field holler done with a hammer on an anvil. It's about this guy who captures this black crow and puts it in his guitar and then bangs on the strings and drives the bird mad on the side his mule as he goes off. Originally, I was going to put 16 shells in the belly of a scarecrow and blame it all on him. It was about a farmer in Kansas and it wouldn't rain, so he got despondent and shot his scarecrow"  (Source: "The Beat Goes On" Rock Bill magazine (USA). October 1983, by Kid Millions)

-  Quoting from "Scarecrow" (Unreleased track, from 'Foreign Affairs' sessions, July through August, 1977): "... And pump sixteen shells in the belly of a scarecrow. And blame it all on him."



(2) Plug v.: To shoot someone, esp. to kill by shooting (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(3) Thirty Ought Six: Rifle designed in 1906 with a bullet/ barrel gauge of 30. Ought is colloquial for the number zero.



(4) Marimba: A row of tuned wooden bars mounted in a box and played with mallets - similar to a xylophone or vibraphone (Source: The Folk File, Bill Markwick)



(5) Sachel: (satchel) n. A small bag, often having a shoulder strap, used for carrying books or clothing (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



(6) Pig corn: Genetically modified low-phytate corn grown for feeding pigs and chickens. Not meant for human consumption



(7) Billy: "A billy or billy-can is a kettle that a traveller or hiker would take along. So it's a small kettle that one would use over an open fire. A popular reference for this would be the Austrailian song Waltzing Matilda (...and he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled, you'll come a waltzing Matilda with me...) So in the Waits song - he makes a kettle (billy) out of the bell of a French horn." (Submitted by Phil Kane as sent to Tom Waits Library. Library. July 2, 2004)



(8) Kick drum n.: The bass drum in a drum kit, operated by a foot pedal (Source: The Folk File, Bill Markwick)



(9) Whittle (you) into kindlin': Whittle is to carve delicately with a knife, kindling a small piece of wood with which to start a fire. Another way to say this would be to cut you down to size, to put you in your place (Submitted by Mark Cook, eGroups discussionlist. September, 2000)



(10) Corvette: American sportscar produced by Chevrolet.

- Corvette: also mentioned in: A Nickel's Worth Of Dreams, 1977: "And take that Corvette Stingray with a four-on-the-floor.", Gun Street Girl, 1985: "Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette."





(11) Buckets: car front seats



(12) Washburn: Brand of a guitar maker



Down, Down, Down

 



He went down down down

And the devil called him by name

He went down down down

Hangin' onto the back of a train

He went down down down

This boy went solid down

Always chewed tobacco with the bathtub gin

Always chewed tobacco with the bathtub gin

He went down down down

This boy went solid down

He went down



Well, he went down down down

And the devil jumped on his head

He went down down down

Stayin' in a broken down shed

He went down down down

Sleepin' in the devil's bed

He went down down down

Never listened to the words

I said, he went down down down down down

Well, he went down



Well, he went down down down

And the devil said where you been

He went down down down

He was screamin' down around the bend

Down down down

This boy went solid down

He was always cheatin' and he always told lies

He was always cheatin' and he always told lies

Down down down

This boy went solid down

He went down



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983



Known covers:

Meret Becker und Ars Vitalis 1993-1995, Meret Becker and Ars Vitalis. 1996. Self-released (limited German live edition of 1000 pcs)

Roll Tide Roll. Jan Johansen. October, 1997. Lionheart Records (Sweden)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

You Damn Right Ep. Black Diamond Heavies. 2003. Self-released

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling. June 14, 2004. Buschfunk (Germany)

Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)

Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)



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Listen to audio excerpt of Down Down Down as performed in the theatre play Frank's Wild Years.

The Briar Street Theatre (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Chicago/ USA. June 17, 1986.

Sung by Alan Wilder(as Zookies Announcer). 

Ripped from low resolution audience tape



Notes:



(1) Down, Down, Down:

- Tom Waits (1983): "It's best described as pentecostal revron man. I was stranded in Arizona on the route 66. It was freezing cold and I slept at a ditch. I pulled all these leaves all over on top of me and dug a hole and shoved my feet in this hole. It was about 20 below and no cars going by. Everything was closed. When I woke up in the morning there was a pentecostal church right over the road. I walked over there with leaves in my hair and sand on the side of my face. This woman named Mrs. Anderson came. It was like New years eve... Yeah, it was New years eve. She said: "We're having services here and you are welcome to join us." So It's at at the back pew in this tiny little church. And this mutant rock'n'roll band got up and started playing these old hymns in such a broken sort of way. They were preaching, and everytime they said something about the devil or evil or going down the wrong path she gestured in the back of the church to me. And everyone would turn around and look and shake their heads and then turn back to the preacher. It gave me a complex that I grew up with. On Sunday evening they have these religious programs where the preachers they are all bankers. They get on with these firering glasses and 700 $ suits. Shake their finger at America. So this is kind of my own little opportunity at the lectern" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Some of the stuff is familiar territory, Franks Wild Years is Jimmy Smith organ, Ken Nordine attitude, Gin Soaked Boy is some of that old New Orleans thing, Down Down Down is more of a Pentecostal reprimand. 16 Shells - I wanted a chain gang sort of a feel -banging a hammer on an anvil - Huuh - like a work song -Huuh. used brake drum and bell plate and tried to take it outside -certain instruments bring you indoors, other instruments take you outdoors, trying to get that kind of feel on it" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Carlos Guitarlos (2007) on “Down, Down, Down”: “Tom called me up and said, ‘I'm in the studio, can you come by?’ There was no vocal on it yet, but they were really jumping. I kept playing and playing, and Waits said, 'It doesn't seem quite right.' So we tuned one string down a little bit so it was a little bit flat" (Source: Carlos Guitarlos interview March 23, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Frank's Wild Years

 



Frank(2) settled down in the Valley(3)

and he hung his wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife's forehead

He sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road

and assumed a 30,000 dollar loan at fifteen and a quarter percent

put a down payment on a little two bedroom place



His wife was a spent piece of used jet trash

Made good Bloody Mary's

Kept her mouth shut most of the time

Had a little Chihuahua named Carlos(4)

that had some kind of skin disease

and was totally blind



They had a thoroughly modern kitchen

Self-cleaning oven, the whole bit

Frank drove a little sedan

They were so happy



One night Frank was on his way home from work

He stopped at the liquor store

Picked up a couple of Mickey's Big Mouths(5)

Drank 'em in the car, and with a Shell station

he got a gallon of gas in a can

Drove home, doused everything in the house

Torched it

Parked across the street laughing

Watching it burn

All Halloween orange and chimney red

Then Frank put on a top forty station

Got on the Hollywood Freeway

and headed North(6)



Never could stand that dog



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983-1998

Official release: "Swordfishtrombones", Island Records Inc., 1983 &

"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)

Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Un Giro Extra�o. La Chicana. September, 2000. Self-released ("Los a�os de joda de An�bal")

Laiv. Davide Van De Sfroos. June, 2002. (Tarantanius) Venus (in Italian)

Cancion Llorada. La Chicana. June, 2005. Galileo Music Communication (new version of "Los a�os de joda de An�bal")



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Listen to audio excerpt of Frank's Wild Years as performed in the theatre play Frank's Wild Years.

The Briar Street Theatre (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Chicago/ USA. June 17, 1986.

Ripped from low resolution audience tape



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Frank's Wild Years" taken from the Big Time concert video.

Recorded live at the Warfield Theatre. San Francisco/ USA. November 5, 1987.

PolyGram Video (Island Visual Arts)/ Fries Home Video (Fries Entertainment Inc.), 1988.

With: Michael Blair, Ralph Carney, Greg Cohen, Marc Ribot and Willy Schwarz.

Stage show concept: Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits. Directed by Chris Blum.



Notes:



(1) Franks Wild Years:

Tom Waits (1983): "Charles Bukowski had a story that essentially was saying that it's the little things that drive men mad. It's not the big things. It's not World War II. It's the broken shoe lace when there is no time left that sends men completely out their minds. So this is kind of in that spirit. Little of a Ken Nordine flavour. Ronnie Barren alias Rev. Eather from New Orleans, Lousiana, on Hammond organ and Larry Taylor, originally with Canned Heat, on dog house. I think there is a little bit of Frank in everybody" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Crumbling beauty, Frank is a little bit of that American dream gone straight to hell. Frank is more of a commentary on real estate brokers and insurance investigators and defense attorneys, That fear, that button down, 8 o'clock, the whistle blows, Bermuda shorts approach to life. I've never like chihuahuas" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Tom Waits (1983): "Insurance investigator in California. Just eavesdropping. Added my own funhouse mirror" (Source: "Tom Waits For No Man". Melody Maker. Brian Case. October 29, 1983) 

Tom Waits (1983): "Frank's Wild Years" He was a real estate agent that I met. It's a salute to the kind of guy l want to grow up to be some day "Frank hung his wild years on a nail he drove through his wife's forehead." It's a cathartic dream" (Source: "The Beat Goes On" Rock Bill magazine (USA). October 1983, by Kid Millions)

Barney Hoskyns (1985): Did his wife die in the fire? TW: "No, I didn't want to give the impression that she went up in the smoke. She was at the beauty parlour." BH: But the dog. TW: "The dog, yeah, the dog may have..." (Source: "The Marlowe Of The Ivories". New Musical Express magazine. Barney Hoskyns. May 25, 1985)

Pete Silverton (1986): "At the end of the song Frank burns the house down with the dog inside. Does he get charged with arson?" TW: "No, he goes to Vegas, ends up dreaming his way back home." PS: "And the dog's gone?" TW: "The dog has disappeared" (Source: "Waits Happening" Beat magazine 1986, by Pete Silverton)

Gavin Martin (1985): How did 'Frank's Wild Years' turn into a musical? TW: "The song was like a fortune cookie, after I wrote it I thought what happened to this guy. Everybody knows guys like that, people you haven't seen in a long time, what happens to these people? What happened to John Chrisswicky? Oh Jesus, John's second wife left him and he went to work in a slaughterhouse for a while. Then he was in a rendering unit, of course his dad was always in the wine business that didn't interest John, I hear he ended up as a mercenary soldier." "People go through these permutations in different stages of their life, perceived by someone else it can look strange. I imagined Frank along those lines. Y'see my folks split up when I was kid and ... hey, look, let me give you $100 and I'll lie down on the couch over there, you take notes and see if we can't get to the bottom of this" (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985) 

Q (1986): Why is Franks Wild Years the song so short? TW: "Well I kind of said what I had on my mind and then decided to pack it up and go home. Some of it is inspired by Ken Nordine who's a real hero of mine. I love his thought process and his word jazz and his stories, they're like movies for the ears" (Source: "WXRT-FM Radio Interview" Date: Chicago. July 11, 1986)

Mark Kemp (2006): "But just who was that Frank character? Was he named after Zappa? After all, the short narrative "Frank's Wild Years," from Swordfishtrombones, had been dedicated to Frankie Z. Tom Waits: "Gee, I don't know," Waits says. "My dad's name is Jesse Frank. It's just a name. It's just a guy I half made up. My dad left the family when I was young, so you know, that's pretty eventful. I may have been telling some of that story-'He got on the Hollywood Freeway and headed north/Never could stand that dog'-it was probably a reaction to that. I was rewriting the story and putting it in my own language" (Source: "Tom Waits: Weird Science". Harp magazine (USA). December 1, 2006. Telephone interview by Mark Kemp)



(2) Frank: This fictional character gave rise to the theatre production: "Frank's Wild Years". For this production Frank was renamed Frank O'Brien, in stead of Frank Leroux. Waits' father's first name is Frank.



(3) The Valley: San Fernando Valley Los Angeles, CA.



(4) Had a little Chihuahua named Carlos: A very small dog of a breed originating in Mexico, having pointed ears and a smooth coat





(5) Mickey's: American malt beer. Made by Hireman. Alcohol content: 6.0%. Its green-colored bottle and the name of "Mickey's" are popular among young people. Its big top is easy to open, and you can drink out of it as if you are drinking from a glass. Its characteristically strong flavor of malts is different from other American water-like beers.





(6) Got on the Hollywood Freeway and headed North: 101 Hollywood Freeway Los Angeles, one of the busiest freeways in the US (US 101, SR 101). Generally a "freeway" is a grade separated divided highway designed for high speeds. Contrary to popular belief, a freeway is not a highway "free" from tolls. The "free" in freeway instead refers to a legislative definition passed by the California Legislature in 1939 which provided for a highway that would be free of encroaching properties and which provided for control of access. At the time this was very controversial since property owners next to the road could have no rights of direct access." Heading North on the Hollywood Freeway would mean one is driving in the direction of Bakersfield, Fresno, San Francisco



Gin Soaked Boy

 



I got a belly full(2) of you and that Leavenworth(3) stuff

Now I'm gonna get out, and I'm gonna get tough

You been lying to me, how could you crawl so low

With some gin-soaked(4) boy that you don't know



I come home last night, full a fifth of Old Crow(5)

You said you goin' to your Ma's, but where the hell did you go

You went and slipped out nights, you didn't think that I'd know

With some gin-soaked boy that you don't know



Well, I would bet you as far as Oklahoma by now

The dogs are barking out back, and you're knittin' your brow(6)

Well, I'm on your tail, I sussed your M.O.(7)

From some gin-soaked boy that you don't know



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983



Known covers:

Messin' With The Blues. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. 2000. Leroy Records

Mod Tea Diary. Alice Wonders. March 12, 2002. The Orchard

Ready For Love. John Hammond. February, 2003. Back Porch Records

Doodles, Vol. 1. Wang Dang (Jeff Ganz and Billy Courtman). 2004. Geaux Records

Gonna Burn. Pete Cornelius & The De Villes. 2005. Only Blues Music



Notes:



(1) Gin Soaked Boy

- Tom Waits (1983): "It's a bit of a Howlin' Wolf -feel. It's Fred Tackett on electric guitar, plays good slide. Tried to get that 'rrrrr'-thing. Tried to get the vocal sit way back to recreate the recording conditions that existed prior to advanced technical capabilities. We had it recorded by one round microphone. So, your dominance on the track depended entirely on your distance from the microphone. Also get a room-feel. So Biff Dawes miked the room with several of these contact mikes on the glassnet type on thing. So it got a real sense of the air of the place. It has a bit of an old feel to it." (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Some of the stuff is familiar territory, Franks Wild Years is Jimmy Smith organ, Ken Nordine attitude, Gin Soaked Boy is some of that old New Orleans thing" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Stephen Hodges (2007) on Fred Tackett's playing: "That fucking thing is off the hook. When Fred goes into that contorted seventh or whatever it is, it was like a perfectly placed nugget of some kind of crazy answer. It's some bitchin' ass shit, like a classic blues thing where he almost made a seperate hook in there" (Source: Stephen Hodges interview November 20, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



(2) I got a belly full: have a belly full/ bellyfull of, to: phr. [1920s-30s] to lose patience, to become infuriated by irritating repetition. f. mental, rather than physical satiety (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(3) Leavenworth: A federal penetentiary near the town of Leavenworth, Kansas (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000) 



(4) Soaked

- adj.: Drunk (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Filipino Box Spring Hog" (With a rum soaked crook and a big fat laugh...)



(5) Old Crow: Kentucky straight Bourbon Whiskey, originally distilled by The Old Crow Distillery Co. This whiskey claims this to be "The Original Sour Mash." It is named for Dr.James Crow, hailed as the inventor of the sour mash method





(6) Knit the/ one's brows

- To frown; to scowl. To bend the brow (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.).

- Also mentioned in "Putnam County": "And knit their brows to cover the entire Hank Williams songbook..."



(7) M.O.: Modus Operandi (Latin). The mode of operation; the way in which a thing is done or should be done. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



In The Neighborhood

 



Well, the eggs chase the bacon round the fryin' pan

And the whinin' dog pidgeons by the steeple bell rope

And the dogs tipped the garbage pails over last night

And there's always construction work bothering you



In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood



Well, Friday's a funeral and Saturday's a bride

And Sey's got a pistol on the register side

And the goddam delivery trucks, they make too much noise

And we don't get our butter delivered no more



In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood



Well, Big Mambo's kickin' his old grey hound

And the kids can't get ice cream, cause the market burned down

And the newspaper sleeping bags blow down the lane

And that goddam flatbed's(3) got me pinned in(4) again



In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood



There's a couple Filipino girls gigglin' by the church

And the window is busted and the landlord ain't home

And Butch joined the army, yeah, that's where he's been

And the jackhammer's digging up the sidewalks again



In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood



In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood

In the neighborhood



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)



Known covers:

Stamcaf�/ Een Lied Voor Jou. Willem Duyn. 1984. CNR (Holland) 142.074 (in Dutch: "Stamcaf�")

Viel Zu Sch�n, Manfred Maurenbrecher. 1984. CBS / LP (in German: "In der Nachbarschaft")

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "I ett hyreshus")

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)

Das Duo Live. Manfred Maurenbrecher and Richard Wester. 1990. Monopol / CD 35683 CH (in German: "In der Nachbarschaft")

Puoli Viisi Aamulla. Sir Elwoodin Hiljaiset V�rit. 1995. Self-released/ Finland ("Kaduilla Kallion")

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Her i gata v�r")

I Gata V�r - Sven Henriksen Synger Tom Waits. Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet- PROMOWAITS 087 (Norwegian 1-track promo CD single for "R�d Pust", 1996)

Pflichtgef�hl Gegen Unbekannt, Manfred Maurenbrecher. 1997. Bellaphon / CD 290 05 056 (live version in German: "In der Nachbarschaft")

Negerzoen. Ton Engels. 1997. Self-released single (The Netherlands)

Varjoja, Varkaita Ja Vanhoja Valokuvia. Sir Elwoodin Hiljaiset V�rit. 1998 Self-released/ Finland ("Kaduilla Kallion")

Krams - Das Letzte Konzert. Gerhard Gundermann. November 1, 1998. Buschfunk (Germany)

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Durt bin i daham")

Hey, Du - N�! Manfred Maurenbrecher and Richard Wester. 2001. Contr�r Musik/ Indigo CD 9938-2 (in German: "In der Nachbarschaft")

20 Suosikkia-Satumaa. Arja Saijonmaa. 2001. Warner Music/ Finland (in Finnish "Tulin mikkeliin", same version as on Yhteinen Taivas Ja Maa, 1989)

Wie Weet Waar Willem Wilmink Woont? Various artists. February 18, 2001. Silvox/ Netherlands. (In Dutch: "In De Javastraat")

Immer Wieder W�chst Das Gras. Randgruppencombo. May 23, 2001. Buschfunk/ Germany (In der Nachbarschaft)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

30 Suosikkia. Arja Saijonmaa. March 16, 2007. Warner Music/ Finland (in Finnish "Tulin mikkeliin", same version as on Yhteinen Taivas Ja Maa, 1989)

American Storyteller Vol 2 & 3. Chris Chandler And Davd Roe. September 4, 2007. Self-released



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Music video promoting "In The Neighborhood" (Island, 1983)

Shot and directed by Haskell Wexler (October 18th, 1983). Co-directed by Michael A. Russ. 

Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).



Notes:



(1) In the neighborhood

Tom Waits (1983): "It has that salvation army feel. All things signed. Have a drinking song. I was trying to bring the music outdoors with tuba, trombone, trumpets, snare, symbals, accordian. So it had that feeling of filinesque type of marching band going down the dirt road. And with glockenspiel to give it a feeling of a kind of a demented little parade band." (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Kristine McKenna (1983): What do you consider your best work? TW: I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood" (Source: "One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

Michael Tearson (1985): Can you imagine anyone that you'd like to hear doing some of those things, or is that not even into your thinking? TW: No, I don't think so much about it. But you like it when somebody does y'know? Eh the song is going out there and somebody's gonna hear them and it's a nice feeling. It's like eh holding pigeons y'know? But eh... I had a... "In The Neighbourhood" of that Swordfishtrombones was covered by a Dutch group. It's called "In the Stromcafe" (laughs) and it was funny. MT: Did they translated it? TW: Yeah: "Noahgsf sjniff jaegh, of fishta gettete, Ischnough...In de Str���mcafe..." and it was funny, I liked that! (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)



(3) Flatbed n.: Referring to a truck where the back part is a trailer with no vertical sides, just like it sounds, a flat bed. With stuff strapped or chained down for the hauling (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



(4) Pinned in: Having ones car surrounded by other parked cars in such a way that it's impossible to drive off.



Johnsburg, Illinois

 



(Swordfishtrombones studio version, 1983)



She's my only true love

She's all that I think of

Look here: in my wallet that's her



She grew up on a farm there

There's a place on my arm

where I've written her name next to mine



You see: I just can't live without her

and I'm her only boy

And she grew up outside McHenry

in Johnsburg, Illinois



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983-1998

Official release: "Swordfishtrombones", Island Records Inc., 1983 &

"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)





 



Johnsburg, Illinois



(Big Time live version, 1988)



She's my only true love

She's all that I think of

Look here: in my wallet that's her



She grew up on a farm there

There's a place on my arm

where I've written her name next to mine



You see: I just can't live without her

and I'm her only boy

And she grew up outside McHenry

in Johnsburg, Illinois



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983-1988

Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)

Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Fat Cats. Johnny Hooper. December, 1992. Self-released CDJRH2

Overdressed Late Guy. Park Stickney. 1995. Self-released (instrumental)

The Sweetheart Break-in. The Supreme Music Program/ Megan Mullally. 2000. Unknown label

Everyone Says It's On. Jason Falkner. 2001. Air Mail Recordings

5000 Days. The Bad Examples. January, 2002. Waterdog Music

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Sometime Ago. Anke Jochmaring. January 15, 2006. Phonector

Still Time. Matthias Bergmann. February 1, 2008. Jazz4ever Records (instrumental) 

Wies Merge. Ton Engels. December 12, 2007. Vulcano Records PlatCD7210

Stomp Glide Wobble. The Northside Southpaws. January 25, 2008. Self-released

Jenny Scheinman, Jenny Scheinman. May 27, 2008 Koch Records

Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)

Flutter And Wow. Charlie Wood. May 18, 2009. Archer Records

American Dream. Taylor Haskins. June 8, 2010. Sunnyside Records



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Johnsburg Illinois" taken from the Big Time concert video

Recorded live at the Warfield Theatre. San Francisco/ USA November 5, 1987.

PolyGram Video (Island Visual Arts)/ Fries Home Video (Fries Entertainment Inc.), 1988.

With: Michael Blair, Ralph Carney, Greg Cohen, Marc Ribot and Willy Schwarz.

Stage show concept: Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits. Directed by Chris Blum. 

May not be visible everywhere (MPRCS).



Notes:



(1) Tom Waits (1983): "My wife is from Johnsburg, Illinois. It's right outside McHenry and up by the ching-a-lings. She grew up on a farm up there. So it's dedicated to her. It's real short. Somehow I wanted just to get it all said in one verse. There are times when you work on a song and end up repeating in the second verse what you already said in the first. So I thought I would be more appropriate if it's just like a feeling of a sailor somewhere in a cafe, who opens his wallet and turns to the guy next to him and shows him the picture while he's talking a bout something else and says: "Oh, here. That's her." and then closes his wallet and puts it back in his pants. It relates in some way to "Shore Leave" in the sense that it talks about Illinois. So thematically I was trying to tie it into "Shore Leave" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Live from Stockholm 1987: "She's my only true love She's all that I think of. Look here in my wallet, that's her. She grew up on a farm there. There's a place on my arm. Where I've written her name next to mine. You see, I just... [tries the high note but fails, talks]... This is where it all falls apart for me! It's kind of an unfinished thing, we're still working on it. I'm just checking to see if you're still with me! You see, the best songs are the ones that aren't finished yet. Cause there's still places in them where you can put things, you know. We just got to a little shelf and there was nothing on it. We're gonna have to come up with something to put in there. So you're part of this little process now. Oh yeah, there's this thing: [sings] You see, I just can't live without her. And I'm her only boy. And she grew up outside McHenry. In Johnsburg, Illinois. You see, I just can't live without her. And I'm her only boy. And she grew up outside McHenry. In Johnsburg, Illinois" (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. March, 2000)

- Some 40 miles west of Johnsburg, Illinois is the city of Waukegan (as mentioned in Gun Street Girl, 1985: "He left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door."





Shore Leave

 



Well, with buck shot(2) eyes and a purple heart(3)

I rolled down the national stroll(4)

And with a big fat paycheck strapped to my hip-sack

And a shore leave wristwatch underneath my sleeve

In a Hong Kong drizzle(5) on Cuban heels(6)

I rowed down the gutter to the Blood Bank



And I'd left all my papers on the Ticonderoga(7)

And I was in bad need of a shave

I slopped at the corner on cold chow mein

And shot billiards with a midget until the rain stopped



And I bought a long sleeved shirt with horses on the front

And some gum and a lighter and a knife

And a new deck of cards with girls on the back

And I sat down and wrote a letter to my wife



And I said, baby, I'm so far away from home

And I miss my baby so

I can't make it by myself

I love you so



And I was pacing(8) myself, trying to make it all last

Squeezing all the life out of a lousy two-day pass

And I had a cold one(9) at the Dragon with some Filipino floor show

And I talked baseball with a lieutenant over a Singapore Sling(10)

And I wondered how the same moon outside over this Chinatown fair

Could look down on Illinois and find you there(11)

I know I love you, baby



And I'm so far away from home

I'm so far away from home

Yeah, I miss my baby so

I can't make it by myself

I love you so



Shore Leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave

shore Leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave

shore Leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave, shore leave

shore Leave, shore leave



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983-1998

Official release: "Swordfishtrombones", Island Records Inc., 1983 &

"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)

Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Blue Whisper. The Headhunters. April 3, 2007. Self-released (Italy)



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "Shore Leave" taken from the Big Time concert video.

Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles/ USA. November 9, 1987.

PolyGram Video (Island Visual Arts)/ Fries Home Video (Fries Entertainment Inc.), 1988.

With: Michael Blair, Ralph Carney, Greg Cohen, Marc Ribot and Willy Schwarz.

Stage show concept: Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits. Directed by Chris Blum.



Notes:



(1) Shore Leave

- Tom Waits 
(1983): "It's kind of an oriental Bobby "Blue" Bland approach. Musically it's essentially very simple. It's a minor blues. I tried to add some musical sound effects with the assistance of a low trombone to five a feeling of a bus going by, and metal aunglongs the sound of tin cans in the wind, or rice on the bass drum to give a feeling of the waves hitting the shore. Just to capture the mood more than anything, of a marching marine or whatever walking down the wet street in Hong Kong and missing his wife back home. I worked in a restaurant in a sailor town for a long time. It's Porkcola/ National City. So, it was something I saw every night. It was next to a tattoo parlor and a country & western dance hall and a Mexican movie theater. So I imagined this Chinese pinwheel in a fireworks display spinning, spinning and turning and then slowing down. As it slowed down it dislodged into a windmill in Illinois. That same of... and then looked down on us. A home. Where a woman is sitting in the living room sleeping on chairs with the television on. When he's having eggs at some grumulant (?) joint, you know, thousands of miles away" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Some of the stuff on Shore Leave is like sound effects, the low trombone is like a bus going by and I got a little more adventurous, I'm still a little timid about it but melody is what really hits me first, melody is the first thing that seduces me" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Tom Waits (1983): "Shore Leave is a Chief Botswain's mate's nightmare with a bottle of 10 High and a black eye" (Source: "The Beat Goes On" Rock Bill magazine (USA). October 1983, by Kid Millions)



(2) Buckshot: n.: 

- A large lead shot for shotgun shells, used especially in hunting big game (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition) 

- One variation of the little metal pellets that fill a shotgun shell. An individual piece of buckshot is larger and more damaging than some other types, like birdshot. Larger pellets for larger animals (Submitted by Russell Fischer. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000).

- Waits might be playing with the common phrase "bloodshot eyes":

- Bloodshot: blood�shot adj. Red and inflamed as a result of locally congested blood vessels: bloodshot eyes (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company) 



 (3) Purple heart

- n. [1960s] (drugs) 1. amphetamines 2. (rarely) barbituates. (the colour of the pills) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)

- Any barbituate or mixture of a barbituate and morphine used as a narcotic by addicts, esp. a Nembutal (trademark) capsule; a "goof ball" or "yellow jacket" Orig. W.W.II Army addict use, when the addicts would take or mix any drugs they could obtain from military medical supplies. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- American military decoration awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.



(4) Stroll:

- n.: A road, highway, or street. c1935 jive use; some Negro use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "Nighthawk Postcards" (With the tight knots of moviegoers and out-of-towners on the stroll...), "Drunk On The Moon" (Tight-slack clad girls on the graveyard shift, 'Neath the cement stroll, catch the midnight drift...)



(5) Drizzle: A fine, gentle, misty rain (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company) 



(6) Cuban heels: mens boot, half boot or shoe with high heels (e.g. Manhattan half boot, Wincklepicker, Chelsea boot, etc.)





Tom Waits (1999): "When I started looking for pointed shoes, I used to go to Fairfax on Orchard Street in New York City, one of those little pushcart guys. I'd say, "You got any pointy shoes?" They would go way, way in the back and come back with a dusty box, blow the dust off the top and say, "What do you want with these things? Give me 20 bucks. Go on, get outta here!" And that was the beginning. From there, I saw it grow into a burgeoning industry, a pointy industry. The ultimate was the pointy toe and Cuban heel. But I was younger then. Now, I go for comfort and roadability" (Source: "The Man Who Howled Wolf" Magnet magazine, by Jonathan Valania. Date: Astro Motel/ Mission Cafe, Santa Rosa. June-July, 1999)



(7) Ticonderoga: Leadship of a U.S. navy class of cruisers (CV-14, later CVA-14 & CVS-14), active 1944-1974. In 1944 Ticonderoga transported aircraft to Hawaii, took part in underway ordnance replenishment experiments and trained her crew and air group for participation in the war against Japan. After steaming to the western Pacific in October, the carrier launched her first strikes on 5 November 1944, hitting targets ashore and afloat in the northern Philippines area. In January 1945, Ticonderoga took part in raids against Japanese assets in Indochina, China, Luzon and Formosa. Hit by two "Kamikaze" suicide planes on 21 January, she lost over 140 crewmen and had to go to the U.S. for repairs. Ticonderoga returned to the combat area in late May. For the remaining two and a half months of the Pacific War, her planes made regular attacks on the Japanese home islands. From September 1945 into January 1946, she transported veterans home across the Pacific. Ticonderoga deployed ten times to the western Pacific in 1957-69. In August 1964, during her sixth WestPac cruise, her planes participated in air strikes against North Vietnamese targets during the "Tonkin Gulf Incident" that gradually led to massive U.S. involvement in Southeast Asian combat operations. Vietnam War missions dominated Ticonderoga's next four Seventh Fleet deployments. In October 1969, she was redesignated CVS-14 and converted to an antisubmarine warfare support carrier. The ship made two more cruises to Asian waters in that capacity. In 1972, she took part in space flight recovery efforts for the Apollo 16 and 17 Moon flights. Decommissioned in September 1973, USS Ticonderoga was sold for scrapping a year later. (Source: Naval Historical Center home page, 2001-2003)





(8) Pace: v. [1970s] (US black) to live a fast, exciting and varied life (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(9) Cold one: n. [1920s+] (orig. US) a bottle of beer, [orig. a conscious euph. for a cold beer, used during Prohibition (1920-33) when it was better not to mention alcohol in any form) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(10) Singapore Sling: The Singapore Sling was created at Raffles Hotel in 1915 by Hainanese-Chinese bartender, Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon. Originally, the Singapore Sling was meant as a woman's drink, hence the attractive pink color. Today it is very definitely a drink enjoyed by all. "Probably no mixed drink has been as mistreated as this one". As Dale DeGroff, mixologist of Blackbird Restaurant in New York City, says, "The only thing most bartenders know about the Singapore Sling is that it's supposed to be red." This is an adaptation of the original recipe from Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Fill a shaker with ice. Add 6 tablespoons pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons gin, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon Cherry Heering, 1 tablespoon grenadine, 1/2 tablespoon Benedictine, a dash of Triple Sec and 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Shake for 1 minute and strain over ice into a tall glass





(11) Could look down on Illinois and find you there: Might refer to Kathleen Brennan as also mentioned in Johnsburg, Illinois, 1983: "And she grew up outside McHenry in Johnsburg, Illinois..."



Soldier's Things

 



Davenports(2) and kettle drums(3) and swallow-tail coats

Table cloths and patent leather shoes

Bathing suits and bowling balls and clarinets and rings

All this radio really needs is a fuse



A tinker, a tailor(4), a soldier's things

His rifle, his boots full of rocks

Oh, and this one is for bravery

Oh, and this one is for me

And everything's a dollar in this box



Cufflinks(5) and hubcaps and trophies and paperbacks

It's good transportation, but the brakes aren't so hot

Neckties and boxing gloves, this jackknife is rusted

You can pound that dent out on the hood



A tinker, a tailor, a soldier's things

His rifle, his boots full of rocks

Oh, and this one is for bravery

Oh, and this one is for me

And everything's a dollar in this box



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)



Known covers:

The Secret of Association. Paul Young. 1985. Sony Music

Things Left Unsaid. Eric Leeds, February 23, 1993. Warner Brothers

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Roll Tide Roll. Jan Johansen. October, 1997. Lionheart Records (Sweden)

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Soldatens ting")

This 'N' That. Windmill Saxophone Quartet. May, 1998. Global Village

Santa Baby: Live In Toronto. Holly Cole. January 25, 2000. EMI International

Curio. Angela McCluskey & Tryptich. March 11, 2000. The Orchard/ Random Records

Hederos & Hellberg. Martin Hederos and Mattias Hellberg. April 6, 2004. Hidden Agenda

Star Belly. Stephanie Rearick. April 12, 2005. Uvulittle Records

Expressionism. The Slow Club Quartet. September 30, 2008. Rue de la Harpe Records



Notes:



(1) Soldier's Things

Tom Waits (1983): "It's like the things that you have in your pocket. If you are carrying them there long enough, they take on certain atomic human characteristics. Sometimes you go to a garage sale or you go to a pawn shop or anywhere and look through other peoples things. Shoes in particular, that have walked around with somebody else inside them for a long time, seem to have...Seem to be able to almost talk. So, it's just trying to string together different items that... Instruments are always like that. After you come home from...This guy comes home from service and "everything's a dollar in that box", you know." (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Soldiers Things I imagined like a pawnshop and raining outside, a bunch of sailors, all the instruments hanging up, a guy pawning his watch. I lived in National City, every night the place was loaded with sailors so I at one point considered joining the navy but a friend of mine talked me out of it. I guess what made it most attractive was the $38.00 a month. I wanted to go to Hong Kong" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Tom Waits (1983): "Soldiers? Yeah. I worked in National City in a crummy restaurant for a long time, full of soldiers most every night, tattoo parlor next door, country-and-western diner-dance type of place down the street, Chinese restaurant, Chinese laundry, pool hall all real close, walking distance. So I called up some of my memories of that time. Sit out on the sidewalk, wearing the apron, paper hat, watching the traffic go by, you know?"... "It was a rainy night at the pawn shop, and all these sailors, and I looked around, I saw all these musical instruments, picture frames, and - uh - one of the sailors pawned a watch, and the song was just there, sitting there" (Source: "Tom Waits For No Man". Melody Maker. Brian Case. October 29, 1983)



(2) Davenport: A kind of small writing-desk with drawers each side, named after the maker (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd) 



(3) Kettledrum: A drum in the shape of a kiddle or fish-basket (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)



(4) A tinker, a tailor: Reference to the nursery rhyme: "Tinker, tailor." (aka Rich Man Poor Man): "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief!"



(5) Cufflinks: A fastening for a shirt cuff, usually consisting of two buttons or buttonlike parts connected with a chain or shank that passes through two slits in the cuff (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)



Swordfishtrombone

 



Well, he came home from the war with a party in his head

And a modified Brougham DeVille(2)

And a pair of legs that opened up like butterfly wings

And a mad dog that wouldn't sit still

He went and took up with a Salvation Army band girl

Who played 'Dirty Water'(3) from a swordfishtrombone

He went to sleep at the bottom of Tenkiller Lake(4)

He said, 'Gee, but it's great to be home'



Well, he came home from the war with a party in his head

And an idea for a fireworks display

And he knew that he'd be ready with a stainless steel machete

And a half a pint of Ballantines each day

And he holed up(5) in room above a hardware store

Cryin' nothin' there but Hollywood tears

And he put a spell on some poor little Crutchfield girl

And he stayed like that for twenty-seven years



He packed up all his expectations, he lit out for California

With a flyswatter banjo on his knee

With Lucky Tiger(6) in his angel hair, and Benzedrine for getting there

They found him in a eucalyptus tree

Lieutenant got him a canary bird, and skanked her head with every word

And Chesterfielded moonbeams in a song

He got twenty years for lovin' her from some Oklahoma governor

Said everything this doughboy(7) does is wrong



Now some say he's doin' the obituary mambo

Now some say that he's hangin' on the wall

Perhaps this yarn is the only thing that holds this man together

Some say that he was never here at all



Some say they saw him down in Birmingham(8)

Sleepin' in a boxcar goin' by

And if you think that you can tell a bigger tale

I swear to god you'd have to tell a lie



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music admin. by Ackee Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983



Known covers:

Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Sv�rdfisktrombon")

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Sverdfisktrompet")

Spectors. The Spectors. June 6, 2000. The Orchard/ Rio Dinero

Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)

Ain't Your Train. The Tremors Bluesband. 2003. Self-released (live)

Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Embarcadero Love. Clara Bellino. 2005. Self-released



Notes:



(1) Swordfishtrombone(s): There's some confusion over the spelling of the songtitle (with or without the S). The 1983 Ariola/ Eurodisc pressing has the song title spelled as "Swordfishtrombones". Other pressings seem to have it spelled as 'Swordfishtrombone".

Tom Waits (1983): "That's the title song. It has kind of a Cuban night club feel to it. It's a story to try and give an overview of a character. We tried it with a lot of different ways. It was arranged differently with electric guitar and drums. We had trombone on it and trumpet and ended up..we.. I had to discard most of what we had done and completely rearrange it just to get it as simple as possible. So that it just kind of rolled and allowed me to tell the story over it without any interruptions. Tenkiller Lake, that's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So, 'He came home from the war with a party in his head and an idea for fireworks display.' " (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)



(2) Brougham DeVille: Classic Cadillac model. 

- Brougham: Cadillac first used the name in 1916 to designate an enclosed 5-pass. sedan body style. In the thirties, the name was given to a formal body style with open chauffeur compartment and enclosed rear quarters, metal roof and often "razor-edged" styling; the name was revived in 1954/55 for the prototype of the future, exclusive, Eldorado 4-door sedans of 1957 through 1960; later still it was used on Fleetwood-bodied top-of-the-line sedans starting in 1965. 

- DeVille: Refers to a town car that is "cut" by a division between the passenger and driver compartments. Cadillac began using the term - erroneously - in 1949 to designate a luxuriously appointed, two-door, pillarless 5-6 seater with no division between driver and passengers. After 1965 it came to designate the mid-range Cadillac models, between the "Calais" models, at the lower end of the price range, and the "Fleetwood" models at the top end. The name is still applied to a single model in the current [1997] diminutive range of Cadillac models. Alternative spellings have been witnessed: "Coupe (or Sedan) de Ville" and "deVille" [run together] (Source: The (new) Cadillac Database�, Glossary of Cadillac Terms and Definitions. � 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.)



(3) Dirty Water: Might refer to the blues classic "Dirty Water" by The Standells (1966). "Dirty Water" is a 12-bar blues song composed by Ed Cobb and first recorded by the California rock and roll band The Standells. The song is a paean to the city of Boston and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River: "I'm gonna tell you a story I'm gonna tell you about my town I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby Aww, it's all about my town Yeah, down by the river Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby) That's where you'll find me Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people) Well I love that dirty water Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place) Frustrated women (I mean they're frustrated) Have to be in by twelve o'clock (oh, that's a shame) But I'm wishin' and a-hopin, oh That just once those doors weren't locked (I like to save time for my baby to walk around) Well I love that dirty water Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah) Because I love that dirty water Oh, oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah) Well, I love that dirty water (I love it, baby) I love that dirty water (I love Baw-stun) I love that dirty water (Have you heard about the Strangler?) I love that dirty water (I'm the man, I'm the man) I love that dirty water (Owww!) I love that dirty water (Come on, come on)"



(4) Tenkiller Lake: Lake Tenkiller is located in the Cookson Hills area of eastern Oklahoma. Further reading: Virtual TenkillerLake Tenkiller Area Visitors Guide : "In 1947, the U.S. Corps of Engineers began construction of the Tenkiller Dam to create Tenkiller Lake. Several of the structures from the town were moved to higher ground. Among these were the old store and several small cabins which were relocated to their present location on Hwy. 82, next to the Post Office in Cookson. If you are passing through Cookson, you may want to stop and with the owners of what is now called the Cookson Coutry Store and Cabins. The store is still a popular gathering place and a great source of information. Several structures from the old town could not be moved, were left behind at the bottom of the lake, and are popular underwater destinations for scuba divers." (Source: Lake Tenkiller Area Visitors Guide, 2003)





(5) Hole up v.: To hide out, as from the police; to hide or keep another person hidden. To secure temporary living quarters or a place to sleep, as a hotel room (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(6) Lucky Tiger

Lucky Tiger is a brand name for a line of haircare products including Butch Wax.

- Also mentioned in "Barbershop": "Bay rum, Lucky Tiger, butch wax, crackerjacks Shoe shine, jaw breaker, magazine racks."



(7) Doughboy n.: U.S. army infantry soldier. Very common during WW-1. Orig. commonly supposed to be that infantrymen pound the mud of roads into dough (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(8) Birmingham: Also mentioned in Gun Street Girl, 1985: "And now he's dancing in the Birmingham jail."



Town With No Cheer

 



Well, it's hotter than blazes(2), and all the long faces

There'll be no oasis for a dry local grazier(2)

There'll be no refreshment for a thirsty jackaroo(2)(3)

From Melbourne to Adelaide on the Overlander(4)

With newfangled(5) buffet cars and faster locomotives

The train stopped in Serviceton(6) less and less often



No, there's nothing sadder than a town with no cheer

Vic Rail(2)(7) decided the canteen was no longer necessary there

No spirits, no bilgewater(8), and eighty dry locals(6)

And the high noon sun beats a hundred and four

There's a hummingbird(2) trapped in a closed down shoe store

This tiny Victorian rhubarb kept the waterin' hole(9) open for sixty-five years



Now it's boilin' in a miserable March twenty-first(2)

Wrapped the hills in a blanket of Paterson's curse(2)(10)

The train smokes down the xylophone, there'll be no stoppin' here

All you can be is thirsty in a town with no cheer



No Bourbon, no branchwater(11)

Though the townspeople here fought her Vic Rail decree tooth and nail

Now it's boilin' in a miserable March twenty-first

Wrapped the hills in a blanket of Paterson's curse

The train smokes down the xylophone, there'll be no stoppin' here

All you can be is thirsty in a town with no cheer



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music admin. by Ackee Music Inc.(ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983



Known covers:

Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records



Notes:



(1) Town With No Cheer

Tom Waits (1983): "When my wife heard that for the first time she said: "Oh gee, you must have loved her very much." So I said: "Wait a minute. This is not a love song. This is about a guy who can't get a drink!" It's about a miserable old town in Australia that made the news when they shut down the only watering hole. We found an article about it in a newspaper when we were over there and hung on to it for a year. So I said: "Ah, I 'm going to write something about that someday." and finally got around to it. That's a freedom bell upfront just trying to get a feel of a ghost town, tumbleweeds and that kind of thing. It's basically a folk song" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Brian Case (1983): The lead in the "Town With No Cheer", for example, uses a struck Freedom Bell and bagpipes to convey the lonesomeness and tumbleweed of a ghost-town. "Yeah, Anthony Clark-Stewart played the bagpipes, looked like he was strangling a goose, had to record him separately," said Tom. (Source: "Tom Waits For No Man" Melody Maker, by Brian Case. Date: October 29, 1983)



(2) Some research by Colin Hubert, from the Listserv Raindogs discussionlist:

- "After the bagpipe intro to "Town With No Cheer", Tom Waits' voice comes out powerfully exasperated "Well it's hotter than blazes" which is a very rural Australian way to describe a hot day. I'm sure that I have said that very thing myself a few hundred times. "A dry local grazier"? A grazier is any farmer who runs livestock - the American equivalent is probably "rancher". "A thirsty jackeroo". Well a jackeroo is generally a young man brought up on a farm who is working for a few years on a more prosperous farm elsewhere for experience or because his own family's farm can't support him yet. The really big cattle runs in Queensland and the Northern Territory and Western Australia employ lots of sons and daughters (jilleroos) from the southern states, although some city kids who fancy themselves on horseback do it too. Just last summer, two city kids were left alone to look after a property in WA that was probably bigger than many US states and they died of thirst somewhere away from the homestead. The owner of the property may face manslaughter charges for not adequately taking account of their limited experience and ability. "Vic Rail" is the Victorian State Government instrumentality that runs the rural railways, and like every corporate or state entity, when they find cheaper ways to run things, they dismiss the needs and past contributions of small and dependent communities.There are no hummingbirds native to Australia, so the "Hummingbird trapped in a closed down shoe store" must have been someone's exotic pet. This is an image of the abandoned opulence of better times. Now we get to the contentious references - "Now it's boiling in a miserable March 21st / Wrapped the hills in a blanket of Patterson's curse" Paterson's Curse is officially a noxious weed, but there is not much that farmers can do to get rid of it. I have not been able to find out if it is native or introduced, but it grows throughout southern Australia anywhere away from the coast, particularly on farmland pasture. It is not so harmful for livestock, but it is not at all nutritious either, so farmers prefer better grasses to take up the soil's limited goodness. However, sometimes patersons curse will keep livestock going through a drought when no grass will show itself. It is a vivid looking green weed with much leaf growth close to a bound, grassy stem which doesn't quite grow thick enough to be woody, but when it flowers - boy does it flower. What look like small elongated tulips appear in a bright purple hue in crowns at the tops of each plant. En masse, and this is how anyone who has seen it will remember it, patersons curse really does "Wrap the hills in a blanket", a bright purple doona. It looks lush and really does smother the entire countryside with colour. Too bad March 21st is at the wrong end of the year for such an effect. And, 104 degrees in a Victorian town on that date is only barely possible. I must mention again that patersons curse is sometimes sold by city florists with the name Riverina Bluebell, which amuses the visiting countryfolk no end. So, the song is a tribute to a town deprived of its former opulence and reason for being by an apparently arbitrary decision made by some pen pushers in the city, and it relates by sly allusion to that most well known and barely remembered of Australian drinking songs, "Pub With No Beer". So, how did Tom Waits come up with this song? How does he even know of patersons curse, much less its blanketing effect when in bloom? Tom Waits has done some Australian tours many years ago, but I presume he just did the capital cities and jetted away. He may have travelled by road down the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne, where in spring he would certainly have seen patersons curse and probably asked about it, but I have a different theory. The Australian Prime Minister from late 1975 till early 1983 was a Victorian grazier called Malcolm Fraser. He ran a sheep station called Nareen in western Victoria probably not more than a hundred miles or so from Serviceton. Mr. Fraser was a large, imposing man with a stony face that the Easter Island statues might have been modeled on, and was very much a product of the old establishment. He was a staunchly conservative politician of the old kind of conservatism which maintained an element of 'noblesse oblige', so while he would use 'reds under the bed' rhetoric with the most fervent of ultra-right radicals, he was not quite such a threat to state largesse as the 'economic rationalists' of today. Shortly after losing the 1983 election to the Oxford educated union organiser of the Labor Party, Bob Hawke, there was a strange little scandal involving Malcolm Fraser on an American trip. The full story never came out, but apparently, one night in Memphis, our recent prime minister was drugged and robbed and woke up in a hotel with no wallet, no identification papers, and no trousers. Did he perhaps meet Tom Waits in a bar and get induced into a bender of some sort? Do we owe the information which inspired this song to that authoritarian bane of our struggling innocence? " (Submitted by Colin Hubert. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist) 

Pub With No Beer (Gordon Parsons, Australia 1959. Original version "A Pub Without Beer" by Dan Sheahan, Australia 1943): "It's lonesome away from your kindred and all By the campfire at night where the wild dingos call But there's nothin' so lonesome, so dull or so drear Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer. Now the publican's anxious for the quota to come There's a faraway look on the face of the bum The maid's gone all cranky and the cook's acting queer What a terrible place is a pub with no beer. The stockman rides up with his dry, dusty throat He breasts up to the bar, pulls a wad from his coat But the smile on his face quickly turns to a sneer When the barman says suddenly: "The pub's got no beer!" There's a dog on the verandah, for his master he waits But the boss is inside drinking wine with his mates He hurries for cover and he cringes in fear It's no place for a dog round a pub with no beer. Then in comes the swagman, all covered with flies He throws down his roll, wipes the sweat from his eyes But when he is told he says, "What's this I hear? I've trudged fifty flamin' miles to a pub with no beer!" Old Billy, the blacksmith, the first time in his life Has gone home cold sober to his darling wife He walks in the kitchen; she says: "You're early, me dear" Then he breaks down and he tells her that the pub's got no beer. It's lonesome away from your kindred and all By the campfire at night where the wild dingos call But there's nothin' so lonesome, so dull or so drear Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer."



(3) Jackaroo n.: A cowboy; Australian slang "jackeroo", a young fellow. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(4) Overlander: Australian railway. The Overland commenced service in 1887, pioneering intercapital rail travel between Melbourne and Adelaide. The century old name came from the term "Overlander", an adventurer who had travelled across the country. A century on, this historic service still provides a journey between Melbourne, Victoria and Adelaide. These days the 828 kilometre overnight journey takes 11 hours.



(5) Newfangled: Different from what one is used to; objectionably new (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



(6) Serviceton: Further reading: Serviceton factsheet. Among other things, you can read that the population is still 80 dry locals, but the place seems to be slowly dying. The estimated population for the year 2010 is 73. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren/ Alicia Fontana. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



(7) Vicrail: The government instrumentality in the state of Victoria in charge of railways.



(8) Bilgewater

- Filthy drainings. The bilge is the lowest part of a ship, and, as the rain or sea-water which trickles down to this part is hard to get at, it is apt to become foul and very offensive. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd) 

- Filthy water that collects inside the bilge (the lowest internal portion of the hull on a boat).

- n. [late 19C+] thin beer, thus any thin, tasteless drink, alcoholic or otherwise. [bilgewater, the foul water that collects in a vessel's bilges] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Wrong Side Of The Road" (And get the eyeball of a rooster and the stones from a ditch and wash 'em down with bilgewater and say you'll never snitch...)



(9) Water hole, watering hole: A bar or a tavern (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner)



(10) Patterson: A native plant of Southern Europe. It appears that the plant was first introduced into Australia by John McArthur in 1843 to his Camden gardens where it was subsequently sold as a garden plant.The first record of this plant occurring as a weed in Australia was on a Mr Patterson's property at Albury NSW in 1880. In South Australia it is known as Salvation Jane whilst in the eastern states it is commonly called Patterson's Curse. South Australians adopted the name of Salvation Jane as it first appeared in the Pastoral/ Northern regions of this state where the plant escaped from gardens. Mid Northern graziers found that this plant was a salvation for them as it survived during dry winter periods to provide valuable sheep feed, although cattle found it unpalatable. From there the plant gradually moved south into higher rainfall regions including the Adelaide Hills. It can turn the entire countryside a vivid purple. It is occasionally sold by Sydney florists to city folk as "Riverina Bluebell", which amuses visiting farmers no end





(11) Branchwater: Just water that you drink with Bourbon (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Trouble's Braids

 



Well, I pulled on trouble's braids(2)

And I hid in the briars out by the quickmud

Stayin' away from the main roads

Passin' out wolf tickets(3), downwind from the bloodhounds



And I pulled on trouble's braids

And I lay by a cypress, as quiet as a stone, 'til the bleeding stopped

And I blew the weathervane off some old roadhouse

And I built a fire in the skeleton back seat of an old Tucker



And I pulled on trouble's braids

And I spanked cold red mud where the hornet stung deep

And I tossed in the ditch in a restless sleep

And I pulled on trouble's braids



I hung my rain-soaked jacket on some old barbed wire

Poured cold rusty water on a miserable fire

And I pulled on trouble's braids



And the creek was swollen by daybreak

And I could just barely see

And I floated downstream on an old dead tree



And I pulled on trouble's braids

I pulled on trouble's braids

I pulled on trouble's braids



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Musicadmin. by Ackee Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983

Official release: Swordfishtrombones, Island Records Inc., 1983



Known covers:

None



Notes:



(1) Trouble's Braids:

- Tom Waits (1983): "Trouble's Braids: It's Victor Feldman on African talking drum, Stephen Taylor on parade bass drum and Larry Taylor on acoustic bass. It has a bit of a Mongolian feel. Try to get the image of trouble being this little girl. Pull on trouble's braids. He should chase you around and about a guy who's in trouble. Our hero is at this point being pursued by blood hounds. So he stays away from the main roads" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983) 

Stephen Hodges (2007): "I played this standing talking drum with my knees and my hands while Victor [Feldman] played that fucking crackerjack drum, whacking it every time Tom said 'Trouble's Braids.' Victor was pretty dry, I just got in his face, all happy about that track, and he cracked a smile" (Source: Stephen Hodges interview November 20, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



(2) Braids: (braid, also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers, wire, or human hair.



(3) Wolf tickets

- Tom Waits
 (1988): "Another one I like is wolf tickets, which means bad news, as in someone who is bad news or generally insubordinate. In a sentence, you'd say, "Don't fuck with me, I'm passing out wolf tickets." Think it's either Baltimore Negro or turn-of-the-century railroad use" (Source: "Tom Waits 20 questions". Playboy magazine: Steve Oney. -- March 1988) 

Sell a woof/ wolf ticket, to: phr. [1960s+] (US Black) To boast, to brag. To talk nonsense, to lie [trash talk] To threaten, to intimidate (buy a woof ticket) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

"As early as 1985, Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune defined selling woof tickets as "an invitation to fight." In 1996, Jane Kennedy of The San Francisco Examiner called it "telling lies." In The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Betty Parham and Gerrie Ferris wrote in 1992, "Although its origin is uncertain, 'woof ticket' is a somewhat dated phrase that refers to an outrageous or exaggerated boast meant to intimidate or impress the listener." Woof is a Black English pronunciation of "wolf." According to Geneva Smitherman's 1994 "Black Talk," a woof ticket is "a verbal threat, which one sells to somebody; may or may not be real. Often used as a strategy to make another person back down and surrender to what that person perceives as a superior power." Tom McIntyre, professor of special education at Hunter College in New York, noted nearly a decade ago: "Woofing is especially effective against those who are unfamiliar with it and don't realize that it is most often 'all show and no go.' . . . The menacing behavior can usually be defused and eliminated by informed, tactful action." He advised teachers to "look secure and self-assured while you withdraw." In the context of the basketball star Howard's remarks, woof tickets are not to be bought; on the contrary, he uses the phrase to show that performance, and not intimidating attitude, is needed to "get it together." (Source: "On Language by William Safire, Crying Woof!". Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company. Submitted by Monika Kottenhahn, eGroups Tom Waits discussionlist. October, 2000)

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts II, 1975: "So I can be passing out wolf tickets regardless of where I go..."



Underground

 



(Swordfishtrombones studio version, 1983)



Rattle big black bones in the danger zone

There's a rumblin' groan down below

There's a big dark town, it's a place I've found

There's a world going on underground



They're alive, they're awake

While the rest of the world is asleep

Below the mine shaft roads, it will all unfold

There's a world going on underground



All the roots hang down, swing from town to town

They are marching around down under your boots

All the trucks unload beyond the gopher holes

There's a world going on underground



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1983-1998

Official release: "Swordfishtrombones", Island Records Inc., 1983 &

"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)





 



Underground



(Big Time live version, 1988)



Rattle big black bones in the danger zone

There's a rumblin' groan down below

Below the mine shaft roads, it will all unfold

There's a world going on underground

Underground



They're alive, they're awake

While the rest of the world is asleep

Below the mine shaft roads, it will all unfold

There's a world going on underground

Underground

Underground



All the roots hang down, swing from town to town

They are marching around down under your boots

Below the gopher holes, where they all unfold

There's a world going on underground

Underground

Underground



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1983-1988

Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)

Further reading: Big Time full story



Known covers:

Spiewomalowanie. Mariusz Lubomski. 1994. Self-released

Secret World. Astrid Seriese. October, 1994 (re-released in 2003). Brigadoon

Gerd K�ster und... Gerd K�ster. March 22, 1999. Chlodwig (Pavement Records)

Lubomski W Trojce. Mariusz Lubomski. July 18, 2000. EMI Records

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production/ Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)

Lullabies for the Discerning Baby. Ansty Cowfold. August 29, 2005. Wonky Atlas



Notes:



(1) Underground

Tom Waits (1983): "It was originally an opportunity for me to chronical the behavior of a mutant dwarf community and give it a feeling of a Russian march. People banging on steam pipes, thousand boots coming down on a wood floor at the same time. That chorus of men singing, kind of a 'Dr.Zhivago'-feel to it. It was the way I originally perceived it. I abbreviated some of the scope and wanted bass marimba to give it kind of an exotic feel. So, you get the note and you get that kind of a tall wood clang with the attack. That's Victor Feldman on bass marimba, Larry Taylor on acoustic bass, Randy Aldcroft on baritone horn, Stephen Hodges on drums and Fred Tackett on electric guitar. I had some assistance from a gentleman by the name of Francis Thumm, who worked on the arrangements of some of these songs with me. Who plays gramolodium with the Harry Partch Ensemble headed up by Daniel Mitchell. So he worked closely on most of these songs. But I originally saw this... the theme for some late night activity in the steam tunnels beneath New York City. Where allegedly there are entire communities of ladies and gentleman living under difficult circumstances beneath the subways. When I was a kid I used to stare in the gopherholes for hours and hours sometimes. I tried to think my way down through the gopherhole and imagine this kind of a 'journey to the center of the earth'- kind of thing" (Source: "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones". Island Promo interview, 1983)

Tom Waits (1983): "Much more percussion than I'm used to in the past, I was trying to get it to imitate things that I'm already used to hearing rather than just being separate so it's more like an organized automobile accident and it has some shape to it but it also relates to the real event itself, some of the stuff on Shore Leave is like sound effects, the low trombone is like a bus going by and I got a little more adventurous, I'm still a little timid about it but melody is what really hits me first, melody is the first thing that seduces me. Underground had some - I thought it felt like a Russian march, the music to accompany the activities of a mutant dwarf community in the steam tunnels - that kind of a feel is what I was after" (Source: Unidentified Swordfishtrombones Interview (interviewer's tape). Date: 1983/ 1984)

Tom Waits (1983): "Underground'' is the score for a mutant dwarf community" (Source: "The Beat Goes On" Rock Bill magazine (USA). October 1983, by Kid Millions)

Stephen Hodges (2007): "I broke every stick in my bag trying to do 'Underground'. Finally I just went and found these parade drumsticks that were like big old logs, and I shoved cymbal felts on top of them so they were like a big felt mallet" (Source: Stephen Hodges interview November 20, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



A Sight For Sore Eyes

 



A sight for sore eyes(1), it's a long time no see

Workin' hard hardly workin', hey man, you know me

Water under the bridge, did you see my new car?

Well, it's bought and it's payed for, parked outside of the bar(2)



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas(3), hey, you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio(4) too

And old Drysdale(5) and Mantle(6), Whitey Ford(7) and to you



Oh, you know, the old gang ain't around, everyone has left town

'cept for Thumm and Giardina, said they just might be down

Oh, half drunk all the time and I'm all drunk the rest

Yeah, Monk's(8) still the champion, oh but I am the best



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas, hey you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio too

And old Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you



Guess you heard about Nash, he was killed in a crash

Oh, that must have been two or three years ago now

Yeah, he spun out and he rolled, he hit a telephone pole

And he died with the radio on



No, she's married, with a kid, finally split up with Sid

He's up North for a nickel's worth(9) for armed robbery

And I'll play you some pinball, no you ain't got a chance

Then go on over and ask her to dance



And hey barkeep, what's keepin' you, keep pourin' drinks

For all these palookas, hey you know what I thinks

That we toast to the old days and DiMaggio too

And Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977

Official release:" Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch



Notes:



(1) Sight for sore eyes: 1. Informal. One whom it is a relief or joy to see (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition) 2. n. [early 19C+] a welcome appearance, often used as an affectionate greeting, you're a sight for sore eyes



(2) Notice the extensive use of variations on tired cliches in the first verse: "Sight for sore eyes" and "Long time, no see" are both overused cliches. "Workin' hard, hardly workin'" comes from an extremely overused cliche "Are you working hard or hardly working?". "Water under the bridge" is another cliche and "It's bought and paid for" is another redundant cliche. (Source: Email from Leroy Larson to Tom Waits Library. October, 2005)



(3) Palooka, paluka, palooker n.: 1. Any stupid or mediocre person, esp. if big or strong; An oafish hoodlum (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 2. A large and stupid person. [coined by Jack Conway (d.1928) of Variety magazine, and given wide currency by Ham Fisher's comic strip 'Joe Palooka' (launched 1930)] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



"The word has two main senses. One refers to an unsuccessful boxer, especially one who is both large and stupid, the other to any large and stupid or clumsy person, an oaf or lout. Many older people first came across the word as the name of the boxer in Ham Fisher's famous comic strip. This first appeared in 1928; it featured the eponymous Joe Palooka as a slow-witted and inarticulate boxer, even though "his heart was pure and his ideals high". But Ham Fisher didn't invent the word: it had been around for several years as a slang term and is first recorded in print in 1925. The boxing associations seem to have been particularly strong, to judge from the magazine The Ring, which in November 1926 glossed the word to mean "A tenth rater, a boxer without ability, a nobody" and which implied it had been known for some time. It's often said that palooka was the invention of Jack Conway, a former baseball player who became the editor of Variety magazine; he is credited by some with creating a whole group of slang terms that include pushover and baloney. Whether he actually invented palooka, or popularised it, we have no way of knowing, nor do we have any idea what it was based on. Some of Joe Palooka's adventures were made into films, and Palookaville came to be a slang term for a hick town full of gentle losers." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004. All rights reserved)



(4) Dimagio: Joseph Paul DiMaggio (misspelled in the tracklisting). Born: Martinez,Ca. November 25 1914 - Died: 1999. American base ball legend. He played from 1936 til 1951 for the NY Yankees. With this team he won the American Baseball League Championships 10 times and the World Series 9 times. Had a shortlived affair with Marylin Monroe





(5) Drysdale: Don Drysdale. American sports announcer. Born: July 23 1936. Ex-pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers





(6) Mantle, Mickey

- Mickey Charles Mantle. Born: Spavinaw, Ok, October 20 1931 - Died: Dallas, Tx, August 13 1995. A famous American baseball player in the 1950's (successor of Joe DiMaggio with the New York Yankees). He was a friend of Whitey Ford. In 1969 he resigned from professional baseball.

- Also mentioned in Jitterbug Boy (Small Change, 1976): "I taught Mickey Mantle everything he knows."





(7) Ford, Whitey: American baseball player from the 50's. He was a friend of Mickey Mantle





(8) Monk

1. Most likely refers to some American sportsman nicknamed "Monk" (or Monck?), but could refer to Thelonious Monk. Monk is recognized as one of the most influential figures in the history of Jazz. He was one of the architects of bebop and his impact as a composer and pianist has had a profound influence on every genre of music. Born on October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but his parents, Barbara Batts and Thelonious Monk, soon moved the family to New York City. Monk began piano lessons as a young child and by the age of 13 he had won the weekly amateur contest at the Apollo Theater so many times that he was barred from entering. At the age of 19, Monk joined the house band at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, where along with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and a handful of other players, he developed the style of jazz that came to be known as bebop. In the decade that followed, Monk played on recordings with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Rollins and recorded as a leader for Prestige Records and later for Riverside Records. He passed away on February 5, 1982.



2. "Tom Waits, Artist Choice". HearMusic.com. October 1999. TW: "Monk said "There is no wrong note, it has to do with how you resolve it." He almost sounded like a kid taking piano lessons.. I could relate to that when I first started playing the piano, because he was decomposing the music while he was playing it. It was like demystifying the sound, because there is a certain veneer to jazz and to any music, after a while it gets traffic rules, and the music takes a backseat to the rules. It's like aerial photography, telling you that this is how we do it. That happens in folk music too. Try playing with a bluegrass group and introducing new ideas. Forget about it. They look at like you're a communist. On "Solo Monk", he appears to be composing as he plays, extending intervals, voicing chords with impossible clusters of notes. "I Should Care" kills me, communion wine with a twist. Stride, church, jump rope, Bartok, melodies scratched into the plaster with a knife. A bold iconoclast. "Solo Monk" lets you not only see these melodies without clothes, but without skin. This is astronaut music from Bedlam."





(9) Nickels worth, Up north for a

- Tom Waits (1976): "And 'He went up north for a nickel's worth' means he went up north to jail for five years - usually for armed robbery. I learned that when I was in jail. I go there a lot and they just know me." (Source: "The Ramblin' Street Life Is The Good Life For Tom Waits", from "Rambler" magazine. Chicago. December 30, 1976. Interview by Rich Trenbeth)



Burma Shave

 



(Foreign Affairs studio version, 1977)



Licorice tattoo turned a gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of a dying town

Took the one eyed Jacks(2) across the railroad tracks(3)

And the scar on its belly pulled a stranger passing through

He's a juvenile delinquent, never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look in Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair slicked back

She says 'I'm a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.

How far are you going?'

Said 'Depends on what you mean'

He says 'I'm only stopping here to get some gasoline'

'I guess I'm going thataway, just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And with her knees up on the glove compartment

She took out her barrettes, and her hair spilled out like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and arched her back

'Hell, Marysville(1) ain't nothing but a wide spot in the road

Some nights my heart pounds like thunder

Don't know why it don't explode

Cause everyone in this stinking town's got one foot in the grave

And I'd rather take my chances out in Burma-Shave'



'Presley's(5) what I go by, why don't you change the stations

Count the grain elevators in the rearview mirror'

She said, 'Mister, anywhere you point this thing

It got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Of going to bed with every dream that dies here every mornin'

And so drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

And I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

Why don't you have another swig(8), and pass that car if you're so brave

I wanna get there 'fore the sun comes up in Burma-Shave '



And the spider web crack and the mustang screamed

The smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Just a nickel's worth of dreams, and every wishbone that they saved

Lie swindled from them on the way to Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

And when they pulled her from the wreck

You know, she still had on her shades(10)

They say that dreams are growing wild

just this side

of Burma-Shave



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986





 



Burma Shave



(Live version State Theatre, Sydney/ Australia. May 2, 1979)



You know, I remember...

It rained all day the day that Elvis Presley(5) died

And only a legend can make it do that!

And you know, I remember when my baby said we were through

And she was gonna walk out on me

It was Elvis Presley that talked her out of it

And he gave me my first leather jacket

And taught me how to comb my hair just right in a filling station bathroom

It was Elvis that gave you a rubber on prom night

And told you that you looked real sharp

And you know, I think he maybe just got a little tired

Of repairing all the broken hearts in the world.

And now I think maybe I understand

Why mechanics' cars never start

And why night watchmen are always sleeping on the job

And why shoeshine boys always have worn-out scooped-up shoes.

But eh... [mumbles]

A legend never dies, he just teaches you everything he knows

To give you the courage to ask her out

And I know, there's a small little town where dreams are still alive

And there's a hero on every corner

And they're all on their way to a place called

Burma-Shave



Scrawled out across the shoulders of this dying little town, see?

And every night it takes the one eyed Jacks

You know, a one eyed Jack is like a...

You got one headlight burned out on your car

It's called a one eyed Jack

You can see them from across the railroad tracks(3)

Over the scar on its belly, there came a stranger passing through

And he was a juvenile delinquent

He never learned how to behave

But the cops never think to look

When you're on your way to Burma-Shave



And the road was like a ribbon, man

Yeah, and the moon was like a bone and

He didn't seem to be like any guy that she'd ever known

He kinda looked like Farley Granger(4), with his hair ssslicked back

And she said, 'Honey I've always been a sucker for a fella that wears a cowboy hat

And just how far do you think you might be going, Mister?'

He said 'Baby, that all depends on... what you mean

Cause I'm only stopping here tonight, cause I gotta get myself some gasoline'

'And I guess I'm going out thataway, at least ride as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Well, that's cool Why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment?'

Well, she took out her barrettes, and man, her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

She popped her gum and she arched her back

She said, 'Man, this little town don't amount to nothin'

It's just a wide spot in the road

And some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

And everybody in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

And I'm gonna take my chances with you tonight

On the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said, 'Eh, well you know.... okay Eh... how old are you?

Ah! That's... a problem...

Uh, where do you go to school, babe? Oh yeah? I went to Sweetwater

Oh yeah, I dropped out, y'know You know how it is. Got in trouble...

You know a guy named Eddie Alvarez? No?

Well, Presley's what they call me

Why don't you change the stations, baby?

And count the grain elevators,

Watch'em go by in he rear view mirror'



'Any way you point this thing is gonna beat the hell out of the sting!(6)

Cause every night I go to bed with all my dreams

I lie down and they die right here every morning

So come on, Presley, and drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole like a fugitive tonight

Let's have another swig of that sweet Black Velvet

That sweet Black Velvet...

Let's pass that car!

Are you brave enough?

We can get there just before the sun comes up

You and me, on the way to Burma-Shave



Yeah... Cause I'm going crazy in this town, man

Yeah, my old man gives me nothing but shit!

I don't know, I don't care what they say

Let's get out of town tonight!'



Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom

Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Well... I was talking to my brother-in-law

He said there was a wreck out on the highway

He saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Oh, but all you've got is just a nickle's worth of dreams

And they've been swindled from you on the way to a place called Burma-Shave

You let the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

It's up against the car door on the shotgun side(9)

But you know something, baby?

I swear to God, when they pulled you from the wreck you still had on your shades

And dreams are growing wild every night

Just this side of Burma-Shave

And there's another young girl out by the highway tonight

with her thumb out

Just a few trucks going by...



Vrrrrrrrrooooom



Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'(10)

And the cotton is high



Written by: Tom Waits

Unofficial release: "Cold Beer On A Hot Night". KTS, 1993

(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





 



Burma Shave



(Live version. Austin/ USA. Austin City Limits. December 5, 1978)



Aarghhh... yeahhhh... You know eh... when I was a kid... my dad had a 1957 station wagon... It was a Chevrolet. And man did I love that car. I used to go in the garage at night and turn out all the lights and roll up against it. (laughter) Huh, huh. I think that's against the law! But I remember driving all the way across country, when I was a kid in the back... I remember seeing Burma Shave signs all the way across the country along Route 66. And eh, well this is a story about a young girl. This small little town, a place called Marysville. It's up around Yuba City, Gridley, Chico, they're all the same. The names are different. It takes about... oh 23 miles and you're in the next one and they got a Foster Freeze just like they had in the one you were trying to get out of...



And eh you see there was this liquorice tattoo, he used to turn the gun metal blue

Scrawled across the shoulders of his dying little town

And he used to take the one eyed Jacks(2) out across the railroad tracks(3)

With a scar on his belly there came a stranger passing through

And he was just a juvenile delinquent, he never learned how to behave

But the cops'd never think to look out in Burma-Shave



When the road was like a ribbon, and the moon was like a bone

He didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known

He kind of looked like Farley Granger(4), the way he had his hair slicked back

And she said 'Well honey I've always been a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat.



And just how far do you think you might be going?

He said 'Honey that would all depend on what you mean'

Cause you see eh, I'm only stopping here cause I got to get myself some of this gasoline'

'And I guess you should say I'm going thataway, why just as long as it's paved

And I guess you'd say I'm on my way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: 'Honey why don't you put your knees up on the glove compartment just like that'

She took out her barrettes, and man her hair spilled out just like rootbeer

And she popped her gum and she arched her back

And she said: 'Marysville(1) don't amount to nothing

it's just a wide spot in the road

and some nights my heart pounds like thunder

I don't know why it don't explode

If you ask me buddy, everyone in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave

I'd rather take my chances with you, take me all the way to Burma-Shave'



And he said: Honey, nothing to it. Cause you see eh... Presley's(5) what I go by,

why don't you change the stations

Let's count the grain elevators as they go by in the rearview mirror'

Cause anyway you point this thing,

it's got to beat the hell out of the sting(6)

Cause every night I go to bed and I lie down all my dreams

and they die here every mornin'

So comon Presley, drill me a hole with a barber pole(7)

Cause I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight

And let's have another swig of that Black Velvet.

let's pass that car man if you're brave enough

So we can get there just before the sun comes up

Out in Burma-Shave '



Just you and me baby,

cause this town is driving me crazy

driving me crazy, I'm going crazy baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



Oh honey you know, I don't care what they say.

Go ahead and let them talk, yeah let them talk,

Cause tonight I'm gonna drive, I'm gonna drive baby

It's just you and me, it's just you and me baby.

Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.



You see, the spider web cracked and the mustang I heard it scream

Someone said there was a wreck out on the highway.

I saw the smoke from the tires and the twisted machine

Well all you got is a nickel's worth of dreams,

and they've been swindled from you

when you're on your way to a place

called Burma-Shave



And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow

Up against the car door over on the shotgun side(8)

and baby when they pulled you from the wreck,

you still had on your shades.

But dreams are growing wild tonight,

just this side of a place I know... 

called Burma Shave.



And over by the Foster Freeze, well they're closing up now... 

Yeah, they're closing up... The waitress is going through her purse... There's only a few cars left... A truck rolls by... and there's another young girl, up against the Coke machine... with swizzle-stick legs, sucking on a Lucky Strike, and with a sign in her hand that says

"I'm On My Way To Burma Shave."



And it's a hot summer night.

And the fish are jumpin'. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton, the cotton is high... Your daddy's rich, your daddy's rich and your mamma's good-looking. She's so good-looking baby.



Vroooooooommmm, vrooooommmmmm.

So hush now, hush now. Hush now, don't you cry, don't you cry baby , don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry... don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry, don't you cry baby, don't you cry.

Don't you cry...



Written by: Tom Waits

No official release

(Transcribed by Pieter from Holland as published on Tom Waits Library, 2002)



Known covers:

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)



Notes:



(1) Burma Shave:

- Further readingBurma-Shave.org 

- Larry Goldstein (1978): Waits' latest LP is entitled Foreign Affairs, and it seems destined to be his biggest seller to date. His voice has never been better, though to the new listener it migh t grate like flesh over gravel. The difference in his vocal performance is best evidenced on the cut "Burma Shave" on which, as Waits explained, "I was trying to sing instead of just growling and grunting, which, by the time I get off the road is all I can muster up." (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)

Brian Case (1979): Did he get "Burma Shave" from the Nick Ray movie, They Live By Night, from 1947? TW: "Yeah, that's the one. In fact that's a great story. Very sad at the end where he gets mowed down at the motel. Farley Granger does soap operas now, I think. He was in Minneapolis and this woman disc jockey played it for him and he got a real kick out of it. He always played the baby-face hood. He don't work much any more. I guess Sal Mineo got most of his roles. Yeah, I used that. I kept coming back to that movie image. Also, I have a lot of relatives in this little town called Marysville, and a cousin, her name is Corrine Johnson, and every time I'd go up there from Los Angeles in the summers, she was alway s like you know 'Christ man - I gotta get outa this fucking town. I wanna go to LA.' She finally did. She hitch-hiked out and stood by this Foster Freeze on Prom Night. Got in a car with a guy who was just some juvinile delinquent, and he took her all the way to LA where she eventually cracked up. Burma Shave was a shaving cream company. Abandoned in the late Fifties. Useta advertise all along the highway. I always thought it was the name of a town. (Source: "Wry & Danish to go". "MelodyMaker" magazine. Brian Case. Copenhagen, Early 1979)





- Kristine McKenna (1983): What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood". (Source: "One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

Tom Waits (1985): "Burma Shave is an American shaving-cream company, like Colgate. They advertise on the side of the road and they have these limericks which are broken up into different signs like pieces of a fortune cookie. You drive for miles before you get the full message. "PLEASE DON'T"... five miles... "STICK YOUR ARM OUT SO FAR"... another five miles... "IT MIGHT GO HOME"... five more miles... "IN ANOTHER MAN'S CAR - BURMA SHAVE." They reel you in. So when I was a kid I'd see these signs on the side of the road - BURMA SHAVE, BURMA SHAVE - and I'm young and I think it's the name of a town and I ask my dad, "When we getting to Burma Shave?" So in the song I used Burma Shave as a dream, a mythical community, a place two people are trying to get to. They don't make it." (Source: "Dog Day Afternoon" Time Out magazine (UK), by Richard Rayner. Date: New York, October 3-9, 1985)

Live intro from 'Storming Heaven Benefit". Healdsburg. August 11, 1996: "Ths is about a small little town... When I was a kid we used to drive cross country. And for those of you who are old enough, you might remember the Burma-Shave signs on the side of the highway [some applause]. Thank you, all six of you! Anyway, this is about that. My dad yelling at me to hold my horses! And thirty years later I yelled at my kids to hold THEIR horses. So this is about a small little town. One of those tiny little towns by the side of the road. And somebody thumbing a ride trying to get out of town..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. November, 1999)





(2) Across the (railroad) tracksphr. [20C] inferior, second-rate (cf. WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS). [the area of a town in which the poor supposedly live; f. an era when many US towns were literally divided, socially as well as physically, by the railroadtracks] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) One Eyed Jack

- Tom Waits 
(1979): "You know, a one eyed Jack is like a... You got one headlight burned out on your car. It's called a one eyed Jack." (Live version of "Burma Shave". Sydney, Australia. March, 1979)



(4) Granger, Farley: Farley Earle Granger. Born: San Jose, Ca., July 1 1925. American actor and author. From 1943 on he played in films like: Edge of Doom, Arrowsmith, Strangers On A Train and They Live by Night (this movie by Nick Ray from 1947 (1949?) was the inspiration for the song Burma Shave). "Synopsis: "This boy...and this girl...were never properly introduced to the world we live in." With this superimposed opening title, director Nicholas Ray inaugurates his first feature, They Live by Night. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell play a "Bonnie and Clyde"-type fugitive couple, who in trying to escape their past are hell-bent down the road to Doom. Despite their criminal activities, Bowie (Granger) and Keechie (O'Donnell) are hopelessly na�ve, fabricating their own idyllic dream world as the authorities close in. The entrapment -- both actual and symbolic -- of the young misfit couple can now be seen as a precursor to the dilemma facing James Dean in Ray's 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. A box-office disappointment upon its first release, They Live by Night has since gained stature as one of the most sensitive and least-predictable entries in the film noir genre. The film was based on a novel by Edward Anderson, and in 1974 was filmed by Robert Altman under its original title, Thieves Like Us. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide"





(5) Presley, Elvis: Elvis Aaron Presley. Born: January 8 1935. Died: August 16, 1977. (Burma Shave was released 1977). 

- Tom Waits (1993): "I was in Memphis recently for a wedding and I couldn't resist going to Graceland. I especially liked the bullet holes in the swing set and the red faced uniformed teen usherettes and their memorized text delivered while gesturing at the rusted play structure. "Elvis and the boys were just having a little too much fun one night and came out for a some target practice." They also mentioned that Elvis had picked out all the furniture for the Jungle Room in just thirty minutes." (Source: "Tom Foolery - Swapping stories with inimitable Tom Waits". Buzz Magazine: May 1993)



(6) Sting: [1970s] a police undercover operation designed to entrap alleged criminals (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(7) Barber pole: The medieval symbol of a barber was a vertical pole with red and white spiraling stripes. In the 20th century some of these were displayed on the street powered by an electric motor, and had the appearance of a drill drilling into the sidewalk (Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)



 



(8) Swig n.: A swallow, gulp, or mouthful, esp. of whisky (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in Falling Down: "Go on take a swig of that poison and like it."



(9) Shotgun side n.: The passenger seat in a vehicle. Origin: the American west (i.e. during the 1800s.) The "shotgun" was the person that sat next to the driver of a wagon with a shotgun, watching for trouble. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(10) Shades

- n. pl.: A pair of sunglasses. Orig. bop musician use c1948-c1955; now mainly beat and student use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang - Supplement, Wentworth/ Flexner).

- Also mentioned in "A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun" (Now never trust a scarecrow wearin' shades after dark)



(11) Fish are jumpin', fish are jumpin'. Quoting: Summertime. Written by: Gershwin/ Heyward. Originally performed by Abbie Mitchell in "Porgy and Bess", 1935: "Summertime and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. Yo' daddy's rich and yo' mama's good lookin'. So hush little baby, don't you cry. One of these mornin's, you're gonna rise up singin'. You're gonna spread yo' wings and take to the sky. But til that mornin' ain't nothin' can harm you. With yo' daddy and mammy standin' by."



Diamonds On My Windshield

 



(Early demo version, 1971)



Diamonds on my windshield

Tears from heaven

Pullin' into town on the Interstate

Pullin' a steel train in the rain

Wind bites my cheek through the wing

Fast flying and freeway driving

Always makes me sing

Duster tryin' to change my tune

Pullin' up fast on the right

Rollin' restlessly, twenty-four hour moon



Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head

Wishin' he's home in a Wisconsin bed

Fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And Oceanside, it ends the ride,

San Clemente coming up

Sunday desperadoes slip by

Texaco station close in, you cruise by with a dry back

The orange drive-in, neon billin'

Theatre's fillin' to the brim

Slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area, interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights from Riverside

Black and white plates, out of state, running a little late



Sailors jockey for the fast lane 101 don't miss it

Rollin' hills and concrete fields

Broken line on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

See your sign, you cross the line, signal with a blink

Radio's gone off the air, and gives you time to think

Easy ridin', creep across, this intersection [?]

Hear the rumble as you fumble for a cigarette

Blazin' through the neon jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

And whispers: home at last

Whispers

Whispers

Whispers home at last

Home at last



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Diamonds On My Windshield



(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)



Well, these diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well, I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

And it's these late nights and this freeway flying

It always makes me sing



There's a Duster(2) trying to change my tune(3)

He's pulling up fast on the right

Rolling restlessly by a twenty-four hour moon

And a Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head(4)

He's wishing he was home in a Wisconsin bed

But there's fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And it's colder than a welldigger's ass



Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up(5)

Those Sunday desperadoes(6) slip by and cruise with a dry back



And the orange drive-in, the neon billin'

And the theatre's fillin' to the brim

With slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area with interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights(7) from Riverside

And out of state plates running a little late



But the sailors jockey(8) for the fast lane

So 101 don't miss it

There's rolling hills and concrete fields

And the broken line's on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

You see your sign, cross the line, signalling with a blink

And the radio's gone off the air

Gives you time to think

And you hear the rumble

As you fumble for a cigarette

And blazing through this midnight jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

Whispers 'home at last'

It whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'



And the diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got me a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

Late nights and freeway flying

Always makes me sing

It always makes me sing



Hey, look here, Jack

Okay



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986



Known covers:

Life Imitates Art. Steve Glotzer. September 12, 2000. The Orchard



Notes:



(1) Jay S. Jacobs: "Diamonds on My Windshield" was scribbled on the back of a tour itinerary in a single spontaneous burst, and it recalls Tom's days of shuffling between San Diego and Los Angeles, stopping regularly for a cup of coffee, a bathroom break, or a car repair. Pulling out this scrap of paper in the studio, Tom began to wrestle with his jotted lyrics, but "Diamonds" just wouldn't click. Finally, the session musicians caught a vibe that Tom liked. The bassist, Jim Hughart, hit on a cool bass line, and the drummer, who that day was Jim Gordon, pulled out the brushes and delivered a hot shuffle beat. Gordon, a brilliant studio musician, was once a member of Eric Clapton's supergroup, Derek and the Dominoes; he cowrote the rock anthem "Layla" with Clapton. Years later, in a fit of dementia, he killed his mother, and he was forced to spend his later years in a mental hospital. But that day at Wally Heider Recording the atmosphere was unclouded by specters of tragedy. Waits, Hughart, and Gordon nailed "Diamonds on My Windshield" on the first take. (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)

Tom Waits: (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, Folkscene, 1974): "This is about driving in the rain. I used to make that track from San Diego to Los Angeles a lot, usually with several pit stops on the way with engine trouble. So this is about driving in the rain, circa 1973, so slip me some crimson, Jimson." (Source: Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7) audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))

Tom Waits: On Diamonds On My Windshield (WAMU Radio, 1975): "I didn't really know what to do with that piece cause it was written out just as some spontaneous verse that I had written on the back of an itinerary and I didn't know what the hell to do with it. So we went in the studio and I tried singing it, tried doing it a-capella - nothing worked. Jim Hughart was playing the upright bass with me for that session just started playing a modal bass line and I just started talking and Jim Gordon started playing a cool 12 bar shuffle on brushes and we just winged it in one take and we had it and I like the way it came out. I'm gonna do more of that on this 3rd album that I'm thinking about right now and writing for out here. I bring a tape recorder with me and when I get back to the hotel I talk to myself and I'm working on some spoken word pieces that I want to do with accompaniment. I call it Metropolitan Doubletalk and I'm going to be doing more of that on this forthcoming album. It's called Nighthawk Postcards From Easy Street so I'm going to explore some more of that kind of thing." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview, audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

Tom Waits (introducing Diamonds On My Windshield, 1976): "Well, let's see here uh... I uh... uhm. I'm gonna do a thing about cars uh. This is kind of a, sort of a mutational uh sub cultural uh automotive uh Southern California fascination with the internal combustion engine. Maybe we do something here uh.. [starts snapping fingers] This is about a uh... I don't know uh, it seemed like getting my drivers license when I was a kid, was like uhm... You know uh, certainly a major event, you know uh. I mean it was almost as important as puberty. You know uh, so uh... Well the first car I ever had I bought for $125 from a guy uh who was leaving town, and he had to let it go and it was like uh, real sentimental to him, you know uh? It was a Buick Roadmaster and uh he said: "Well, turn it over." [imitates starting engine trouble]. Well I said: "Well, I give you $100 for it." Huh, huh... And uh, so this is a little bit of uh... little piece here about driving in the rain... No wipers, and a glove compartment full of moving violations. You know? Huh, huh..." (Source: WNEW FM: Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight Date: Recorded MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976. Aired December 18, 1976 on WNEW-FM. Rebroadcast March 24, 1996 WNEW-FM)



(2) Duster: American car produced by Chrystler (Plymouth Duster, Plymouth Valiant Duster)





(3) Change one's tune

- phr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions or statements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musical imagery] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).

- Also mentioned in Drunk On The Moon, 1974: "Don't try and change my tune."



(4) Cueball, cue-ball n.: A man or a boy who has just had a close or crew haircut. Army and student use. Because of the resemblance between a white billiard cue ball and a closely cropped head. Archaic (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up: Driving from San Diego along the Interstate (I-5 freeway) in the Los Angeles direction. "The I-5 freeway has replaced the notorious old US-101 highway, a three-lane road whose center passing lane was so dangerous it earned the name "blood alley", the site of more fatalities per mile than any other stretch of road in the state." The I-5 freeway was completed in 1960 and was the last major section of US-101 to be signed on a new alignment south of Los Angeles.





(6) Desperado n.: A person who borrows or gambles larger sums than he will be able to pay; one whose standard of living is sensationally more costly than his income warrants (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(7) Fly-by-night

- n.: One who defrauds his creditors by decamping at night-time. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] anyone dubious, crooked, criminal, esp. of a businessman who takes one's money but fails to provide any or at least adequate recompense



Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You

 



(Early demo version, 1971)



Well, I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Cause falling in love just makes me blue(1)

Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see

I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Well, the room is crowded, there's people everywhere

And I wonder, should I offer you a chair

Well, if you sit down with this old clown, I'll take that frown and break it

Before the evening's gone away, I think that we can make it

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Well, I can see that you are lonesome just like me

And it being late, you'd like some company

Well now, I've had two, I look at you and you look back at me

The guy you're with he's up and split, the chair next to you's free

And I hope that you don't fall in love with me



And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Well, the night does funny things inside a man

These old Tom-cat(2) feelings you don't understand

But I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette

I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Now it's closing time, the music's fading out

Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout

I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found

I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round

And I think that I just fell in love with you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You



(Closing Time studio version, 1973)



Well, I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Cause falling in love just makes me blue(1)

Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see

I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Well, the room is crowded, people everywhere

And I wonder, should I offer you a chair?

Well, if you sit down with this old clown, take that frown and break it

Before the evening's gone away, I think that we can make it

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



Well, the night does funny things inside a man

These old Tom-cat(2) feelings you don't understand

Well, I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette

I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met

And I hope that I don't fall in love with you



I can see that you are lonesome just like me

And it being late, you'd like some company

Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me

The guy you're with he's up and split, the chair next to you's free

And I hope that you don't fall in love with me



Now it's closing time, the music's fading out

Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout

Well, I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found

I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round

And I think that I just fell in love with you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1973

Official release: "Closing Time", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984



Known covers:

Forgotten Dreams. Priscilla Herdman. 1980/ 1993. Flying Fish FF 70230 (CD) FF 90230 (Cassette, re-released in 1993 on CD by Flying Fish)

Merman. Emiliana Torrini. 1996. Japis - ETJÓ 002 (Iceland)

Sinds De Dag. Frank Boeijen. 1999. Columbia 666741.1/ (single B-side "Val Voor Jou")

Scattered, Smothered And Covered. Hootie & The Blowfish, 2000. Atlantic Records

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Verliab di ned")

Swimming. Laurel Brauns. 2001. Self-released

The Disaster at Rays Luau. The Putrid Flowers. 2001. Self-released.

Going Home. Lisa Bassenge Trio. March 5, 2001. Minor Musi (in-akustik)

Meant To Be. Jenna Mammina. September 4, 2001. Mamma Grace Records

I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You. Juliet Turner. November, 2001. East West Records (Ireland). Promo CD-single, same version as on "Burn The Black Suit"

Burn the Black Suit. Juliet Turner. November, 2001. East West Records (Ireland)

Für Herzen Keine Haftung. Dirty Fingers. 2002. Magic Sound

Real Thing, Rodney Hayden. January 22, 2002. Rosetta Records

Irish Charmer. Joe Giltrap. November, 2002. Newsound 2000

Campfire Songs. Natalie Merchant & 10,000 Maniacs. January 27, 2004. Elektra/ WEA

The Prince & Me - Soundtrack. Various artists. March, 2004. Hollywood Records (performed by Marc Cohn)

Oh My Love. Sophia. April, 2004. Labels UK/ City Slang

Carnival Girls. David Roe and The Rubes. 2005. Self-released

East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker

Clone Version 0.1. Various Artists. October, 2005. Familiar/ PMP Belgium (performed by Wim de Ridder) 

Ghost In Me. Sam Lapides. May, 2006. PMF Records

Road To Lisdoonvarna. Whistling To The Bird. January 17, 2007. Self-released

Aus Sun und aus Regn. Willi Resetarits & StubnBlues. April 21, 2007. Sattele Records (Austria)

On Your Sleeve. Jesse Malin. April 7, 2008. One Little Indian Records

La La Lost. Arrica Rose. April 10, 2008. Poprock Records



Notes:



(1) Blue:adj. 1. [late 18C-19C] confused, terrified, disappointed. [late 18C+] miserable, depressed (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(2) Tomcat, Tom cat:

- v.i., v.t.: Orig., to dress up in one's best clothes, as a dude or sport, and walk the street, visit public bars, nightclubs, and the like in search of a female; to seek a female, esp. a promiscuous one; esp., to dress in one's best clothes, visit a girl or young woman, and mix boasting and sweet talk in an attempt to persuade her to enter into sexual activity. n. A woman chaser (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- The male cat.(Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd). 

- Also mentioned in "Rosie" (And a lazy old tomcat on a midnight spree And all that you left me was a melody)



I Never Talk To Strangers

 



[Bartender, I'd like a Manhattan please](1)



Stop me if you've heard this one

But I feel as though we've met before

Perhaps I am mistaken

But it's just that I remind you of

Someone you used to care about

Oh, but that was long ago

Now tell me, do you really think I'd fall for that old line

I was not born just yesterday(2)

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Hell, I ain't a bad guy when you get to know me

I just thought there ain't no harm

Hey, yeah, just try minding your own business, bud

Who asked you to annoy me

With your sad, sad repartee

Besides I never talk to strangers anyway



Your life's a dimestore novel

This town is full of guys like you

And you're looking for someone to take the place of her

You must be reading my mail

And you're bitter cause he left you

That's why you're drinkin' in this bar

Well, only suckers fall in love with perfect strangers



It always takes one to know one stranger

Maybe we're just wiser now

Yeah, and been around that block so many times

That we don't notice

That we're all just perfect strangers

As long as we ignore

That we all begin as strangers

Just before we find

We really aren't strangers anymore



[Aw, you don't look like such a chump]

[Aw, hey baby]



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP),� 1977 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986(4)

Official release: "Foreign Affairs", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1977 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Tom Waits: vocals and piano. Bette Midler: vocals(3)

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Broken Blossom. Bette Midler, 1977/ 1995. Atlantic (same cut as on "Foreign Affairs")

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (Met Fremde kein Verdr��ch)

Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003.Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)

Perfect Strangers. Margaret Wakeley. May, 2004. Self-released

Oh Marie! (7" version). Ladyfuzz. July 13, 2006.: WEA

Levenslijn. Various artists. August 29, 2006. Universal Music Belgium (performed by Wendy Van Wanten & Roland)



Notes:



(1) Manhattan

- A cocktail based on Canadian whisky (Canadian whisky, red Vermouth, Angostura).

- Also mentioned in "I'll Take New York", 1986/ 1987: "I'm on the caboose, I'm drinkin' Manhattan"





(2) I was not born just yesterdayphr. [late 19C+] aware, sophisticated, 'on the ball'(Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)



(3) Bette Midler:

- Barney Hoskyns (2009): “Inevitably these veterans of heartbreak overcame their cynicism as they got to the first base of flirtation. "Bette was in the middle of making Broken Blossom," [Bones] Howe recalls. "But she came to the studio and we put two mics at the piano and she went out and sat next to Tom on the piano bench and we probably did six takes before we got it." The song was slightly below Midler's range, forcing her to sing more conversationally. "When you write for a duet," says Bob Alcivar, "you've got to kind of psych out the two singers and decide what the key's going to be. In this case it was Tom's key, so Bette had to kind of fake it and go up and down and change the registers.” Vocal jazz connoisseurs would surely have something to say about Midler as canary, but her turn here as a kind of white Betty Carter worked because of its imperfection. "She drove me crazy for three months," says Howe. "She kept saying, 'I was sharp on that note, I was flat on that one,' I said, 'It doesn't get any better than that, it could be a stage performance."' (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)

Larry Goldstein (1978) : "One of the few people with whom he can work is Bette (as in Midler.) "I met her, now let me see, a couple of years ago at the bottom Line (a nightclub) in New York," he said, "and we got along famously. I admire her a great deal. And you know...I'll kick anybody's ass who knocks her. I wrote a couple of tunes for her." ("Shiver Me Timbers" among them.) The two stayed close friends and then one day Bette dropped by the studio during the recording of Foreign Affairs just to say hello. The topic of duets arose, and she asked Waits to try and write one for them. So Tom went home and went to work and came back the next day with a brand new song, to be recorded that day, I Never Talk To Strangers, which has become the most popular song on the album. When I asked him about the possibility of more collaboration between the two, Waits was intentionally vague and mysterious. "We might work something out," he said. (Source: "Nighthawks at the Chelsea", Modern Hi-Fi and Musics SOUND TRAX: Larry Goldstein. October, 1978)



(4) One From The Heart

- In 1980 this song prompted Francis Ford Coppola to contact Waits on working together on the soundtrack for One From The Heart.

Tom Waits (1981): "When I was in New York back in April of 1980, Francis was there auditioning people he wanted to be involved with the film. Somebody had sent him my records and Francis liked the song "I Never Talk to Strangers," a duet I'd done with Bette Midler [on Waits' Foreign Affairs LP released in '77]. He liked the relationship between the singers, a conversation between a guy and a girl in a bar. That was the impetus for him contacting me and asking me if I was interested in writing music for his film." (Source: "Tom Waits: Hollywood Confidential" BAM magazine (US). Date: Travelers' Cafe/ Echo Park. February 26, 1982)



Jersey Girl

 



(Heartattack And Vine studio version, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la yeah

Sha la la la la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Heartattack And Vine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA Entertainment Inc., 1980 & "Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)





 



Jersey Girl



(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1980)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night, yeah

Don't you know all my dreams come true

When I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la, sha la la la la la la la la

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday that she'll wear my ring



So don't bother me cause I got no time

On my way to see that girl of mine, yeah

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

When you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la, yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la, sha la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la yeah yeah yeah

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la yeah

Don't bother ne cause I ain't got no time

Sha la la la la la la

Oh I'm in love, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981





 



Jersey Girl



(Live version with Bruce Springsteen, 1981)



Got no time for the corner boys(2)

Down in the street makin' all that noise

Don't want no girls on Eighth Avenue

Cause tonight I'm gonna be with you



Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride

Across the river to the Jersey side

Take my baby to the carnival

And I'll take you on all the rides



Down the shore everything's all right

You with your baby on a Saturday night

Don't you know that my dreams come true

when I'm walkin' down the street with you



Sing sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la la



You know she thrills me with all her charms

When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms

My little angel gives me everything

I know someday she's gonna wear my ring



So don't bother me man I got no time

I'm on my way to see that girl of mine

Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world

when you're in love with a Jersey girl



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



And I call your name

I can't sleep at night



Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la



I see you on the street and you look so tired

I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired

When I come by to take you out to eat

I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep(3)



Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on

We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's

Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free

Come on girl, won't you go with me?(3)



Sha la la la la la sha la la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

Sha la la la, I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la

I'm in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la la

Sha la la la la la



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1980

No official release. Live duet with Bruce Springsteen. L.A. Sports Arena. August 24, 1981



Known covers:

Suspicion, Lisa Bade. 1982. Elektra SP 6-4897

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1987. Sony Music/ Legacy Records

Hessel Live Ahoy '91, Hessel. 1991. Self-released

Fat Cats. Johnny Hooper. December, 1992. Self-released CDJRH2

To All My Friends In Far Flung Places. Dave Van Ronk. December, 1994. Gazell

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Pale Saints

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Blue York, Blue York. Various artists. November 20, 1996. Blue Note Records

Live 1975-1985. Bruce Springsteen, 1997. Legacy Records (re-release of 1987 version, 3 box set)

Ugly. Jon Bon Jovi. 1998. Mercury Records (single)

Live From The Mountain Stage Lounge. Various artists. April, 1998. Blue Plate (live version performed by Holly Cole)

Live At The World Cafe (Vol. 7). Moxy Fruvous. April, 1998. The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, WC9807/ PRI (live version)

Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)

Country Lover. Ben Olander. 1998. Leco Music

Don't Ask Me. Brian Fraser. 1999. Black Market Music

Getting There. The Bacon Brothers. August, 1999. Bluxo Records

Santa Baby: Live In Toronto. Holly Cole. January 25, 2000. EMI International

The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records

Tropical Soul. Dennis McCaughey & Tropical Soul. November, 2000. Migration Music

Taivas Sinivalkoinen. Bablo. February 12, 2001. Self- released

10:30 Thursdays. Andy Cowan. May, 2001. Self-released BMM 245.2

Live At The Kammerspiele. Me And Cassity. 2002. Tapete Records

Jersey�s Talkin. Various artists. September, 2002. BluesKid (performed by The Mango Brothers)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Sometimes. Claudia Bettinaglio. September, 2003. CrossCut Records

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Swingin� it. 8 To The Bar. 2004. Self-released (Germany) 

Songman V. Mike Sinatra. 2004. Monophonic

Sometimes... Claudia Bettinaglio. August, 2004. CrossCut Records

The Holly Cole Collection - Vol. 1. Holly Cole. October 12, 2004. Magada International (same version as on Temptation, 1995)

Twenty Fifth Anniversary Collection. Bagatelle. November 29, 2004. Self-released

Crosseyed Cat. Turnip Greens. March 21, 2006. Cope Records (Denmark)

Ameri-mf-cana. Ameri-mf-cana (Sue Burkhart and Ed Vadas). September 1, 2007. Self-released

Absolutely Live. The Bluesbreakers. July 2008. Extraplatte (Austria)

Misfits. The Hot Java Band. August 22, 2008. Cool Vision Records

Father Time. Hal Ketchum. September 9, 2008. Curb Records

Fragile. Joni Keen Jazz. February 5, 2009. Skylark Records

Under Cover #1. Peter Viskinde. March 2, 2009. Poplick Records



Notes:



(1) Jersey Girl:



Tom Waits (1980): "I never thought I would catch myself saying "sha la la" in a song. This is my first experiment with "sha la la." It has one of them kinda Drifters feels. I didn't wanna say "muscular dystrophy" in it or anything, 'cause I didn't think it fit in with the feel of the number. So lyrically I tried to do it straight ahead, a guy walking down the street to see his girl." (Source: "Heartattack and Vine". Us promo pack: Stephen Peeples. September 4, 1980)



(1998): When you wrote "Jersey Girl," [TW "mmm"] did you have Bruce Springsteen in the back of your mind? I know you've been asked this. [TW] No, well I wrote it for my wife, she's from Jersey, well she's originally from Illinois, she moved to New Jersey, and she grew up there, Morristown, New Jersey, and so I wrote it for her when we met, and eh, so.. eh. [DJ] Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? [TW] Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... [DJ] It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. [TW] Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... [DJ] I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. [TW] No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York ". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Waits had invited Jerry Yester to arrange and conduct "Jersey Girl" and "Ruby's Arms," and he later remarked that Yester's arrangement for the latter just blew him away - he loved the fact that the brass choir sounded so much like a Salvation Army band." It would be the last time Yester and Waits ever worked together. "Right after Heartattack and Vine - or like a year after - I moved to Hawaii," Yester recalls. "And he moved up North. And I haven't seen him since. I've talked to him on the phone, but I haven't seen him since then - except in the movies . . ." (Source: Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits. Jay S. Jacobs, 2000)



(2) Cornerboy

- n. [late 19C+] (orig. US) an idler who whiles away the time hanging around on street corners (corner cove, corner cowboy, corner man, drugstore cowboy, lounge lizzard, saloon-bar cowboy) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).

- Also mentioned in "Annie's back In Town": "And all the corner boys are trouble-makers."



(3) The best known cover is of course that made by Bruce Springsteen. He first performed the song at Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, July 2, 1981. There is a bootleg (audience) tape available from that show. He performed it again a week later, on July 9, 1981, and this time he recorded it himself and released it as B-side of the 7" single 'Cover Me' in 1981. It's also available in the box-set 'Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985' released in 1986. ...Bruce added a verse of his own: "I see you on the street and you look so tired I know that job you've got leaves you so uninspired When I come by to take you out to eat I find you dressed upon the bed and baby, fast asleep Go in the bathroom, put that make-up on We're gonna take that little brat of yours, and drop her off at your mom's Oh, I know a place where the dancin's free Come on girl, won't you go with me?" There is also a version with Tom and Bruce doing the song together. It was recorded at a Springsteen concert at LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles, August 24, 1981'. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. March, 2000)



Michael Tearson (1985): "I have to ask you about the Springsteen cover of "Jersey Girls". How did you first hear that and how did you first react when you heard it?" Tom Waits: "I don't know when I first heard that. Oh I got a tape... yeah. I heard it on the eh... I don't know, I guess I heard it on the radio. Yeah, I heard it on the radio. I said: "Yeah, that's a pretty good song there." (laughs) Yeah, I did what I could to help him out. As far as I'm concerned he's on his own now. Eh, I've done what I can for his career and eh... y'know? Well, I liked it, I really liked it. And I heard it a lot, it was on some jukeboxes and that's kinda nice too, y'know? Yeah, it was a good feeling. And I liked the way he did it. Yeah, I liked it a lot. Yeah, he's a real nice guy." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)



(1998): Were you flattered by Bruce Springsteen doing it? Tom Waits: Yeah! I like it, I like that version. I got up on stage and sang it with him one night in Los Angeles in front of about ten million people, and it scared the hell outa me. Um, Yeah I do like it. With the little glockenspiel in there, an a... DJ: It's seems somehow very natural for him to do it, seemed like it sort of fit into his style well. TW: Well, I've done all I can to help him, you know. He's been in such a jam, financially so uh, y'know... DJ: I'm sure he appreciated that a lot.. TW: No, iss.... I really liked that version. (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York". Interview on WNEW FM. October, 1998)



Martha

 



Operator, number please, it's been so many years

Will she remember my old voice while I fight the tears

Hello, hello there, is this Martha, this is old Tom Frost

And I am calling long distance, don't worry 'bout the cost

Cause it's been forty years or more, now Martha please recall

Meet me out for coffee, where we'll talk about it all



And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose

And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me

There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows

And we saved them for a rainy day



And I feel so much older now, and you're much older too

How's your husband, and how's your kids, you know that I got married too

Lucky that you found someone to make you feel secure

Cause we were all so young and foolish, now we are mature



And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose

And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me

There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows

And we saved them for a rainy day



And I was always so impulsive, I guess that I still am

And all that really mattered then was that I was a man

I guess that our being together was never meant to be

And Martha, Martha, I love you, can't you see



And those were the days of roses, of poetry and prose

And Martha all I had was you and all you had was me

There was no tomorrows, we packed away our sorrows

And we saved them for a rainy day



And I remember quiet evenings, trembling close to you



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973

Official release: Closing Time, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Sefronia. Tim Buckley, 1973. Third Story/ Fifth Floor. DiscReet MS-2157(first cover of a Waits song ever, mid 1973 - re-released on "Step Right Up", 1995)

Poet, Fool, Bum. Lee Hazlewood, 1973. Capitol ST-11177 UK- Stateside (EMI) SSL-10315

Do You Do. Freddie White. 1981. Mulligan Records (re-released on "Lost And Found", 2002)

Street Of Dreams. Nancy Harrow. April, 1988. Gazell Records (re-released November, 1995)

Vanity. Jan Vayne. 1994. EMI (The Netherlands)

Welcome To The Neighbourhood. Meat Loaf. November, 1995. Mca Special Products

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Tim Buckley (same version as on "Sefronia", 1973)

La Femme En Rouge. Loes Snijders. 1999. Comoedia Mundi

Everybody Has A Dream. Mitchell Howard. 2000. Cling Peaches Music

Willis Moore. So Far. March 22, 2000. Self-released

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Piano Face. John Autin. 2002. Rabadash Records

Lost And Found. Freddie White. 2002. Little Don Records (same version as on "Do You Do", 1981)

Unplugged. Anne B�renz & Frank Wolff. 2003. B�chergilde (Germany)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

One For The Ages. Andy Cooney. March 2, 2004. Rego Irish

Bye-Bye. Anne B�renz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)

Timbre. Yukiko Hayashi. May 24, 2007. EWE Records (Japan)

A Thousand Nights. Melanie Doane. July 1, 2008. Prairie Ocean Recordings 

Covers. Manu Codjia. November 17, 2010. BeeJazz (France)



Notes:



Timothy White (1979): "As Bette and I order dinner, I think aloud about her appearance last May on Saturday Night Live. Poured into a sleek white dress covered with jagged black spots, she had treated the studio audience to a disco-driven rendition of "Married Men," the single from her latest LP, Thighs and Whispers. She resembled some manic she-devil -- half woman, half jungle cat -- as she slithered and snarled to the torrid dance tempo. Ruffling her unruly blond tresses, Midler carried on with vintage vigor, supported by a phalanx of backup singers whose garish costumes (satin wedding gowns, black tails) and cocky grins were of a piece with the Divine Miss M's trademarks of hot flash and sassy trash. But when she stepped from the shadows for her second song, her racy attire had been replaced by a simple black smock and tights, and there was a vulnerability in her humble demeanor. She stated she wanted to do a song written by her friend Tom Waits, and in a strained, doleful voice she began to sing "Martha."

Operator, number please, it's been so many years / Will she remember my old voice while I fight the tear's

Although rather bleak, the ballad is not terribly different from many of her more somber torch songs. But there was an underlying grittiness to her tone that had less to do with performing than with simple grief.

I feel so much older row, you're much older too / How's your husband, how's the kids, you know I got married too / Lucky that you found someone to make you feel secure / We were all so young and foolish, now we are mature

Creeping into the second chorus, her voice faltered, and the camera caught a tiny sparkle in her eye, a glimmering pinpoint that grew steadily into a tear.

I was always so impulsive, guess that I still am . . . / I guess that our being together was never meant to be

As the plaintive music subsided, Bette clutched the microphone, mascara running down her cheek. The dark eyes glazed over and her face fell into a pained expression so distant that I wondered if she remembered where she was. It was an altogether curious vignette, profoundly moving yet equally perplexing.

"That song calls up a lot of deep things for me," Bette sadly admits as she picks at her Caesar salad. "That night on the show, I was thinking about my mom. I lost my mother this year; she had leukemia for a long time, cancer of the liver -- and of the breast, incidentally, when I was a kid. She suffered most of her life. "She just thought I was it," Midler says, brightening for an instant.
" (Source: Rolling Stone: December 13, 1979: "The Rose: Bette Midler Conquers Hollywood, Bette Midler Outgrows Her Hollywood Dreams in 'The Rose'" Timothy White)




 




Ol' '55

 



(Early demo version, 1971)



Time went so quickly

I went lickety-splickly(2), out to my old '55

Pulled away slowly, feeling so holy

God knows, I was feeling alive



And now the sun's coming up

I'm riding with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginning to fade

and I lead the parade

Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer

Oh, Lord, that feeling's getting stronger



Now it's six in the morning

gave me no warning

I had to be on my way

Lights passing and trucks are flashing

I'm on my way home from your place



And now the sun's coming up

I'm riding with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Warner Chappell Music Ltd., 1971-1992 & Bizarre/ Straight Records, 1992

Official release: "The Early Years 2". Issued under licence from Bizarre/ Straight Records by Edsel Records, 1992

Recorded July - December 1971, Los Angeles, CA

(Not authorized by Tom Waits)





 



Ol' '55



(Closing Time studio version, 1973)



(one, two, three, four)



Well, my time went so quickly

I went lickety-splitly(2) out to my ol' fifty-five

As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy

God knows I was feelin' alive



Now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginnin' to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer

Oh Lord, let me tell you that the feeling gettin' stronger



And it's six in the mornin'

Gave me no warnin', I had to be on my way

Well, there's trucks all a-passin' me, and the lights all a-flashin'

I'm on my way home from your place



And now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Stars beginnin' to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer

Oh Lord, let me tell you the feeling gettin' stronger



And my time went so quickly

I went lickety-splitly out to my ol' fifty-five

As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy

God knows I was feelin' alive



And now the sun's comin' up, I'm ridin' with Lady Luck

Freeway cars and trucks

Freeway cars and trucks

Freeway cars and trucks



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), �1973

Official release: "Closing Time", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1973 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

On The Border. The Eagles, 1974. Elektra/ Asylum LP 1004 (re-released by Elektra Entertainment in 1990)

Some Day You Eat The Bear... Some Day The Bear Eats You. Ian Matthews, 1974. Elektra

Be True To You. Eric Andersen, 1975. Arista Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, 1974. Arista AL 4033 (re-released in 1997)

Connections. Richie Havens, 1980. Elektra/ Asylum 6E-242

The Soul Of Many Places. Iain Matthews. May, 1993. WEA/ Elektra

Cover Girl. Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony 477240 2

Cover Girl - Extra!. Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony promo only 3-track CD

Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)

Boys On The Side: Original Soundtrack. Various artists. January 31, 1995. Arista

Freedom Sessions. Sarah McLachlan. March, 1995. MMB/ Arista

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Dave Alvin

Collection. Eric Andersen. September, 1997. Archive Records (same version as on: "Be True To You", 1975)

Fumbling Towards Estacy/ Freed. Sarah McLachlan. February, 1998. Classis Records

In de Orangerie. Acda & De Munnik. September 27, 1998. SMART 491 678 2 (Holland) Bonus CD with "Op Voorraad" (in Dutch: "Ol' '55")

Master Poets. Bernardo Lanzetti. 1999. Azzurra Music

Afternoon Delight. Steve Stefanowicz. 1999. Self-released

Extra Cocoon (All Access). K's Choice. January, 1999. DTM (Belgium)

Ol' "55. Acda & De Munnik. October 18, 1999. SMART 66831-1 Holland (CD single in Dutch: "Ol' '55")

Everybody Has A Dream. Mitchell Howard. 2000. Cling Peaches Music

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Die Sunn geht boid auf")

Living In My Heart. Randa McNamara. July 24, 2001. Cornerstone

Ballads. Breit'N'Wark. March 13, 2002. Self-released

A Sigh, A Song. Lisa Bassenge Trio. August 19, 2002. Minor Music Records (Germany)

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

Bootleg 6. The Floating Men, 2003. Shade (live version)

Live at the City Lights Saloon. Pat Guadagno. 2004. Campbell Music

At This Moment. Karen Dunbar. June, 2004. Neon Records (Neon CD006, Scotland)

Something To Me. JJ Schultz band. 2005. Last Stop Records

Deep Forbidden Lake. Jazz Mandolin Project. May 3, 2005. Doyle Kos Dk.E.

Another Round. Dakota. September 17, 2005. Self-released

Dans Ton Lit. Simon Gerber. May 23, 2006. Langusta (Switserland)

The Scratch On My Vinyl Soul. Betsy Spivak. June 6, 2006. Self-released

PS: Döner. Various artists (performed by The Highway Angels). June 22, 2007. Döner Diskothek (Germany)

Rock & Poems. Massimo Priviero. November 1, 2007. Universal

American Garage. Don Campbell. November 8, 2007. Playbutton Records

From The Fountain. Queen Bees. January 5, 2009. Odeon/ Caroline (Norway)

Big Shoes. David Munyon. March 27, 2009. Stockfisch

From Dusk Till Dawn. Sass Jordan. September 1, 2009. Songs Of The South Records

Songs. Paul Harrington. February 26, 2010. Stereoplex Records



<object height="385" width="480"></object> 

Waits performing "Ol' '55". With: Larry Taylor (upright bass) and Smokey Hormel (guitar, banjo and percussion). Taken from VH-1 Storytellers concert documentary at Burbank Airport, Los Angeles.



Notes:



(1) Live intro from Passims, Cambridge, November 10, 1974"This a about a '55 Buick Roadmaster. I don't know if there's any real bona fide Buick owners out there tonight. But my goodness, that's an automobile that I swear by. It's a car that's seriously as slick as deer guts on the door knob. Climb aboard one of those suckers, make you feel like a new man. And eh... I always had these cars that I bought for like a hundred and twenty-five dollars. You sink 'bout thirty-five hundred into them, and you sell 'em for twelfe fifty or so. [A lot of noise adjusting the microphone] Rattle like a damned sewing machine... And eh... I stuck to the Buick line for several years. I had two Specials, one was a kind of... now how can I put this? It was kind of monkey brown and eh... monkey feces brown, you see what I mean. Two-tone. It was a lot of chrome, kinda looked like a Wurlitzer jukebox. And I had two of those Specials, the other was kinda vomit yellow, it [?]. And I had a couple of Centuries, finally I had a Super. And then I finally picked up on this Roadmaster, and lucky to get it! So this is called 'My Ol' '55'." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)





Live intro from Westchester, PA, 1976"Here's a real old song for you. Actually, it's about the very first car I ever stole. You know... I don't know, I still remain somehow a victim of circumcision, in the sense that I have a tendency to be cursed with terminal car trouble. And I don't expect it to let up at all. I never paid more than a hundred and twenty-five dollars for a car. And I ain't about to change now. But I would like to have maybe a 1976 Chevrolet station wagon, and sand it down and primer the thing. [member of the audience shouts something] You saw me in a station wagon? (Yeah) Where did you see me in a station wagon? (something) In Philly? Yeah, I was in a station wagon once. (something) Oh, you mean it was there at the intersection? (Yeah, I was something, something out the window) You were the one, yeah! I'd like to have a big round of applause for my brother-in-law right there. Phil's been out of prison now for a couple of years, but... (No, they ain't caught me yet!) Yeah, I know, that child molesting charge really got you, didn't it? I mean after a second offense and everything, it's kinda hard to say, but... (No, lucky first time!) (or something) Eh... Well, this is eh..." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Live intro from Storyteller show, recorded April 1, 1999 in Los Angeles"This is a song about an automobile. I had a '55 Buick Roadmaster when I was a kid. Actually, this really eh... was inspired by an old friend of mine named Larry Beezer, who... I was staying at the Tropicana Hotel, and I got a knock on the door very late and... Was that a clap for the Tropicana? Excellent! I don't think I got any new towels for the whole like nine years I was there. But I never asked, I didn't wanna upset anybody. This is about eh... What was it about again? It was about eh... It was about the car! All right, Beezer came over at about 2 a.m. He said, 'I'm on a date, and she's only seventeen, and I gotta get her back to Pasadena. And all I got left on the car is reverse.' I said, 'How can I help?' He said, 'I need gas money', and so he sold me a couple of jokes. He said, 'You can have these jokes, and you don't even have to tell folks that they're mine, cause you paid for 'em for chrissake!' And I said, 'That sounds like a good deal to me.' Anyway, he rode home, in reverse, on the Pasadena freeway. In the slow lane. I think they should give awards for that kind of thing! But anyway, it was a '55 eh... what was it? Was it a '55 Caddy?" (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)



Tom Wairs (1975) on The Eagles' cover of Ol' '55: "I was in a bar one night and I ran into one of those guys and they said that they'd heard the record and they might want to do it on one of their records and then I was on the road for 3 months and I never heard anything about it and then it showed up on that album. I frankly was not that particularly crazy about their rendition of it. The song is about 5 years old, it's one of the first songs I wrote so I felt like it was kind of flattering that somebody wanted to do your song but at the same time I thought their version was a little antiseptic and then it got picked up by Ian Matthews and Eric Andersen - and I don't know, frankly I guess I'm a little more fond of my own version of it than I am theirs." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)



Tom Waits (1976) on The Eagles' cover of Ol' '55: "Naw - I don't like the Eagles. They're about as exciting as watching paint dry. Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that's about all." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism". New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



Louie Lista (2007) on The Eagles' cover of Ol’ ’55: "It put Tom on an entirely different level economically. The younger we were back then, the more likely we were to say, Oh, that guy sold out.' But in reality that kind of prosperity makes certain things possible.'Ol "55' gave Tom a certain prosperity and power that I think he used wisely." (Source: Louie Lista interview March 12, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Barney Hoskyns (2009) on The Eagles’ cover of Ol’ ‘55: “So delighted was David Geffen that Asylum’s brightest hopes had given Waits a leg-up that he called Bones Howe to propose the band record a new version of "Ol' '55" with Waits singing. "David said to me, 'Put this all together and get these guys in the studio,"' Howe remembers. "One by one the Eagles became unavailable, so I assembled a group of the current hot studio players and we went in to Heider's to cut this one side live. We were there most of the night and never got a really good perfor¬mance. I made a rough mix for David and took it to his office the next day. He agreed that we should forget it, and the tapes went into the Asylum vaults.' Given Waits' antipathy to everything the Eagles stood for, the only surprising thing is that he agreed to the idea in the first place. "In that group of people, Tom was the sort of turncoat,' says Howe. "Even in a group that had its back turned to the com¬mercial record business, he turned his back on them. In a lot of ways it was his way of becoming an individual away from individuals." (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Barney Hoskyns (2009) on Waits’s antipathy to the Eagles cover of Ol’ ’55: “The band's hackles quickly rose. I still remember Tom saying listening to the Eagles was like watching paint dry," says Jack Tempchin, whose song "Already Gone" was On the Border's euphoric opening track. "They read that and went, 'Well, okay, we ain't gonna record any more of his songs!"' Waits went even further in 1977, laying into the Eagles' peers and savaging lyrics by America and David Crosby. Not even Neil Young was spared. '(He's] another one who is embarrassing for displaying a third-grade mentality," Waits told ZigZag. "'Old man take a look at my life... 'That's real good." When, years later, I asked Waits about his comments, he seemed sincerely mortified. "I was a young kid , " he sighed. I was just corking off and being a prick. It was saying 'Notice me,'followed by 'Leave me the fuck alone,' sometimes in the same sentence." He added that he'd long since patched things up with Don Henley. But while one salutes the maturity of his regret, the young "prick" also deserves kudos for not playing along with the happy family conspiracy fostered by Asylum (which, let's not forget, briefly had even Waits’ beloved Bob Dylan on its roster). As much as it served his career well in the long run, Waits' lack of diplomacy about his musical dislikes was endearing” (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



Glenn Frey (1999) introducing Ol' '55 at The Eagles Millenium show on New Year's Eve, 1999: "Tom didn't really like our version of 'Ol' '55' when it first came out. Then he got the check. And since then, Tom and I, we're really close"



(2) Lickety-split adv.: Lickety splickly. Fast; at great speed (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)



San Diego Serenade

 



I never saw the mornin' 'til I stayed up all night

I never saw the sunshine 'til you turned out the light

I never saw my hometown until I stayed away too long

I never heard the melody until I needed the song



I never saw the white line 'til I was leavin' you behind

I never knew I needed you until I was caught up in a bind now

I never spoke "I love you" 'til I cursed you in vain

I never felt my heart strings until I nearly went insane



I never saw the east coast until I moved to the west

I never saw the moonlight until it shone off of your breast

I never saw your heart until someone tried to steal, tried to steal it away

I never saw your tears until they rolled down your face



I never saw the mornin' 'til I stayed up all night

I never saw the sunshine 'til you turned out your love light, baby

I never saw my hometown 'til I stayed away too long

I never heard the melody until I needed the song



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974(1)

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Something New. Barbie Benton, 1976. Playboy Records, PB-411

Staying Power/ San Diego Serenade. Barbie Benton, 1976. Trio/ Playboy Records, PB-203 (7" single w. tracks from "Something New", 1976)

Sweet Surprise. Eric Andersen. 1976. Arista Records

Right Side Up. Ralph McTell. 1976. Warner Bros K56296 (re-released in 1982 and 2001)

It Makes Me Feel Good. Cilla Black. March 1976. EMI Records

Lost And Found. Keith Carradine. 1978. Asylum 6E114 (re-released in 2004: "I'm Easy/ Lost & Found")

Get It Out In The Open. Freddy Henry. 1979. Cloud Records (Clouds 8809)

Take Heart. Juice Newton. 1979. Capitol ST-12000

Weather The Storm. Ralph McTell. 1982. Mays TG002 (LP - Reissue of Right Side Up. 1976)

Out Of The Dark. Claudia Schmidt. January, 1985. Flying Fish Records (re-released in 1993)

Love Comes To The Simple Heart. Dean Stevens. 1985. Vulcano Records

Yo Frankie. Dion (DiMucci). January, 1989. Bmg Special Prod.

Late Night Grande Hotel, Nanci Griffith, 1991. MCA Records, MCAD-10306

I Got Thunder. Baby Jane Dexter. January, 1993. Elba Records (re-released in 1998)

Blues Britannia. Various artists. 1993. Bridge Recording, various re-releases until 2004 (performed by Cliff Aungier)

Covers. Thomas Lang. 1994. Portazul Nippon Columbia

Horizon. Big Sky (Steve Louw). 1995. Polygram BPCD 1 (South-Africa)

Versions. Thomas Lang. 1996. Telegraph Records

Editions. Thomas Lang. 1997. Portazul Nippon Columbia

The Full Spectrum Of Sound. Sch�tze & St�ckle. 1997. Self-released (Germany)

In The Middle Of A Life. George Grove. June 1998. Folk Era Records

Bare Bones. David Gogo. January 2000. Ragged Pup Records

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Heimatserenade")

Good Vibrations. Kate Dimbleby. October 10, 2000. Black Box Jazz

Old Friends. Marcus Dagan. November 1, 2000. Self-released

Right Side Up. Ralph McTell. November 2001. Leola TPGCD19 (CD version of the 1976 album)

This Is Me. Lynne Rothrock. November 29, 2002. Self-released

Homegrown. Nussbaumer/ Weber/ Kreil. 2003. Self-released

In An Otherwise Ordinary World. Eli Emily. 2003. NoVo Records

Long Way Down. Jason Myles Goss. May, 2003. Self-released

It's Not The Moon. Sara Leib. June, 2003. Panfer Records

Chamber Music. Norma Winstone and Klaus Gesing. 2004. Universal/ Emarcy

I'm Easy/ Lost And Found. Keith Carradine. April 6. 2004. Collector's Choice (originally released by Asylum in 1978 on "Lost and Found")

Slide It On Over. Les Wilson and The Mighty Housrockers. October, 2004. Self-released

Music For Torching. Reflectiostack. October, 2005. Self-released

And Then I Did. Jodie Borl�. November 2005. Self-released (Canada)

Run All Night. Rachael Cantu. February 7, 2006. Self-released

This Time. Michael Stern. August 2, 2006. Self-released

The Perfect Face. Arthur Dodge. March 20, 2007. Remedy Records

Real Emotional. Curtis Stigers. March 26, 2007. Universal

In Order. John Spendelow. November 18, 2007. Self-released



Notes:



(1) San Diego Serenade:

- Tom Waits (1973): "Writing on the piano is different than writing on guitar, you get different feels, in fact a lot of times you you write a tune with some other artist in mind which is, in fact, I got one of those right here, I kind of had Ray Charles in mind, it's called: San Diego Serenade." Interviewer - You wrote that with Ray Charles in mind? TW: " Yeah, I kind of thought he'd like to do it, I don't know. I don't know him, I don't talk to him." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Date: Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)

Tom Waits (1977): "That song was about a girl I knew once," Waits said about "San Diego Serenade," one of his few compositions that displays any sort of personal reflection. "I was crazy about her," he said. "So was her husband. But that went the way of all flesh." (Source: "Waits: 'A Rumor In My Spare Time'" The Dallas Morning News (USA). November 13, 1977 by Pete Oppel)



Somewhere

 



There's a place for us

Somewhere a place for us

Peace and quiet, and open air

Wait for us, somewhere



There's a time for us

Someday a time for us

Time together, a time to spare

Time to learn, and time to care



Someday, somewhere

We'll find a new way of living

We'll find a way of forgiving

Somewhere



There's a place for us

A time and a place for us

Hold my hand and we're halfway there

Hold my hand and I'll take you there



Somehow, someday, somewhere



Words by: Stephen Sondheim. Music by: Leonard Bernstein, � 1957

Originally performed by Reri Grist in the musical 'West Side Story', 1957

Recorded in 1966 by Len Barry

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1978 & Chapell Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "Blue Valentine", Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986(1)





 



Known covers:

N.A



Notes:



(1) Somewhere. Bob Alcivar (2007): "Tom said, 'I've always wanted to do that song'. I said, 'How are we getting to do it?' He said: 'Why don't you pretend I'm Frank Sinatra and write what Nelson Riddle would write? ' And it was perfect." (Source: Bob Alcivar interview March 14, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



The Heart Of Saturday Night

(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night



(The Heart Of Saturday Night studio version, 1974)



Well, you gassed her up, behind the wheel

With your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile

Barrelin' down the boulevard

You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night



And you got paid on Friday, your pockets are jinglin'

Then you see the lights and you get all tinglin'

Cause you're cruisin' with a six(2)

You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night



Then you comb your hair, you shave your face

Tryin' to wipe out every trace

Of all the other days in the week

You know that this'll be the Saturday you're reachin' your peak



Stoppin' on the red, you're goin' on the green

Cause tonight'll be like nothin' you've ever seen

And you're barrelin' down the boulevard

You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night



Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin'

Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin

Is it the barmaid that's smilin' from the corner of her eye

Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye



Makes it kind of quiver down in the core

Cause you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before

And now you're stumblin'

You're stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night



You gassed her up and you're behind the wheel

With your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile

Barrelin' down the boulevard

You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night



Is it the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin'

Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin

And the barmaid is smilin' from the corner of her eye

Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye



Makes it kind of special down in the core

And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before

It's found you stumblin'

Stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night



And you're stumblin'

Stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night



Written by: Tom Waits(1)

Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), � 1974 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1986

Official release: "The Heart Of Saturday Night", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1974 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986





 



Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night



(Kansas City live version. October 8, 1979)



Well thankya... . I used to work in an Italian restaurant in a small place called National City. And it was right across the street from the Golden Barrel. It was right next to a place called the Westerner. There was a place called Ybu Ima Eddie's tattoo-parlour. Burge Robert's Mortuary... And I had this 1958 Buick Super at the time and eh.. it kinda made everything a little easier to handle... And on Saturday nights, well I was going with a girl called Margaret Tarrentino. Her father owned this big restaurant and eh... I asked her to the prom... it was the biggest mistake in my life... (laughter). Huh, huh, huh... Her parents couldn't stand me, they said I'd never amount to nothing. So this one's for you Margaret! (huge roar)



Well, you gassed her up, you're behind the wheel

with your arm around your sweet one, Oldsmobile.

You're Barrelin' down the boulevard,

lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.



You got paid on Friday, your pockets are jinglin',

then you see the lights and you get all tinglin'.

You're cruisin' with a six,(2)

lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.



And you're combing your hair, oh you're shaving your face.

Tryin' to wipe out every trace. All the other days in the week,

this would be the Saturday reachin' your peak.

Stoppin' on the red, goin' on the green.

Oh and tonight'll be like nothin' you ever seen.

You're barrelin' down the boulevard

lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.



Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs or the neon buzzin'.

Telephone's ringin', it's your second cousin.

The barmaid she's smilin' from the corner of her eye.

Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.



It makes it kind of special, down in the core.

And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before.

And they found you stumblin',

stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.



And you gassed her up, you're behind the wheel

with your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile.

Barrelin' down the boulevard,

lookin' for the heart of Saturday night.



Tell me, is it the crack of the poolballs or the neon buzzin'.

Or the Telephone ringin', it's your second cousin.

Well the barmaid is smilin' from the corner of her eye.

Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.



Makes it kind of special down in the core.

And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before

they found you stumblin' oh you're stumblin'

on the heart of Saturday night.



Stumblin', stumblin'. Stumblin' on the heart,

oh now you're stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.

Stumblin' on the heart, stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night... .



And there's some cat walking down the street, and he's singing "Since I Fell For You". Ohhh and I'm huddled in front of this liquor store, I'm pumping dimes into the phone. Ohhh and they're lonely on Sunset and Vine. Ohhh and they're lonely on 32nd and Downing. Lonely on Broadway tonight. Oh, and they're lonely on 5th and Main. They're lonely on Harlem 125th Street, Lennox Avenue, and they're lonely on 23rd street and 8th Avenue. And they're lonely on 12th Street and Vine (applause)(3) They're lonely on Gordon, they're lonely on Bandit(?). And they're lonely on Bourbon Street tonight baby. Oh, they're lonely on Canal Street...



So put your arm around the one you love. You gotta hold her tight, on this lonely, lonely Saturday night. They're lonely on Hollywood Boulevard baby. Someone's all alone and blue. All they need is you, on this lonely Saturday night. They wanna be stumblin' baby, they wanna be stumblin' on the heart, on the heart of Saturday night. Stumblin' on the heart... stumblin' on the heart of Saturday night.



All you need is a full tank of gas... to be with the one that you love... A lot of times you think you can make it all by yourself... They're lonely on Sunset and Boulevard tonight and they're stumblin'... stumblin' on the heart, on the heart of Saturday night...



Known covers:

It's A Good Night For Singin'. Jerry Jeff Walker, 1976. MCA - MCA2022

The Return Of The Wanderer, Dion DiMucci. 1979/ 1996. Lifesong (1979)/ Ace (Return Of The Wanderer & Fire In The Night 1996)

Fjorton Sånger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hjärtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Lördagshjärtat")

Long Term Lovers Of Pain. Hue And Cry. 1991. Circa YRCD71

Paper Doll. The Picketts. October, 1992. Popllama Records

Is My Love Enough. Chris Daniels & The Kings. September, 1993. Flying Fish Records

Cover Girl, Shawn Colvin. 1994. Columbia/ Sony 477240 2 (live version)

Street Corner Singers. Reunion. June, 1994. Collectables Records (Doo-Wop/ a-cappella version)

You Must Ask The Heart. Jonathan Richman. April, 1995. Rounder Records

Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Jonathan Richman

Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)

Stained Glass. Steve Gibbons. 1996. Incog Records IncogCD001 (UK, 1996), Havic Records HirCD7003 (USA, 1997)

Bloodied But Unbowed. Desperado. 1996. Destroyer

You. John Joseph Nolis. 1998. Nolis Internationale Records

Poultry Motion. Amazing Rhythm Chickens. 1998. Big Medicine Records (June 16, 2004)

Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)

Joe's Pub. Rickie Lee Jones. 1999. Great Big Island

Heart Of Saturday Night. Showvinistics. May 18, 1999. Forevermore Records (a cappella)

Limbo: Motion Picture Soundtrack. Various artists. June 1, 1999. Sony (performed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)

This Time From The Heart. Marie Mazziotti. May 2, 2000. The Orchard

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German: "Samstag Nacht")

Mosquitoville (revisited). Frenchy Burrito. 2002. Self-released

Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman. Jonathan Richman. February, 2002. Rounder Records

Traveler. Steve Hass. October, 2003. The Orchard

Using That Thing. Reet Petite & Gone. August, 2002. Terra Nova/ UK

Double Back. Lannie Garrett. 2003. Self-released

Careless Love. 2 Blue Shoes. 2004. Self-released (re-release in 2006)

Greatest Hits Live at the Bottom Line. Lou Christie. August 3, 2004. Varese Records

Bittersweet And Blue. Gwyneth Herbert. September, 2004. Ucj

On The Road - Chicago, IL - October 30, 2004. String Cheese Incident. 2005. Self-released OTR11.103004

Kindred Spirits. Billy Davidson and Steve Webb. 2005. Self-released

We Get A Kick Out Of Jazz. Various artists. January, 2005. Verve Records (performed by Diana Krall)

The Wanderlust Diaries. Mary Karlzen. June 5, 2006 (re-released on March 20, 2007). Dualtone

Half The Perfect World. Madeleine Peyroux. September 3, 2006. Universal Music

Way Past Ready. Tim Pritchett. February 28, 2007. Self-released

Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)

The Very Best Of Diana Krall. Diana Krall. September 18, 2007. Verve Records

5 am. Steve Crawford and Spider Mackenzie. March 22, 2008. Self-released

Don't Let Go. Jack Williams. April 30, 2008. Wind River

Nobody Wins. Gemma Vicens Band. May 20, 2008. Temps Records

Live At the Anchorage 2.0. Niagara Rhythm Section. October 30, 2008. Shed Records

Saturday Freedom. Bruce Stephens. November 19, 2008. Rear Window Music 

My Name Is Hope Webster. Karen Lano. October 1, 2009. BeeJazz (France)

Love You Forever. Catherine Reed. January 30, 2010. Winterwood Records

Ride The Times. Iain Matthews & Ad van der Veen. May 14, 2010. Turtle Records

Trio. Rita Bolton. October 15, 2010. Self-released



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "The Heart Of Saturday Night". Taken from Soundstage Show #208 (1975).

PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/ USA.

Aired December 22, 1975, recorded November 3, 1975 or earlier.



Notes:



(1) The Heart Of Saturday Night

- Tom Waits (introducing The Heart Of Saturday Night, 1973): "It's a new song, I'm anxious to play it, it's kind of about driving down Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday night, Bob Webb and I were kicking this around one afternoon, Saturday afternoon it was, the idea of looking for the heart of Saturday night, hadn't really worked on any tune about it yet, we're both real Jack Kerouac fans and this is kind of a tribute to Kerouacians I guess." (Source: Folkscene 1973, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7). Los Angeles/ USA. August 12, 1973)

Barney Hoskyns (2009) quoting from a letter to girlfriend Bobi Thomas: “In one letter Waits mentioned the possibility of upcoming studio dates for his second album. Determined to be truer to his vision of himself as a jazz centric Beat poet, he was busy writing songs that depicted the American street life he'd absorbed from Kerouac and others. Pride of place went to "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night," a wistful slice of streetwise optimism born one Saturday afternoon as Waits and Bob Webb drove along Alvarado Street and then cruised Hollywood Boulevard in search of kicks and inspiration. The idea of "looking for the heart of Saturday night" came directly from Visions of Cody, in which Kerouac's eponymous hero was "hurrying for the big traffic, - ever more exciting, all of it pouring into town - Saturday night.' Waits claimed he'd written the song in five minutes. "We struck on Kerouac's concept of wanting to be at 'the cen¬ter of Saturday night in America,"' Bob Webb recalls. "We got caught up in that literary notion and decided that each of us would create something around the theme. I drove home and stayed up all night writing a short play about some denizens of a backstreet poolroom. Some time after I left, Tom picked up a guitar and wrote the lyrics and music for ‘Heart of Saturday Night.’ He had it the next day” (Source: “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



(2) Cause you're cruisin' with a six: this would probably refer to having a six-pack of beers while driving, in a time drink-and-drive wasn't regarded to be such a crime yet. Jerry Yester (2007): "He liked to buy a six-pack of Coors and go park somewhere and just talk. He'd talk about whatever was on his mind, and I'd talk about what was on my mind. I really liked that part of the relationship. He was real genuine, absolutely down to the nickel" (Source: Jerry Yester interview June 8, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)



(3) 12th Street and Vine: A reference to the W. Harrison song "Kansas City", which says: "I'm goin' be standin on the corner. Twelfth Street and Vine. I'm goin' be standin on the corner. Twelfth Street and Vine. With my Kansas City baby. And a bottle of Kansas City wine." Wilibert Harrison also penned "Let's Stick Together" which appears on the "Down In The Groove" Bob Dylan album. In the actual city of Kansas City, there is no corner of 12th Street and Vine. The two streets do not intersect. (Thanks to Mikael Borg, as sent to Tom Waits Library, December 15, 2003)



The Piano Has Been Drinking

The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)



(An evening with Pete King)(1)



The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak

And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break

Cause the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make(2)

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking, and the menus are all freezing

And the light man's blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

And the piano tuner's got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

As the bouncer(3) is a sumo wrestler, cream-puff(4) Casper Milktoast(5)

And the owner is a mental midget with the IQ of a fence post

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger counter

And she hates you and your friends and you just can't get served without her

And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire

And the newspapers were fooling, and the ashtrays have retired

Cause the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking

not me

not me

not me

not me

not

me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Anthology Of Tom Waits", WEA/ Elektra, 1984





 



The Piano Has Been Drinking



(Live version: Dublin. March, 1981)



Well, the piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

and the combo went back to New York, and left me all alone

And the jude-box has to take a leak

Have you noticed that the carpet needs a haircut?

and the spotlight looks just like a prison break

and the the telephone's out of cigarettes

and as usual, the balcony is on the make(1)

and the piano has been drinking

heavily



And the piano has been drinking, he's on the hard stuff tonight

The piano has been drinking

And you can't find your waitress, even with a Geiger counter

And I guarantee you that she will hate you from the bottom of her glass

and all of your friends

But mind you, you just can't get served without her

And the piano has been drinking



The piano has been drinking



The lightman was blind in one eye and he can't see out of the other

The piano-tuner has got a hearing aid and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking



Without fear of contradiction I say:

the piano has been drinking



Our Father who areth in Cribari

hallowed it be

Thy glass, thy kingdom come, I will be done

Ah yeah, as it is in the lounges

Give us this day our daily splash

Forgive us our hangovers

as we forgive all those who continue to hang over against us

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

and someone give us all a ride home



Cause the piano has been drinking

and he's your friend not mine

The piano has been drinking

and he's not my responsibility

The bouncer(2) is this Sumo wrestler, kinda cream-puff(3) Casper Milktoast(4)

And the owner is just a mental midget with the I.Q. of a fence post

And I'm going down

Hang on to me, I'm going down

Watch me skate across an acre of linoleum

I know I can do it

I'm in total control



And the piano has been drinking

and he is embarrassing me

The piano has been drinking

he raided his mini bar

The piano has been drinking

And the bar stools are all on fire

and all the newspapers were just fooling

and the ashtrays have retired

and I've got a feeling that the piano has been drinking

It's just a hunch



The piano has been drinking

and he's going to lose his lunch

And the piano has been drinking

not me

not me



The piano has been drinking

not me



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976

Official release: "Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981(6)



Known covers:

Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking. November 15, 1993. Chlodwig (BMG/ Germany)

R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Pianoet er dritings")

Beatin' The Heat. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 29, 2000. Surfdog Records SD-67113-2

Alive & Lickin'. Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. August 7, 2001. Surfdog Records

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Waits performing "The Piano Has Been Drinking" in 1977

Taken from "Fernwood 2Night" sequel 21.

Syndicated television comedy show with Martin Mull and Fred Willard/ USA

Broadcast August 1, 1977



Notes:



(1) Pete King: Peter 'Pete' Stephen George King, co-founder and club director of Ronnie Scott's Club (Soho London), in October, 1959. Waits played Ronnie Scott's Club, Soho/ London. May 31 - Jun. 12, 1976. King was born in Bow, East London, 23rd August, 1929. He worked as a semi-professional, on tenor saxophone and clarinet, with Jack Oliver's band, playing every Saturday night at the Stoke Newington Town Hall, where he first met Ronnie Scott, playing with the Tito Burns Sextet, the 'name' booked for the night. It was to be a fruitful encounter. Turning professional, Pete played with Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, Kathy Stobart, Harry Parry and Jack Parnell. It was with the latter that he was given the sack, as the female vocalist Parnell had booked insisted her husband be in the band. It was a measure of Pete's popularity that six members of the band gave notice in protest, but this led to him forsaking the reed in his mouthpiece for another mouthpiece - the telephone, in a career of management, representing Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes, the two pairing for the historic Jazz Couriers. When Ronnie and Pete opened the club in October, 1959, it was a different world





(2) On the make: To be receptive to or to encourage sexual advances from the opposite sex, usu. said of females; to make sexual advances or desire sexual intercourse with one of the opposite sex, usu. said of males; to seek or readily enter into sexual intercourse, said of both sexes (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(3) Bouncer n.: A person employed to eject unwanted customers from a saloon, restaurant, dance hall, etc. Late 1800s (Source: New dictionary of American slang, Chapman) 



(4) Cream puff, creampuff n.: A weakling; a person of slight physique; a sissy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 



(5) Milquetoast n.: Any shy, timid, or extremely gentle person. From H.T. Webster's cartoon character Caspar Milquetoast, central figure of the comic strip "The Timid Soul". First published in the N.Y. "World"; later in many other forms and publications (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- "The usual sense is that of a person who is timid or meek, unassertive. Such people may appear apathetic or unmotivated, but that's not the reason for their being quiet. It's an eponym, named after a fictional cartoon character named Caspar Milquetoast, invented by the American illustrator Harold T Webster in 1924. The strip was called The Timid Soul and appeared every Sunday in the New York Herald Tribune up to his death in 1953. Mr Webster said that his character was "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The name is just a Frenchified respelling of the old American English term milk toast, an uninspiring, bland dish which was created from slices of buttered toast laid in a dish of milk, usually considered to be food for invalids. There's an even older foodstuff, milksop, which was untoasted bread soaked in milk, likewise something suitable only for infants or the sick. From the thirteenth century on, milksop was a dismissive term for "an effeminate spiritless man or youth; one wanting in courage or manliness", as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it. Mr Milquetoast is in the same tradition." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(6) In the mid 1970s Waits sometimes performed this song in a medley with "Makin' Whoopee!" Written by: Gus Kahn/ Walter Donaldson, 1928. Prime artist: Ella Fitzgerald/ Louis Armstrong. Performed as part of: The Piano Has Been Drinking (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, USA, August 25, 1976): "Another bride, another June Another sunny honeymoon Another season, another reason For makin' whoopee A lot of shoes, a lot of rice The groom is nervous, he answers twice Its really killin' That he's so willin' to make whoopee Now picture a little love nest Down where the roses cling Picture the same sweet love nest Think what a year can bring, yes He's washin dishes and baby clothes He's so ambitious he even sews But don't forget folks, Thats what you get folks, for makin' whoopee Another year, maybe less What's this I hear? Well, can't you guess? She feels neglected, and he's suspected Of makin' whoopee Yeah, she sits alone, Most every night He doesn't phone, he doesn't write He says he's busy, But she says, "Is he?" He's makin' whoopee Now he doesn't make much money Only five thousand per Some judge who thinks he's funny Says, "You'll pay six to her." He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?" Judge say, "Budge. Right into jail. You'd better keep her. I think it's cheaper Than makin' whoopee. "Yes, yeah, you better keep her Daddy", I think it's cheaper Then makin' whoopee."




 




Tom Traubert's Blues

 



(Four sheets to the wind(1) in Copenhagen)



Wasted(2) and wounded, it ain't what the moon did

I got what I paid for now

See you tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow

A couple of bucks from you?

To go waltzing Matilda(3), waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley(4)

And I'm tired of all these soldiers here

No one speaks English, and everything's broken

And my Stacys(5) are soaking wet

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cabs parking

A lot they can do for me

I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open

And I'm down on my knees tonight

Old Bushmills(6) I staggered, you buried the dagger

In your silhouette window light

To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



Now I've lost my St. Christopher(7), now that I've kissed her

And the one-armed bandit(8) knows

And the maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs

And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say

That the streets aren't for dreaming now

And manslaughter dragnets, and the ghosts that sell memories

They want a piece of the action anyhow

Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer

And the old men in wheelchairs know

That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred

And she follows wherever you may go

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll go waltzing Matilda with me



And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace

And a wound that will never heal

No prima donna, the perfume is on

An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey

And goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen, flame keepers

And goodnight, Matilda, too



Written by: Tom Waits

Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), � 1976 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1976

Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &

"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &

"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986

Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)



Known covers:

Home And Deranged. The English Country Blues Band. 1984. Rogue FMSL2004

Unplugged And Seated. Rod Stewart. March, 1993. Warner Bros. Records

Lead Singer. Rod Stewart. March 12, 1993. Wea/ Warner

Tubas From Hell. Dave Gannet. February 28, 1994. Summit/ D'Note Classics

Dry County. Bon Jovi. March 31, 1994. Polygram International (sung by Tico Torres)

Mister No Good. Ole Friis. September 21, 1994. Poul Hansen/ Kick Records (Denmark)

Irish Cream. Seasons. November 23, 1994. Edel

Tanz Um Den Heiligen Bim Bam. Gerd K�ster. October 30, 1995. Chlodwig (BMG)

Stars On Classic, Rod Stewart. Classic Dream Orchestra. May, 1997. Ariola (Germany)

Street Jams. David Roe. October 1998. Self-released

Gerd K�ster und... Gerd K�ster. March 22, 1999. Chlodwig (Pavement Records)

Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)

Nach mir die Sintflut - Ambros singt Waits. Wolfgang Ambros. October 9, 2000. Ariol/ Gig Records 74321 797002 (in German)

The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)

Sand And Water. Tommy Fleming. March 15, 2002. Clann Records (Ireland)

Unruly. English Country Blues Band. June, 2002. Weekend Beatnik

The Collection. Tommy Fleming. December, 2002. Clann Records/ Ireland (same version as on "Sand And Water", 2002)

Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)

Undercovers. Maria & Laginh Joao. March, 2003. Emarcy Rec (Universal)

Greetings From Hell - The Tom Waits Songbook, Hell Blues Choir. September, 2003. Tylden & Co (Norway)

Waltzing Matilda. Waltzing Matilda. September 15, 2003. Factory Ou (Leicom)

Lazy Sunday Afternoons. Dressy Vagabonds. November, 2003. Self-released

Somebody's Darling. Carol Noonan. May, 2004. Noonan Music/ Self-released

Rein Alexander. Rein Alexander. November, 2004. Sony/ Epic (Norway)

Austropop Kult. Wolfgang Ambros. January, 2005. Sony BMG/ Ariola (same version as on "Nach Mir Die Sintflut", 2000)

Playing For Change. Various artists. February 15, 2005. Higher Octave (performed by The Royal Rounders)

Deep Forbidden Lake. Jazz Mandolin Project. May 3, 2005 Label: Doyle Kos Dk.E.

15 Jahre Buschfunk. Various artists. December 9, 2005. Buschfunk/ Germany (performed by: Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling)

Heroes And Villains. Heroes And Villains. March 14, 2006. Emeritus Records



<object height="344" width="425"></object> 

Watch Waits performing "Tom Traubert's Blues"

With Frank Vicari: tenor saxophone, Dr. Fitz(gerald) Jenkins: upright bass and Chip White: drums.

Taken from The Old Grey Whistle Test (1977).

BBC television live music show with Bob Harris. London/ UK. May 3, 1977



Might be Waits' most famous song. Covered by artists like: Rod Steward, The Pogues, The Dubliners, Rolf Harris, John McDermott and Dave Gannet. Featured on the Basquiat soundtrack (Polygram, 1996). A tune easily recognized and easy to sing along. It's 1976, Waits at the crowning moment of his" beatnik-glory-meets-Hollywood-noir period". But "Tom Traubert's Blues" stands out from his other more jazzy tunes. Waits himself must have had special feelings for the song, because in the 1970's and 1980's he used to close his shows with this song, giving his audience some food for thought on their way home. And unlike most of his other songs, he kept it unchanged for over 20 years. It's finished, nothing to add, it doesn't get any better.



It's the opening track on the album "Small Change", recorded from July 15 to July 20 1976 at the Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood and released in September 1976 by Asylum Records. Most of the songs were written in May/ June 1976 in London after his gig at: "Ronnie Scott's Club", Soho/ London. It is said Waits stayed there for about two weeks after which he continued to tour Europe.



(1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?"

Tom Waits: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)



Tom Traubert's Blues is evidently based on the Australian hymn Waltzing Matilda (written by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson). So it's tempting to assume both songs deal with the same subject-matter. But this is not the case. The only thing similar in both songs is the chorus.



In 2007 Waits was asked by Mojo Magazine to nominate a record for their list of “100 records that changed the world”. Waits nominated Harry Belafonte’s “Streets I Have Walked” (RCA/ Victor LPM-2695) which features Waltzing Matilda. So Waits had been familiar with the song from a very young age.



Tom Waits (2007): "Streets I Have Walked (RCA 1963) is a beautiful record. It's collected songs - lullabies from Japan, Woody Guthrie, Waltzing Matilda, cowboy songs, Jewish songs, all kinds of things. Belafonte was a great collector of songs - he had that Lomax bone, I think. And he introduced a lot of songs from different cultures that had never , in that sense, been heard. The first time I heard Hava Nagila it was Harry Belafonte who sang it... I think I was maybe 13 when I first heard , and I still have it. It definitely had an impact. You see, he loved melody, and I was at a time in my life when I was really nourished by that, by melody itself. I know that with kids, at a certain point, music becomes a costume - you wear the music, and there's certain music that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing - but to me music was always a completely interior experience, not a fashion." (Source: “100 records that changed the world”, Mojo Magazine 163. June, 2007/ May 2, 2007).



There has been a lot of discussion about the origins and copyrights of the Australian version. For more info on "Waltzing Matilda" go to this site by Roger Clarke, or try WaltzingMatilda.com.



Waltzing Matilda:

'Banjo' (A.B.) Paterson, c. 1890


(Lyrics submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda

You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee

And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me



Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred

Up Jumped the troopers, one, two, three

"Who's [
as in "whose IS"] that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
 (10)



Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong

"You'll never take me alive!", said he

And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by the billabong

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me 



In Australia the song gained such popularity, it more or less became their second national anthem, an Australian icon.



Waits introducing "Tom Traubert's Blues" in Sydney Australia, March 1979: 

"This is eh, a song here uh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done! Uh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And uh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..."



Roger Clarke did some interesting research into the copyrights of the song:

"The copyrights in the song and the words passed through several hands. At one stage it was owned by the once-famous Billy Tea' company; Copyright can of course exist in variants and performances of the song; The copyright has expired in Australia (and in almost every other country in the world), because in civilized countries copyright lasts for 50 years after the death of the originator, and Banjo Paterson died in 1941. In that renegade nation, the U.S.A., other rules hold, and copyright still exists. The copyright is owned by Carl Fischer New York Inc. As a result, the use of the Australian tune in the Atlanta Olympics Closing Ceremony resulted in a payment by the Australian organisers to an American company. Ergo ... If we decide to make 'Waltzing Matilda' the real national anthem, we will have to either buy back the copyright from an American company, or pay royalties on such occasions as our national anthem is played in the United States. "



One wonders whether "Tom Traubert's Blues" is subject to these Fischer owned copyrights.



Some claim "Tom Traubert's Blues" to be about Vietnam. The lyrics however don't give any reason to assume this is true. The idea probably came about after Eric Bogle's 1972 version: "Eric Bogle wrote, performed and recorded a song that ends with a haunting rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" (And the band played waltzing Matilda). It's an anti-war song, nominally about Gallipoli, but really about Vietnam (different decades, different countries, different protagonists, but much the same outcome)".



Its title suggests it is about a guy named Tom Traubert. But other than this title Waits never referred to this character. Some people claim to have known Tom Traubert, some claim to be his only legal child, some claim to be Tom Traubert. For now he will probably remain a mystery forever. Only Waits himself could give us a clou, but he won't.



What does Waltzing Matilda mean? There are numerous explanations. Most of them have to do with traveling. Here's an explanation by Senani Ponnamperuma: "The phrase Waltzing Matilda is believed to have originated with German immigrants who settled in Australia. Waltzing is derived from the German term auf der Walz which meant to travel while learning a trade. Young apprentices in those days traveled the country working under a master craftsman earning their living as they went - sleeping where they could. Matilda has teutonic origins and means Mighty Battle Maiden. It is believed to have been given to female camp followers who accompanied soldiers during the Thirty Year's War in Europe. This came to mean "to be kept warm at night" and later to mean the great army coats or blankets that soldiers wrapped themselves with. These were rolled into a swag tossed over their shoulder while marching. So the phrase Waltzing Matilda came to mean: to travel from place to place in search of work with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth."



One would expect "Waltzing Matilda" to be used in this context but this doesn't seem to be the case. The same words, the same rhythm, but a different meaning. In Tom Traubert's Blues "Waltzing Matilda" has become a metaphor for: alcoholism, seduction and self-destruction.



Jay S. Jacobs quotes Bones Howe in "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits" remembering when Waits wrote Tom Traubert's Blues. Somehow this memory doesn't feel right as Tom Traubert's Blues isn't about skid row or about being penniless or being abandoned. This memory seems to fit better with the song On The Nickel (Heartattack And Vine, 1980)



Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" is the album's stunning opener, and it sets the tone for what follows. It tells the story of a man who finds himself stranded and penniless in a foreign land "where no one speaks English, and everything's broken." Traubert is etched as a sympathetic character, but it's clear that he inhabits a hell of his own making. He'll never make his way home again because any cash he gets his hands on he squanders on drink. The song's chorus incorporates "Waltzing Matilda," the classic Australian ballad of aimless travel. ("Matilda" is Aussie slang for "backpack," and "waltzing matilda" means being on the road or hitchhiking.) Bones Howe distinctly remembers when Waits wrote "Tom Traubert's Blues." Howe's phone rang in the middle of the night. It was Tom. Howe had long since become accustomed to the fact that being Tom's friend meant receiving calls from him at all hours. "He said the most wonderful thing about writing that song," Bones recalls. "He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, 'I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag.' I said, 'Oh really?"' Waits replied to Howe, "Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues."' Howe was even more struck by what Waits said to him next: "Every guy down there ... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there." Howe was amazed when he first heard the song, and he's still astonished by it. "I do a lot of seminars," he says. "Occasionally I'll do something for songwriters. They all say the same thing to me. 'All the great lyrics are done.' And I say, 'I'm going to give you a lyric that you never heard before."' Howe then says to his aspiring songwriters, "A battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace / And a wound that will never heal." This particular Tom Waits lyric Howe considers to be "brilliant. " It's "the work of an extremely talented lyricist, poet, whatever you want to say. That is brilliant, brilliant work. And he never mentions the person, but you see the person." (Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits". Jay S. Jacobs, ECW Press, 2000)



So according to Bones Howe "Tom Traubert's Blues" was inspired by Los Angeles skid row. There have been rumours however about a Danish singer called Mathilde Bondo claiming to be the muse for this song. This story seems to be confirmed by a 1998 article from Danish newspaper Politiken.



Peter Sander (2000): "Back in the 70's Tom had been doing a gig in Copenhagen, and attending the concert was this Danish folk-singer by the name Mathilde. She was pretty popular in Denmark in the 70's, even though I never thought much of her myself. But after the show she somehow met Waits, and they got along so well that they went out bar-crawling through Copenhagen, and finally ended up at his hotel room, drunk as skunks. What happened there, in that very hotel room? Nobody except the two of them knows, because Mathilde wont tell! The story was a rumor until a DJ on national Danish radio heard about it, about 5 years ago, told his listeners about it, and called up Mathilde live on air. She was surprised to hear that anyone knew, but she confirmed the story. She even said that a few months later Tom sent her the "Small Change" album as a memory of a good night, with Waltzing Mathilda as first cut." (Submitted by Peter Sander. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist, 2000)



COPENHAGEN SONGS - Songs of a city(11)

By Janus K�ster-Rasmussen and Henrik Vesterberg, 1998



THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING

Tom Waits



With the subtitle Four Sheets To The Wind in Copenhagen, Tom Traubert's Blues is the first song on the American nightowl-singer Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. From streets where "No one speaks English and everything's broken", our hero tells us of a city which clearly, it seems, could be Copenhagen seen through whisky-wet eyes. He passes the striptease shows, and must realize that "the streets aren't for dreaming now."



But it's the chorus, which paraphrases the well known Australian folk tune, which is most important for these matters: "Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, You'll go waltzing Matilda with me... "



For a long time the story has been told, that Tom Waits wrote the song for the violinist Mathilde Bondo, one half of the duo Lasse & Mathilde. And that's the truth, Mathilde assures us: 'He was in Copenhagen in 1976 to perform in a tv-show, in which I played the violin. And afterwards I of course had to show him the City - we were in Tivoli and on Christianshavn. It was a lovely night out", says Mathilde Bondo.



Did you waltz? "Yes, we waltzed a lot."

Did you talk to him since then? "We've kept in contact per letter. But I do hope to meet him again. We swinged together so well, and I'm really proud to have been the muse for his song. It's a shame you don't have copyright for muses, because Rod Stewart made the song into a giant hit later on, you know." What do you think of Tom Waits' description of Copenhagen? "It is somewhat ambiguous, but it's a wonderful song."



Tom Waits was indeed in Copenhagen in June, 1976. And he did indeed do a TV show (DR2 TV, known as "Sange Efter Lukketid". Copenhagen/ Denmark. June, 1976). And it is indeed assumed Waits wrote most of the songs for Small Change during this tour (to be recorded in July, 1976). It is therefore plausible to assume the subtitle "Four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen" is inspired by Waits' stay in Copenhagen in 1976.


























Mathilde Bondo, 1976



Mathilde Bondo, 1977



Mathilde Bondo, 1996



(Pictures taken from Lasse & Mathilde official site (Lasse Helner & Mathilde Bondo)




In conclusion: there doesn't seem to be an explanation for Waits re-working "Waltzing Matilde" other then the song having the name "Matilde" in it. Waits wasn't interested in its original meaning, he only took the melody and the verse. So the Mathilde Bondo interpretation seems very plausible. Waits himself has never confirmed (nor denied) this story, but the sub-title mentioning Copenhagen is yet another pointer falling in place. It might be, Waits didn't want the general public to know about his Copenhagen memoire. Maybe that is why he gave the song such a misleading title, making the listener believe it was the story of another Tom.



Here's what Waits himself said about the song...




  • "All right, thank you, like to do a couple of tunes here. A new song here. New uncharted territory here. This is about throwing up on yourself in a foreign country. You think it's eh inconvenient here. Try explaining it to someone who doesn't speak English. Will incarcerate your ass, put you in the barbed wire hotel for a couple of years and no one will ever hear from you again. Couldn't even get a post card off. This is eh.... " (Cleveland USA, 1976)

  • "This is a new song and it's called 'Waltzing Matilda'. Well it's really called 'Tom Traubert's Blues'..." (Sunday Night Live At Faces", The Faces Club, Dallas USA, 1976)

  • "This a new song about throwing up in a foreign country..." (Royal Oak Theatre, Detroit USA. November 14 1976)

  • Vin Scelsa:... Do we know eh the origin of "Waltzing Matilda"? Did someone actually write that or is that just one of those old folk things that goes back and...

    TW: Oh, you mean the original?

    VC: The Australian song "Waltzing Matilda" yeah...

    TW: Well, I believe it was a 1903 eh... Yeah I think it was 1903, and eh what happened was eh...Originally I believe it was a poem, it was a poem and eh... And it eh was put to music and became the unofficial national anthem of eh Australia I believe. A Matilda is a eh backpack. So "Waltzing Matilda" just means, really just to take off, you know? Like blow town, you know? And eh, you know, that's what the song means, maybe.
     (WNEW FM: Tom Waits Radio Special w. Vin Scelsa, MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976)

  • "This is about vomiting in a foreign country... " (Trenton State College Trenton New Jersey USA, December 15 1976)

  • "I'm gonna do a song called 'Waltzing Matilda'. It's not really the original 'Waltzing Matilda', I kinda bent it out of shape. And eh... but eh.. I was eh around this beautiful girl for a while and I was really crazy about her... so was her husband. So we could've made quit a trio on piano bass and drums. So eh what happened was eh... Well it's eh... Actually it's a real short story. I drank too much and I threw op over my tennis shoes and went to sleep in a men's room..." (West Chester Jazz Festival. West Chester, USA, 1976)

  • "You're all right, eh? .. You know now it'll start get a little quiet in here..." (Club Roslyn Long Island New York USA, October 10 1977)

  • "This is eh, a song here eh. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing... I'll give it back when I'm done. Eh, well I met this girl named Matilda. And eh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country. The feeling..." (Sydney Australia, May 2, 1979)

  • Q: What do you consider your best work? TW: "I like the story in "Burma Shave" off Foreign Affairs, "Tom Traubert's Blues" off the new album. I like "Dave The Butcher" and "In The Neighborhood" ("One From The Heart & One For The Road ". New Musical Express magazine. October 1, 1983. Interview by: Kristine McKenna)

  • "Eh this is about throwing up in a foreign country. They look on you different eh. It's not like throwing up here. It's hard to get people understand eh. This is about eh going away... You got 60 dollars on a car. Drive all the way to eh Florida..." (Beverley Theatre Los Angeles USA -early show, November 23 1985)

  • "This is kind of an old song eh..." (Italian Dream San Remo Italy, 22 November 1986)

  • "Ok, eh let's see... You're seeing a moment of indecision. I may jump right in. Ok, oh here's one! Eh, no we'd better do this one..." (Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles USA, November 9 1987)

  • "This is a eh, a lullaby for people who can't sleep..." (Dragen Theatre Stockholm Sweden, November 27 1987)

  • "It's funny eh. This is one of those songs that I sung[?] and I never quite figured it out. It's like a rug, you know some rugs have a design and you go: "Hey what is that?" Oh it's not like a rug! That was a bad eh analogy, well you know. Well it's just one of those songs that puzzles me. And eh, so I sing it and I get further puzzled. Eh, alcohol and eh writing don't mix. If they do it takes a long time to unravel them..." (Center for the performing arts San Jose USA, December 30 1990)

  • Q: Did you share many fans' view that Small Change was the crowning moment of your beatnik-glory- meets-Hollywood-noir period? TW: "Well, gee. I'd say there's probably more songs off that record that I continued to play on the road, and that endured. Some songs you may write and record but you never sing them again. Others you sing em every night and try and figure out what they mean. Tom Traubert's Blues was certainly one of those songs I continued to sing, and in fact, close my show with." ("Mojo interview with Tom Waits". Mojo: Barney Hoskyns. April, 1999)

  • TW: He is a friend of a friend of mine. DD: Really! TW: Yeah, who lives in Denver... and died in jail. DD: Oh... TW: And uh... So, he's a real guy. And uhm... so that's you know, a song that is about a lot of things. But mostly I think, you know, the idea that uh... A "Mathilda" is a backpack, you know? So it's about going on the... being on the loose. Out on the road. Chasing your dream and all the things you encounter in the process." (Source: "Tom Waits: Rock Classics, With A Gravelly Rasp", NPR's World Caf� from WXPN (USA) by David Dye. December 15, 2006)



Notes:



(1) Four sheets to the wind

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1: "Well, I don't need you, baby You see, it's a well known fact, you know I'm four sheets to the wind, I'm glad you're gone I'm glad you're gone, cause I'm finally alone." (Nighthawks At The Diner, 1975)

- Drunk. Synonymous with the phrase "Three Sheets to the Wind" (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

- Unsteady from over-drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in the wind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a rope called a "tack;" the other corner is left more or less free as the rope called a "sheet" is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is said to be "in the wind," and the sail flaps and flutters without restraint. If all the three sails were so loosened, the ship would "reel and stagger like a drunken man." "Captain Cuttle looking, candle in hand, at Bunsby more attentively, perceived that he was three sheets in the wind, or, in plain words, drunk."- Dickens; Dombey and Son. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- "It's a sailor's expression, from the days of sailing ships. The terminology of sailing ships is excessively complicated and every time I refer to it people write in to say I've got it wrong, usually contradicting each other. So treat what follows as a broad-brush treatment, open to dispute on fine points. We ignorant landlubbers might think that a sheet is a sail, but in traditional sailing-ship days, a sheet was actually a rope, particularly one attached to the bottom corner of a sail (it actually comes from an Old English term for the corner of a sail). The sheets were vital, since they trimmed the sail to the wind. If they ran loose, the sail would flutter about in the wind and the ship would wallow off its course out of control. Extend this idea to sailors on shore leave, staggering back to the ship after a good night on the town, well tanked up. The irregular and uncertain locomotion of these jolly tars must have reminded onlookers of the way a ship moved in which the sheets were loose. Perhaps one loose sheet might not have been enough to get the image across, so the speakers borrowed the idea of a three-masted sailing ship with three sheets loose, so the saying became three sheets in the wind. Our first written example comes from that recorder of low life, Pierce Egan, in his Real life in London of 1821. But it must surely be much older. The version you give, incidentally, is comparatively recent, since the older one (the only one given in the big Oxford English Dictionary) is three sheets in the wind. However, online searches show that your version is now about ten times as common as the one containing in, so it may be that some day soon it will be the only one around. The version with to seems to be gaining ground because so many people think a sheet is a sail" (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)



(2) Wasted adj.: Extremely inebriated, usually to the point of vomiting heavily and/or passing out. (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader)



(3) Matilda: An Australian folk anthem, written by poet Banjo Paterson, about a hobo (swagman) being arrested for stealing a sheep (jumbuk) and escaping by diving into a creek (billabong) where he drowns. It's so popular in Australia it's regarded as the unofficial national song. Around the time the song was written, a pack on someone's back was called a "Matilda". If you walked behind someone with a pack on his back for a long time, the pack moved up and down and appeared to "waltz"



(4) Blind/ blinded alley

- A "cul de sac," an alley with no outlet. It is blind because it has no "eye" or passage through it. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)

- [late 19C+] an unlicensed drinking house (cf. BLIND PIG) (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)



(5) Stacey's

Slang expression, born from Stacy Adams which is a fancy dress shoe. To buy your own Stacys check out this site.

- Also mentioned in Spare Parts 1, 1975: "So I combed back my Detroit, jacked up my pegs, I wiped my Stacy Adams and I jackknifed my legs."

- Tom Waits (1976): "Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe... if you had them on then nobody messed with you and you could go anywhere. Stacey's stayed ahead of current affairs and were considered extremely hip." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)



(6) Bushmills: Bushmill's: Irish whiskey from the: "Old Bushmills Destillery" Ireland



(7) Christopher, St.: Catholic patron saint of travellers, or the religious medal dedicated to him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. His former holy day is July 25. The religious medal dedicated to this saint says: "Protect me" or "Protect us". So losing one's St. Christopher could mean, one feels unprotected. Later also mentioned in the Frank's Wild Years track of the same name





(8) One-armed-bandit, one-arm bandit : A slot machine. Because the operative lever of the machine resembles an arm, and because the odds on winning are fixed against the player (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) Lyrics only refer to this expression



(10) Who's that jolly jumbuck: "We didn't have 'Policemen' - we had (much-hated) British troops 'enforcing the law'.. the line means they were accusing the swaggie of stealing the sheep - and you could get hanged for that ..." (Submitted by Wayne T Pickett as sent to Tom Waits Library April 26, 2002)



(11) Translated from Danish. Original text: K�benhavnersange: Sange om en by Politiken 18 december 1998, I byen side 6 Af Janus K�ster-Rasmussen og Henrik Vesterberg. THE STREETS AREN'T FOR DREAMING Tom Waits - Med undertitlen Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen er Tom Traubert's Blues den f�rste sang p� den amerikanske natuglesanger Tom Waits' 1976-album Small Change. Fra gader hvor No one speaks English and everything's broken fort�ller vores helt om en by, der alts� sagtens kan v�re K�benhavn set gennem whiskyv�de �jne. Han kommer forbi the striptease shows og m� indse at the streets aren't for dreaming now. Men det er omkv�det, der parafraserer den kendte australske folkemelodi, der er vigtigt i denne forbindelse: Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me... Der har l�nge verseret en historie om, at Tom Waits skrev sangen til violinisten Mathilde Bondo, den ene halvdel af duoen Lasse & Mathilde. Og det er ogs� sandheden, forsikrer Mathilde: "Han var i K�benhavn i 1976 for at optr�de i et tv-show, hvor jeg spillede violin. Og bagefter m�tte jeg jo vise ham byen - vi var i Tivoli og p� Christianshavn. Det var en dejlig bytur", siger Mathilde Bondo. Valsede I? "Ja, vi valsede meget". Har du snakket med ham siden? "Vi har holdt kontakt pr. brev. Men jeg h�ber da p� at m�de ham igen. Vi swingede godt sammen, og jeg er virkelig stolt over at v�re muse til hans sang. Det er en skam, at der ikke findes en muse-afgift ligesom koda-afgiften, for Rod Stewart gjorde jo sangen til et k�mpe hit senere". Hvad synes du om Tom Waits' beskrivelse af K�benhavn? "Den er noget tvetydig, men det er en vidunderlig sang". (Article provided by Jakob S�rensen as sent to Tom Waits Library October 11, 2002. Translated by Jakob Dall as sent to Tom Waits Yahoo Groups discussionlist October 15, 2002. I byen ["In Town" = Fridays Cultural weekend section in Politiken])




 


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