Anywhere I Lay My Head
Big Black Mariah
Blind Love
Cemetery Polka
Clap Hands
Diamonds And Gold
Downtown Train
Gun Street Girl
Hang Down Your Head
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Rain Dogs
Singapore
Tango Till They're Sore
Time
Union Square
Walking Spanish
Asylum Years, 1986 (Compilation)
Blue Valentines
Burma Shave
Diamonds On My Windshield
Grapefruit Moon
I Never Talk To Strangers
Kentucky Avenue
Martha
Potter's Field
Ruby's Arms
Asylum Years, 1986 (Compilation)
Blue Valentines
Burma Shave
Diamonds On My Windshield
Grapefruit Moon
I Never Talk To Strangers
Kentucky Avenue
Martha
Potter's Field
Ruby's Arms
Small Change
Somewhere
The Ghosts Of Saturday Night
The Heart Of Saturday Night
Tom Traubert's Blues
Frank's Wild Years, 1987
Blow Wind Blow
Cold Cold Ground
Frank's Theme
Hang On St. Christopher
I'll Be Gone
I'll Take New York
Innocent When You Dream
More Than Rain
Please Wake Me Up
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Temptation
Train Song
Way Down In The Hole
Yesterday Is Here
Big Time, 1988 (Live compilation)
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
Big Black Mariah
Clap Hands
Cold Cold Ground
Falling Down
Gun Street Girl
Johnsburg, Illinois
Rain Dogs
Red Shoes
Ruby's Arms
Straight To The Top (Rhumba) Straight To The Top (Vegas)
Strange Weather
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Time
Train Song
Underground
Way Down In The Hole
Yesterday Is Here
The Early Years 1, 1991 (Not authorized by Tom Waits)
Frank's Song
Goin' Down Slow
Had Me A Girl
Ice Cream Man (Early)
I'm Your Late Night Evening Prostitute
Little Trip To Heaven (Early)
Look's Like I'm Up Shit Creek Again
Midnight Lullaby (Early)
Poncho's Lament
Rockin' Chair
So Long I'll See Ya
Virginia Avenue (Early)
When You Ain't Got Nobody
The Early Years 2, 1992 (Not authorized by Tom Waits)
Blue Skies (Early)
Diamonds On My Windshield (Early)
Grapefruit Moon (Early)
Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You (Early)
In Between Love
I Want You
Mockin' Bird
Nobody (Early)
Ol' '55 (Early)
Old Shoes (Early)
Please Call Me, Baby (Early)
Shiver Me Timbers (Early)
So It Goes
Bone Machine, 1992
A Little Rain
All Stripped Down
Black Wings
Dirt In The Ground
Earth Died Screaming
Goin' Out West
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
In The Colosseum
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Murder In The Red Barn
Such A Scream
That Feel
The Ocean Doesn't Want Me
Whistle Down The Wind
Who Are You
Night On Earth, 1992
Back In The Good Old World (Gypsy)
Good Old World (Waltz)
(On)The Other Side Of The World
The Black Rider, 1993
Crossroads
Flash Pan Hunter
Gospel Train
I'll Shoot The Moon
Just The Right Bullets
Lucky Day Overture
Lucky Day
November
Russian Dance
'T Ain't No Sin
That's The Way
The Black Rider
The Briar And The Rose
The Last Rose Of Summer
Tales From The Underground 1, 1996 (Unofficial, not authorized by Tom Waits)
Adios Lounge
Blue Skies
Downtown Train (Alternate)
Filipino Box Spring Hog (Early)
Heigh-Ho
I'm Not Your Fool Anymore
It's All Right With Me
Jersey Girl (Alternate)
Little Man
Mr. Henry
Sea Of Love
Silent Night
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Live)
Tommy The Cat
What Keeps Mankind Alive?
Whistlin' Past The Graveyard (Alternate)

Rain Dogs, 1985
9th & Hennepin
Well, it's 9th and Hennepin
All the donuts have names that sound like prostitutes
And the moon's teeth marks are on the sky
Like a tarp thrown all over this
And the broken umbrellas are like dead birds
And the steam comes out of the grill
Like the whole goddam town is ready to blow
And the bricks(3) are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos
And everyone is behaving like dogs
And the horses are coming down Violin Road
And Dutch is dead on his feet(4)
And all the rooms they smell like diesel
And you take on the dreams of the ones who have slept there
And I'm lost in the window
And I hide in the stairway
And I hang in the curtain
And I sleep in your hat
And no one brings anything small into a bar around here(5)
They all started out with bad directions
And the girl behind the counter has a tattooed tear
One for every year he's away she said
Such a crumbling beauty
Ah, there's nothing wrong with her a hundred dollars won't fix
She has that razor sadness that only gets worse
With the clang and the thunder of the Southern Pacific going by
And the clock ticks out like a dripping faucet
Till you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin(6)
And you spill out over the side to anyone who'll listen
And I've seen it all
I've seen it all through the yellow windows of the evening train
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
"9th And Hennepin" as featured in the Big Time concert video.
Not recorded before a live audience
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) 9th and Hennepin: Hennepin Avenue and 9th Street Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Tom Waits (1985): "New York is really stimulating. You can get a taxi and just have him drive and start writing down words you see, information that is in your normal view: dry cleaners, custom tailors, alterations, electrical installations, Dunlop safety center, lease, broker, sale...just start making a list of words that you see. And then you just kind of give yourself an assignment. You say, "Im going to write a song and I'm going to use all these words in that song." That's one way. Or you can get in character, like in acting, and let the character speak. The song "9th and Hennepin" came out like that. GB. Where's Hennepin? TW. Minneapolis. But most of the imagery is from New York. It's just that I was on 9th and Hennepin years ago in the middle of a pimp war, and 9th and Hennepin always stuck in my mind. "There's trouble at 9th and Hennepin." To this day I'm sure there continues to be trouble at 9th and Hennepin. At this donut shop. They were playing "Our Day Will Come" by Dinah Washington when these three 12-year-old pimps came in in chincilla coats armed with knives and, uh, forks and spoons and ladles and they started throwing them out in the streets. Which was answered by live ammunition over their heads into our booth. And I knew "Our Day Was Here." I remember the names of all the donuts: cherry twist, lime rickey. But mostly I was thinking of the guy going back to Philadelphia from Manhattan on the Metroliner with the New York Times, looking out the window in New York as he pulls out of the station, imagining all the terrible things he doesn't have to be a part of." (Source: "Tom Waits for no man". Spin Magazine: Glenn O'Brien. November 1985)
- Tom Waits (1987): "I haven't been around 9th and Hennepin in a while, and I only know these things from my own experience. Though I think there must be a place where it all connects. I like where Bukowski says "I'm not quoting exactly"... "It's not the big things that drive men mad. It's the little things. The shoelace that breaks when there's no time left." It makes it very difficult for me to drive, you know. 'Cause I'm always looking around. It makes for a very dangerous ride with the family." (Source: "Tom Waits is flying upside down (on purpose)". Musician (a Billboard publication) Mark Rowland October, 1987)
- Tom Waits (1993): "An all night donut shop at Ninth and Hennepin in Minneapolis. Chuck Weiss and I are having coffee at the counter, late, caught in the middle of a pimp war between two 13-year-old kids. One outside on the street, firing live ammunition, the other running into the cafe, diving behind the counter, unarmed, and screaming, "Leon you're a dead man!" A toothpick dispenser hurls toward the street, the beater of a blender, a spatula, and a handful of forks. Bullets hit the stove, a framed dollar bill, a china dog. Chuck and I drop to the floor while the jukebox pounds out "Our Day Will Come" by Dinah Washington. Each bullet changes the selection on the Wurlitzer to a different song, each more poignant than the one before." ("Tom Foolery - Swapping stories with inimitable Tom Waits". Buzz Magazine: May, 1993)
- Jon Bream (1999): "Then there was the time Waits was in a late-night cafe in Minneapolis and "I got in the middle of a pimp war. There was like this 11-year-old pimp defending himself with a handful of silverware against live ammunition, which was rather dramatic. He would reach into the drawer and grab a handful of forks and hurl them out into the street and then he'd duck behind the counter, and then you'd hear like an automatic weapon, and the mirror inside would crack and hit the ground. None of us were armed. And on the jukebox they were playing 'Our Day Will Come.' " (Source: "Beatnik Bard Waits Uses Twin Cities As Source For Songs, Stories" Star Tribune (Minneapolis/ USA), by Jon Bream. Date: New York. August 27, 1999)
- Tom Waits (introducing "Ninth & Hennepin", 1999): "This is about a scary corner... It's a place called "Ninth & Hennepin". The ironic thing about this is, that it's no longer scary. That's how long I've been around. It went from scary... to kinda fun! And it really kinda upset me. Eh, you know, now they've got the unisex hair parlor there and eh,... you know the yogurt ehm... the eh... the funny shoes with eh... you know. But in the old days, it was no place you wanted to be. It was a little donut shop, a 12-year old pimp came in one night. I was in the middle of a war. Another guy firing live ammunition outside. All he had was knives and forks and spoons. And he incorporated the donut shop as his... barricade. And I just happened be... well having a donut. I haven't had my donut since... . (laughter). Cause I know where donuts lead! On the jukebox it was playing "Our Day Will Come". It was too perfect. Well it's "Ninth & Hennepin". (Source: SxSW festival. Paramount Theater, Austin. March 20, 1999)
(3) Bricks
- n.: The pavement or sidewalk; the street
- The world outside prison walls. Prison use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).
- Also mentioned in "Little Boy Blue" (Don't sit home and cry on the Fourth of July, Around now you're hittin' the bricks)
(4) Dead on one's feet: phr. [late 19C+] utterly drained, exhausted (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(5) Nobody ever brings anything small into a bar: "I happened to be watching the 1950 movie "Harvey" yesterday. There's one good scene well into the film where Jimmy Stewart explains what he does all day (that is, go to bars with his invisible rabbit friend to wet their whistles and talk to strangers). In this scene, Stewart says: "Nobody ever brings anything small into a bar." (Submitted by Matt Garretson. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. April, 1997)
(6) Blue ruin/ rag water
- Blue ruin: Utter ruin; also, gin (Eng. slang) - Carlyle (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.). Gin. Called blue from its tint, and ruin from its effects. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd). Inferiour liquor, esp. gin (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- Rag water: Gin, or any other common dram: these liquors seldom failing to reduce those that drink them to rags (Source: “Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue”, Francis Grose 1811). Whisky. (Thieves’ jargon.) (Source: “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable”. E. Cobham Brewer, 1898).
Anywhere I Lay My Head
My head is spinning round
my heart is in my shoes(2), yeah
I went and set the Thames on fire(3), oh
now I must come back down
She's laughing in her sleeve(4) boys
I can feel it in my bones
Oh, but anywhere, anywhere I'm gonna lay my head
I'm gonna call my home
Well I see that the world is upside-down
Seems that my pockets were filled up with gold(5)
And now the clouds, well they've covered over
And the wind is blowing cold
Well I don't need anybody
because I learned, I learned to be alone
Well I said anywhere, anywhere, anywhere I lay my head, boys
Well I gonna call my home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Known covers:
Blue-Eyed Fool. Sugartown. November 2000. Self-released
Ain't Even Lonely. Brian Keane. May 20, 2005. Mix-O-Rama Records
Shoreline. Anna Ternheim. June 1, 2005. Self-released (EP CD, Sweden)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Goodbye Cool World. Bomb The Music Industry. June 18, 2006. Self-released
20 Jahre Saxuelle Befreiung. K�lner Saxophon Mafia. January 6, 2006. Jazz Haus Musik (NRW)
Live From Momo�s. The Band Of Heathens. October 1, 2006. Fat Caddy records (USA)
Bobby Dazzler's Different Guns. Bobby Dazzler. March 21, 2007. Unicornsounds
Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records
Notes:
(1) Anywhere I Lay My Head
- Tom Waits (1985): "Anywhere I Lay My Head is a gospel thing, the Uptown Horns played on that" (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape". Date: late 1985)
(2) Heart is in my shoes: Experiencing great fear. (Source: "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle)
(3) Thames on fire, set the:
- To build up a reputation for oneself; to do something wonderful (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle)
- phr. [18C+] to accomplish a noteworthy feat (cf. Set the Hudson on fire) (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
- To make a figure in the world; plant one's footsteps on the sands of time. The popular explanation is that the word Thames is a pun on the word temse, a coru-sieve; and that the parallel French locution He will never set the Seine on fire is a pun on seine, a drag-net; but these solutions are not tenable. There is a Latin saw, "Tiberim accendere nequaquam potest, " which is probably the fons et origo of other parallel sayings. Then, long before our proverb, we had "To set the Rhine on fire" (Den Rhein anz�nden), 1630, and Er hat den Rhein und das Meer angez�ndet, 1580. "There are numerous similar phrases: as "He will never set the Liffey on fire;" to "set the Trent on fire;" to "set the Humber on fire;" etc. Of course it is possible to set water on fire, but the scope of the proverb lies the other way, and it may take its place beside such sayings as "If the sky falls we may catch larks." (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(4) Laugh in one's sleeve: To ridicule a person not openly but in secret; to conceal a laugh by hiding your face in the large sleeves at one time worn by men. The French is: "Rire sous cape, " or "Rire sous son bonnet. " The German is: "Ins fa�stchen lachen. " The Latin is: "In stomacho ridere. " These expressions indicate secret derision: laughing at one, not with one. But such phrases as "In sinu gaudere " mean to feel secret joy, to rejoice in one's heart of hearts. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(5) Pockets filled with gold: Notice the same phrase being used in More Than Rain, 1987: "None of our pockets are filled with gold, nobody's caught the boquet."
Big Black Mariah
(Raindogs studio version, 1985)
Well, it's cuttin' through the cane break(2), rattling the sill(3)
Thunder that the rain makes when the shadow top the hill
Big light on the back street, hill to Evermore(4)
Packin' down the ladder(5) with the hammer to the floor
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
I see the Big Black Ford
Well, he's all boxed up(6) on a red bell dame
Hunted Black Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag(7) out in the wind
An old blind tiger(8) got an old bell Jim
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Ford
Sent to the skies on a Benny Jag Blue(9)
Off to bed without his supper like a Lindabrides(10) do
He got to do the story with the old widow Jones
He got a wooden coat(11), this boy is never coming home
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
I see that Big Black Ford
Cut through the cane break...
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Well, he's all boxed up on a red bell dame
Fat Blue Charlie with a blind man's cane
A hundred yellow bullets, shook a rag out in the wind
An old black tiger on a pair of blue wings(12)
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Ford
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Big Black Mariah
(Big Time live version, 1988)
I'm cutting through the cane break(2), rattling the sill(3)
Thunder that the rain makes when the shadow tops the hill
Big light on the back street, hill to Evermore(4)
Packing down the ladder(5) with the hammer to the floor
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah baby
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the big black Ford
Well I'm all boxed up(6) on a red belle dame
Flat Blue Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag(7) out in the wind
That old blind tiger(8), an old bell
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah baby, here come the big black Ford, yeah
Now we're all boxed up on a red belle dame
Flat Blue Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag out in the wind
That old blind tiger, an old bell
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah baby
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the big black Ford
Oh yeah, Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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)
Also included in Big Time the Movie. Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Notes:
(1) Big Black Mariah/ Black Maria, Black Mariah
- n.: A police wagon or truck used to take arrested persons to jail (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)
- The black van which conveys prisoners from the police courts to jail. The French call a mud-barge a "Marie-salope." The tradition is that the van referred to was so called from Maria Lee, a negress, who kept a sailors' boarding house in Boston. She was a woman of such great size and strength that the unruly stood in dread of her, and when constables required help, it was a common thing to send for Black Maria, who soon collared the refractory and led them to the lock-up. So a prison-van was called a "Black Maria." (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- n.: A hearse (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)/ Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- "We can dispose of the fashionable London lady straightaway, as the expression for a police or prison van is quite certainly American in origin. The Boston story is about Maria Lee, a large black woman who kept a boarding house in the 1820s with such severity that she became more feared than the police, who called on her to help them catch and restrain criminals. The story almost certainly became attached to her much later because she was well-known, black, and was named Maria, but there's no evidence that she was actually the source of the name for the police vans. The first reference we have to such a vehicle in Boston is dated 1847, which might seem to be rather too long after her heyday for there to be a direct connection. The book that Eric Partridge mentions is Peter Ploddy, and Other Oddities of 1844, by Joseph Clay Neal, a well-known American journalist and humorist of the period. It contains the story The Prison Van; or, The Black Maria, whose title was until recently thought to be the first known use of the term. In it, the author wrote: "In Philadelphia ... the popular voice applies the name of 'Black Maria' to each of these melancholy vehicles". However, we now know, as the result of research by George Thompson, that the term was in use in New York about a decade earlier, since the term was used in at least two newspaper reports, one of 1835 and the other of 1836. The former was in the New York Transcript of 24 Dec 1835 and said "A man named Henry Stage ... contrived to make his escape on Saturday last while on his way from Bellevue prison to the city in the carriage generally known as 'Black Maria' ". One sidelight on the term which many World Wide Words subscribers have pointed out is that it is universally pronounced (as in "I call the wind Maria"), and not the more common American (as in "Ave, Maria"). This is probably a perpetuation in this fixed phrase of a way of saying the name that was once more common than it is now. Douglas G Wilson has suggested a possible association with a famous black racehorse of the period, also named Black Maria, which was foaled in Harlem, New York, in 1826. She won many races (her purse winnings alone amounted to nearly $15,000, a very large sum for the period), but it seems that her most famous exploit was on 13 October 1832, when she won the race for the Jockey Club purse of $600 at the Union Course. In 1870, an article about her in Harper's New Monthly Magazine noted that "The track was heavy, and yet, to achieve a victory, twenty miles had to be run. We wonder if there is a horse on the turf to-day that could stand up under such a performance as this?". The dates are highly suggestive. Here is a black racehorse whose most famous exploit is in New York in 1832, and only three years later her name is used for a police van in the same city. There can be no proof without further evidence-which may never be forthcoming-but like her many admirers, I'd put my money on her to be first past the post." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)
- The different explanations of "a Black Maria(h)" being either a police wagon or a prison van or a hearse (or even an ambulance) have led to different interpretations of the song. 1. An arrested person being taken to jail. 2. A prisoner being taken to death row. 3. A deceased person being driven to the graveyards. Though the first interpretation (police wagon/ paddy wagon) is most common, there's several clous in the song that seem to suggest this is about a black hearse (Boxed up, Sent to the skies, Of to bed without his supper, Do the story with the old widow Jones, He got a wooden coat, This boy is never coming home) (Thanks to Fran Mironchik for pointing to these alternative interpretations. September 17, 2003)
- Tom Waits (1985): "A Mariah is - originally it was the woman that ran some kind of a cathouse in New Orleans I guess and every time it got popped they figured she was the one that blew the whistle so the paddy wagon pulled up out in front and down through the years they started referring to it as the Black Mariah. Now it's the hearse or whatever." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Rip Rense: "One on which Richards appears is a menacing thing called "Big Black Mariah," which was explained as being about (take your pick) a fabled New Orleans madam, the police, a hearse or Mr. Death" (Source: "Enigmatic Waits survives, thrives" The San Diego Union-Tribune. By Rip Rense. November 1, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1986): "There was something in there that I thought he {Keith Richards] would understand. I picked out a couple of songs that I thought he would understand and he did. He's got a great voice and he's just a great spirit in the studio. He's very spontaneous, he moves like some kind of animal. I was trying to explain Big Black Maria and finally I started to move in a certain way and he said, "Oh, why didn't you do that to begin with? Now I know what you're talking about.' It's like animal instinct." (Source: "Waits Happening" Beat magazine 1986, by Pete Silverton)
- Notice the excessive use of words starting with the letter "B": cane Break, Big light, Back street, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford, Boxed up, Bell dame, Black Johnny, Blind man's cane, yellow Bullet, Blind tiger, Bell Jim, BigBlack Mariah, Big Black Ford, Benny jag Blue, off to Bed, Linda Brides, this Boy, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford, cane Break, Boxed up, Bell dame, Blue Charlie, Blind man's cane, yellow Bullets, Black tiger, Blue wings, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford
(2) Cane break n.: A field that is not planted between two fields that are planted with sugar cane. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(3) Sill n.: The shaft or thill of a carriage (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)
(4) Evermore (ever more?): Might be quoting from Tolkien's trilogy The Lord Of The Rings. "The Battle of Evermore" is an acoustic guitar and mandolin track from Led Zeppelin's album: "Four Symbols, Runes, Zoso", 1971. It is based on events in the third of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, The Return of the King
(5) Ladder: n. [16C] the gallows (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
(6) Boxed up: 1. adj. [20C.] (N.Z.) imprissoned (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 2. v. enclosed or confined as if in a box/ coffin
(7) Rag n.: A flag. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(8) Blind tiger: [1920s] the owner of an illicit bar. (ety. unknown) (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). Though this is the common explanation found in dictionaries, it doesn't seem to be the right interpretation for this song
(9) Benny Jag Blue:
- Benny: 1. Any amphetamine pill, esp. benzedrine. Addict and student use since c1945. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975) 2. Intoxication as a result of using Benzedrine, a trade name for an amphetamine. Drug culture. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975) Benny/ Bennie/ Bennies n. [1940s] (orig. US drugs) Benzedrine, thus Benny-head, a benzedrine user (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- Jag: -jag. Similar to -fest, -jag = any session or period of uniterupted and unrestrained activity. The connotation however, is of a fit rather then a feast. the suffix word conveys a suggestion of compulsion (crying jag, candy jag, cigarette jag). (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). Jag n. 1. A spree, usu. a drinking party. 2. Fig., a spree or splurge, a spell of unrestrained activity of any kind. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 3. [1950s+] the taking of a drug, usu. narcotic, but also cannabis or LSD. (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 4. [late 19C+] (US) a period of indulgence, a fit, a spree of any kind. [1910s+] (orig. US) a breakdown, an emotional collapse, often as a crying jag, lenghty and profound sobbing (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- Blue: 1. Drunk (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 2. Melancholy; sad; depressed. Colloq. n. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 3. n. [1900s - 30s] a spree (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 4. (drugs) [1960s] usu. in pl. an amphetamine 5. [early 19C] (orig. US) a general intensifier, e.g. blue murder, scared blue 6. adj. [1910s-60s] euph. for BLOODY adj. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(10) Lindabrides: a euphemism for a female of no repute, a courtezan. Lindabrid�s is the heroine of the romance entitled The Mirror of Knighthood, one of the books in don Quixote's library (pt. I. i. 6), and the name became a household word for a mistress. It occurs in two of sir W. Scott's novels, Kenilworth and Woodstock (Source: Brewer's Readers Guide, revised edition, 1898)
(11) Wooden (over)coat: = wooden kimona. A coffin. Some underworld and fictional use since c1920 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)
(12) The last verse is not included in the lyric sheet (transcription by Ulf Berggren as sent to Raindogs Listserv discussionlist, November 1, 1999).
Blind Love
Now you're gone
It's hotels and whiskey and sad-luck dames
And I don't care if they miss me
I never remember their names
They say if you get far enough away
You'll be on your way back home
Well, I'm at the station
And I can't get on the train
Must be blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
Blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
With your blind love
Oh, it's blind love
Stone blind love
It's your stone blind love
Now the street's turning blue
The dogs are barking and the night has come
And there's tears that are falling
From your blue(2) eyes now
I wonder where you are
And I whisper your name
The only way to find you
Is if I close my eyes
Find you with my blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
With your blind love
Oh, your blind love
Your stone blind love
It's your blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
Stone blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
With your blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love
Stone blind love
Stone blind love
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
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: "Blind k�rlek")
The Fire Inside. Bob Seger, 1991. Capitol
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
West Of The West. Dave Alvin. May 30, 2006. Yep Roc Records
Diamonds In The Dark. Sarah Borges. June 12, 2007. Sugarhill
Notes:
(1) Blind Love
- Tom Waits (1985): "Blind Love is one of my first country songs. I like Merle Haggard, most of those other guys, though, sound like they're all just drinking tea and watching their waist and talking to their accountant. This one I think subscribes to some of that roadhouse feel." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations, late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "That's a Country song, yeah! My first! (laughs) My firstborn countrysong I think really. With violins and everything... I like Merle Haggard and those guys y'know? Those roadhouse guys, I like... Robert Quine played on that. He saved the song for me. I was about ready to dump it. Eh Quine plays on albums y'know? He plays with Lou reed. And he came in and gave it that Jimmy Reed kind of a... a little bit of Jimmy Reed in there. And I was just "Goddamn, that's alright, cause I didn't know what the hell to do with it." It just had a bass and a guitar You know, I figured "Well maybe we ought to open this up and put a little story in here." You know, a little spoken (laughs) spoken part. And I thought I just played it a little straight. I thought it came off real straight. Cause I was down in Nashville and asked them down there and they said: "Forget it pall!" Y'know? You know: "You never get on the radio around here pall!" So eh, I don't know, I missed the mark. I thought ghee, I thought: "Ghee I've finally done it, we're gonna break out here and eh... " You know all these [...?...] you hear in the song. He said "No, It's a little tighter down there then you might... It's like "Jingles" y'know?" (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
(2) Blue eyed
- adj. Drunk. c1850; obs. Innocent, gullible; idealistic; unworldly. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).
- Blue: adj. 1. [late 18C-19C] confused, terrified, disappointed. 2. [late 18C+] miserable, depressed (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
Cemetery Polka
Uncle Vernon(2), Uncle Vernon
Independent as a hog on ice(3)
He's a big shot(4) down there at the slaughterhouse
Plays accordion for Mr. Weiss
Uncle Biltmore and Uncle William
Made a million during World War II
But they're tightwads(5) and they're cheapskates(6)
And they'll never give a dime to you
Auntie Mame has gone insane
She lives in the doorway of an old hotel
And the radio is playing opera
All she ever says is go to Hell
Uncle Violet flew as pilot
And there ain't no pretty girls in France
Now he runs a tiny little bookie joint
They say he never keeps it in his pants
Uncle Bill will never leave a will
And the tumour is as big as an egg
Has a mistress, she's Puerto Rican
And I heard she has a wooden leg
Uncle Phil can't live without his pills
He has emphysema and he's almost blind
And we must find out where the money is
Get it now before he loses his mind
Uncle Vernon, Uncle Vernon
Independent as a hog on ice
He's a big-shot down there at the slaughterhouse
He plays accordion for Mr. Weiss
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
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: "Farbror G�sta")
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Bye-Bye. Anne B�renz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)
Notes:
(1) Cemetery Polka
- Tom Waits (1985): "Cemetery Polka - someone once said that the living are just the dead out on holidays and this is as if all your dead relatives came back from the grave and you owed them all money." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (Live intro from 1985 in New York): "I want to do something about all my relatives - everybody's relatives - actually, on my mother's side we have all the professors and the attorneys and on my dad's side we have all the psychopaths and the alcoholics. This is kind of a family reunion right in here, it's the only time they've ever really spoken to each other" (Submitted by Gary Tausch. Listserv Raindogs discussionlist. December, 1999)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Cemetery Polka" is a family album, a lot of my relatives are farmers, they're eccentric, aren't everyone's relatives? Maybe it was stupid to put them on the album because now I get irate calls saying, Tom how can you talk about your Aunt Maime and your Uncle Biltmore like that? But Mum, I say, they did make a million during World War Two and you'll never see any of it. It's time someone exposed them." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Never talk about your family in public! That's... I learned my lesson, but I keep putting my foot in my mouth. And eh I'm gonna get calls from my auntie Mame. I gonna get calls from... uncle Biltmore, eh uncle William, uncle Vernon. All of them and eh... You know: "Your uncle Phil" y'know. It always happens, so... "Uncle Phil can't live without his pills/ He has emphysema and he's almost blind/ And we must find out where the money is/ Get it now before he loses his mind". That's something I heard from the dining room eh during a family reunion and I never forgot it..." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1986): "This is dedicated to all my dead relatives - who are still arguing from the grave with each other. On my father's side we had all the psychopaths and alcoholics and on my mother's side we had all the evangelists so they were finally united at the grave - this is a little family tree really." (Source: "WXRT-FM Radio Interview" Date: Chicago. July 11, 1986)
- Tom Waits (1987): "But that "Cemetery Polka" was ah, discussing my family in a way that's difficult for me to be honest. The way we talk behind each other's backs: "You know what happened to Uncle Vernon." The kind of wickedness that nobody outside your family could say. That kind of stuff." (Source: "Tom Waits Is Flying Upside Down (On Purpose)" Musician magazine (USA), by Mark Rowland. Date: Traveler's Cafe/ Los Angeles. October, 1987)
(2) Uncle Vernon
- Tom Waits (1993): "There's no one really in show business in my family but there were two relatives who had an effect on me very young and shaped me in some way. They were Uncle Vernon and Uncle Robert. I always hated the sound of my voice when I was a kid. I always wanted to sound more like my Uncle Vernon, who had a raspy, gravelly voice. Everything Uncle Vernon said sounded important, and you always got it the first time because you wouldn't dare ask him to repeat it. Eventually, I learned that Uncle Vernon had had a throat operation as a kid and the doctors had left behind a small pair of scissors and gauze when they closed him up. Years later at Christmas dinner, Uncle Vernon started to choke while trying to dislodge an errant string bean, and he coughed up the gauze and the scissors. That's how Uncle Vernon got his voice, and that's how I got mine- from trying to sound just like him." (Source: "Tom Foolery - Swapping stories with inimitable Tom Waits". Buzz Magazine: May, 1993)
(3) Hog on ice, independent as a
- To be idiotically independent. That a man THAT independent was getting himself nowhere, like a spread eagled hog. The origin of this phrase is unknown but one theory traces it back to the game of curling(invented in the 17th century),a Scottish game played on ice, the word "hog" used to describe a curling stone under certain conditions,that is, when a player fails to slide the stone past a certain distance, when it comes to rest it's called a "hog"(although no explaination for this). It's thought that someone suggested the stone be allowed to stay where it was as an extra hazard in the game. It then came to be seen as "independent". (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle)
- Like a hog on ice: phr. [late-19C] (US) unsteadily, clumsily (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(4) Big shot: n. [1920s] (orig. US) a superior person or one who claims to be. [the term began as a positive ref. to a major criminal, but by the 1930s it was mainly used ironically and implied that the individual in question was rather too pleased with themself] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9) A very important person, usu. one who is highly sucessful and famous in a specific field, or one who is an executive or person in authority; esp. a very influential person in politocs, crime, business, society, or the like. The term often implies dislike or distrust, and that the person has gained his importance through unethical or aggresive practices, motivated by a love of power.
(5) Tightwad n.: A miser; one who has money and does not readily part with any of it. From the tightly folded wad of money (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(6) Cheapskate n.: A stingy, niggardly person; a person who seeks cheap goods or pleasures; a person who attempts to avoid his share of expenses. Now standard. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
Clap Hands
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
Sane, sane, they're all insane
Fireman's blind, the conductor is lame
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad luck dame
Hangin' out the window with a bottle full of rain
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Said roar, roar, the thunder and the roar
Sumbitch is never comin' back here no more
The moon in the window and a bird on the pole
We can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal(2)
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Said steam, steam, a hundred bad dreams
Goin' up to Harlem with a pistol in his jeans
A fifty dollar bill inside a Paladin's(3) hat
And nobody's sure where Mr. Knickerbocker's(4) at
Roar, roar, the thunder and the roar
Sumbitch is never comin' back here no more
Moon in the window and a bird on the pole
Always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
I said steam, steam, with a hundred bad dreams
Goin' up to Harlem with a pistol in his jeans
A fifty dollar bill inside a Paladin's hat
And nobody's sure where Mr. Knickerbocker's at
Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime(5)
All the way to Baltimore and runnin' out of time
Salvation Army seemed to wind up in the hole
They all went to Heaven in a little row boat
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Oh clap hands
Oh clap hands
Oh clap hands
Clap hands
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)
Clap Hands
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine(1)
And the monkey chewed tobacco on a streetcar line
Now the line broke and the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat
Clap hands
Sane, sane, they're all insane, fireman's blind, the conductor's lame
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad-luck dame
Hang out the window with a bottle full of rain
Clap hands, oh clap hands, oh clap hands, well clap hands
I said roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't never coming back no more
There's a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal(2)
Well clap hands baby, well clap hands, clap hands
I said dream, it's a hundred bad dreams
Going up to Harlem with a pistol in my jeans
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad-luck dame
Hanging out the window with a bottle full of rain
Now it's roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't coming back no more
I got a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands, well clap hands baby, well clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands
Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime(3)
All the way to Baltimore and running out of time
Salvation Army seemed to wind up in the hole
All went to heaven in a little row boat
It's roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't coming back no more
I got a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands, well clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). 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: "Sl� dank")
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig (BMG/ Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
Bo Ramsey And The Backsliders Live. Bo Ramsey And The Backsliders. June, 1995. Trailer
Tanz Um Den Heiligen Bim Bam. Gerd K�ster. October 30, 1995. Chlodwig (BMG). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
What's All These Blues About? Lex Romane & Joe Riillo. June, 1996. Self-released
Deep Blue. Peter Mulvey. 1997. Eastern Front Records
Whispers Of Time. Toxic Blues Again. December, 1999. Self-released
Wits End Sessions. Big Skin and Gary Knowlton. 2000. Self-released
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Metropolis. Caravane de Ville. 2001. Mescal/ Sony
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
Dancing With St. Peter. Sign Of 4. October 7, 2002. Track Records
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
In Cattivit�. Quintorigo. March, 2003. Universal Italia
Dancing With St. Peter. $ign Of 4. April, 2003. Track (Navarre)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
El Mundo Es Plano. Purple Sex Heads. 2006. Valve Records
Lucky To Be Alive. Various artists. May 19, 2006. Dossier Records (Germany) benefit sampler (performed by Carsten Klatte)
Keys to the Castle. Mare Edstrom. September 15, 2006. Spiritone Records
Guitar Screams Live. Jeff Kollman. October, 2006. Marmaduke
Steve Evans Quartet, 2 Sets. Steve Evans. December 4, 2006. Self-released
Blue Whisper. The Headhunters. April 3, 2007. Self-released (Italy)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Clap Hands" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA. November 7/8, 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) Clap Hands
- Tom Waits (1985): "Well I just kinda embedded a nursery rhyme. Just a eh... You know, eh: "Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine/ the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line/ The line broke the monkey got choked/ we all went to heaven in a little row boat" yeah. "Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime/ All the way to Baltimore and running out of time." Same meter, same... I just tried to imagine all these eh... these guys going up the A-train. All the millionaires in tuxedos shoveling all the coal into the... y'know? Everyone's hanging out of the window, y'know? Just kind of a little... dark little... kind of a Ralph Steadman eh drawing." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "As you get older, the things it was once important to have around you become less so, especially with children. New York is like a weapon, you live with all these contradictions and it's intense, sometimes unbearable." "It's a place where you think you should be doing more about what you see around you, a place where the deadline to get the picture of the bum outside your apartment becomes more important than his deadline to get a crust or a place to sleep, which is a real deadline." "You see things like the $400 shoe followed by the $500 ball gown stepping into the pool of blood from the bum that was killed the night before. That's what I was trying to get in that song 'Clap Hands' - "You can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal" because millionaires like to go places that are downbeat, that aren't so chi chi." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
- Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine. Quoting: American jump rope rhyme/ children's clapping song. Sometimes called "A Rubber Dolly".
- Version 1: A Rubber Dolly "My mommy told me If I was goodie That she would buy me A rubber dolly My auntie told her I kissed a soldier. Now she won't buy me A rubber dolly Ohhhhh...3..6..9.. The goose drank wine, The monkey spit tobacco, On the streetcar line, Line broke, The monkey got choked, And they all went to heaven in a little row boat. Clap-Clap!"
- Version 2: Untitled jump rope rhyme "Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine, The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line The lion choked, the monkey croaked, And they all went to heaven in a little row boat, Clap-Clap! Clap-Clap!"
(2) A millionaire to shovel all that coal:
- Tom Waits (1985): "New York is like a weapon, you live with all these contradictions and it's intense, sometimes unbearable... It's a place where you think you should be doing more about what you see around you, a place where the deadline to get the picture of the bum outside your apartment becomes more important than his deadline to get a crust or a place to sleep, which is a real deadline. You see things like the $ 400 shoe followed by the $500 ballgown stepping into the pool of blood from the bum that was killed the night before. That's what I was trying to get in that song 'Clap Hands' - "You can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal" because millionair es like to go places that are downbeat, that aren't so chi chi." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
(3) Palladin's hat: Palladin (Richard Boone) was a character in the 'Have Gun Will Travel' CBS television series in the '1950s/ 1960s. "The hit CBS series aired from 1957 to 1963 and was centered on Paladin, an educated knight-errant gunslinger who, upon payment of $1,000, would leave his well-appointed suite in San Francisco's Hotel Carlton to pursue whatever mission of mercy or justice a well-heeled client commissioned. A gourmet and connoisseur of fine wine, fine women, and Ming Dynasty artifacts, Paladin would quote Keats, Shelley, and Shakespeare with the same self-assurance that he brought to the subjugation of frontier evildoers. Unlike the archetypal western hero, Paladin wore black rather than white, complete with an ebony hat embellished by a band of silver conches and a holster embossed with a silver chess knight. He sported a villain's mustache and wasn't enamored of his horse; declining even to justify its existence with an appealing name. And he seemed to relish the adventures of the mind--his chess matches and library--far more than the frontier confrontations from which he drew his livelihood." (Source: "Have Gun Will Travel" by Peter Orlick. The Museum of Broadcast Communications � 2003 Copyright)
(4) Knickerbocker: In the New York of the 1830's this was the popular name for the wealthy descendant of Dutch immigrants. At the time the expression gained popularity through the humoristic book "History of New York" (seen through the eyes of the main character Diedrich Knickebocker). Later on the name was also used for bibliophiles or "bookworms"
(5) Roosevelt dime: U.S. coin denomination: 10-cent. All of the U.S. coins currently minted portray past U.S. Presidents. They are the Lincoln one-cent piece, adopted in 1909; the 25-cent piece portraying Washington, first minted in 1932; the five-cent piece honouring Jefferson, adopted in 1938; the Franklin D. Roosevelt dime, introduced in 1946; and the Kennedy half-dollar, which appeared in 1964. Coin denominations: 25-cent, 10-cent, five-cent, and one-cent pieces, are familiarly known as the quarter, dime, nickel, and penny
Diamonds And Gold
One two three
One two three
One
Broken glass, rusty nails, where the wild violets grow
Say goodbye to the railroad, and the mad dogs of summer
And everything that I know
What some men will do here for diamonds
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbin'
They sleep by the side of the road
There's a hole in the ladder, a fence we can climb
Mad as a hatter(1), you're thin as a dime
Go out to the meadow, the hills are a-green
Sing me a rainbow, steal me a dream
Small time Napoleon's(2) shattered his knees
But he stays in the saddle for Rose
And all his disciples, they shave in the gutter
And they gather what's left of his clothes
What some men will do here for diamonds
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbin'
They sleep by the side of the road
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Known covers:
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
Songs We Should Have Written. Firewater. January, 2004. JetSet/ Rough Trade
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Notes:
(1) Mad hatter
- Someone who sells drugs and other illegal substances. ("I'm going to go pick some stuff up from the madhatter up on Main."). (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader).
- Mad as a hatter phr. [mid-19C] very mad, utterly insane. [the use in 18C of mercurous nitrate in tanning of felt hats. This was absorbed by the hatters, in whom the effects could produce mental problems]. (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).
- Might also refer to the Alice character. Also mentioned in "Singapore": "We sail tonight for Singapore, we're all as mad as hatters here."
(2) Napoleon
- On "The heart of Saturday night" Napoleon is credited for the cover illustration. According to Cal Schenkel Napoleon is the guy on the floor in front of the diner on the cover of "Nighthawks at the diner".
- Also mentioned in Time (Raindogs, 1985): "And Napoleon is weepin' in a carnival saloon."
Downtown Train
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
Outside another yellow moon
Has punched a hole in the nighttime
Yes I climb through the window and down to the street
I'm shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full with all those Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
Well, you wave your hand and they scatter like crows
They have nothing that will ever capture your heart
They're just thorns without the rose
Be careful of them in the dark
Oh, if I was the one
You chose to be your only one
Oh yeah
Can't you hear me now
Can't you hear me now
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night it's just the same
You leave me lonely
Now I know your window and I know it's late
I know your stairs and your doorway
I walk down your street and past your gate
I stand by the light at the four way
You watch them as they fall
Oh baby, they all have heartattacks
They stay at the carnival but they'll never win you back
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night it's just the same
Oh baby
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
All of my dreams they fall like rain
Oh baby, on a downtown train
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night it's just the same
Oh baby
Will I see you tonight
Oh, on a downtown train
All of my dreams just fall like rain
All on a downtown train
All on a downtown train
All on a downtown train
All on a downtown train
On a downtown train
Downtown train
Ooooh, baby
All on a downtown train
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998(1)
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Downtown Train
(NME alternate mix, 1986)
Outside another yellow moon
has punched a hole in the nighttime, yes
I climb through the window and down to the street
I'm shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full with all those Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
Well, you wave your hand and they scatter like crows
They have nothing that will ever capture your heart
They're just thorns without the rose
Be careful of them in the dark
Oh, if I was the one
You chose to be your only one
Oh yeah
Can't you hear me now
Can't you hear me now
Will I see you tonight
on a downtown train
Every night, it's just the same
You leave me lonely, now
I know your window and I know it's late
I know your stairs and your doorway
I walk down your street and past your gate
I stand by the light at the four way
You watch them as they fall
Oh baby, they all have heartattacks
They stay at the carnival but they'll never win you back
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night it's just the same
Oh baby
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
All of my dreams they fall like rain
Oh baby, on a downtown train
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night it's just the same
Oh baby
Will I see you tonight
Oh, on a downtown train
All of my dreams just fall like rain
All on a downtown train
All on a downtown train
All on a downtown train
On a downtown train
Downtown train
Ooooh, baby
All on a downtown train
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: NME's Big Four (New Musical Express), 1986
Given free with New Musical Express magazine (UK). 4-Track 7" EP
(exclusive NME version produced by Tom Waits, 1985)
Known covers:
Hometown Girl. Mary-Chapin Carpenter. February, 1987/ 1989. Sony Music (1987). Columbia (1989)
Never Enough. Patty Smyth. January, 1987. Sony Music
Road to Bayamon. Tom Russell. 1988. Philo Records
Storyteller (Complete Anthology). Rod Stewart. October, 1989. WEA/ Warner Bros. Records (25987)
Downtown Train. Rod Stewart. March, 1990. WEA/ Warner Bros
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch
Acoustic. Everything But The Girl. June, 1992. WEA/ Atlantic
Nada Suena Igual. Los Hermanos Dalton. 1994. Dro East West (CD single and cassette)
If We Fall In Love Tonight. Rod Stewart. November, 1996. WEA/ Warner Bros
Greatest Hits. Patty Smyth. September, 1998. Sony Music
Krams - Das Letzte Konzert. Gerhard Gundermann. November 1, 1998. Buschfunk (Germany)
Live At Pastabilities. Gary Frenay And Arty Lenin. December 1, 1999. Vector
The Way I Feel. Erik Carlson. 2001. Self-released
Bring It On. Clelia Adams. 2001. Self-released (Australia: re-released in 2004)
Plays the Hits Made Famous by Rod Stewart. The Starsound Orchestra. February 13, 2001. Delta
The Great City. Touchwood. October, 2001. Self-released
The Very Best Of Rod Stewart. Rod Stewart. November, 2001. Warner Bros. Records
Sparks Of Passion - Rarities. The Rocking Chairs. 2002. River Nile Records
Train Songs. Spring String Quartet. 2002. CCn'C Records (instrumental)
Never Give Up Never Give In. Zoe McCulloch. 2003 Label: Mustang Music (instrumental)
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)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Now Then & Forever: a salute to Rod Stewart. Dameon Styles. September, 2006. Razor Productions
Pengabrorsan. MoneyBrother. December 6, 2006. Hacka Skivindustri (Sweden). In Swedish: "T�get Som G�r In Till Stan"
The Blue Rose Christmas Party 2006. Blue Rose Rockestra. July 1, 2007. Blue Rose Records
First Class Fools. Blues Package. January 28, 2008. Moonsound Records
Scheißkerl. Shawue. September 19, 2008. death-online.com
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Promo video for "Downtown Train" (Island, 1985)
Directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino. October 18, 1985.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Downtown Train
- Michael Tearson (1985): "Downtown Train" Tom Waits: Yeah, that's kind of a pop song. Or an attempt at a pop song (laughs). You know? (sings: la-la -la-la-laaa). MT: It's got some other people playing on it. G.E. Smith from the Hall and Oats band, Tony Levin on bass... TW: Yeah... Ehhh... all nice guys. MT: How did you bring those particular players into this one? TW: Ehm... Well, they were all well paid... MT: That helps... TW: ... believe me... (laughs) A triple scale. All real nice guys. I tried that song with the other band and then... It just didn't make it. So you can't get the guys to play like this on some of the stuff. I just couldn't find the right guys. MT: It also gives the album a different kind of dimension there. TW: Mmm... MT: A little bit of a different sound. TW: Yeah a little bit. Yeah, that was hard to do cause I wasn't sure where I was going. It was kinda unfamiliar. (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
Gun Street Girl
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
[One two three]
Fallin' James(2) in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all the tale
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
Now he's dancin' in the Birmingham(3) jail
Dancin' in the Birmingham jail
Well, he took a hundred dollars off a Slaughterhouse Joe(4)
Bought a brand new Michigan twenty gauge
He got all liquored up(5) on that roadhouse corn(6)
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette(7)
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
He bought a second hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
And dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
With a pawnshop radio quarter past four
He left Waukegan(8) at the slammin' of the door
Left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
He's sittin' in a sycamore(9) in St. John's Wood
Soakin' day old bread in kerosene(10)
Well, he was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog
He's stayin' out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
He never get up in the morning on a Saturday
Sittin' by the Erie(12) with a bull-whipped dog
Tellin' everyone he saw, 'They went thatta way, boys'
Tellin' everyone he saw, 'They went thatta way'
Now the rain like gravel on an old tin roof
The Burlington Northern pullin' out of the world
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
Get ridin' in the shadow by the Saint Joe Ridge
And the click clack tappin' of a blind man's cane
And he was pullin' into Baker on a New Year's Eve
With one eye on the pistol and the other on the door
One eye on the pistol and the other on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
Smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
Bangin' on a table with an old tin cup
I sing, I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)(13)
Gun Street Girl
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Falling James(2) in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all the tale
Well he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
John, John, he's long gone
Well he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, he's long gone
Well he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
Well he took a hundred dollars off a slaughterhouse Joe(4)
Bought a brand new Michigan twenty-gauge
He got all liquored up(5) on the road house corn(6)
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette(7)
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
John, John, is long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, is long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
John, John, he's long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, he's long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John
John, John
My papa was a rollin' stone
My papa was a rollin' stone
Wherever he hung he said was his home
When he died all he left us was alone
John, John
John, John
John, John
Now I was banging on a table with an old tin cup
Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I will never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I will never kiss a Gun Street girl again
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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(13)
Known covers:
Reheated. Canned Heat. 1988. SPV Records (Germany). Produced by Larry Taylor
Burnin' Live. Canned Heat. 1990. AIM Australia/ Spv Germany. Re-released in 2003 (Spv Records, UK)
Outlaws (Live & Unreleased). Luke Doucet. September, 2004. Six Shooter Records
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Gun Street Girl" 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) Gun Street Girl
- Tom Waits (1985): "Gun Street Girl is about a guy who's having trouble with the law and he traces all of these events back to this girl he met on Gun Street right there on Center Market right in Little Italy there." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape", taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations, late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "I tried to make it a tale in a tale, y'know? Where is the end of this tale? Y'know? There's: "Telling everyone they saw the went thataway". There's this girl tied to a tree with a skinny millionaire and a guy coming into Baker with a pistol and a... So I just tried to throw it all in there and make it like eh... "What the hell's going on around here?!" Y'know? It's like when you wake up in the middle of the night and you try to remember something that you don't, you remember just pieces of things? Y'know?" (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
(2) Falling James
- Falling James is a real person. He is a transvestite guitarist who plays with a rock band called "Leaving Trains". Waits was apparently amused by some of the anecdotes that Falling James might have told over the years, one of which could have included something about slipping in the mud in the Lake Tahoe area (Submitted by: Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000. Drew Slayton. E-mail message to Tom Waits Library. October, 2001). Further reading: Leaving Trains site
(3) Joe, a: n. [20C] 1. A generic name for a person, e.g. joe average, joe citizen, the average man in the street; also one who has a job or position, e.g. joe plainclothes, a plain clothes policeman, working joe one who is employed etc. 2. a stupid or offensive person (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(4) Birmingham: Also mentioned in Swordfishtrombones, 1983: "Some say they saw him down in Birmingham, sleeping in a boxcar going by."
(5) Liquored up: adj. [1920s+] (US) drunk (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(6) Corn n.: Liquor, esp. corn whisky, home made or illegally sold (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(7) 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.", 16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six, 1983: "And I tore out the buckets from a red Corvette."
(8) Waukegan: Waukegan is situated north of Chicago, right on Lake Michigan. Some 40 miles west of Waukegan is Johnsburg, Illinois. This is where Kathleen Brennan is said to have grown up (as told in the same titled song from Swordfishtrombones, 1983)
(9) Sycamore tree
1. 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).
2. 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 Wrong Side Of The Road: "Poison all the water in the wishin' well and hang all them scarecrows from a Sycamore tree."
(10) Soakin' day old bread in kerosene: WW-II survival countertracking technique, to escape a tracker dog trailing ones scent, by carrying bread or tobacco soaked in petrol, gasoline or kerosene.
(12) Erie, on the: Sitting by the Erie: Not taking chances; hiding. Underworld use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(13) During the 1999 Mule Variations tour Waits often combined this song with "Ain't goin' down to the well
Hang Down Your Head
Hush, a wild violet
Hush, a band of gold
Hush, you're in a story
That I heard somebody told
Tear the promise from my heart
Tear my heart today
You have found another
Oh baby, I must go away
So hang down your head for sorrow
Hang down your head for me
Hang down your head tomorrow
Hang down your head, Marie
Hush, my love, the rain now
Hush, my love was so true
Hush, my love, a train now
But it takes me away from you
So hang down your head for sorrow
Hang down your head for me
Hang down your head tomorrow
Hang down your head
Hang down your head
Hang down your head, Marie
So hang down your head for sorrow
Hang down your head for me
Hang down your head tomorrow
Hang down your head
Hang down your head
Hang down your head, Marie
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Known covers:
Northern Songs. Mirrors Over Kiev. 1991. Run River Records
Pinups. Human Drama. May 18, 1993. Triple X
Live At Adair's, Jack Ingram & The Beat Up Ford Band. 1996. MCA/ Rising Tide Entertainment
Il Futuro. Mimmo Locasciulli. 1998. Mercury Polygram (in Italian)
A Little Rain. David Weaver. 1998. Bridge Records
Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian. Petty Booka. March 11, 2003. Weed Records
Crossing Jordan (NBC television series soundtrack). Various artists. April, 2003. DMZ (Columbia Records/ Sony). Performed by Lucinda Williams
World Without Tears. Lucinda Williams. May 4, 2004. Universal International
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Into The Harbour. Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes. October 24, 2005. Leroy
El Amor De Mi Vida. Ronnie Drew and Eleanor Shanley. April 7, 2006. The Daisy
Good Night Vienna. Neigungsgruppe Sex, Gewalt & Gute Laune. November 15, 2007 Label: Trikont/ Trost Records (“Schädel hängen”)
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1985): "Yeah, eh "Hang Down Your Head" I mean it's "Please" y'know? But ehm... yeah Kathleen was whistling that and I said: what the hell is that? Y'know? And she said: Oh I don't know. So I made it... I put it down and took it in the studio. While I'm writing and while I'm recording, everything you seem to pick up during the process somehow ends up in there. You know, it's like a big vat. You know, you just start throwing things into it. So eh... that's funny, yeah." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- "The words were never printed in the 'Rain Dogs' lyric sheet. Perhaps it was considered a bit risky, because of the undeniable similarities to another song (Tom Dooley). It's included in the 'Beautiful Maladies' songbook though, so there's no fear of lawsuits nowadays. Funny thing: Not that it matters one bit, but he sings about wild violets in the previous track on 'Rain Dogs' too. The fragrance of the day apparently. :-)" (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
- Tom Dooley (Written by: Frank Warner /John Lomax /Alan Lomax): "Chorus:Hang down your head, Tom Dooley. Hang down your head and cry. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley. Poor boy, you're bound to die I met her on the mountain. There I took her life. Met her on the mountain. Stabbed her with my knife (Chorus) This time tomorrow. Reckon where I'll be. Hadn't-a been for Grayson, I'd-a been in Tennessee (Chorus) This time tomorrow. Reckon where I'll be. Down in some lonesome valley hangin' from a white oak tree (Chorus)."
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Edna Million in a drop dead(2) suit
Dutch Pink(3) on a downtown(4) train
Two dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain
Sixteen men on a dead man's chest(5)
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pairs of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon, I can't stand up
Hey little bird(6), fly away home
Your house is on fire, children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I'm stepping on the devil's tail
Across the stripes of a full moon's head
And through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
Flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Admire the view from up on top of the mast
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone, hey
I said, hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Yellow sheets on a Hong Kong bed
Stazybo horn and a Slingerland ride(7)
"To the carnival" is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside
Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
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: "Jockey full av Bourbon")
Vain Nopeat Elävät. Miljoonasade. November 22, 1989. Warner Music Finland (in finnish as "Rokkibändi Wounded Knee")
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)
Meret Becker und Ars Vitalis 1993-1995, Meret Becker and Ars Vitalis. 1996. Self-released (limited German live edition of 1000 pcs)
Zw�lf Kostbarkeiten. Zaftig. 1997. Self-released (Germany)
Mr. Happy. Mambo Combo. 1997. Blue Heron Records
Goatfoxes. Tightrope. 1997. Rockwerk Records
Live At The Lava Lounge. Blue Hawaiians. August 4, 1997. Pascal Records
Live Noise. Moxy Fruvous. May 19, 1998. Bottom Line/ Koch
Gerd K�ster und... Gerd K�ster. March 22, 1999. Chlodwig (Pavement Records)
Savage Night. Blue Hawaiians. August, 1999. Interscope (Universal)
Sheriff of Bottletone County. Bottletones. February 15, 2000. Hepcat Records
The Difference, Adam Dorfman. April, 2000. BMI
Being Tom Waits. Billy`s Band. 2001. Self-released demo album (Russia)
A Different Kind Of Blues. Fat Vinny & The Wiseguys. 2001. Self-released
Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)
Stray. Christine Graves. February 17, 2001. Brave Music
Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin
Sweet Sixty. Jerry Williams (Sven Erik Fernström). 2002. Stockholm (Sweden)
Storming The Castle. Full Front Folk. 2002. Self-released
Bar Jeder Vernunft. Various artists. June 5, 2002. Duo-Phon (Pool Music und Media). Performed by Meret Becker and Ars Vitalis. Same version as on "Meret Becker und Ars Vitalis: 1993-1995", 1996
Impedance Tube. Deadpan Alley. June 18, 2002. Self-released
Abenteuer des Alltags. Ralf & Feinton Huwendieck. September 30, 2002. Tonstudio (SPV Germany)
Rooms. Tightrope. 2003. Self-released
Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production/ Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Call It What You Wanna! Vince Lee And The Big Combo. May, 2003. Self-released.
The Usual Bandidos. Carlos And The Bandidos. December, 2003. Part (UK)
Cirkus. Souvenirs. 2004. Hosdal. Bonnier Amigo Music Group (in Danish "Whiskeyt�s")
God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo
Radio Tijuana. G. Rag & Los Hermanos Patchekos. July 12, 2004. Gutfeeling (Broken Silence)
Ride This: The Covers EP. Los Lobos. August, 2004. Hollywood Records
Le Drame du Pastis. Puts Marie. May, 2005. Self-released
Live at Kung Fu Bakery. Stephanie Schneiderman Band. May 10, 2005 Label. Papa J. Records
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Griff Steel & The Duck and Dive Five. Griff Steel & The Duck and Dive Five. December 7, 2005. Self-released
Song Of Jealousy. Pulp Dogs. April 30, 2006. Self-released (Italy)
Misplaced. Moshav. August 8, 2006. JMG
Steve Evans Quartet, 2 Sets. Steve Evans. December 4, 2006. Self-released
Catch the Squirrel. Jeremy dePrisco. May 19, 2007. Self-released
The Ballad Of John Henry. Joe Bonamassa. February 24, 2009. Premier Artists
Hold Fast. G. Rag Y Los Hermanos Patchekos. April 24, 2009. Gutfeeling Records
Voyage. Youn Sun Nah. April 24, 2009. ACT Records
Shadows. The Lazy Boys. May 12, 2010. Part Records
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Music video promoting "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" (1986)
Island/ MCA records, 1986 (footage from "Down By Law" Jim Jarmusch 1986).
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Jockey
- n.: A driver. A cab, bus or truck driver (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- [mid-19C-1940s] an accomplice or assistant usu. of a driver of a cab or utility vehicle (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(2) Drop dead: adv. [1970s+] (orig. US) extremely, esp. as in drop-dead beautiful. [so beautiful, striking etc. as to cause the onlooker to drop dead] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(3) Dutch Pink
- n. [19C] blood [Dutch Pink, a yellow pigment] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
- Notice the same phrase being used in Temptation, 1987: "I can't resist Dutch pink and Italian blue, she is waiting there for you."
(4) Down town: I 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) Sixteen men on a dead man's chest:
"Dead Man's Chest" (also known as Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest or Derelict) is a fictional sailor's work song or "sea shanty" from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883), and a later expanded poem by Young E. Allison (1891). It has since been used in many later works of art in various forms. Most famous being the "Yo Ho Ho" sailor song from a 1901 Broadway musical; Seq. by: Almut Koerting: "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike The bosun brained with a marlinspike And cookey's throat was marked belike It had been gripped by fingers ten; And there they lay, all good dead men Like break o'day in a boozing ken Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Fifteen men of the whole ship's list Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! The skipper lay with his nob in gore Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore And the scullion he was stabbed times four And there they lay, and the soggy skies Dripped down in up-staring eyes In murk sunset and foul sunrise Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Ten of the crew had the murder mark! Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum! Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead Or a yawing hole in a battered head And the scuppers' glut with a rotting red And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes Looking up at paradise All souls bound just contra wise Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Fifteen men of 'em good and true - 'Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Ev'ry man jack could ha' sailed with Old Pew, Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! There was chest on chest of Spanish gold With a ton of plate in the middle hold And the cabins riot of stuff untold, And they lay there that took the plum With sightless glare and their lips struck dumb While we shared all by the rule of thumb, Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! More was seen through a sternlight screen... Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Chartings undoubt where a woman had been Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. 'Twas a flimsy shift on a bunker cot With a dirk slit sheer through the bosom spot And the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot Oh was she wench or some shudderin' maid That dared the knife and took the blade By God! she had stuff for a plucky jade Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Fifteen men on a dead man's chest Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. We wrapped 'em all in a mains' tight With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight And we heaved 'em over and out of sight, With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a fare-you-well And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell, Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"
(6) Hey little bird: quoting "Ladybug! Ladybug!" (Nursery rhyme, unknown copyright): "Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home Your house is on fire And your children all gone All except one, And that's Ann, For she has crept under The frying pan" (Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ( (c) 1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III)
(7) Slingerland ride: On a drum kit you will find one or two (in severe cases more) ride toms above the snare drum. The ride cymbal is usually placed to the right, by the floor tom (assuming the drummer is right handed). And Slingerland is of course a brand of drums. A "Slingerland ride" can mean either the tom or the cymbal (Submitted by Ulf Berggren, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)
Rain Dogs
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
Inside a broken clock
Splashing the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, we'd rather walk
Huddle(2) a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too
Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night
For it was all ripe for dreaming
Oh, how we danced away all of the lights(3)
We've always been out of our minds
The rum pours strong and thin
Beat out the dustman with the rain dogs
Aboard a shipwreck train
Give my umbrella to the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee(4)
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You'll never be going back home
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You'll never be going back home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Raindogs full story
Rain Dogs
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Inside a broken clock, splash the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, taxi, taxi we'd rather walk
Huddle(2) a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog, too
I know how we danced and we swallowed the night
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me(3)
We'll never be going back home
I know how we danced and we swallowed the night
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me
We'll never be going back home
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee(4)
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me
We'll never be going back home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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
Further reading: Raindogs 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: "Fyllhund")
Spiewomalowanie. Mariusz Lubomski. 1994. Self-released. In Polish "Zmokniete psy"
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)
A Postcard From... Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
Black As A Raven. The Jim-Jams. 2004. Flotainment
God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
We´re Not Bitter. Children Of Celebrities. July 28, 2007. Self-released
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Rain Dogs" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA. November 7/8, 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) Rain Dogs
- Tom Waits (1985): "People who live outdoors. You know how after the rain you see all these dogs that seem lost, wandering around. The rain washes away all their scent, all their direction. So all the people on the album are knit together, by some corporeal way of sharing pain and discomfort." (Source: "The Sultan Of Sleaze" YOU magazine, by Pete Silverton. Date: New York. Early October, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "It's a kind of word I made up for people who sleep in doorways. I mean, New York when it rains, all the peelings and cigarette butts, float to the surface like in Taxi Driver when he says, "someday a real raids gonna come along and wash all the scum of f the street". Looks better in the rain, like it's been lacquered." (Source: "Lower east side story". The Face: Elissa van Poznak. Ca. October, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985). "Maybe I should say something about the title of the album, "Rain Dogs". You know dogs in the rain lose their way back home. They even seem to look up at you and ask if you can help them get back home. 'Cause after it rains every place they peed on has been washed out. It's like "Mission Impossible". They go to sleep thinking the world is one way and they wake up and somebody moved the furniture." (Source: "Tom Waits for no man". Spin Magazine: Glenn O'Brien. November, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "A Rain Dog is - you notice it more in lower Manhattan than anywhere else - after a rain in New York all the dogs that got caught in the rain, somehow the water washed away their whole trail and they can't get back home so about 4 in the morning you see all these stranded dogs on the street and they're looking around like - won't you help me get back home, sir, please - excuse me sir - excuse me sir - can you help me find my way back home - all makes and models, the short ones, the black ones, the tall ones, the expensive ones, the long ones, the disturbed ones, they all want to get home. So that's a Rain Dog. It's like falling asleep somewhere and you thought you knew where you were and when you woke up - it's like Mission Impossible - they changed the furniture and the walls and windows and the sky turned a different colour and you can never get back and most of the stories in this record have to do with people in New York who are experiencing a considerable amount of pain and discomfort." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985) (What are Raindogs?): "Eh... I don't know... you can get 'em in Coney Island. They're little eh... It's eh... They come in a bun. And eh... It's just water in a bun. That's all... It's a bun that's been... It's a bun without a hot-dog in it. (laughs) It's just... it's been left out in the rain and they're called a Raindog. And they're less expensive then a standard hot-dog... ... ... No, a Raindog is a... is anybody who eh... people who sleep in doorways. People who don't have credit cards. People who don't go to church. People who don't have eh, y'know, a mortgage, y'know? Who fly in this whole plane by the seat of their pants. People who... are going down the road eh, y'know?" (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "You see all these dogs out on the street looking lost. They kind of look up at you like: `'scuse me sir, can you, uh, ...(deep voice) can you help me? 'cause the rain has washed away all the scents; the way they got wherever they got. So they can't find their way back home." (Source: "Enigmatic Waits survives, thrives" The San Diego Union-Tribune. By Rip Rense. November 1, 1985)
(2) Huddle v.t.: To crowd (things) together to mingle confusedly; to assemble without order or system (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, I)
(3) Oh, how we danced: Notice the musical and lyrical reference to "The Anniversary Waltz" (Words and music by Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin): "Oh, how we danced On the night we were wed; We vowed our true love Though a word wasn't said. The world was in bloom, There were stars in the skies Except for the few That were there in your eyes. Dear, as I held you So close in my arms, Angels were singing A hymn to your charms, Two hearts gently beating Were murmuring low, "My darling, I love you so." The night seemed to fade Into blossoming dawn; The sun shone anew But the dance lingered on. Could we but relive that Sweet moment sublime, We'd find that our love Is unaltered by time."
(4) Rose of Tralee: A yearly beauty contest in Ireland. The original Rose of Tralee was a young dairymaid turned children's maid named Mary O'Connor who caught the eye of young William Pembroke Mulchinock of the Mulchinock Estate where she was working. This soon turned to love, but due to staunch family pride and an accusation that he had killed a man this never turned to marriage. William fled and returned years later to find that she had just died. After an unsuccessful marriage in America and then living the rest of his days alone in Ireland, he died and was buried next to his beloved in 1864. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
Singapore
We sail tonight for Singapore, we're all as mad as hatters(2) here
I've fallen for a tawny moor, took off to the Land of Nod(3)
Drank with all the Chinamen, walked the sewers of Paris(4)
I danced along a colored wind, dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me
We sail tonight for Singapore, don't fall asleep while you're ashore
Cross your heart and hope to die, when you hear the children cry
Let marrowbone and cleaver choose, while making feet for children's shoes(5)
Through the alley, back from hell, when you hear that steeple bell
You must say goodbye to me.
Wipe him down with gasoline, till his arms are hard and mean
From now on, boys, this iron boat's your home
So heave away, boys
We sail tonight for Singapore, take your blankets from the floor
Wash your mouth out by the door, the whole town's made of iron ore
Every witness turns to steam, they all become Italian dreams
Fill your pockets up with earth, get yourself a dollar's worth
Away boys, away boys, heave away
The captain is a one-armed dwarf, he's throwing dice along the wharf
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King(6)
So take this ring
We sail tonight for Singapore, we're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny moor, took off to the Land of Nod
Drank with all the Chinamen, walked the sewers of Paris
I drank along a colored wind, I dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Known covers:
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Unplugged. Anne B�renz & Frank Wolff. 2003. B�chergilde (Germany)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Sex In Obertrubach. Feinton. March 1, 2006. TP9 Records (Germany)
Bye-Bye. Anne B�renz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
Notes:
(1) Singapore
- Tom Waits (1985): "Sometimes I close my eyes real hard and I see a picture of what I want, the song. 'Singapore' started like that, Richard Burton with a bottle of festival brandy preparing to go on board ship. I tried to make my voice like his - "In the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king" - I took that from Orwell I think. NME - Which book? TW - Mary Poppins, one of the big ones." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Nowadays, if you want a certain sound you don't have to get it now, you can get it later. When you're mixing, electronically. I wanted to get it now, so I felt I cooked it and I ate it. You can establish percussion sounds later electronically. But I ended up banging on things so I felt that it really responded. If I couldn't get the right sound out of the drum set we'd get a chest of drawers in the bathroom and hit it real hard with a two-by-four. Things like that. That's on "Singapore". Those little things made me feel more involved that sampling on a synthesizer." (Source: "Tom Waits for no man". Spin Magazine: Glenn O'Brien. November 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Singapore is kind of like Dick Burton in Taiwan and he can't get a drink." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Ehm... I was thinking about what would happen if Richard Burton got stranded in Hong Kong somewhere or... y'know. He's this burly English with... y'know? You know a sheet mantras of... somewhere in eh...somewhere off. y'know? Taiwan or Guam, Hong Kong, Canton, Shanghai eh Philippines, somewhere over there y'know? So I tried to imagine what would be going through eh... Make it like a Richard Burton number." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1998): "It's an adventure song. I like adventure songs and I always remembered that in the studio the drum sound that we used was a two by four attacking somebody's chest of drawers and the whole song played and all the backbeats were played with a two by four hitting the chest of drawers repeatedly and on the last bar of the song the whole piece of furniture had collapsed and there was nothing left of it and the song was over but it was just a - That's what I think of when I hear the song. I see the pile of wood and it excites me. Michael Blair was the percussionist. It wasn't a very expensive chest of drawers - it was just one that we'd found out on the sidewalk." (Source: "KCRW-FM: Morning Becomes Eclectic (interviewed by Chris Douridas)" Date: March 31, 1998)
(2) Mad hatter
- Someone who sells drugs and other illegal substances. ("I'm going to go pick some stuff up from the madhatter up on Main.") (Source: The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader).
- Mad as a hatter phr. [mid-19C] very mad, utterly insane. [the use in 18C of mercurous nitrate in tanning of felt hats. This was absorbed by the hatters, in whom the effects could produce mental problems]. (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).
- Might also refer to the Alice character. Also mentioned in "Diamonds And Gold": "There's a hole in the ladder, a fence we can climb Mad as a hatter, you're thin as a dime."
- "These days we associate mad as a hatter with a bit of whimsy in Lewis Carroll's famous children's book Alice in Wonderland of 1865. Carroll didn't invent the phrase, though. By the time he wrote the book it was already well known; the first example I can find is from a work by Thomas Chandler Haliburton (Judge Haliburton), of Nova Scotia, who was well-known in the 1830s for his comic writings about the character Sam Slick; in The Clockmaker; or the Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville of 1836, he wrote: "Father he larfed out like any thing; I thought he would never stop-and sister Sall got right up and walked out of the room, as mad as a hatter". As the author felt no need to explain it, by then it was clearly well known in his part of North America. Whether it was invented there, I don't know, but it seems likely. An early British reference is in Pendennis by William Makepeace Thackeray, serialised between 1848-50: "We were talking about it at mess, yesterday, and chaffing Derby Oaks-until he was as mad as a hatter". Note, by the way, that mad is being used in both these cases in the sense of being angry rather than insane, so these examples better fit the sense of phrases like mad as a wet hen, mad as a hornet, mad as a cut snake, mad as a meat axe, and other wonderful similes, of which the first two are American and the last two from Australia or New Zealand. But Thomas Hughes, in Tom Brown's Schooldays, used it in the same way that Lewis Carroll was later to do: "He's a very good fellow, but as mad as a hatter". Few people who use the phrase today realise that there's a story of human suffering behind it; the term actually derives from an early industrial occupational disease. Felt hats were once very popular in North America and Europe; an example is the top hat. The best sorts were made from beaver fur, but cheaper ones used furs such as rabbit instead. A complicated set of processes was needed to turn the fur into a finished hat. With the cheaper sorts of fur, an early step was to brush a solution of a mercury compound-usually mercurous nitrate-on to the fur to roughen the fibres and make them mat more easily, a process called carroting because it made the fur turn orange. Beaver fur had natural serrated edges that made this unnecessary, one reason why it was preferred, but the cost and scarcity of beaver meant that other furs had to be used. Whatever the source of the fur, the fibres were then shaved off the skin and turned into felt; this was later immersed in a boiling acid solution to thicken and harden it. Finishing processes included steaming the hat to shape and ironing it. In all these steps, hatters working in poorly ventilated workshops would breathe in the mercury compounds and accumulate the metal in their bodies. We now know that mercury is a cumulative poison that causes kidney and brain damage. Physical symptoms include trembling (known at the time as hatter's shakes), loosening of teeth, loss of co-ordination, and slurred speech; mental ones include irritability, loss of memory, depression, anxiety, and other personality changes. This was called mad hatter syndrome. It's been a very long time since mercury was used in making hats, and now all that remains is a relic phrase that links to a nasty period in manufacturing history. But mad hatter syndrome remains common as a description of the symptoms of mercury poisoning." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)
(3) Nod, the land of
- To go to the land of Nod is to go to bed. There are many similar puns and more in French than in English. Of course, the reference is to Gen. iv. 16, "Cain went ... and dwelt in the land of Nod;" but where the land of Nod is or was nobody knows. In fact, "Nod" means a vagrant or vagabond, and when Cain was driven out he lived "a vagrant life," with no fixed abode, till he built his "city." (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
- Jonathan Swift turned the phrase into a pun when he wrote that he was "going into the Land of Nod" meaning that he was going to sleep. (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle).
- Could be inspired by: "The Land Of Nod." Children's song. Written by: Robert Louis Stevenson. Copyright: unknown: "From breakfast on all through the day At home among my friends I stay; But every night I go abroad Afar into the land of Nod All by myself I have to go, With none to tell me what to do. All alone beside the streams And up the mountainsides of dreams The strangest things are there for me, Both things to eat and things to see, And many frightening sights abroad Till morning in the land of Nod Try as I like to find the way, I never can get back by day, Nor can remember plain and clear The curious music that I hear."
(4) Walked the sewers of Paris
- Might refer to the club that used to be behind the Ivar Theatre in L.A. It was later called "The Gaslight" and it has been remodeled and renamed "The Opium Den" in 1996. 1605 1/2 N. Ivar Hollywood, CA USA
- 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. Copyright 1994 from "The Ivar Memoirs" by Ross MacLean, produced & published playwright. Ross has written a memoir on the Ivar, and is completing a play on the same subject)
- Tom Waits in 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(9). Used to be called the Sewers Of Paris." (Source: "Tom Waits: Waits And Double Measures" Smash Hits magazine by Johnny Black. March 18, 1981)
(5) Making feet for children shoes: To have sex. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(6) In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King: Attributed to Desiderius Gerhard Erasmus, Dutch scholar, philosopher and writer (1465 - 1536). [Lat., In regione caecorum rex est luscus.] - Adagia (III, IV, 96)
Tango Till They're Sore
Well, you play that Tarantella(2), all the hounds they start to roar
The boys all go to hell, and then the Cubans hit the floor
They drive along the pipeline, they tango till they're sore
They take apart their nightmares and they leave 'em by the door
Let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair
Deal out jacks or better(3) on a blanket by the stairs
I'll tell you all my secrets, but I lie about my past
Send me off to bed forever more
Make sure they play my theme song, I guess Daisies'll have to do(4)
Just get me to New Orleans and paint shadows on the pews
Turn the spit on that pig, kick the drum and let me down
Put my clarinet beneath your bed till I get back in town
Let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair
Deal out jacks or better on a blanket by the stairs
I'll tell you all my secrets, but I lie about my past
So send me off to bed forever more
Just make sure she's all in calico(5) and the color of a doll
Wave the flag on Cadillac Day and a skillet on the wall
Cut me a switch, or hold your breath till the sun goes down
Write my name on the hood, send me off to another town
And just let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair
Deal out jacks or better on a blanket by the stairs
Tell you all my secrets, but I lie about my past
Will you send me off to bed forever more
Fall out of the window with confetti in my hair
Deal out jacks or better on a blanket by the stairs
I'll tell you all my secrets, but I lie about my past
Send me off to bed forever more
Send me off to bed forever more
Send me off to bed forever more
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
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: "Camping i Kuopio")
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
It Happened One Night. Holly Cole. June, 1995. Blue Note Records. Japan: 1995, USA/ EMD: 1996 (live version)
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Incarnation Blues. Seth Augustus. 2004. Self-released
Liking You Liking Me. Grace Chung. 2005. Owlsong Productions
Fast Grass. Britta Rex Quartett. January 11, 2005. Cattitude Records
Annamateur. Anna Maria Scholz. August, 2005. Self-released
Tango Scandale. Ulrich Kodjo Wendt Band. October 1, 2005. Liekedeler (New Music)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Cowboy Gypsy Party Music. Brook Adams. July 13, 2007. Self-released
Passione E Veleno (Tango di Capodanno) . Stefano Tessadri. March 28, 2008. Novunque/ Universal
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)
Colorama. The Hofners. March 9, 2009. LongMan Records
The Zeitgeist Beckons. Vagabond Opera. May 9, 2009. Self-released
Stereo Bang Bang. Children Of Celebrities. January 1, 2010. Self-released
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Tango Till They're Sore"
Live performance from Late Night With David Letterman (1985)
NBC television talkshow with David Letterman. New York/ USA.
(broadcast November 21, 1985. Also lists as December 1985 and February 6, 1986)
Notes:
(1) Tango Till They're Sore:
- Tom Waits (1983) (from a 'Rain Dogs' promo clip, as presented in 'Egos and Icons'): "I had this friend who fell out of the window on New Year's Eve. 12 storeys, not a scratch. His hat blew off. The only thing that broke his fall was the fact that he had a little confetti in his hair."
- Tom Waits (1985): "That's kind of a New Orleans thing with trombone - I had a friend of mine who'd fallen out of a window - he sent me a card later that said "May you always have confetti in your hair" - that's kind of sums that up." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (introducing Tango Till They're Sore, 1985): "Thank you eh. This is about a guy that eh fell out of a window on New Year's Eve. And eh, the only thing that broke his fall, was the fact that he had a little eh confetti in his hair. Needless to say he doesn't go anywhere without a little... confetti in his hair." (Source: "Late Night With David Letterman" (NBC TV show) Date: New York. December, 1985)
- Tom Waits (introducing Tango Till They're Sore, Healdsburg, 1996): "This is a song about suicide. But it's a FUN song. So don't go gettin' depressed"
(2) Tarantella: "The tarantella (tarentule, tarentella, tarantelle, tarentelle, tarantel) is a traditional, southern Italian dance of 6/8 or 4/4 time, characterised by the rapid whirling of couples. There are several local variations of this dance, including the Neapolitan, Sicilian, Apulian and Calabrian tarantellas. It is led by a central singer/speaker. A tarantella is also a song that can be played by instrumentalists. Sometimes the word used for the song is taranta ("tarantella" is in fact a diminutive dialectal form for "tarantula", a common kind of spider). The time signature, the fact that it is led by a caller, and several of the figures suggest that the tarantella may be related to contra dance. It is named after Taranto in southern Italy, and is popularly associated with the large local wolf spider or "tarantula" spider (Lycosa tarantula) whose bite was allegedly deadly and could be cured only by frenetic dancing (see tarantism). One variation of the legend said the dancer must dance the most joyous dance of her life or she would die, another says the dancer will go in to the most joyous dance of her life before she dies. In actual fact the spider's venom is not dangerous enough to cause any severe effects. The spiders, far from being aggressive, avoid human contact." (Source: Wikipedia/ GNU Free Documentation License, 2007)
(3) Jacks or better: A version of 5 card draw (poker) that requires a pair of Jacks or better to open the betting. If no one has at least this, the hand is thrown in, everyone puts money into the pot again, and the hand is re-dealt. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(4) Dasies: Might refer to one of these titles: "The Garden of Daisies", "Pushing Daisies", "When Daisies Pied", "Sweet Bunch of Daisies"
(5) Calico: n. 1. A coarse, brightly printed cloth. Chiefly British. 2. A plain white cotton cloth, heavier than muslin (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition) In the US the term calico is applied only to the printed fabric.
Time
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
The smart money's(2) on Harlow, and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breakin' all the laws
And you're east of East St. Louis(3), and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
And Napoleon(4) is weepin' in a carnival saloon
His invisible fiancee's in the mirror
And the band is goin' home, it's rainin' hammers, it's rainin' nails
And it's true, there's nothin' left for him down here
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train
You can see it gettin' smaller as it pulls away
And the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget
That history puts a saint in every dream
Well, she said she'd stick around until the bandages came off
But these mama's boys just don't know when to quit
And Matilda(5) asks the sailors, 'Are those dreams or are those prayers?'
So close your eyes, son, and this won't hurt a bit
Oh, it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Well, things are pretty lousy for a calendar girl
The boys just dive right off the cars and splash into the street
And when they're on a roll(6), she pulls a razor from her boot
And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet
So put a candle in the window(7) and a kiss upon his lips
As the dish outside the window fills with rain
Just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
And pay the fiddler(6) off till I come back again
Oh, it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Time
(Big Time live version, 1988)
The smart money's(2) on Harlow, and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breakin' all the laws
Oh, and it's east of East St. Louis(3), and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
And Napoleon(4) is weepin' in a carnival saloon
His invisible fianc�e is in the mirror
And the band is goin' home, it's rainin' hammers, it's rainin' nails
It's true, there's nothin' left for him down here
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, and it's time
And it's time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train
You can see them gettin' smaller as they pull away
Oh, and the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget
That history puts a saint in every dream
Oh, she said she'd stick around 'til the bandages came off
But these mama's boys just don't know when to quit
And Matilda(5) asks the sailors, 'Are those dreams or are those prayers?'
Close your eyes, son, and this won't hurt a bit
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Oh, and things are pretty lousy for the calendar girls
The boys just dive right off the cars and splash into the street
Oh, and when she's on a roll(6), she pulls a razor from her boot
And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet
So put a candle in the window(7) and a kiss upon my lips
As the dish outside the window fills with rain
Oh, and just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
Pay the fiddler(8) off till I come back again
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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)
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
T-Bone Burnett. T-Bone Burnett, 1986/ 1994. DOT Records (MCA) MCAD-31296/ 5809. Universal Special Products (1994)
Navidades Furiosas. Various artists. 1993. La Fábrica Magnética, Spain. (performed by: El Inquilino Comunista)
Roll Tide Roll. Jan Johansen. October, 1997. Lionheart Records (Sweden)
Canto Per Te. Andrea Mingardi. February 2, 1999. Sony/ Columbia, COL 489585-2 (in Italian)
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Vieux Carre. Torn Curtain. March, 2001. Self-released
Strange Little Girls. Tori Amos. September 18, 2001. WEA/ Atlantic
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
Fram Till Nu. Jan Johansen. December, 2001. IND/ Sweden (same version as on Roll Tide Roll, 1997)
Unplugged. Anne Bärenz & Frank Wolff. 2003. Büchergilde (Germany)
Mens Te Koop. Kees Meerman. 2003. Self-released
The Music Never Ends. Johanna Olsson. March 23, 2004. Self-released (Sweden)
And How. Xanda Howe. June, 2004. Songphonic Records (bonus track)
"23". Golly. July, 2004. Media - Arte (Knopf Germany)
Your Town. 5 Mile Chase. October, 2005. Self-released
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Gabelfrühstück. NOX (Gerd Köster & Dirk Raulf). May 11, 2006. Poise (Germany)
Leonard Cohen Auf Swedisch II (bonus track "Tid" in Swedish). Jan Erik Lundqvist. May 26, 2006. Meyer Records (Germany)
Bye-Bye. Anne Bärenz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)
Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)
American Storyteller Vol 2 & 3. Chris Chandler And Davd Roe. September 4, 2007. Self-released
Domestic Songs. Solveig Slettahjell. September 28, 2007. Act (Edel)
In Love + Light. Heidi Talbot. February 25, 2008. Self-released
Just Doin´Time. Breeze the Creaze/ Golly. January 7, 2008. Knopfstudio (Germany)
Overcast - The Music Of Ed Partyka. The Sunday Night Orchestra. May 30, 2008. Mons Records, Germany
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Time" taken from 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) Time
- Tom Waits (commenting on the song "Time", 1985): "Time: Time is a precious commodity..." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
(2) Smart money
- Money bet or invested by those in the know, or by influential or wealthy people who are supposedly in a position to know that their bet or investment will be profitable (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- Money paid by a person to obtain exemption from some disagreeable office or duty; in law it means a heavy fine; and in recompense it means money given to soldiers or sailors for injuries received in the service. It either makes the person "smart," i.e. suffer, or else the person who receives it is paid for smarting. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(3) St. Louis
- Also mentioned in: I Beg Your Pardon, 1982: "Please don't go back to St. Louis, can't you tell that I'm sincere.", 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.".
- Notice that East St. Louis is a notably rough and tough black side of town, very distinct from plain St. Louis. Being East of East St. Louis might be a Waitsian metaphor for being in the worst part possible of any town.
- 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)
(4) Napoleon
- On "The heart of Saturday night" Napoleon is credited for the cover illustration. According to Cal Schenkel Napoleon is the guy on the floor in front of the diner on the cover of "Nighthawks at the diner".
- Also mentioned in Diamonds And Gold (Rain Dogs, 1985): "Small time Napoleon's shattered his knees, But he stays in the saddle for Rose."
(5) Matilda: Might be Waits is refering to Matilda from Tom Traubert's Blues, 1976: "Waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me." The rhytmn and feeling of both songs are certainly alike
(6) Roll
- v.t.:To rob a drunk or sleeping person, usu. a drunk. To rob any person, as by a hold-up, or esp. to rob a prostitute's customer when he is sleeping or has left his clothing unwatched (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- 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 Depot, Depot, 1974: "I'm on a roll, just like a pool ball, baby, Empty Pockets/ Purple Avenue, 1981: "What happened to my roll, September fell right through the hole."
(6) Put a candle in the window: Many cultures around the world practice the "candle in the window" tradition. In colonial America a "candle in the window" was used to honor dignitaries, announce births and just plain celebrate(Source: Libbey Hodges, Oliver and Mary Miley Theobold. Williamsburg Christmas. New York. Harry N. Abrams Inc. 1999). In today's America it is a tradition practiced throughout the year as a gesture of welcome and a promise of warm hospitality to guests (thanks to Celso Lazaretti for pointing out this reference).
(7) Fiddler/ piper, pay the: Who's to pay the fiddler/ piper? The phrase comes from the tradition about the Pied Piper of Hameln, who agreed to cure the town of rats and mice; when he had done so, the people of Hameln refused to pay him, whereupon he piped again, and led all the children to Koppelberg Hill, which closed over them. From the corresponding French phrase, "payer les violons," it would seem to mean who is to pay the fiddler or piper if we have a dance [on the green] (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
Union Square
Well, time is always money
For all the boys on Union Square
Go on bust your ass till doomsday
But don't forget to say your prayers
Someone's knocked down on the backstreet
Said, papa got a brand new slack
And your baby is handcuffed on the front seat
Sit right there, boy, and you relax
Come on, honey, we're all goin' down
Down down downtown(2)
Down downtown
We're goin' down downtown
We're goin' down downtown
Well, they spill out of the Cinema 14
To that drag(3) bar down the block
Best live show by far on the whole east coast
With a bank rolled up in your sock
She stands right there for your pleasure
Half Puerto Rican Chinese
You got to find your baby somebody to measure
I'm gonna get me some of these, baby
Come on, honey, we're all goin' down
Down down down
Down down down downtown
Down downtown
I'm goin' down downtown
Well, four in the mornin' on a Sunday
Sacco drinkin' whiskey in church
Half pint of festival brandy
That babe will fall right off his perch
Well, that guy in the sweater's off duty
Well, he's out in front of the welfare hotel
The guy in the dress is a beauty
Go all the way, I swear you never can tell
Come on, honey, put on your socks
Down down down
I'm goin' down down down downtown
Down downtown
Oh looky here, down down down
Oh come on, honey
Oh babe, down down down
Come on, down downtown
I'm goin' down downtown
I'm goin' down downtown
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Known covers:
Knucklehead. Eric "Roscoe" Ambel. July, 2004. Lakeside Lounge Records
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Notes:
(1) Union Square
- Tom Waits (1985): "Union Square, Keith Richards played on that, he plays that doghouse rhythm, it's just a killer." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "That's just real straight... y'know? Keith played on that again too. He played that eh... y'know eh... (laughs) that guitar. Gheesus! You know, he leans forward at like eh... almost eh... at like 2 o'clock. You know? I mean if this was like... 10 till 2, y'know? He leans so far forward, he must have a string attached to the back of his neck and it's run up and it's being held to the ceiling and it keeps him from falling flat on his face. It's unbelievable. He had these old shoes of... looked like a dog chewed 'em up. And eh he was drinking this eh Rebel Yellow sour mash whiskey and... he looks like a pirate. He's a killer." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "I was going to throw that song out. I said call the dustman, this one's chewing on the dead. But somebody said, there's something there. Hell I said, there isn't. Then he came in - on the clock he stands with his head at 3 and his arm at 10. I said how can a man stand like that without falling over, unless he has 200lb test fishing line suspending him from the ceiling? It was like something out of Arthur, he comes in with his guitar valet and it's 'Oh Keef, shall we try the Rickenbacker?'" (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
(2) Down town: I 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)
(3) Drag n.: A homosexual gathering or party in which the participants wear clothes appropriate to the opposite sex; a gathering or party of transvestites (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
Walking Spanish
He got himself a homemade special(2), you know his glass is full of sand
And it feels just like a jaybird, the way it fits into his hand
He rolled a blade up in his trick towel, they slap their hands against the
wall
You never trip, you never stumble, he's walkin' Spanish down the hall
Slip him a picture of our Jesus, or give him a spoon to dig a hole
What all he done ain't no one's business, but he'll need blankets for the
cold
They dim the lights over on Broadway, even the king has bowed his head
Every face looks right up at Mason, he's walkin' Spanish down the hall
Latella's screechin' for a blind pig, Punk Sander's carved it out of wood
He never sang when he got hoodwinked(3), they tried it all but he never would
Tomorrow mornin' there'll be laundry, but he'll be somewhere else to hear
the call
Don't say good bye, he's just leavin' early, he's walkin' Spanish down the
hall
All St. Bartholomew(4) said was whispered into the ear of Blind Jack Dawes
All the Baker told the machine was that he never broke the law
Go on and tip your hat up to the Pilate, take off your watch, your rings and
all
Even Jesus wanted just a little more time, when he was walkin' Spanish down
the hall
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)
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: "Kr�p p� finska �ver bron")
Live Au Forum. Toxic Blues Again. December, 1996. Self-released (live)
Coaltown Blues. Lex Romane & Joe Riillo. 1998. Lucky Duck Records
Whispers Of Time. Toxic Blues Again. December, 1999. Self-released
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Bluesville. Steve Johnson. 2001. New Risin' Blues/ Virgin France
Tonight at Johnny's Speakeasy. Jo Serrapere And The Willie Dunns. May, 2002. Detroit Radio Co. Recordings
Blues from the Roadhouse. Steve Johnson. February, 2003. Dixiefrog
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Get Up Now. Toy Shop. September 7, 2006. Rockin' Camel Music (USA)
Notes:
(1) Walking (someone) Spanish
- To force someone to leave, usu. from a public place, by lifting him by his coat or shirt collar to a walking position and propelling him toward the door (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- Being in the act of doing something you don't want to do. So, to paraphrase the example Waits himself gave, a guy reaching for his wallet after being told to do so by a mugger would be "walking spanish" as he did so. (This example from the publicity LP release of Rain Dogs, in which Waits talks about the theme of each of the songs in turn.) In the instance of the song itself, then, the guy is on death row and is only walking to the chair because he has to: hence he's "walking spanish". (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
- To make a man walk Spanish is to give him the sack; to give him his discharge. In 1885 one of the retired captains in the Trinity House Establishment said, "If I had to deal with the fellow, I would soon make him walk Spanish, I warrant you." (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
- Spanish Walk: n. [late 19C] (US) a constrained style of walking assumed, willy-nilly, by those who are being ejected from a bar or saloon (cf French Walk). [? the way Spanish pirates supposedly forced their prisoners to walk on tiptoes while they were held by the scruff of the neck, or tip-toeing gait of flamenco dancers] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
- Tom Waits (1985): "Walking Spanish, John Lurie played on that. He's a saxophone player and actor. Walking Spanish is an expression they use when you don't want to go somewhere. It's 5:30 in the morning and the baby just woke you up screaming and you drag yourself out of bed, you're walking Spanish. Somebody says, "Listen, buddy, give me all your money." and your hand goes back around toward your wallet, you're walking Spanish, you don't want to go. Walking the plank, basically, walking Spanish is walking the plank." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
(2) Home-made special n.: a home-made pistol/ gun, also referred to as a Zip gun (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(3) Hoodwinked v. tr.: 1. To take in by deceptive means; deceive 2. To blindfold 3. To conceal (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)
(4) Bartholomew St.: 1st. century saint. All that is known of him with certainty is that he is mentioned in the synoptic gospels and acts as one of the twelve apostles. Scholars believe he is the same as Nathanael mentioned in John, who says he is from Cana and that Jesus called him an "Israelite...incapable of deceit." The Roman Martyrology says he preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. He has become the patron saint of butchers and tanners. He is often depicted with a knife and sometimes wearing his own skin in his hand

Asylum Years, 1986 (Compilation)
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.)
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 reading: Burma-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) tracks: phr. [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
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)
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 yesterday: phr. [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)
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)
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)
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)
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)

Asylum Years, 1986 (Compilation)
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.)
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 reading: Burma-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) tracks: phr. [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
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)
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 yesterday: phr. [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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 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.)
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
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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)
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.
Q (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])

Frank's Wild Years, 1987
Blow Wind Blow
Blow wind blow
Wherever you may go
Put on your overcoat
Take me away
You gotta take me on into the night
Take me on into the night
Blow me away
Blow me away
Mary's on the black top(2)
There's a husband in the doghouse(3)
In the middle of a shakedown(4)
I got quiet as a church mouse
Put my Raleigh's(5) on the dashboard
Sugar daddy(6) caught a polocar(7)
There's no solitary tap dance
Way down here
Blow wind blow
Wherever you may go
Put on your overcoat
Take me into the night
Take me into the night
Blow me away
I ride upon a field mouse
I was dancin' in the slaughterhouse
And if you swing along the beltway(8)
You skid along the all day
Cause I went a little crazy
And I sat upon a high chair
And I'm smokin' like a diesel
Way out here
And if you'll blow wind blow
Wherever you may go
Put on your overcoat
Take me away
You gotta take me on into the night
Well, you take me on into the night
Blow me away
Blow me away
You gotta blow me away
Blow me away
Yeah
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Known covers:
Secret World. Astrid Seriese. October, 1994 (re-released in 2003). Brigadoon
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Listen to audio excerpt of Blow Wind Blow 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
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Music video promoting: "Blow Wind Blow" (Island, ca. August, 1987)
With Val Diamond. Directed by Chris Blum.
Shot at The Chi Chi Club run by former "exotic dancer" Miss Keiko, on 438 Broadway in San Francisco.
Tom Waits (1987): "Kathleen and I put together the ideas for it. It was done up there at the Chi Chi Club ... in [San Francisco's] North Beach. Miss Keiko's Chi Chi Club right there on Broadway next to Big Al's. I worked with a girl named Val Diamond, who played a doll. She drew eyeballs on the outside of her eyelids and wore a Spanish dress and I unscrewed one of her legs and pulled a bottle out of it. It's got some entertainment value." (Source: "Morning Becomes Eclectic": KCRW-FM, Deirdre O' Donohue. August, 1987)
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Blow Wind Blow:
- Tom Waits (1987): "Little opera line, there. Got a little carnival thing in it. Glockenspiel, pump organ. Used the bullhorn on it." RR: It sort of continues the 'get out of town' theme? TW: "Yes. Those three songs are a guy raring up for his departure." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
(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 Potter's Field, 1977: "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 of my cheek."
(3) Doghouse, in the
- In trouble (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000).
- Any of various houselike structures more or less resembling a dog's kennel; specif., a railroad caboose, a small, temporary office shack serving a work crew, a tower on a prison wall, a bass viol, or the like (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(4) Shake-down, shakedown
- n.: 1. A search or searching of a person or place (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- This carries the implication that if something good is found, it's taken. In fact, you can shake someone down simply by making them give you what they have without your having to search (Submitted by Richard Beckwith, Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist. August, 2000)
- [late 19C+] blackmail, extortion, thus shakedown artist, shakedown man, an extortionist
(5) Raleigh's: Raleigh cigarettes. There was also Sir Walter Raleigh tobacco in a can for pipes and every schoolboy would call the store and ask, "You got Walter Raleigh in a can? Well, ya better let him out" (Submitted by Mitch Kirsner. September, 2000)
(6) 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 Invitation To The Blues: "But she used to have a sugar daddy and a candyapple Caddy."
(7) Polocar: Might refer to the New York "Polocar Limosine Service". Song was written in 1984 (for the play Franks Wild Years), when Waits was living in New York.
(8) Beltway n.: A high-speed highway that encircles or skirts an urban area. Also called belt highway (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)
Cold Cold Ground
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)(1)
Crest fallen(2) sidekick(3) in an old cafe
Never slept with a dream before he had to go away
There's a bell in the tower, Uncle Ray bought a round
Don't worry 'bout the army in the cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Now don't be a cry baby when there's wood in the shed
There's a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed
When the road's washed out, we pass the bottle around
And wait in the arms of the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
There's a ribbon in the willow and a tire swing rope
And a briar patch of berries takin' over the slope
The cat'll sleep in the mailbox and we'll never go to town
Till we bury every dream in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill
The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream
I find we'll lay down together in the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Call the cops on the Breedloves(4), bring a Bible and a rope
And a whole box of Rebel(5) and a bar of soap
Make a pile of trunk tires and burn 'em all down
Bring a dollar with you, baby, in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Take a weathervane rooster, throw rocks at his head
Stop talking to the neighbors until we all go dead
Beware of my temper and the dog that I've found
Break all the windows in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Cold Cold Ground
(Big Time live version, 1988)(1)
Well, Crest fallen(2) sidekick(3) in an old cafe
It slept with a dream before he had to go away
There's a bell in the tower, Uncle Ray bought a round
Don't worry 'bout the army in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Now don't be a cry baby when there's wood in the shed
There's a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed
And the road's washed out, we pass the bottle around
And wait in the arms of the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
There's a ribbon in the willow and a tire swing rope
A briar patch of berries takin' over the slope
The cat'll sleep in the mailbox and we'll never go to town
Bury every dream in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill
The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream
Lay down together in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Call the cops on the Breedloves(4), bring a Bible and a rope
Whole box of Rebel(5) and a bar of soap
Make a pile of trunk tires and burn 'em all down
Bring a dollar with you, baby, in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988-1998
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Leave A Light On, John Gogo. August, 1997. Cd Cd's (Canada)
Miles On The Rail. Grievous Angels. September 8, 1998. Bloodshot Records, BS 038
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)
Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)
The Greatest Story Ever Hula'd. Grabass Charlestons. October 31, 2003. No Idea Records
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Music video promoting: "Cold Cold Ground" 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.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Cold Cold Ground:
- Tom Waits (1987): "That's the only real Marty Robbins-influenced number on there. Just kind of a hardening back to his earlier times; a romantic song thinking about home, and all that." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Intro from the movie 'Big Time' (1988): "It's good to be back in the land of wigs and novelties. Go ahead and laugh, but when you're in Indiana and you need wigs and novelties... You can hang it up, buddy! I looked everywhere. Woke up in a cold sweat, one thing on my mind I wanted a cigarette lighter as big as an encyclopedia You know those? You open the top and it goes CLINK And then WHOOM It's thrilling It's good to be in the Wilshire district, you know You know, close to everything Shopping and that type of thing All real important things with us Actually, Wilshire's a little snooty Western's very friendly So we're kind of... we're kind of... Would you say we're on the corner of Friendly and Snooty? The two missing seven dwarfs Friendly and Snooty All right, this is a song about a little guy who lives in a little house... " (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000). Refers to the Wiltern Theatre being on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.
(2) Crestfallen: To be or to look disheartened, saddened, depressed, like chapfallen and chopfallen, indicates the physical signs of a drooping spirit. A bird with a drooping crest is cast down in spirits, confidence and courage(Source: A dictionary of euphemisms, Neaman/ Silver)
(3) Side-kick, sidekick n.: A partner; a close friend or comrade; a pal; a buddy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(4) Breedlove: A name of a family from the book "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
(5) Whole box of Rebel: "Must say that I always thought "whole box of rebel and a bar of soap" was a reference to a case ("box") of Rebel Yell, a bourbon that is a favorite of Tom's close personal friend Keith Richards. In fact, I would not be at all surprised if Keith kept the company in business, and not through endorsements, if you know what I'm saying" (Submitted by Brendan Costello. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)
Frank's Theme
Dream away the tears in your eyes
Dream away your sorrows
Dream away all your goodbyes
Dream away tomorrow
I promise when the sun comes up
I promise I'll be true
And just like before the band starts to play
They always play your favorite tune
And dream away when everyone's gone
Dream away your grey skies(2) too
Dream away and nothing is wrong
Dreams have wishes that are waiting for you
And up ahead the road is turning
Turning for you and me
And just like before the band starts to play
Now there's that twinkle in your eye
And dream away
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Known covers:
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
64 Hours. Mike Felumlee. 2001. Double Zero Records (Dream Away)
All Things Move. La Thorpe Brass. 2001. Brixton Records/ Mosaic Music
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
Innocent When You Dream. Brandon Bernstein. February 26, 2010. Jazz Collective Records
Notes:
(1) Frank's Theme:
- Tom Waits (1987): "Little Rudy Vallee there." RR: At what age? TW: "From the grave. Rudy Vallee. From beyond the grave, we now bring you. ...the missing broadcast." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
(2) Grey Skies: Notice this phrase being repeated during the play. Yesterday Is Here: "Well today is grey skies, tomorrow is tears. You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here." More Than Rain: "I have to say to you it's more than woe-be-gotten grey skies now."
Hang On St. Christopher
Hang on St. Christopher(2) through the smoke and the oil
Buckle down the rumble seat, let the radiator boil
Got an overhead downshift and a two dollar grill
Got an 85 cabin on an 85 hill
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up, tonight the Devil can ride(3)
Hang on St. Christopher with a barrel house(4) dog
Kick me up Mount Baldy(5), throw me out in the fog
Tear a hole in the jack pot, drive a stake through his heart
Do a 100 on the grapevine(6), do a jump on the start
Hang on St. Christopher, now don't let me go
Get me to Reno(7) and bring it in low, yeah
Hang on St. Christopher with the hammer to the floor
Put a hi ball in the crank case(8), nail a crow to the door
Get a bottle for the jockey(9), gimme a 294
There's a 750 Norton(10) bustin' down January's door
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up, tonight the Devil can ride
Hang on St. Christopher and don't let me go
Get to me Reno, got to bring it in low
Put my baby on the flat car, got to burn down the caboose
Get 'em all jacked up(11) on whiskey, then we'll turn the mad dog loose
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up, tonight the Devil can ride, yeah
Oh yeah.
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Extended version and instrumental version released as 2-track 12" single
(P) & � 1987 Island Records Ltd � 1987 Jalma Music (ASCAP) Island 96750 (10)
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Freakshow. Bulletboys, 1991. Warner Bros. Records
A Spanner In The Works. Rod Stewart. June, 1995. Warner Bros. Records
Sound Of Someone Leaving. The Exiles. July 11, 2007. Non Zero Records (Australia)
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Listen to audio excerpt of Hang On St. Christopher 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 "Hang On St. Christopher" 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) Hang On St. Christopher
- Tom Waits (1987): "Little Jamaican shoeshine music, there. Kind of a depraved Vaudeville train announcer. Ummm. . . It was really great to see Bill Schimmel, classically trained at Juilliard, on his hands and knees, playing the pedals of the B-3 organ with his fists. Working up a sweat. It was worth it just for that. Has kind of a little bit of a North African horn action going on --- that's Ralph Carney and Greg Cohen. I think it moves along rather well. Kind of mutant James Brown." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "But I just hate the way most equipment and instruments look on a stage... The wires and all that. These necessary, utility items make me feel like I'm in an emergency ward. I want to take the Leslie bass pedals and raise them up to a kitchen table so you can play them with your fists. Which is what we did in the studio on "Hang On St. Christopher." (Source: "Tom Waits Is Flying Upside Down (On Purpose)" Musician magazine (USA), by Mark Rowland. Date: Travelers Cafe/ Los Angeles. October, 1987)
(2) 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".
- Also mentioned in Tom Traubert's Blues: "Now I've lost my St. Christopher, now that I've kissed her."
(3) Tonight the Devil can ride: Might refer to "Don't Let The Devil Ride", a traditional gospel also performed as blues tune. Performed by various artists (Sonny Treadway, Campbell Brothers, Oris Mays, Gospel Hummingbirds). Lyrics (Gospel Hummingbirds version): "Don't let the devil ride, Don't let the devil ride. If you let him ride, He might want to drive, Don't let the devil ride. Don't let the devil drive, Don't let the devil drive. If you let him drive, He'll throw you outside, Don't let the devil drive." (Thanks to Bart Bull, 2005 for pointing out this reference)
(4) Barrel-house, barrelhouse n.: A brothel; orig. a combination cheap saloon, brothel, and rooming house (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(5) Mount Baldy: A snow capped peak over Pomona Valley on the eastern edge of L.A. County in California (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. September, 2000)
(6) Do a 100 on the grapevine: "The "Grapevine" is the nickname of a stretch of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles, as it descends from the Tehachapi Mountains into the Central Valley, crossing the Tejon Pass. It's got a pretty steep grade and lots of curves, and the idea of going 100 mph on it is daunting. Waits in fact might be referring to the old Ridge Route, which traversed the Tejon Pass before the Interstate was built and likely was less robust a road" (Source: Jim O'Grady, March 2009).
(7) Reno: also mentioned in: Better off without a wife, 1975: "Never been no Valentino, had a girl who lived in Reno.", Wrong side of the road, 1978: "And we'll drive all the way to Reno on the wrong side of the road."
(8) Put a Highball in the crankcase n.: A term used to refer to a rich mixture of gasoline or fuel. Derived from the high alcohol content of the mixed drink or cocktail made from whiskey and ginger ale. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(9) Jockey
- n.: A driver. A cab, bus or truck driver (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- [mid-19C-1940s] an accomplice or assistant usu. of a driver of a cab or utility vehicle (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(10) 750 Norton: Classic British 750cc motorcycle (Paul Dunstall). Norton Dominator is the fastest machine generally available anywhere in the world today (Source: Cafe-racer.com, Tim Green/ Jim White)
(11) Jacked up: adj. [1930s+] (US drugs) 1. under the influence of a drug, either narcotic or pharmaceutical, or of alcohol. 2. excited, exhilarated (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(12) Hang On St. Christopher remix
- Bill Forman (1987): "Like all of Waits' recording sessions, the remixing was off limits to family members, animals and the press, but Waits seems satisfied with the result, especially the train sound he added. Can't wait to see those dance floor stampedes when the track's muttered vocal, lurching beat, trash can cymbals, Hammond pedal bassline, repetitive horns and twisted modal guitar wanderings segue from the dying beats of Stacey Q." (Source: "Better Waits Than Ever" Music & Sound Output (Canada/ USA), by Bill Forman. Vol. 7, No. 11. October, 1987)
I'll Be Gone
Tonight I'll shave the mountain
I'll cut the hearts from pharaohs
I pull the road off of the rise
Tear the memories from my eyes
And in the morning I'll be gone
I drink a thousand shipwrecks
Tonight I'll steal your paychecks
I paint the sheets across my bed
The birds will all fly from my head
And in the morning I'll be gone
Take every dream that's breathing
Find every boot that's leaving
Shoot all the lights in the cafe
And in the morning I'll be gone
I bet a thousand dollars
I have a French companion
I tie myself below the deck
I pull the rope around my neck
And in the morning I'll be gone
It takes a life to win her
There is a drum of bourbon
Eight hundred pounds of nitro
His boots are thunder as he plays
There is a stone inside it
Tonight his bones will ride it
I'll need a tent to hide it
and in the morning I'll be gone
and in the morning I'll be gone
and in the morning I'll be gone
and in the morning I'll be gone
and in the morning I'll be gone
and in the morning I'll be gone
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Known covers:
Spiewomalowanie. Mariusz Lubomski. 1994. Self-released. In Polish "Nie bedzie mnie"
Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)
Sad Eyes. Vera Coomans & Philip Hoessen. 1996. Dureco (The Netherlands)
Lubomski W Trojce. Mariusz Lubomski. July 18, 2000. EMI Records
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Tales of Misbehaviour. Katya Gorrie. September, 2006. Self-released (Canada), re-released in 2007
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "Kind of a Tarus Bulba number. Almost like a tarantella. A Russian dance. The guy is speaking further of his departure --- "in the morning, I'll be gone." The images . . . nitroglycerin, the pounding of hooves, wom en in the tent. Tomorrow we ride. It's an adventure number. Halloween music . . . from Torrance. Ritual music. Part of a pagan ritual we still observe in the Los Angeles area." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
I'll Take New York
I'll tip the newsboy, I'll get a shine
I'll ride that dream to the end of the line
I'm gonna be goin' places, I'll get a ride
Take me to the Riverside
I'm gonna take you, New York, I'll make it happen
I'm on the caboose, I'm drinkin' Manhattan(2)
I'll take a splash on the big town
That's how I will arrive
Have you got two tens for a five?
You gotta roll out the carpet, strike up the band
Break out the best champagne when I land
You gotta beat the parade drum, hit all the bars
I want the moon and stars
I'm gonna take you, New York, I'll make it happen
I'm on the caboose, I'm drinkin' Manhattans
And I know someday they're going to name a street after me
Right next door to old Franklin D.(3)
I'm gonna take you, big town
Come on, New York
Come on, move over big town
I'll take New York
Come on, big town
Come on, get happy
New York
Come on
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time the movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
None
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Listen to audio excerpt of I'll Take New York 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 "I'll Take New York" 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) I'll Take New York
- Rip Rense (1987): I heard you were worried this one might scare people. TW: "Yeah. Frightened me a little bit, especially toward the end when the ground starts to move a little bit. We just rifted on that in the studio. I described the mood of it, and everyone seemed to understand it an we got it. I think it's the closest thing on the record to a nightmare. Guy standing in Times Square with tuberculosis and no money; his last post card to New York. It's deranged. I wanted it to be Frank's nightmare experience of New York." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "...But this record goes into a lot of different musical worlds. "I'll Take New York" was a nightmare Jerry Lewis going down on the Titanic." (Source: "Tom Waits is flying upside down (on purpose)". Musician, Mark Rowland October, 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "I'm getting to the point where I can take chances, I think. It's hard when you're a producer, and you're writing and performing. It requires, well, you have to shift a lot of gears. You need somebody you can trust standing on the outside to kind of push you into the water... Just in the sound world; creating a particular sound world or environment. Taking it song by song. Like 'I'll Take New York,' it was kind of a uh...Jerry Lewis going down on the Titanic. Little dramas. On this album I tried to take each song individually and create its own world for itself." (Source: "From The Set Of Ironweed" New York Post (USA), by Rip Rense/ Franks Wild Years tourbook, 1987. Edited version reprinted in Franks Wild Years tourbook/ press kit, 1987)
- Tom Waits (1988): "Well, it's another song about New York. Those others try to make it bigger or prettier, but in this case I was trying to make it more like something from the Jerry Lewis Telethon - something the song and the singer are cancelling out as it's happening. You're singing "I'll Take New York" and someone's stealing your billfold. It's like the guy singing in the middle of Times Square, with his pants around his knees." (Source: "A Flea In His Ear" City Limits magazine (UK), by Bill Holdship. Date: Traveler's Cafe/ Los Angeles. May 12-19 , 1988)
- Tom Waits (1988): "Yeah, that happened in Chicago when we recorded the Frank's Wild Years album. On "I'll Take New York" they approached the whole recording like a Strasberg kind of thing [laughs] I said. "let's go with Jerry Lewis on the deck of the Titanic, going down, trying to sing 'Swanee'" I sang the song right into a Harmon trumpet mute and just explained that I wanted the whole thing to gradually melt in the end." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)
(2) Manhattan
- A cocktail based on Canadian whisky (Canadian whisky, red Vermouth, Angostura).
- Also mentioned in I Never Talk To Strangers: "Bartender, I'd like a Manhattan please."
(3) Franklin D.: Franklin Street, New York City. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Born: Hyde Park, NY, 1882 - Died: Warm Springs, Georgia, 1945. American politician and distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt. Was elected 32nd President of the US of A and was re-elected in 1936, 1940 and 1944
Innocent When You Dream
Innocent When You Dream (78)
The bats are in the belfry(2)
The dew is on the moor
Where are the arms that held me
And pledged her love before
And pledged her love before
It's such a sad old feeling
The hills are soft and green
It's memories that I'm stealing(3)
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
I made a golden promise
That we would never part
I gave my love a locket
And then I broke her heart
And then I broke her heart
And it's such a sad old feeling
The fields are soft and green
It's memories that I'm stealing
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
Innocent when you dream
Running through the graveyard
We laughed my friends and I
We swore we'd be together
Until the day we died
Until the day we died
And it's such a sad old feeling
The fields are soft and green
It's memories that I'm stealing
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
The bats are in the belfry(2)
The dew is on the moor
Where are the arms that held me
And pledged her love before
And pledged her love before
And it's such a sad old feeling
All the fields are soft and green
And it's memories that I'm stealing(3)
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
I made a golden promise
That we would never part
I gave my love a locket
And then I broke her heart
And then I broke her heart
And it's such a sad old feeling
All of the fields are soft and green
And it's memories that I'm stealing
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
We're running through the graveyard
And we laughed my friends and I
We swore we'd be together
Until the day we died
Until the day we died
And it's such a sad old feeling
All of the fields are soft and green
And it's memories that I'm stealing
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
And it's such a sad old feeling
All of the fields are soft and green
And it's memories that I'm stealing
But you're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream, when you dream
You're innocent when you dream
Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time the movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Street Of Dreams. Nancy Harrow. April, 1988. Gazell Records (re-released November, 1995)
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990. Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ K�lsch)
This Town. Liberty Horses. 1992. Rough Trade Singles Club (7" single UK)
Shine. Liberty Horses. November 17, 1992. Capitol (CD single)
No Brains No Tumors. 2227. 1995. Strip Core/ Forum (Slovenia)
Innocent When You Dream. Lisa Moscatiello. 1996 (November 30, 2004). Folk Era Records
Café Knax. Susanne Grütz & Hubertus Schmidt. September 7, 1998. iMusician Digital/ Finetunes
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Ballad Collection Special Edition. Lana Lane. November, 2000. Think Tank Media
Being Tom Waits. Billy`s Band. 2001. Self-released demo album (Russia)
A Little Yearning. Camille O'Sullivan. 2002/ 2003. cat-o-stripes records (duet with Jack L.)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Crossing Jordan (NBC television series soundtrack). Various artists. April, 2003. DMZ (Columbia Records/ Sony). Performed by Jill Hennessy
Kojak Variety. Elvis Costello. August, 2004. Rhino Records (recorded in 1990)
Live At Schubas. Great Lake Swimmers. 2005. Schubas/ eMusicLive
Love Songs Revisited. Wine. April 2005. Silberblick-Musik (Germany)
Songs. Spiers & Boden. October 17, 2005. Fellside Recordings
Innocent When You Dream. Mark Erelli. December 12, 2006. Signature Sounds
Just Before Sunrise. Nathan Gunn. August 7, 2007. Sony Classical/ BMG
Two, Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl. March 3, 2008. Caw Records
The EP. The Sants Fe All Stars. January 12, 2008. Frogville Records
Innocent When You Dream. Brandon Bernstein. February 26, 2010. Jazz Collective Records
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Listen to audio excerpt of Innocent When You Dream 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 "Innocent When You Dream" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Not recorded before a live audience.
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) Innocent When You Dream
- Tom Waits (1987): "That's the song that got him [Frank] started; that he went out on the road with, and this is a reprise. The 78 quality is to give it an epilogue feel." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense" . New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "The '78 version' of that was originally recorded at home on a little cassette player ["the Tascam 244, the one with the clamshell holster"]. I sang into a seven-dollar microphone and saved the tape. Then I transferred that to 24-track and overdubbed Larry Taylor on upright, and then we mastered that. Texture is real important to me; it's like attaining grain or putting it a little out of focus. I don't like cleanliness. I like surface noise. It kind of becomes the glue of what you're doing sometimes."(Source: "Better Waits Than Ever" Music & Sound Output (Canada/ USA), by Bill Forman. Vol. 7, No. 11. October, 1987)
- Tom Waits (1988): 'Well, it's [Franks Wild Years the play] a story about a guy who went out to be an entertainer, left a small town, went to Vegas, had this song 'Innocent When You Dream'. And a year later, he had taken the same song and turned it into "You're In A Suit Of Your Dreams" to advertise suits in an all-night clothing store. And that is the type of thing that happens."(Source: "A Flea In His Ear" City Limits magazine (UK), by Bill Holdship. Date: Traveler's Cafe/ Los Angeles. May 12-19 , 1988)
(2) Bats in the belfry/ bats on one's belfry, have:The Dictionary Of American Slang has this as "bats ON one's belfry". Other sources claim the original expression to be "bats IN the belfry". 1. Have bats on one's belfry: To be crazy, very eccentric, or odd (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). 2. Have bats in the belfry, to phr. [late 19C+] to be eccentric, to act crazily [the image is of infestation of the brain] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
(3) Rip Rense (1987): I wanted to ask you about one line from "Innocent When You Dream." I think the line goes "It's memories that I'm stealing. What did you mean by that? Tom Waits: "I don't know, really. God, I don't know. . . You caught me. Let's see. ..."Running through the graveyard/ we laughed my friends and I/ we swore we'd be together/until the day we died/ it's such a sad old feeling/ the fields are soft and green/ it's memories that I'm stealing/ but you're innocent when you dream." Hmmm. It's like a kids' song, you know? I'm starting to find that songs find their own logic. And when we listen to them, we don't push them in a logical fashion. We let them go in some other place. They have their own kind of Joseph Cornell collection of images. So sometimes a lyric comes to me, I try to deliberately find things that don't particularly have a meaning at the moment. Then I write 'em down, then I think about 'em. Then I understand 'em." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense." New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
More Than Rain
It's more than rain that falls on our parade tonight(2)
It's more than thunder
It's more than thunder
And it's more than a bad dream, now that I'm sober
Nothing but sad times
Nothing but sad times
None of our pockets, are lined with gold(3)
Nobody's caught the bouquet
And no dead presidents(4) we can fold
Nothing is going our way
And it's more than trouble, I've got myself into
It's more than woe-begotten gray skies now(5)
And it's more than a bad dream, now that I'm sober
There's no more dancing
There's no more dancing
And it's more than trouble, I've got myself into
Nothing but sad times
Nothing but sad times
None of our pockets, are lined with gold
Nobody's caught the bouquet
And no dead presidents we can fold
Nothing is going our way
And it's more than goodbye, I have to say to you
It's more than woe-begotten gray skies now
And it's more than goodbye, I have to say to you
It's more than woe-begotten gray skies now
And it's more than woe-begotten gray skies now
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time the movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Live At New York Town Hall. Elvis Costello & Brodsky Quartet. September, 1993. Warner PRO-CD-6480 (US promo, recorded: March 18, 1983)
Plugging The Gaps, Vol 2. Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet, 1995. Tone Records 2CD003 (same version as on "Live At New York Town Hall", 1993)
Being Tom Waits. Billy`s Band. 2001. Self-released demo (Russia)
Black As A Raven. The Jim-Jams. 2004. Flotainment
The Juliet Letters (Expanded & Remastered). Elvis Costello & Brodsky Quartet. March 21, 2006. Rhino
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
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Listen to audio excerpt of More Than Rain 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 "More Than Rain" 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) More Than Rain:
- Tom Waits (1987): "Oh, yeah, a little Edith Piaf attempt. There's prepared piano on it." RR: How was it prepared? TW: "Lightly sauteed. Francis Thumm plays the strings with a nickel. Almost like you'd play a mandolin. It's in there somewhere." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Big Time intro (Wiltern Theatre. November 9, 1987): "Uh this is about all the bad days in the world. I used to have some really bad days. And I kept them in a little box. And one day I threw them out into the yard. Oh, it's just a couple of innocent bad days. Well, we had a big rain... I don't know what it was growing in, but I think we used to put egg shells out there and coffeegrounds too. Don't plant your bad days! They grow into weeks, the weeks grow into months, and before you know it you got yourself a bad year. Take it from me: CHOKE those little bad days! CHOKE 'em down to nothing! There are your days, CHOKE 'em! You choke my days, I'll choke yours!... All right... It's more than rain..."
- Bill Schimmel (2007): "He plugged me into a Leslie Twin-Cat, which is not an easy thing to do. We worked half a day to get that sound, and he wouldn't stop untill we got it. We had to wire me up. I had wires between my knees. It looked like an execution." (Source: Bill Schimmel interview December 12, 2007 as quoted in “Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)
(2) Tom Waits (1983, on the instrumental "Just Another Sucker In The Vine" from Swordfishtrombones) "Actually I originally planned to write a lyric called: "It's more than rain that falls on our parade tonight". But I thought it was more effective as an instrumental and it also sets up "Frank's Wild Years". (Source: A Conversation with Tom Waits (Swordfishtrombones) Island Records music industry white label 12" promo. Date: September, 1983)
(3) Pockets lined with gold: original theatre version has this as: "None of our pockets are filled with gold."
(4) Dead presidents
- n. [20C] (US) a $1 bill [the pictures of US presidents that are printed on the various denominations] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).
(5) Gray skies/ Grey Skies: Notice this phrase being repeated during the play. Yesterday Is Here: "Well today is grey skies, tomorrow is tears. You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here." Frank's Theme: "And dream away when everyone's gone, dream away your grey skies too."
Please Wake Me Up
I put my chips on her shoulder
running in the carnival time
She bought the things that I told her
made her eyes sparkle and shine
Together we'll ring in the new year
I know that she'll be my queen
And if I fall asleep in your arms
please wake me up in my dreams
Her out-fit was all made of vinyl
like nothing that I'd ever seen
When our divorces are final
she'll fit right into my scheme
Together we'll ring in the new year
I know that she'll be my queen
And if I fall asleep in your arms
please wake me up in my dreams
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Known covers:
None
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Listen to audio excerpt of Please Wake Me Up as performed in the theatre play Frank's Wild Years.
The Briar Street Theatre (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Chicago/ USA. June 17, 1986.
Performed by ...?... (as Yvette) and Tom Waits (as Frank O'Brien).
Ripped from low resolution audience tape
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "Kathleen started out with the melody on that. It's just a little lullaby of some kind. With mellotron, baritone horn, upright bass." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean
I just know I will never stop, no no
Until I know I'm wild and free
I'm like a champagne bubble, pop pop pop
I'm like those birds high up in the tree
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Be a man!
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going up, up to the top, oh yeah
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let sorrow pull me on down
Live for tomorrow, oh baby I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean
I know I just can't stop, oh no
Till I know I'm wild and free
I'm like a champagne bubble, pop pop
I'm like those birds high up in the tree
I can't let sorrow pull me on down
Live for tomorrow, yeah, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I can't let sorrow pull me down
Live for tomorrow, oh baby, oh baby
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is, where the air is
Where the air is, where the air is
Where the air is fresh, fresh and clean, yeah
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Get on up, get on up now, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1988
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
I'm going straight to the top, whoa
I'm going where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going straight up to the top
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let Mister Sorrow try and pull ol' Frankie down
We live for tomorrow, I have found you
Straight to the top
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean
I know I'm never gonna stop
Until I know, I know I'm wild and free
Hey, I'm going straight up to the top
And if you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let ol' Mister Sorrow try and pull me down
I live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight to the top, whoa
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean
Yeah, whoa
I can't let Mister Sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
We live for tomorrow, I have found you
Straight to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is fresh and clean, whoa
Whoa, how about that band? Whoa!
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
(Big Time live version, 1988)
I'm going straight to the top, oh yeah
I'll be going where the air is fresh and clean
Top!
I'm going up, up where the air is fresh and clean
I'm not gonna let Doctor Sorrow operate on me today
I just got to live for tomorrow, someone made me that way
Top!
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I just can't let sorrow bring me down
So people, let's have a warm round of applause for Johnny Marinara on the tenor
saxophone! Let him know that you love him. Let's hear it for all the
fluorescence tonight! Johnny Perchiutto, Johnny Pellegrino, Johnny Marinara,
Johnny (...?...)
Up where the air is, where the air is fresh, fresh and clean
Whoa, how about that band!
Beautiful!
Thank you!
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1988
Official release: "Big Time"( movie), � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Play It Cool. Lea DeLaria. June 12, 2001.Warner Brothers
A Postcard From... Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)
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Listen to audio excerpt of Straight To The Top 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 "Straight To The Top" (Vegas) 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) Straight To The Top
- Tom Waits (1987): "Kind of a floor show --- yeah, that was a little Louis Prima influence there. Louis Prima in Cuba. A little pagan. Not so Vegas --- more pagan. Like a guy who is obviously not going straight to the top, but the fact that he feels as though he is makes you almost believe that he might be; that somebody like that is going to burn a hole in something - but certainly not the business. Probably himself. We used the Optigon on that. RR: I was going to ask what that is. WAITS: It's one of the early organs created for home use. Where you have a program disc that you put inside the organ, and it creates a variety of sound worlds for you to become part of. Like they have the Tahitian/ Polynesian number complete with birds and waterfall. And you can be a 32-piece orchestra --- instant adagio for strings, you know. There's a cabaret setting, a little jazz thing with a kind of Charlie Byrd feel to it."...RR: How did you use it (the Optigon) on "Straight To The Top---Rhumba?" TW: "I believe it was set on the outdoor tropical thing. Rainforest. Don't try this at home yourself. They have these little floppy discs, a little door, and you put one in, close the door and... the magic happens." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Live intro from the movie Big Time: "Oh, you're beautiful! No no! I know, I know You hear that all the time, you know [sings] You are beautiful to me Wow, I mean... it's wild, but right now, I don't know I feel closer to you than I do my own family And that's kind of tragic, when you think about it I don't know, I feel I can look right inside those black little hearts of yours And I feel that I know you all individually and as a group I don't know, it's wild, it's never happened before Is it a full moon, I don't know Have a cigar! Know what I'm sayin'? [starts throwing cigars out into the audience] One for the balcony [throws one into the front rows instead] Whoa! I'm sorry, baby! I threw my arm out in spring training I lost everything in the stock market But there's only one place to go... " (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
- Tom Waits (1988): "Well, that's one of those eh... One of those phrases that just keeps you going. It's like "Big Time" y'know? It's like... You gotta have a plan in this world y'know, you gotta have some place you want to go so you know when you've arrived. And eh "Straight To The Top" is eh... just one of those songs." (Source: "Fresh Air Interview" National Public Radio's broadcast of Fresh Air. Hosted by Terry Gross. Produced by WHYY (Philadelpia). September 28, 1988)
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
All night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
The monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah's(5) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed
Well, take me down to buy a tux on Red Rose Bear
I got to cut a hole in the day
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Sell me one of those if I shave my head
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah's on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Big Time live album version, 1988)
I was all night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
My pet old monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival
Oh now, Saturday's a gem
Follow me to Beulah's(5) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow, baby
And follow me to Beulah's
I just got to wear the hat that my baby done, pop!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow, baby
Follow me to Beulah's
I just got to wear the hat that my baby done
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival
Now Friday's just a gem, sweetheart!
Follow me to Beulah's on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba....
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Big Time live movie version, 1988)
Well, I was all night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
My pet old monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye my hair yellow
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face(6)
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's such a gem
I got to dye my hair yellow, baby
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face
You know what I like!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye my hair yellow and raise my hem
Follow me to Beulah's(4) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face
And a pony tail hangin' down
You know what I like!
Ba-ba-ba...
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
This All Is The Rock 'n' Roll. Brigada S. 1992. Self-released
Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)
Phondue. Bourbon Street Jazz Band. 1995. Zebralution
Belle Chase Hotel. Fossanova. August 23, 2000. Emi
Your Favorite Band Live. Red Elvises. September 12, 2000. Shoobah-Doobah
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
The Jive Kings With Measha Br�ggergosman. Jive Kings. October, 2000. Tidemark 02 50879, Canada
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)
Changes. Alicia Wiley. October 11, 2007. Sakhara Records
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Telephone Call From Istanbul" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA November 9, 1987
and 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) Telephone Call From Istanbul
- Tom Waits (1987): "Started as a title, then became just a junkyard for uh . . . one banjo and drums there. Got a little eastern slant on it. I don't know, beyond that. Frank is just started to plummet here; things are starting to fracture a bit." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
-Bill Forman (1987): "Waits' unconventional approach to recording doesn't end with his choice of instruments. "Telephone Call from Istanbul" goes rollicking along with banjo, guitar, bass, drums and the faint ghost of Waits improvising away on that cheesy Farfisa. When the track is nearly over, the Farfisa kicks in full strength, catapulting the listener into some hellish Turkish rollerskating rink. "I usually don't like to isolate the instruments," says Waits, explaining the appearance of the ghost early in the track. "On that song, I pulled out the Farfisa and then just put it in very hot at the end, just so it sounded kind of Cuban or something."(Source: "Better Waits Than Ever" Music & Sound Output (Canada/ USA), by Bill Forman. Vol. 7, No. 11. October, 1987)
(2) 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).
- Notice the same phrase being used in Depot, Depot, 1974: "And outside the midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue, I'm gonna paint myself blue, At the depot."
(3) Never trust a man in a blue trench coat:
- Q: Your line "Never trust a man in a blue trench coat," would that be a reference to Leonard Cohen and his "Famous Blue Raincoat?" TW: "No. It's just words, y'know? No deeper meaning there." (Source: "Sonicnet Full Chat Transcript" Sonicnet chat, hosted by Michael Goldberg & Gil Kaufman. Date: April, 1999)
(4) Dead: adj. [19C] very drunk. [abbr. dead drunk] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
(5) Beula(h) (land):
- Bible (Isa. lxii. 4). The land of Israel in the Old Testament 2a. The land of peace described in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)
- In Pilgrim's Progress it is that land of heavenly joy where the pilgrims tarry till they are summoned to enter the celestial City; the Paradise before the resurrection. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- Also mentioned in "Take Care Of All Of My Children" (I'll be goin' up to Beulah land), "Take It With Me" (We fell asleep on Beaula's porch)
(6) Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face: Quoting: Chantilly Lace. Words and music by J. P. Richardson, �1958. Originally performed by the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) in 1958. Recorded in 1972 by Jerry Lee Lewis. Chantilly Lace: "Hello, Baby! Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speaking! Oh, you sweet thing! Do I what? Will I what? Oh baby, you know what I like! Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk Make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Huh? Will I what? Do I what? Will I what? Can't never tell, baby Ha-ha-ha-ha, I might But honey, you know what I like Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail a-hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord! They're gonna make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Huh? Ha-ha-ha Huh? What's that? Pick you up at eight? And don't be late? You gotta be jokin', woman I thought you might pick ME up at eight and don't be late It don't make no difference, baby, you know what I really like! Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord! They're gonna make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Wooo! Ha-ha-ha Honey, you're tearin' me up on this telephone I swear I don't know what I'm gonna do with you You yap and yap and yap and yap and yap But when you break it all down, you know what I like Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk They're gonna make the world go 'round."
Temptation
Rusted brandy in a diamond glass
Everything is made from dreams
Time made from honey, slow and sweet
Only the fools know what it means
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
I can't resist
I just know that she's made of smoke
But I've lost my way, yeah
She knows that I am broke
But I must play, yeah
Temptation
Temptation, yeah
Temptation
I can't resist
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
I just can't resist
Dutch pink(2) and Italian blue
She is there waitin' for you
My will has disappeared
My confusion is oh so clear
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
I can't resist
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
I can't resist
Rusted brandy in a diamond glass
Everything is made from dreams
Time made from honey, slow and sweet
Only the fools know what it means
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Known covers:
The Bobs Sing The Songs Of... The Bobs, 1991. Rhino Records
Nachtgedanken. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). May 6, 1991. Chlodwig (Sony BMG). In German/ K�lsch ("Ich Will Dich", by Marion Radke)
Sto Megaro Mouskis. Elli Paspala. September 1, 1993. Sony Music - BMG (Greece)
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
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Being Tom Waits. Billy`s Band. 2001. Self-released demo album (Russia)
Such A Taste. Bigfoot In Paris. 2002. Self-released
A Postcard From... Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)
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).
Temptation/ I'll Never Be the Same. Diana Krall. March 16, 2004. Universal (CD single)
The Girl In The Other Room. Diana Krall. April 27, 2004. Verve Records
Quarter 'Til Three. Kimberly Carper. April 20, 2006. Self-released
Jazz Vocalists: Hear and Now. Various Artists. April 25, 2006. Concord Records (performed by Diana Krall)
2 Blues Shoes On 2er. 2 Blues Shoes. 2006. Self-released
Blues Travelling. Magda Piskorczyk. October 2005. Self-released (Poland)
Clara. Clara Bakker. July 10, 2006. Claraphon (Netherlands)
Now Or Never. Dave Holt Band. August 17, 2006. Lucky Lobster (USA)
Casserole. Nathan. September 27, 2006. Nettwerk (EP)
Charmed Life. Julie Mason and the Jazz Divas. December 2007 Vox (New Zealand)
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)
The Shape Of You. Nina Vox. January 6, 2009. Scarab Music (Australia)
NCIS - The Official TV Soundtrack. Various artists. February 10, 2009. CBS Records (performed by Cote de Pablo)
Picnic Glamour. Las Damas Y La Orquesta Invisible. May 24, 2009. Producciones Malditas (Spain)
Distance. Ina Hagenau. August 21, 2009. Self-released (Germany)
Le Souffle De Ma Vie. Andrea Rehm Quartett. October 24, 2009. Self-released
Blue Moon On The Bayou. Randy Heddon & Fat Tuesday. February 16, 2010. Self-released
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Listen to audio excerpt of Temptation as performed in the theatre play Frank's Wild Years.
The Briar Street Theatre (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Chicago/ USA. June 17, 1986.
Performed by Tom Irwin (as Tony Profit).
Ripped from low resolution audience tape
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Music video promoting: "Temptation" (Island, 1987)
Directed by Betzy Bromberg. Date: August 19, 1987
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "That one started out real tame. I added a bunch of stuff to it, and it started to swing a little bit. Now it sounds practically danceable to me. The whole thing was sung in falsetto. RR: The falsetto gives it a nasty edge --- TW: Gazzari's on the Strip. RR: Did you have something in mind for the vocal setting, or did you change it as you went along? TW: I wasn't sure. The song was there; it obviously needed an injection of some kind, so I tried to sing it in a new way. If you have enough time to live with a song, you can find it." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
(2) Dutch Pink
- n. [19C] blood [Dutch Pink, a yellow pigment] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).
- Notice the same phrase being mentioned in Jockey Full Of Bourbon, 1985: "Edna Million in a drop dead suit. Dutch pink on a downtown train."
Train Song
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
Well, I broke down in East St. Louis(2), on the Kansas City line
Drunk up all of my money, that I borrowed every time
And I fell down at the Derby, the night's as black as a crow
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
What made my dreams so hollow, was standin' at the depot
With a steeple full of swallows, that could never ring a bell(3)
And I've come ten thousand miles away, with not one thing to show
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
Well, I remember when I left, without botherin' to pack
Don't you know I up and left, with just the clothes I had on my back
Now I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I'm out here on my own
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Train Song
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Well, I broke down in East St. Louis(2), on the Kansas City line
And I drunk up all of my money, that I borrowed every time
And I fell down at the Derby, now the night's as black as a crow
Must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
What made my dreams so hollow, I was standin' at the depot
With a steeple full of swallows, that could never ring a bell(3)
Oh, I've come ten thousand miles away, and I ain't got one thing to show
Must've been a train took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
Well, I remember when I left, without botherin' to pack
You know I up and left, with nothin' but the clothes I had on my back
Now I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I'm out here on my own
Must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
It must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me, can't bring me home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
Eyes And Ears. Bim Skala Bim. January, 1995. Bib Records
It Happened One Night. Holly Cole. June, 1995. Blue Note Records (Japan: 1995, USA/ EMD: 1996)
Nomad. Polarity Percussion Ensemble with John Kenny & David Moss. 1997. Self-released
Promised Land. The Holmes Brothers. January, 1997. Rounder Records
Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)
Righteous: The Essential Collection. Holmes Brothers. July 16, 2002. Rounder/ Pgd (same version as on "Promised Land", 1997)
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
Train Songs. Spring String Quartet. 2002. CCn'C Records
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Listen to audio excerpt of Train Song 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 "Train Song" 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.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Train Song:
- Tom Waits (1987): "Kind of a gospel number. Frank is on the bench, really on his knees and can't go any further. At the end of his rope on a park bench with an advertisement that says "Palladin Funeral Home." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "Well, that's where it starts. When you're young you think everything is possible and that you're in the sun and all that. I always liked that Bob Dylan song, "I was young when I left home and I rambled around and I never wrote a letter to my home, to my home. Never wrote a letter to my home." You don't always know where you're going till you get there. That's the thing about train travel, at least when you say goodbye they get gradually smaller. Airplanes, people go through a door and they're gone. Very strange. They say now that jet lag is really your spirit catching up to your body." (Source: "Tom Waits is flying upside down (on purpose)". Musician (a Billboard publication) Mark Rowland October, 1987)
- Live intro as heard on Big Time: This is really the intro to 'Johnsburg, Illinois' but it's been edited in as an intro to 'Train Song' instead. You can hear the edit at 1.20]: "All right. Actually I get asked... Well... look, I think the question I get asked the most is... I mean, it happens a lot. Enough that I would remark on it. A lot of people come up to me and they say, 'Tom, is it possible for a woman to get pregnant without intercourse?' And my answer is always the same. I say, 'Well, listen. We're gonna have to go all the way back to the Civil War.' Apparently, a stray bullet actually pierced the testicle of a Union soldier, and then lodged itself in the ovaries of an eighteen year old girl, who was All right. Actually I get asked... Well... look, I think the question I get asked the most is... I mean, it happens a lot. Enough that I would remark on it. A lot of people come up to me and they say, 'Tom, is it possible for a woman to get pregnant without intercourse?' And my answer is always the same. I say, 'Well, listen. We're gonna have to go all the way back to the Civil War.' Apparently, a stray bullet actually pierced the testicle of a Union soldier, and then lodged itself in the ovaries of an eighteen year old girl, who was actually a hundred feet from him at the time. Well, the baby was fine. She was very happy, guilt free and... Of course, the soldier was a little pissed off. When you think about it, it's actually a FORM of intercourse, but... not for everyone. Those who love action maybe." actually a hundred feet from him at the time. Well, the baby was fine. She was very happy, guilt free and... Of course, the soldier was a little pissed off. When you think about it, it's actually a FORM of intercourse, but... not for everyone. Those who love action maybe." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
(2) St. Louis
- Also mentioned in: I Beg Your Pardon, 1982: "Please don't go back to St. Louis, can't you tell that I'm sincere.", Time, 1985: "And you're East of East Saint Louis and the wind is making speeches.", 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)
(3) Ring the bell: To succeed; to meet with approval or make a hit with someone (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
Way Down In The Hole
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon, walk the straight and narrow track
If you walk with Jesus, he's gonna save your soul
You gotta keep the Devil way down in the hole
He's got the fire and the fury at his command
Well, you don't have to worry if you hold on to Jesus' hand
We'll all be safe from Satan when the thunder rolls
We just got to keep the Devil way down in the hole
All the angels sing about Jesus' mighty sword
And they'll shield you with their wings, and keep you close to the Lord
Don't pay heed to temptation, for his hands are so cold
You gotta help me keep the Devil way down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
You gotta help me keep the Devil down in the hole
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Way Down In The Hole
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Well, I feel as though we should move right into the religious material
When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon, walk the straight and narrow track
When you walk with Jesus, he's gonna save your soul
You got to keep the Devil, well you gotta keep him down in the hole
He's got the fire, people he's got the fury at his command
Oh, you don't have to worry, hold on to, hold on to Jesus' hand
We'll all be safe from Satan, when the thunder, when the thunder starts to
roll
We got to keep the Devil, keep him on down, down in the hole
That red horned lousy low-life underneath our boots
Praise the Lord!
I don't know what it is, two dollar?
That demon meister, three dollar?
That Prince Devil
Just see if you can come up with a figure that matches your faith
You say how much has Jesus done for you
And we got to go in with our hydraulic system and blast him out!
People, can I get an amen!
All the angels, they start to sing all about Jesus' mighty sword
And they'll shield you with their wings, people they'll keep you close to
the Lord
Now don't pay heed to temptation, for his hands are so cold
You gotta keep the Devil, keep him on down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Well people, I got to speak about something
Can I get an amen!
Can I get a Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
Have mercy
The Lord is a very, very busy man
I do what I can
But Jesus is always going for the big picture
But he's always there to help us out of the little jams too(2)
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Keep him down in the hole
We got to keep the Devil down in the hole
We got to keep the Devil, keep him on down in the hole
Down
Down, down, down, mighty Devil
I send you down below my boots
Down, down
Filling my life with anger and strife
Go down, mighty Devil
Find a place to live
Down, down, down
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Howlin' Mercy. John Campbell. 1993. Elektra
Heavy Metal Horns. Heavy Metal Horns. 1994. Self-released
Risque. Térez Montcalm. 1994. BMG Music Canada Ltd
Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)
Gamblin' Days Are Over. Compulsive Gamblers. August, 1995. Sympathy for the Record Industry, SFTRI 372
R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "En strevsom mann")
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
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)
Spirit Of The Century. Blind Boys Of Alabama. April 24, 2001. EMD/ Real World Records
Hooray For The Moon. Jon Dee Graham. January, 2002. New West Records
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)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003.Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago. The Compulsive Gamblers. April 15, 2003. Sympathy for the Record Industry
Chateau Haag - Good News. Lisa Haag. November, 2004. Self-released (Austria)
Roll The Dice. Big Town Playboys. November 8, 2004. Mi5 Recordings (UK)
Levi. Phil Cunneff. 2005. Fells Point Jazz
Bump. BlueTouch. September 2005. Self-released
Enter The Mule. Blue Mule. October 22, 2005. Flat Five Press and Recording
Don't Act Right. Boss Diablo. May 19, 2006. Moondog Records
South Of Hell, France. Rev. Tom Frost. July 21, 2006. Closed For Private Party Records
The Look South. Sam Rosen. October 4, 2006. Class Act Records
Washington Square Serenade. Steve Earle. September 25, 2007. New West Records
The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter (soundtrack). Various artists. January 8, 2008. Nonesuch (three versions performed by: Blind Boys of Alabama, Neville Brothers and DoMaJe)
Live At Seaside Tavern. The Blues Busters. October 30, 2008. Self-released
No Provision. Spirit & Blues. January 16, 2009. Gracetone
American Landscape. The Nighthawks. February 3, 2009. Powerhouse Records
Candy Store. Kristine Jackson. February 20, 2010. Self-released
Looking Glass. Zoe Gilby. September 7, 2010. JazzAction
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Way Down In The Hole" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Edited version from 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) Tom Waits (1987): "That's Ralph Carney on three horns simultaneously. We wrote that one real fast; it was practically written in the studio. Checkerboard Lounge gospel. Here, Frank has thrown in with a berserk evangelist. RR: That's redundant. WAITS: And for free, he pretends to be blind. One of those tent show things."(Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense" . New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
(2) But he's always there to help us out of the little jams too: This is the clou of a story that's been deleted from the original version (Warfield Theatre. November 5, 1987).
- Original story: "Well people, I got to speak about something! Can I get an amen! Can I get a halleluiah! Praise the lord! Have mercy... People, when I was on my way to this speech tonight, we pulled down in Dallas/ Texas. The lord loooves Dallas/ Texas. Well people, I mean to tell you the lord was working his wonders with his paint brush. All the many hues of his pallet. The almond, the many violets and the vermilion. And I was seated in Clipper Class. People I love Clipper Class! But I was seated next to and elderly Indian gentleman who was having some trouble with the tiny foil top that locks in the freshness on his strawberry preserves container. A problem we've all experienced from time to time... People I want you to know that he busted that top, till I thought he would die. And you know what I did!? You know what I did!? Well I tell you what I did! People I snatched the container from his hand, I tore open the foil top and I spread his preserves out on his toast for him! (applause)."
Yesterday Is Here
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
If you want money in your pocket and a top hat on your head
a hot meal on your table and a blanket on your bed
Well, today is grey skies(2) tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
I'm going to New York City
and I'm leaving on a train
and if you want to stay behind and wait 'til I come back again
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
If you want to go where the rainbows end
you'll have to say goodbye
All our dreams come true baby up ahead
and it's out where your memories lie
Well, the road is out before me and the moon is shining bright
What I want you to remember as I disappear tonight
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow's tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Yesterday Is Here
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Thank you ma'm!
If you want money in your pocket, you want a top hat on your head
a hot meal on your table and a blanket on your bed
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
I'm a going to New York City
I'll be leaving on a train
and if you wanna stay behind 'til I come back again
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Now, if you want to go where the rainbows end
you will have to say goodbye
All our dreams come true baby up ahead
and it's out where your memories lie
And the road is out before me and the moon is shining bright
What I want you to remember as I disappear tonight
That today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
And today is grey skies tomorrow's tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play. Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Bümpliz Casablanca. Züri West. May 13, 1989. BlackCat/ Switserland (In Swiss: “Bis I Zrügg Bi”)
Cool in July. Bertus Borgers & The Groove. 1992. Universe-Virgin (CDSP 95729)
Good News. Bertus Borgers & The Groove. 1992. Universe-Virgin (CD-single 165 558)
Wintertour. Züri West. November 21, 1992 Label: Weltrekords/ Switserland (live version in Swiss: “Bis I Zrügg Bi”)
Jack Candy. The Walkabouts. 1993. CD-single, SubPop Germany, SPCD 81/251
New West Hotel. The Walkabouts. 1993. SubPop Germany, SP 81/252
Pinups. Human Drama. May 18, 1993. Triple X
Eclipse. Astrid Seriese. July, 1993. Bridgadoon
Bury The Bottle With Me. Jever Mountain Boys. 1994. Blue Million Miles
Dear Sir. Cat Power (Chan Marshall). 1995. Plain (re released in 2001)
Sad Eyes. Vera Coomans & Philip Hoessen. 1996. Dureco (The Netherlands)
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Der hvor regnbuen bor")
Dance With The Skeletons In Hell. Serious Solid Swineheard Is Better Than Homecooked. November 12, 1997. Day-Glo - (SPV)
Orange Juice For One. Gabriela Tanner Jazz Quintett. May 25, 2001. Jazz Elite Special
Acoustic. Calla. 2003. Self-released promo CDR (live)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Bloomsburg to Bangladesh. Bloomsburg to Bangladesh. 2004. Blue Buddha Records (performed by Jeremy dePrisco)
The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys. The Alter Boys. March 8, 2005. Fractured Trans
Black Money. Cowboys On Dope. April 29, 2006. Extra Records (Germany)
Bark! The Barking Dogs. February 9, 2006. WTPL Music (France)
Comin' Home. Denvis. August 1, 2006. Rosa Records (Netherlands)
Keys to the Castle. Mare Edstrom. September 15, 2006. Spiritone Records
Live At Mississippi Studios. Amanda Richards. October 3, 2006. Self-released
The Shed. The Shed. December 1, 2007. Self-released
Falling Down (single). Scarlett Johansson. April 8, 2008. Rhino Records/ Atco (same version as on Anywhere I Lay My Head, 2008)
Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records (bonus track)
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)
No Romeo. The Pussybats. August 12, 2008. Black Rain
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Listen to audio excerpt of Yesterday Is Here 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
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "Kathleen changed the melody on that. It was almost like a Ray Charles number before. All of a sudden we ended up with Morricone. Wanted to get some of that spaghetti-western feel. "Today is grey skies/ tomorrow is tears/ you'll have to wait till yesterday is here. . ." The title was given to me by Fred Gwynne. He had the title, and didn't know what to do with it. He said "it's yours; see what you can make of it." RR: Umm, was he speaking to you through the TV set? TW: No. in a dream. No, on "Cotton Club." We had a lot of time to stand around in our tuxedos. Kicked the title around for a long time. Always liked the title." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense." New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Stephen Fried (1987): "He claims that the title of one of the most haunting tunes on Franks Wild Years, "Yesterday Is Here" - "...today is grey skies/ tomorrow is tears/ you'll have to wait till yesterday is here" - was given to him by Fred Gwynne during a break in Cotton Club's filming." (Source: "The Da Vinci of Downtown". GQ Magazine: Stephen Fried. November, 1987)
(2) Grey Skies: Notice this phrase being repeated in the play. Frank's Theme: "And dream away when everyone's gone, dream away your grey skies too". More Than Rain: "I have to say to you it's more than woe-be-gotten grey skies now."

Big Time, 1988 (Live compilation)
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)
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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
Big Black Mariah
(Raindogs studio version, 1985)
Well, it's cuttin' through the cane break(2), rattling the sill(3)
Thunder that the rain makes when the shadow top the hill
Big light on the back street, hill to Evermore(4)
Packin' down the ladder(5) with the hammer to the floor
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
I see the Big Black Ford
Well, he's all boxed up(6) on a red bell dame
Hunted Black Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag(7) out in the wind
An old blind tiger(8) got an old bell Jim
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Ford
Sent to the skies on a Benny Jag Blue(9)
Off to bed without his supper like a Lindabrides(10) do
He got to do the story with the old widow Jones
He got a wooden coat(11), this boy is never coming home
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
I see that Big Black Ford
Cut through the cane break...
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Well, he's all boxed up on a red bell dame
Fat Blue Charlie with a blind man's cane
A hundred yellow bullets, shook a rag out in the wind
An old black tiger on a pair of blue wings(12)
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Mariah
Here come the Big, yeah, Black Ford
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Big Black Mariah
(Big Time live version, 1988)
I'm cutting through the cane break(2), rattling the sill(3)
Thunder that the rain makes when the shadow tops the hill
Big light on the back street, hill to Evermore(4)
Packing down the ladder(5) with the hammer to the floor
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah baby
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the big black Ford
Well I'm all boxed up(6) on a red belle dame
Flat Blue Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag(7) out in the wind
That old blind tiger(8), an old bell
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah baby, here come the big black Ford, yeah
Now we're all boxed up on a red belle dame
Flat Blue Johnny with a blind man's cane
A yellow bullet with a rag out in the wind
That old blind tiger, an old bell
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah baby
Here come the Big Black Mariah, here come the big black Ford
Oh yeah, Big Black Mariah, here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Here come the Big Black Mariah
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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)
Also included in Big Time the Movie. Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Wicked Grin. John Hammond. March 13, 2001. Emd/ Virgin
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Notes:
(1) Big Black Mariah/ Black Maria, Black Mariah
- n.: A police wagon or truck used to take arrested persons to jail (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)
- The black van which conveys prisoners from the police courts to jail. The French call a mud-barge a "Marie-salope." The tradition is that the van referred to was so called from Maria Lee, a negress, who kept a sailors' boarding house in Boston. She was a woman of such great size and strength that the unruly stood in dread of her, and when constables required help, it was a common thing to send for Black Maria, who soon collared the refractory and led them to the lock-up. So a prison-van was called a "Black Maria." (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- n.: A hearse (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)/ Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- "We can dispose of the fashionable London lady straightaway, as the expression for a police or prison van is quite certainly American in origin. The Boston story is about Maria Lee, a large black woman who kept a boarding house in the 1820s with such severity that she became more feared than the police, who called on her to help them catch and restrain criminals. The story almost certainly became attached to her much later because she was well-known, black, and was named Maria, but there's no evidence that she was actually the source of the name for the police vans. The first reference we have to such a vehicle in Boston is dated 1847, which might seem to be rather too long after her heyday for there to be a direct connection. The book that Eric Partridge mentions is Peter Ploddy, and Other Oddities of 1844, by Joseph Clay Neal, a well-known American journalist and humorist of the period. It contains the story The Prison Van; or, The Black Maria, whose title was until recently thought to be the first known use of the term. In it, the author wrote: "In Philadelphia ... the popular voice applies the name of 'Black Maria' to each of these melancholy vehicles". However, we now know, as the result of research by George Thompson, that the term was in use in New York about a decade earlier, since the term was used in at least two newspaper reports, one of 1835 and the other of 1836. The former was in the New York Transcript of 24 Dec 1835 and said "A man named Henry Stage ... contrived to make his escape on Saturday last while on his way from Bellevue prison to the city in the carriage generally known as 'Black Maria' ". One sidelight on the term which many World Wide Words subscribers have pointed out is that it is universally pronounced (as in "I call the wind Maria"), and not the more common American (as in "Ave, Maria"). This is probably a perpetuation in this fixed phrase of a way of saying the name that was once more common than it is now. Douglas G Wilson has suggested a possible association with a famous black racehorse of the period, also named Black Maria, which was foaled in Harlem, New York, in 1826. She won many races (her purse winnings alone amounted to nearly $15,000, a very large sum for the period), but it seems that her most famous exploit was on 13 October 1832, when she won the race for the Jockey Club purse of $600 at the Union Course. In 1870, an article about her in Harper's New Monthly Magazine noted that "The track was heavy, and yet, to achieve a victory, twenty miles had to be run. We wonder if there is a horse on the turf to-day that could stand up under such a performance as this?". The dates are highly suggestive. Here is a black racehorse whose most famous exploit is in New York in 1832, and only three years later her name is used for a police van in the same city. There can be no proof without further evidence-which may never be forthcoming-but like her many admirers, I'd put my money on her to be first past the post." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright � Michael Quinion, 1996-2004)
- The different explanations of "a Black Maria(h)" being either a police wagon or a prison van or a hearse (or even an ambulance) have led to different interpretations of the song. 1. An arrested person being taken to jail. 2. A prisoner being taken to death row. 3. A deceased person being driven to the graveyards. Though the first interpretation (police wagon/ paddy wagon) is most common, there's several clous in the song that seem to suggest this is about a black hearse (Boxed up, Sent to the skies, Of to bed without his supper, Do the story with the old widow Jones, He got a wooden coat, This boy is never coming home) (Thanks to Fran Mironchik for pointing to these alternative interpretations. September 17, 2003)
- Tom Waits (1985): "A Mariah is - originally it was the woman that ran some kind of a cathouse in New Orleans I guess and every time it got popped they figured she was the one that blew the whistle so the paddy wagon pulled up out in front and down through the years they started referring to it as the Black Mariah. Now it's the hearse or whatever." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Rip Rense: "One on which Richards appears is a menacing thing called "Big Black Mariah," which was explained as being about (take your pick) a fabled New Orleans madam, the police, a hearse or Mr. Death" (Source: "Enigmatic Waits survives, thrives" The San Diego Union-Tribune. By Rip Rense. November 1, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1986): "There was something in there that I thought he {Keith Richards] would understand. I picked out a couple of songs that I thought he would understand and he did. He's got a great voice and he's just a great spirit in the studio. He's very spontaneous, he moves like some kind of animal. I was trying to explain Big Black Maria and finally I started to move in a certain way and he said, "Oh, why didn't you do that to begin with? Now I know what you're talking about.' It's like animal instinct." (Source: "Waits Happening" Beat magazine 1986, by Pete Silverton)
- Notice the excessive use of words starting with the letter "B": cane Break, Big light, Back street, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford, Boxed up, Bell dame, Black Johnny, Blind man's cane, yellow Bullet, Blind tiger, Bell Jim, BigBlack Mariah, Big Black Ford, Benny jag Blue, off to Bed, Linda Brides, this Boy, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford, cane Break, Boxed up, Bell dame, Blue Charlie, Blind man's cane, yellow Bullets, Black tiger, Blue wings, Big Black Mariah, Big Black Ford
(2) Cane break n.: A field that is not planted between two fields that are planted with sugar cane. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
(3) Sill n.: The shaft or thill of a carriage (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)
(4) Evermore (ever more?): Might be quoting from Tolkien's trilogy The Lord Of The Rings. "The Battle of Evermore" is an acoustic guitar and mandolin track from Led Zeppelin's album: "Four Symbols, Runes, Zoso", 1971. It is based on events in the third of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, The Return of the King
(5) Ladder: n. [16C] the gallows (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
(6) Boxed up: 1. adj. [20C.] (N.Z.) imprissoned (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 2. v. enclosed or confined as if in a box/ coffin
(7) Rag n.: A flag. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(8) Blind tiger: [1920s] the owner of an illicit bar. (ety. unknown) (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). Though this is the common explanation found in dictionaries, it doesn't seem to be the right interpretation for this song
(9) Benny Jag Blue:
- Benny: 1. Any amphetamine pill, esp. benzedrine. Addict and student use since c1945. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975) 2. Intoxication as a result of using Benzedrine, a trade name for an amphetamine. Drug culture. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975) Benny/ Bennie/ Bennies n. [1940s] (orig. US drugs) Benzedrine, thus Benny-head, a benzedrine user (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- Jag: -jag. Similar to -fest, -jag = any session or period of uniterupted and unrestrained activity. The connotation however, is of a fit rather then a feast. the suffix word conveys a suggestion of compulsion (crying jag, candy jag, cigarette jag). (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). Jag n. 1. A spree, usu. a drinking party. 2. Fig., a spree or splurge, a spell of unrestrained activity of any kind. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 3. [1950s+] the taking of a drug, usu. narcotic, but also cannabis or LSD. (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 4. [late 19C+] (US) a period of indulgence, a fit, a spree of any kind. [1910s+] (orig. US) a breakdown, an emotional collapse, often as a crying jag, lenghty and profound sobbing (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
- Blue: 1. Drunk (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 2. Melancholy; sad; depressed. Colloq. n. (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975). 3. n. [1900s - 30s] a spree (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000) 4. (drugs) [1960s] usu. in pl. an amphetamine 5. [early 19C] (orig. US) a general intensifier, e.g. blue murder, scared blue 6. adj. [1910s-60s] euph. for BLOODY adj. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(10) Lindabrides: a euphemism for a female of no repute, a courtezan. Lindabrid�s is the heroine of the romance entitled The Mirror of Knighthood, one of the books in don Quixote's library (pt. I. i. 6), and the name became a household word for a mistress. It occurs in two of sir W. Scott's novels, Kenilworth and Woodstock (Source: Brewer's Readers Guide, revised edition, 1898)
(11) Wooden (over)coat: = wooden kimona. A coffin. Some underworld and fictional use since c1920 (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner, 1975)
(12) The last verse is not included in the lyric sheet (transcription by Ulf Berggren as sent to Raindogs Listserv discussionlist, November 1, 1999).
Clap Hands
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
Sane, sane, they're all insane
Fireman's blind, the conductor is lame
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad luck dame
Hangin' out the window with a bottle full of rain
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Said roar, roar, the thunder and the roar
Sumbitch is never comin' back here no more
The moon in the window and a bird on the pole
We can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal(2)
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Said steam, steam, a hundred bad dreams
Goin' up to Harlem with a pistol in his jeans
A fifty dollar bill inside a Paladin's(3) hat
And nobody's sure where Mr. Knickerbocker's(4) at
Roar, roar, the thunder and the roar
Sumbitch is never comin' back here no more
Moon in the window and a bird on the pole
Always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
I said steam, steam, with a hundred bad dreams
Goin' up to Harlem with a pistol in his jeans
A fifty dollar bill inside a Paladin's hat
And nobody's sure where Mr. Knickerbocker's at
Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime(5)
All the way to Baltimore and runnin' out of time
Salvation Army seemed to wind up in the hole
They all went to Heaven in a little row boat
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Clap hands
Oh clap hands
Oh clap hands
Oh clap hands
Clap hands
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology 1983-2000" (Nuova Carisch s.r.l. Milan/ Italy, 2001)
Clap Hands
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine(1)
And the monkey chewed tobacco on a streetcar line
Now the line broke and the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat
Clap hands
Sane, sane, they're all insane, fireman's blind, the conductor's lame
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad-luck dame
Hang out the window with a bottle full of rain
Clap hands, oh clap hands, oh clap hands, well clap hands
I said roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't never coming back no more
There's a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal(2)
Well clap hands baby, well clap hands, clap hands
I said dream, it's a hundred bad dreams
Going up to Harlem with a pistol in my jeans
A Cincinnati jacket and a sad-luck dame
Hanging out the window with a bottle full of rain
Now it's roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't coming back no more
I got a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands, well clap hands baby, well clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands
Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime(3)
All the way to Baltimore and running out of time
Salvation Army seemed to wind up in the hole
All went to heaven in a little row boat
It's roar, it's the thunder and the roar
I ain't coming back no more
I got a moon in the window, a bird on the pole
I can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal
Clap hands, well clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Clap hands, clap hands, clap hands
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). 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: "Sl� dank")
The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). April, 1990 Chlodwig (BMG Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
Live 1989-1993. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Gerd K�ster). November 15, 1993. Chlodwig (BMG/ Germany). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
Bo Ramsey And The Backsliders Live. Bo Ramsey And The Backsliders. June, 1995. Trailer
Tanz Um Den Heiligen Bim Bam. Gerd K�ster. October 30, 1995. Chlodwig (BMG). Performed in German/ K�lsch (Maat H��sch)
What's All These Blues About? Lex Romane & Joe Riillo. June, 1996. Self-released
Deep Blue. Peter Mulvey. 1997. Eastern Front Records
Whispers Of Time. Toxic Blues Again. December, 1999. Self-released
Wits End Sessions. Big Skin and Gary Knowlton. 2000. Self-released
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Metropolis. Caravane de Ville. 2001. Mescal/ Sony
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
Dancing With St. Peter. Sign Of 4. October 7, 2002. Track Records
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
In Cattivit�. Quintorigo. March, 2003. Universal Italia
Dancing With St. Peter. $ign Of 4. April, 2003. Track (Navarre)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
El Mundo Es Plano. Purple Sex Heads. 2006. Valve Records
Lucky To Be Alive. Various artists. May 19, 2006. Dossier Records (Germany) benefit sampler (performed by Carsten Klatte)
Keys to the Castle. Mare Edstrom. September 15, 2006. Spiritone Records
Guitar Screams Live. Jeff Kollman. October, 2006. Marmaduke
Steve Evans Quartet, 2 Sets. Steve Evans. December 4, 2006. Self-released
Blue Whisper. The Headhunters. April 3, 2007. Self-released (Italy)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Clap Hands" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA. November 7/8, 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) Clap Hands
- Tom Waits (1985): "Well I just kinda embedded a nursery rhyme. Just a eh... You know, eh: "Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine/ the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line/ The line broke the monkey got choked/ we all went to heaven in a little row boat" yeah. "Shine, shine, a Roosevelt dime/ All the way to Baltimore and running out of time." Same meter, same... I just tried to imagine all these eh... these guys going up the A-train. All the millionaires in tuxedos shoveling all the coal into the... y'know? Everyone's hanging out of the window, y'know? Just kind of a little... dark little... kind of a Ralph Steadman eh drawing." (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "As you get older, the things it was once important to have around you become less so, especially with children. New York is like a weapon, you live with all these contradictions and it's intense, sometimes unbearable." "It's a place where you think you should be doing more about what you see around you, a place where the deadline to get the picture of the bum outside your apartment becomes more important than his deadline to get a crust or a place to sleep, which is a real deadline." "You see things like the $400 shoe followed by the $500 ball gown stepping into the pool of blood from the bum that was killed the night before. That's what I was trying to get in that song 'Clap Hands' - "You can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal" because millionaires like to go places that are downbeat, that aren't so chi chi." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
- Wine, wine, why the goose drank wine. Quoting: American jump rope rhyme/ children's clapping song. Sometimes called "A Rubber Dolly".
- Version 1: A Rubber Dolly "My mommy told me If I was goodie That she would buy me A rubber dolly My auntie told her I kissed a soldier. Now she won't buy me A rubber dolly Ohhhhh...3..6..9.. The goose drank wine, The monkey spit tobacco, On the streetcar line, Line broke, The monkey got choked, And they all went to heaven in a little row boat. Clap-Clap!"
- Version 2: Untitled jump rope rhyme "Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine, The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line The lion choked, the monkey croaked, And they all went to heaven in a little row boat, Clap-Clap! Clap-Clap!"
(2) A millionaire to shovel all that coal:
- Tom Waits (1985): "New York is like a weapon, you live with all these contradictions and it's intense, sometimes unbearable... It's a place where you think you should be doing more about what you see around you, a place where the deadline to get the picture of the bum outside your apartment becomes more important than his deadline to get a crust or a place to sleep, which is a real deadline. You see things like the $ 400 shoe followed by the $500 ballgown stepping into the pool of blood from the bum that was killed the night before. That's what I was trying to get in that song 'Clap Hands' - "You can always find a millionaire to shovel all the coal" because millionair es like to go places that are downbeat, that aren't so chi chi." (Source: "Hard Rain". New Musical Express: Gavin Martin. October 19, 1985)
(3) Palladin's hat: Palladin (Richard Boone) was a character in the 'Have Gun Will Travel' CBS television series in the '1950s/ 1960s. "The hit CBS series aired from 1957 to 1963 and was centered on Paladin, an educated knight-errant gunslinger who, upon payment of $1,000, would leave his well-appointed suite in San Francisco's Hotel Carlton to pursue whatever mission of mercy or justice a well-heeled client commissioned. A gourmet and connoisseur of fine wine, fine women, and Ming Dynasty artifacts, Paladin would quote Keats, Shelley, and Shakespeare with the same self-assurance that he brought to the subjugation of frontier evildoers. Unlike the archetypal western hero, Paladin wore black rather than white, complete with an ebony hat embellished by a band of silver conches and a holster embossed with a silver chess knight. He sported a villain's mustache and wasn't enamored of his horse; declining even to justify its existence with an appealing name. And he seemed to relish the adventures of the mind--his chess matches and library--far more than the frontier confrontations from which he drew his livelihood." (Source: "Have Gun Will Travel" by Peter Orlick. The Museum of Broadcast Communications � 2003 Copyright)
(4) Knickerbocker: In the New York of the 1830's this was the popular name for the wealthy descendant of Dutch immigrants. At the time the expression gained popularity through the humoristic book "History of New York" (seen through the eyes of the main character Diedrich Knickebocker). Later on the name was also used for bibliophiles or "bookworms"
(5) Roosevelt dime: U.S. coin denomination: 10-cent. All of the U.S. coins currently minted portray past U.S. Presidents. They are the Lincoln one-cent piece, adopted in 1909; the 25-cent piece portraying Washington, first minted in 1932; the five-cent piece honouring Jefferson, adopted in 1938; the Franklin D. Roosevelt dime, introduced in 1946; and the Kennedy half-dollar, which appeared in 1964. Coin denominations: 25-cent, 10-cent, five-cent, and one-cent pieces, are familiarly known as the quarter, dime, nickel, and penny
Cold Cold Ground
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)(1)
Crest fallen(2) sidekick(3) in an old cafe
Never slept with a dream before he had to go away
There's a bell in the tower, Uncle Ray bought a round
Don't worry 'bout the army in the cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Cold cold ground
Now don't be a cry baby when there's wood in the shed
There's a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed
When the road's washed out, we pass the bottle around
And wait in the arms of the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
There's a ribbon in the willow and a tire swing rope
And a briar patch of berries takin' over the slope
The cat'll sleep in the mailbox and we'll never go to town
Till we bury every dream in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill
The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream
I find we'll lay down together in the cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
The cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Call the cops on the Breedloves(4), bring a Bible and a rope
And a whole box of Rebel(5) and a bar of soap
Make a pile of trunk tires and burn 'em all down
Bring a dollar with you, baby, in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Take a weathervane rooster, throw rocks at his head
Stop talking to the neighbors until we all go dead
Beware of my temper and the dog that I've found
Break all the windows in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Cold Cold Ground
(Big Time live version, 1988)(1)
Well, Crest fallen(2) sidekick(3) in an old cafe
It slept with a dream before he had to go away
There's a bell in the tower, Uncle Ray bought a round
Don't worry 'bout the army in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Now don't be a cry baby when there's wood in the shed
There's a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed
And the road's washed out, we pass the bottle around
And wait in the arms of the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
There's a ribbon in the willow and a tire swing rope
A briar patch of berries takin' over the slope
The cat'll sleep in the mailbox and we'll never go to town
Bury every dream in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill
The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream
Lay down together in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Call the cops on the Breedloves(4), bring a Bible and a rope
Whole box of Rebel(5) and a bar of soap
Make a pile of trunk tires and burn 'em all down
Bring a dollar with you, baby, in the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
In the cold cold ground
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988-1998
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Leave A Light On, John Gogo. August, 1997. Cd Cd's (Canada)
Miles On The Rail. Grievous Angels. September 8, 1998. Bloodshot Records, BS 038
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)
Saving All My Love For You (a tribute to Tom Waits). Claudia Bettinaglio. January, 2001. Taxim Records (Germany)
The Greatest Story Ever Hula'd. Grabass Charlestons. October 31, 2003. No Idea Records
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Music video promoting: "Cold Cold Ground" 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.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Cold Cold Ground:
- Tom Waits (1987): "That's the only real Marty Robbins-influenced number on there. Just kind of a hardening back to his earlier times; a romantic song thinking about home, and all that." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Intro from the movie 'Big Time' (1988): "It's good to be back in the land of wigs and novelties. Go ahead and laugh, but when you're in Indiana and you need wigs and novelties... You can hang it up, buddy! I looked everywhere. Woke up in a cold sweat, one thing on my mind I wanted a cigarette lighter as big as an encyclopedia You know those? You open the top and it goes CLINK And then WHOOM It's thrilling It's good to be in the Wilshire district, you know You know, close to everything Shopping and that type of thing All real important things with us Actually, Wilshire's a little snooty Western's very friendly So we're kind of... we're kind of... Would you say we're on the corner of Friendly and Snooty? The two missing seven dwarfs Friendly and Snooty All right, this is a song about a little guy who lives in a little house... " (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000). Refers to the Wiltern Theatre being on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.
(2) Crestfallen: To be or to look disheartened, saddened, depressed, like chapfallen and chopfallen, indicates the physical signs of a drooping spirit. A bird with a drooping crest is cast down in spirits, confidence and courage(Source: A dictionary of euphemisms, Neaman/ Silver)
(3) Side-kick, sidekick n.: A partner; a close friend or comrade; a pal; a buddy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(4) Breedlove: A name of a family from the book "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
(5) Whole box of Rebel: "Must say that I always thought "whole box of rebel and a bar of soap" was a reference to a case ("box") of Rebel Yell, a bourbon that is a favorite of Tom's close personal friend Keith Richards. In fact, I would not be at all surprised if Keith kept the company in business, and not through endorsements, if you know what I'm saying" (Submitted by Brendan Costello. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)
Falling Down
I've come 500 miles just to see your halo
Come from St. Petersburg, Scarlett and me
When I open my eyes, I was blind as can be
And to give a man luck(2), he must fall in the sea
And she wants you to steal and get caught
For she loves you for all that you are not
When you're falling down, falling down
When you're falling down, falling down, falling down
You forget all the roses don't come around on Sunday
She's not gonna choose you for standing so tall
Go on take a swig(3) of that poison(4) and like it
And now don't ask for silverware, don't ask for nothing
Go on and put your ear to the ground
You know you'll be hearing that sound, falling down
You're falling down, falling down
Falling down, falling down
Falling down
When you're falling down, falling down, falling down
Go on down see that wrecking ball come swing in on her now
Everyone knew that hotel was a goner
They broke all the windows and took all the door knobs
And they hauled it away in a couple of days
Now someone yelled timber, take off your hat
We all look smaller down here on the ground
When you're falling down, falling down, falling down
Falling down, falling down
Falling down
Someone's falling down, falling down, falling down
Falling down, falling down
Falling down
Written by: Tom Waits(1)
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 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:
Fjorton S�nger. Bad Liver & Hans Brustna Hj�rtan. 1989. Nonstop Records (1989), City Records (re-release May, 1993) NSM 33-15 (in Swedish: "Fall p� kn�")
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
Falling Down (single). Scarlett Johansson. April 8, 2008. Rhino Records/ Atco. (same version as on Anywhere I Lay My Head, 2008)
Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records
Notes:
(1) Falling Down:
- Tom Waits (1988): "Falling Down." That was cut in the studio. That's kind of.. Song I was doing on the road but we never got a good take of it. So, I got home, rather than bring a band out from New York to Los Angeles, I worked with people who were already there: Larry Taylor and Fred Tackett, and Richie Hayworth, so it... We put that on there, too, so, you know, you can get a subscription to Playboy if you send in $5 and eh, I'll send you some Spencer steaks, we're having a contest..." (Source: "Mixed Bag, WNEW New York" Date: October, 1988)
(2) Luck, give a man: Orig. "Give a man luck and throw him into the sea". Meaning that his luck will save him even in the greatest extremity. Referring to Jonah and Arion, who were cast into the sea, but carried safely to land, the one by a whale and the other by a dolphin. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(3) Swig n.: A swallow, gulp, or mouthful, esp. of whisky (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner). Also mentioned in "Burma Shave" (Why don't you have another swig, and pass that car if you're so brave)
(4) 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)
Gun Street Girl
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
[One two three]
Fallin' James(2) in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all the tale
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
Now he's dancin' in the Birmingham(3) jail
Dancin' in the Birmingham jail
Well, he took a hundred dollars off a Slaughterhouse Joe(4)
Bought a brand new Michigan twenty gauge
He got all liquored up(5) on that roadhouse corn(6)
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette(7)
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
He bought a second hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
And dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
With a pawnshop radio quarter past four
He left Waukegan(8) at the slammin' of the door
Left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
He's sittin' in a sycamore(9) in St. John's Wood
Soakin' day old bread in kerosene(10)
Well, he was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog
He's stayin' out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
He never get up in the morning on a Saturday
Sittin' by the Erie(12) with a bull-whipped dog
Tellin' everyone he saw, 'They went thatta way, boys'
Tellin' everyone he saw, 'They went thatta way'
Now the rain like gravel on an old tin roof
The Burlington Northern pullin' out of the world
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
Get ridin' in the shadow by the Saint Joe Ridge
And the click clack tappin' of a blind man's cane
And he was pullin' into Baker on a New Year's Eve
With one eye on the pistol and the other on the door
One eye on the pistol and the other on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
Smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
Bangin' on a table with an old tin cup
I sing, I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
I said, John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never comin' home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)(13)
Gun Street Girl
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Falling James(2) in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all the tale
Well he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
John, John, he's long gone
Well he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, he's long gone
Well he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
Well he took a hundred dollars off a slaughterhouse Joe(4)
Bought a brand new Michigan twenty-gauge
He got all liquored up(5) on the road house corn(6)
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette(7)
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
John, John, is long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, is long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
John, John, he's long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John, he's long gone
Why he's gone to Indiana, he ain't never coming home
John, John
John, John
My papa was a rollin' stone
My papa was a rollin' stone
Wherever he hung he said was his home
When he died all he left us was alone
John, John
John, John
John, John
Now I was banging on a table with an old tin cup
Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I will never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I will never kiss a Gun Street girl again
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
John, John
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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(13)
Known covers:
Reheated. Canned Heat. 1988. SPV Records (Germany). Produced by Larry Taylor
Burnin' Live. Canned Heat. 1990. AIM Australia/ Spv Germany. Re-released in 2003 (Spv Records, UK)
Outlaws (Live & Unreleased). Luke Doucet. September, 2004. Six Shooter Records
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Gun Street Girl" 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) Gun Street Girl
- Tom Waits (1985): "Gun Street Girl is about a guy who's having trouble with the law and he traces all of these events back to this girl he met on Gun Street right there on Center Market right in Little Italy there." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape", taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations, late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "I tried to make it a tale in a tale, y'know? Where is the end of this tale? Y'know? There's: "Telling everyone they saw the went thataway". There's this girl tied to a tree with a skinny millionaire and a guy coming into Baker with a pistol and a... So I just tried to throw it all in there and make it like eh... "What the hell's going on around here?!" Y'know? It's like when you wake up in the middle of the night and you try to remember something that you don't, you remember just pieces of things? Y'know?" (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
(2) Falling James
- Falling James is a real person. He is a transvestite guitarist who plays with a rock band called "Leaving Trains". Waits was apparently amused by some of the anecdotes that Falling James might have told over the years, one of which could have included something about slipping in the mud in the Lake Tahoe area (Submitted by: Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000. Drew Slayton. E-mail message to Tom Waits Library. October, 2001). Further reading: Leaving Trains site
(3) Joe, a: n. [20C] 1. A generic name for a person, e.g. joe average, joe citizen, the average man in the street; also one who has a job or position, e.g. joe plainclothes, a plain clothes policeman, working joe one who is employed etc. 2. a stupid or offensive person (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(4) Birmingham: Also mentioned in Swordfishtrombones, 1983: "Some say they saw him down in Birmingham, sleeping in a boxcar going by."
(5) Liquored up: adj. [1920s+] (US) drunk (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)
(6) Corn n.: Liquor, esp. corn whisky, home made or illegally sold (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(7) 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.", 16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six, 1983: "And I tore out the buckets from a red Corvette."
(8) Waukegan: Waukegan is situated north of Chicago, right on Lake Michigan. Some 40 miles west of Waukegan is Johnsburg, Illinois. This is where Kathleen Brennan is said to have grown up (as told in the same titled song from Swordfishtrombones, 1983)
(9) Sycamore tree
1. 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).
2. 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 Wrong Side Of The Road: "Poison all the water in the wishin' well and hang all them scarecrows from a Sycamore tree."
(10) Soakin' day old bread in kerosene: WW-II survival countertracking technique, to escape a tracker dog trailing ones scent, by carrying bread or tobacco soaked in petrol, gasoline or kerosene.
(12) Erie, on the: Sitting by the Erie: Not taking chances; hiding. Underworld use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
(13) During the 1999 Mule Variations tour Waits often combined this song with "Ain't goin' down to the well
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."
Rain Dogs
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
Inside a broken clock
Splashing the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, we'd rather walk
Huddle(2) a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too
Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night
For it was all ripe for dreaming
Oh, how we danced away all of the lights(3)
We've always been out of our minds
The rum pours strong and thin
Beat out the dustman with the rain dogs
Aboard a shipwreck train
Give my umbrella to the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee(4)
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You'll never be going back home
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You'll never be going back home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985
Official release: Rain Dogs, Island Records Inc., 1985
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Raindogs full story
Rain Dogs
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Inside a broken clock, splash the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, taxi, taxi we'd rather walk
Huddle(2) a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog, too
I know how we danced and we swallowed the night
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me(3)
We'll never be going back home
I know how we danced and we swallowed the night
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me
We'll never be going back home
Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee(4)
Her long hair black as a raven
I know how we danced and she whispered to me
We'll never be going back home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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
Further reading: Raindogs 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: "Fyllhund")
Spiewomalowanie. Mariusz Lubomski. 1994. Self-released. In Polish "Zmokniete psy"
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)
A Postcard From... Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003. Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
Black As A Raven. The Jim-Jams. 2004. Flotainment
God Is A Tom Waits Fan. The Box Spring Hogs. May 2004. Self-released demo
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
We´re Not Bitter. Children Of Celebrities. July 28, 2007. Self-released
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Rain Dogs" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA. November 7/8, 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) Rain Dogs
- Tom Waits (1985): "People who live outdoors. You know how after the rain you see all these dogs that seem lost, wandering around. The rain washes away all their scent, all their direction. So all the people on the album are knit together, by some corporeal way of sharing pain and discomfort." (Source: "The Sultan Of Sleaze" YOU magazine, by Pete Silverton. Date: New York. Early October, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "It's a kind of word I made up for people who sleep in doorways. I mean, New York when it rains, all the peelings and cigarette butts, float to the surface like in Taxi Driver when he says, "someday a real raids gonna come along and wash all the scum of f the street". Looks better in the rain, like it's been lacquered." (Source: "Lower east side story". The Face: Elissa van Poznak. Ca. October, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985). "Maybe I should say something about the title of the album, "Rain Dogs". You know dogs in the rain lose their way back home. They even seem to look up at you and ask if you can help them get back home. 'Cause after it rains every place they peed on has been washed out. It's like "Mission Impossible". They go to sleep thinking the world is one way and they wake up and somebody moved the furniture." (Source: "Tom Waits for no man". Spin Magazine: Glenn O'Brien. November, 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "A Rain Dog is - you notice it more in lower Manhattan than anywhere else - after a rain in New York all the dogs that got caught in the rain, somehow the water washed away their whole trail and they can't get back home so about 4 in the morning you see all these stranded dogs on the street and they're looking around like - won't you help me get back home, sir, please - excuse me sir - excuse me sir - can you help me find my way back home - all makes and models, the short ones, the black ones, the tall ones, the expensive ones, the long ones, the disturbed ones, they all want to get home. So that's a Rain Dog. It's like falling asleep somewhere and you thought you knew where you were and when you woke up - it's like Mission Impossible - they changed the furniture and the walls and windows and the sky turned a different colour and you can never get back and most of the stories in this record have to do with people in New York who are experiencing a considerable amount of pain and discomfort." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985) (What are Raindogs?): "Eh... I don't know... you can get 'em in Coney Island. They're little eh... It's eh... They come in a bun. And eh... It's just water in a bun. That's all... It's a bun that's been... It's a bun without a hot-dog in it. (laughs) It's just... it's been left out in the rain and they're called a Raindog. And they're less expensive then a standard hot-dog... ... ... No, a Raindog is a... is anybody who eh... people who sleep in doorways. People who don't have credit cards. People who don't go to church. People who don't have eh, y'know, a mortgage, y'know? Who fly in this whole plane by the seat of their pants. People who... are going down the road eh, y'know?" (Source: "Nightlines Interview" Nightlines on CBC Stereo (Canada) conducted by Michael Tearson. Date: New York. Late 1985)
- Tom Waits (1985): "You see all these dogs out on the street looking lost. They kind of look up at you like: `'scuse me sir, can you, uh, ...(deep voice) can you help me? 'cause the rain has washed away all the scents; the way they got wherever they got. So they can't find their way back home." (Source: "Enigmatic Waits survives, thrives" The San Diego Union-Tribune. By Rip Rense. November 1, 1985)
(2) Huddle v.t.: To crowd (things) together to mingle confusedly; to assemble without order or system (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, I)
(3) Oh, how we danced: Notice the musical and lyrical reference to "The Anniversary Waltz" (Words and music by Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin): "Oh, how we danced On the night we were wed; We vowed our true love Though a word wasn't said. The world was in bloom, There were stars in the skies Except for the few That were there in your eyes. Dear, as I held you So close in my arms, Angels were singing A hymn to your charms, Two hearts gently beating Were murmuring low, "My darling, I love you so." The night seemed to fade Into blossoming dawn; The sun shone anew But the dance lingered on. Could we but relive that Sweet moment sublime, We'd find that our love Is unaltered by time."
(4) Rose of Tralee: A yearly beauty contest in Ireland. The original Rose of Tralee was a young dairymaid turned children's maid named Mary O'Connor who caught the eye of young William Pembroke Mulchinock of the Mulchinock Estate where she was working. This soon turned to love, but due to staunch family pride and an accusation that he had killed a man this never turned to marriage. William fled and returned years later to find that she had just died. After an unsuccessful marriage in America and then living the rest of his days alone in Ireland, he died and was buried next to his beloved in 1864. (Source: Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)
Red Shoes
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.
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)
Straight To The Top (Rhumba) Straight To The Top (Vegas)
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean
I just know I will never stop, no no
Until I know I'm wild and free
I'm like a champagne bubble, pop pop pop
I'm like those birds high up in the tree
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I can't let sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
Live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Be a man!
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going up, up to the top, oh yeah
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let sorrow pull me on down
Live for tomorrow, oh baby I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean
I know I just can't stop, oh no
Till I know I'm wild and free
I'm like a champagne bubble, pop pop
I'm like those birds high up in the tree
I can't let sorrow pull me on down
Live for tomorrow, yeah, I have found you
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I can't let sorrow pull me down
Live for tomorrow, oh baby, oh baby
I'm going straight up to the top, oh yeah
Where the air is, where the air is
Where the air is, where the air is
Where the air is fresh, fresh and clean, yeah
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Fresh and clean, fresh and clean, fresh and clean
Get on up, get on up now, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Get on up, get on up, get on up, get on up
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1988
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
I'm going straight to the top, whoa
I'm going where the air is fresh and clean
I'm going straight up to the top
If you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let Mister Sorrow try and pull ol' Frankie down
We live for tomorrow, I have found you
Straight to the top
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean
I know I'm never gonna stop
Until I know, I know I'm wild and free
Hey, I'm going straight up to the top
And if you know me, you know what I mean
I can't let ol' Mister Sorrow try and pull me down
I live for tomorrow, I have found you
I'm going straight to the top, whoa
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean
Yeah, whoa
I can't let Mister Sorrow pull ol' Frankie down
We live for tomorrow, I have found you
Straight to the top, oh yeah
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is
Up where the air is fresh and clean, whoa
Whoa, how about that band? Whoa!
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
(Big Time live version, 1988)
I'm going straight to the top, oh yeah
I'll be going where the air is fresh and clean
Top!
I'm going up, up where the air is fresh and clean
I'm not gonna let Doctor Sorrow operate on me today
I just got to live for tomorrow, someone made me that way
Top!
I'm going up where the air is fresh and clean, yeah
I just can't let sorrow bring me down
So people, let's have a warm round of applause for Johnny Marinara on the tenor
saxophone! Let him know that you love him. Let's hear it for all the
fluorescence tonight! Johnny Perchiutto, Johnny Pellegrino, Johnny Marinara,
Johnny (...?...)
Up where the air is, where the air is fresh, fresh and clean
Whoa, how about that band!
Beautiful!
Thank you!
Written by: Tom Waits and Greg Cohen
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1988
Official release: "Big Time"( movie), � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Play It Cool. Lea DeLaria. June 12, 2001.Warner Brothers
A Postcard From... Billy's Band. 2003. Self-released (Russia)
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Listen to audio excerpt of Straight To The Top 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 "Straight To The Top" (Vegas) 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) Straight To The Top
- Tom Waits (1987): "Kind of a floor show --- yeah, that was a little Louis Prima influence there. Louis Prima in Cuba. A little pagan. Not so Vegas --- more pagan. Like a guy who is obviously not going straight to the top, but the fact that he feels as though he is makes you almost believe that he might be; that somebody like that is going to burn a hole in something - but certainly not the business. Probably himself. We used the Optigon on that. RR: I was going to ask what that is. WAITS: It's one of the early organs created for home use. Where you have a program disc that you put inside the organ, and it creates a variety of sound worlds for you to become part of. Like they have the Tahitian/ Polynesian number complete with birds and waterfall. And you can be a 32-piece orchestra --- instant adagio for strings, you know. There's a cabaret setting, a little jazz thing with a kind of Charlie Byrd feel to it."...RR: How did you use it (the Optigon) on "Straight To The Top---Rhumba?" TW: "I believe it was set on the outdoor tropical thing. Rainforest. Don't try this at home yourself. They have these little floppy discs, a little door, and you put one in, close the door and... the magic happens." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Live intro from the movie Big Time: "Oh, you're beautiful! No no! I know, I know You hear that all the time, you know [sings] You are beautiful to me Wow, I mean... it's wild, but right now, I don't know I feel closer to you than I do my own family And that's kind of tragic, when you think about it I don't know, I feel I can look right inside those black little hearts of yours And I feel that I know you all individually and as a group I don't know, it's wild, it's never happened before Is it a full moon, I don't know Have a cigar! Know what I'm sayin'? [starts throwing cigars out into the audience] One for the balcony [throws one into the front rows instead] Whoa! I'm sorry, baby! I threw my arm out in spring training I lost everything in the stock market But there's only one place to go... " (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
- Tom Waits (1988): "Well, that's one of those eh... One of those phrases that just keeps you going. It's like "Big Time" y'know? It's like... You gotta have a plan in this world y'know, you gotta have some place you want to go so you know when you've arrived. And eh "Straight To The Top" is eh... just one of those songs." (Source: "Fresh Air Interview" National Public Radio's broadcast of Fresh Air. Hosted by Terry Gross. Produced by WHYY (Philadelpia). September 28, 1988)
Strange Weather
(Acoustic demo version, 1987)
Will you take me across the channel
London Bridge is falling down(2)
Strange, a woman tries to save
More than a man will try to drown
And it's the rain that they predicted
And the forecast every time
The rose has died because you picked it
I believe that brandy's mine
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
It's the same
And the world is getting flatter
And the sky is falling all around
And nothing is the matter
For I'll never cry in town
And a love like ours, my dear
Is best measured when it's down
And I never buy umbrellas
For there's always one around
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
And you know that it's beginning
And you know that it's the end
Once again we are strangers
As the fog goes rolling in
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan(1)
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
No official release: demo version broadcast on KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, August 24, 1987
The song was written for Marianne Faithfull: 'Strange Weather', 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Strange Weather
(Marianne Faithfull version, 1987)
Will you take me across the Channel,
London Bridge is falling down.
Strange a woman tries to save
What a man will try to drown.
And he's the rain that they predicted,
It's the forecast every time.
The rose has died because you picked it
An' I believe that brandy's mine.
And all over the world Strangers
Talk only about the weather.
All over the world
It's the same
It's the same
It's the same.
The word is getting flatter,
The sky is falling all around.
And nothing is the matter
For I never cry in town.
And a love like ours, my dear,
Is best measured when it's down.
And I never buy umbrellas,
For there's always one around.
And all over the world Strangers
Talk only about the weather.
All over the world
It's the same
It's the same
It's the same.
And you know that it's beginning,
And you know that it's the end
When once again we are strangers
And the fog comes rolling in.
And all over the world Strangers
Talk only about the weather.
All over the world
It's the same
It's the same
It's the same.
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
Official release (Marianne Faithfull): Strange Weather. Marianne Faithfull, 1987 PGD/ Polygram 842593 (CD).
Island Records 7 90613-1 (LP). Island 422 842 593-2 (CD)
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1987-1988-1998
Official release (Tom Waits): "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
(Recorded at The Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles. November 9, 1987)
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Strange Weather
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Will you take me across the channel
London Bridge is falling down(2)
Strange, a woman tries to save
More than a man will try to drown
And it's the rain that they predicted
It's the forecast every time
The rose has died because you picked it
I believe that brandy's mine
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
And the world is getting flatter
And the sky is falling all around
Oh, and nothing is the matter
For I'll never cry in town
And a love like ours, my dear
Is best measured when it's down
And I never buy umbrellas
Cause there's always one around
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
And you know that it's beginning
And you know that it's the end
Once again we are strangers
As the fog goes rolling in
And all over the world
Strangers talk only about the weather
All over the world it's the same
It's the same
It's the same
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1987-1988-1998
Official release: "Big Time", � Island Visual Arts Inc. (P) Island Records Inc., 1988 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
(Recorded at The Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles. November 9, 1987)
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Strange Weather. Marianne Faithfull, 1987. PGD/ Polygram 842593 (CD). Island Records 7 90613-1 (LP). Island 422 842 593-2 (CD, 1990)
Blazing Away. Marianne Faithfull. January 3, 1995. Island (Universal)
Marianne Faithfull, The Island Anthology. Marianne Faithfull. October, 1998. Island (Universal)
Silent House. Vera Coomans & Philip Hoessen. November 1998. Pink Records (The Netherlands)
Faithfull Covers. Andi Sexgang. April 4, 2000. Dressed to Kill
Devil May Care. Kate Hammett-Vaughan. April, 2002. Maximum Jazz MAX-1201
Voice & Bass. Georgette Dee. November 17, 2003. Dmd Music (DA Music Germany)
Spider And The Fly. Onalea. April 29, 2005. Dandi Productions (Canada)
Crow's Nest/ Nid De Pie. Claire Jenkins Avec Band. September 10, 2007. Self-released (Canada)
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Strange Weather" 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.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "We did this at home, I haven't really listened to it all that much. Kathleen and I wrote this together so this is the first version of it and then we gave it to Marianne and she recorded it on an album that she did with Hal Willner - who may be listening." (Source: KCRW-FM interview. August 24, 1987)
(2) London Bridge is falling down: Quoting from "London Bridge" (Traditional, unknown copyright)
- Version 1: "London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady! Build it up with iron bars, Iron bars, iron bars. Build it up with iron bars, My fair lady! Iron bars will bend and break, Bend and break, bend and break. Iron bars will bend and break, My fair lady! Build it up with needles and pins, Needles and pins, needles and pins. Build it up with needles and pins, My fair lady! Pins and needles rust and bend, Rust and bend, rust and bend. Pins and needles rust and bend, My fair lady! Build it up with penny loaves, Penny loaves, penny loaves. Build it up with penny loaves, My fair lady! Penny loaves will tumble down, Tumble down, tumble down. Penny loaves will tumble down, My fair lady! Build it up with silver and gold, Silver and gold, silver and gold. Build it up with silver and gold, My fair lady! Gold and silver I've not got, I've not got, I've not got. Gold and silver I've not got, My fair lady! Here's a prisoner I have got, I have got, I have got. Here's a prisoner I have got, My fair lady! What's the prisoner done to you, Done to you, done to you? What's the prisoner done to you, My fair lady! Stole my watch and broke my chain, Broke my chain, broke my chain. Stole my watch and broke my chain, My fair lady! What'll you take to set him free, Set him free, set him free? What'll you take to set him free, My fair lady! One hundred pounds will set him free, Set him free, set him free. One hundred pounds will set him free, My fair lady! One hundred pounds we have not got, Have not got, have not got. One hundred pounds we have not got, My fair lady! Then off to prison he must go, He must go, he must go. Then off to prison he must go, My fair lady!"
- Version 2 (Source: Zelo Nursery Rhymes ( (c) 1996-2000 C. Thomas Wright III): "London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, Falling down London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady Take a key and lock her up, Lock her up, Lock her up Take a key and lock her up, My fair lady How will we build it up, Build it up, Build it up? How will we build it up, My fair lady? Build it up with silver and gold, Silver and gold, Silver and gold Build it up with silver and gold, My fair lady Gold and silver I have none, I have none, I have none Gold and silver I have none, My fair lady Build it up with needles and pins, Needles and pins, Needles and pins Build it up with needles and pins, My fair lady Pins and needles bend and break, Bend and break, Bend and break Pins and needles bend and break, My fair lady Build it up with wood and clay, Wood and clay, Wood and clay Build it up with wood and clay, My fair lady Wood and clay will wash away, Wash away, Wash away Wood and clay will wash away, My fair lady Build it up with stone so strong, Stone so strong, Stone so strong Build it up with stone so strong, My fair lady Stone so strong will last so long, Last so long, Last so long Stone so strong will last so long, My fair lady."
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
All night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
The monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah's(5) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed
Well, take me down to buy a tux on Red Rose Bear
I got to cut a hole in the day
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Sell me one of those if I shave my head
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow and raise your hem
Follow me to Beulah's on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Big Time live album version, 1988)
I was all night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
My pet old monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival
Oh now, Saturday's a gem
Follow me to Beulah's(5) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed, whoo!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow, baby
And follow me to Beulah's
I just got to wear the hat that my baby done, pop!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye your hair yellow, baby
Follow me to Beulah's
I just got to wear the hat that my baby done
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival
Now Friday's just a gem, sweetheart!
Follow me to Beulah's on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba....
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Telephone Call From Istanbul
(Big Time live movie version, 1988)
Well, I was all night long on the broken glass
Livin' in a medicine chest
Mediteromanian hotel back
Sprawled across a roll top desk
My pet old monkey rode the blade on an overhead fan
They paint the donkey blue if you pay(2)
I got a telephone call from Istanbul
My baby's comin' home today
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat(3)
Never drive a car when you're dead(4)
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye my hair yellow
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face(6)
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's such a gem
I got to dye my hair yellow, baby
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face
You know what I like!
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Dye my hair yellow and raise my hem
Follow me to Beulah's(4) on Dry Creek Road
I got to wear the hat that my baby done sewed
Will you sell me one of those if I shave my head?
Get me out of town, is what Fireball said
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat
Never drive a car when you're dead
Saturday's a festival, Friday's a gem
Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face
And a pony tail hangin' down
You know what I like!
Ba-ba-ba...
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
This All Is The Rock 'n' Roll. Brigada S. 1992. Self-released
Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)
Phondue. Bourbon Street Jazz Band. 1995. Zebralution
Belle Chase Hotel. Fossanova. August 23, 2000. Emi
Your Favorite Band Live. Red Elvises. September 12, 2000. Shoobah-Doobah
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
The Jive Kings With Measha Br�ggergosman. Jive Kings. October, 2000. Tidemark 02 50879, Canada
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)
Changes. Alicia Wiley. October 11, 2007. Sakhara Records
Dolphin Blue Live. Dolphin Blue. December, 2007. Rising Sun Productions (German CDR)
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Telephone Call From Istanbul" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre. Los Angeles/ USA November 9, 1987
and 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) Telephone Call From Istanbul
- Tom Waits (1987): "Started as a title, then became just a junkyard for uh . . . one banjo and drums there. Got a little eastern slant on it. I don't know, beyond that. Frank is just started to plummet here; things are starting to fracture a bit." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
-Bill Forman (1987): "Waits' unconventional approach to recording doesn't end with his choice of instruments. "Telephone Call from Istanbul" goes rollicking along with banjo, guitar, bass, drums and the faint ghost of Waits improvising away on that cheesy Farfisa. When the track is nearly over, the Farfisa kicks in full strength, catapulting the listener into some hellish Turkish rollerskating rink. "I usually don't like to isolate the instruments," says Waits, explaining the appearance of the ghost early in the track. "On that song, I pulled out the Farfisa and then just put it in very hot at the end, just so it sounded kind of Cuban or something."(Source: "Better Waits Than Ever" Music & Sound Output (Canada/ USA), by Bill Forman. Vol. 7, No. 11. October, 1987)
(2) 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).
- Notice the same phrase being used in Depot, Depot, 1974: "And outside the midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue, I'm gonna paint myself blue, At the depot."
(3) Never trust a man in a blue trench coat:
- Q: Your line "Never trust a man in a blue trench coat," would that be a reference to Leonard Cohen and his "Famous Blue Raincoat?" TW: "No. It's just words, y'know? No deeper meaning there." (Source: "Sonicnet Full Chat Transcript" Sonicnet chat, hosted by Michael Goldberg & Gil Kaufman. Date: April, 1999)
(4) Dead: adj. [19C] very drunk. [abbr. dead drunk] (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
(5) Beula(h) (land):
- Bible (Isa. lxii. 4). The land of Israel in the Old Testament 2a. The land of peace described in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)
- In Pilgrim's Progress it is that land of heavenly joy where the pilgrims tarry till they are summoned to enter the celestial City; the Paradise before the resurrection. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).
- Also mentioned in "Take Care Of All Of My Children" (I'll be goin' up to Beulah land), "Take It With Me" (We fell asleep on Beaula's porch)
(6) Oh, Chantilly lace and a pretty face: Quoting: Chantilly Lace. Words and music by J. P. Richardson, �1958. Originally performed by the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) in 1958. Recorded in 1972 by Jerry Lee Lewis. Chantilly Lace: "Hello, Baby! Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speaking! Oh, you sweet thing! Do I what? Will I what? Oh baby, you know what I like! Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk Make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Huh? Will I what? Do I what? Will I what? Can't never tell, baby Ha-ha-ha-ha, I might But honey, you know what I like Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail a-hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord! They're gonna make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Huh? Ha-ha-ha Huh? What's that? Pick you up at eight? And don't be late? You gotta be jokin', woman I thought you might pick ME up at eight and don't be late It don't make no difference, baby, you know what I really like! Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord! They're gonna make the world go 'round There ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl To make me act so funny, spend my doggone money I feel real loose, like a long necked goose, like a - Wow baby, that's what I like! Wooo! Ha-ha-ha Honey, you're tearin' me up on this telephone I swear I don't know what I'm gonna do with you You yap and yap and yap and yap and yap But when you break it all down, you know what I like Chantilly lace and a pretty face, and a ponytail hangin' down A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk They're gonna make the world go 'round."
Time
(Rain Dogs studio version, 1985)
The smart money's(2) on Harlow, and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breakin' all the laws
And you're east of East St. Louis(3), and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
And Napoleon(4) is weepin' in a carnival saloon
His invisible fiancee's in the mirror
And the band is goin' home, it's rainin' hammers, it's rainin' nails
And it's true, there's nothin' left for him down here
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train
You can see it gettin' smaller as it pulls away
And the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget
That history puts a saint in every dream
Well, she said she'd stick around until the bandages came off
But these mama's boys just don't know when to quit
And Matilda(5) asks the sailors, 'Are those dreams or are those prayers?'
So close your eyes, son, and this won't hurt a bit
Oh, it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Well, things are pretty lousy for a calendar girl
The boys just dive right off the cars and splash into the street
And when they're on a roll(6), she pulls a razor from her boot
And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet
So put a candle in the window(7) and a kiss upon his lips
As the dish outside the window fills with rain
Just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
And pay the fiddler(6) off till I come back again
Oh, it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1985-1998
Official release: "Rain Dogs", Island Records Inc., 1985 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Time
(Big Time live version, 1988)
The smart money's(2) on Harlow, and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breakin' all the laws
Oh, and it's east of East St. Louis(3), and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
And Napoleon(4) is weepin' in a carnival saloon
His invisible fianc�e is in the mirror
And the band is goin' home, it's rainin' hammers, it's rainin' nails
It's true, there's nothin' left for him down here
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, and it's time
And it's time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train
You can see them gettin' smaller as they pull away
Oh, and the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget
That history puts a saint in every dream
Oh, she said she'd stick around 'til the bandages came off
But these mama's boys just don't know when to quit
And Matilda(5) asks the sailors, 'Are those dreams or are those prayers?'
Close your eyes, son, and this won't hurt a bit
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Oh, and things are pretty lousy for the calendar girls
The boys just dive right off the cars and splash into the street
Oh, and when she's on a roll(6), she pulls a razor from her boot
And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet
So put a candle in the window(7) and a kiss upon my lips
As the dish outside the window fills with rain
Oh, and just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
Pay the fiddler(8) off till I come back again
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
And it's time, time, time
And it is time, time, time
And it's time, time, time that you love
And it's time, time, time
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1985-1988
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)
Also included in Big Time movie (1988). Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
T-Bone Burnett. T-Bone Burnett, 1986/ 1994. DOT Records (MCA) MCAD-31296/ 5809. Universal Special Products (1994)
Navidades Furiosas. Various artists. 1993. La Fábrica Magnética, Spain. (performed by: El Inquilino Comunista)
Roll Tide Roll. Jan Johansen. October, 1997. Lionheart Records (Sweden)
Canto Per Te. Andrea Mingardi. February 2, 1999. Sony/ Columbia, COL 489585-2 (in Italian)
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Vieux Carre. Torn Curtain. March, 2001. Self-released
Strange Little Girls. Tori Amos. September 18, 2001. WEA/ Atlantic
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
Fram Till Nu. Jan Johansen. December, 2001. IND/ Sweden (same version as on Roll Tide Roll, 1997)
Unplugged. Anne Bärenz & Frank Wolff. 2003. Büchergilde (Germany)
Mens Te Koop. Kees Meerman. 2003. Self-released
The Music Never Ends. Johanna Olsson. March 23, 2004. Self-released (Sweden)
And How. Xanda Howe. June, 2004. Songphonic Records (bonus track)
"23". Golly. July, 2004. Media - Arte (Knopf Germany)
Your Town. 5 Mile Chase. October, 2005. Self-released
The Silverhearts Play Raindogs. The Silverhearts. October 5, 2005. Banbury Park Records
Gabelfrühstück. NOX (Gerd Köster & Dirk Raulf). May 11, 2006. Poise (Germany)
Leonard Cohen Auf Swedisch II (bonus track "Tid" in Swedish). Jan Erik Lundqvist. May 26, 2006. Meyer Records (Germany)
Bye-Bye. Anne Bärenz. October, 2006. Stalburg Theater (Germany)
Bangin' On The Table With An Old Tin Cup. Pascal Fricke. April 12, 2007. Self-released (Germany)
American Storyteller Vol 2 & 3. Chris Chandler And Davd Roe. September 4, 2007. Self-released
Domestic Songs. Solveig Slettahjell. September 28, 2007. Act (Edel)
In Love + Light. Heidi Talbot. February 25, 2008. Self-released
Just Doin´Time. Breeze the Creaze/ Golly. January 7, 2008. Knopfstudio (Germany)
Overcast - The Music Of Ed Partyka. The Sunday Night Orchestra. May 30, 2008. Mons Records, Germany
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Time" taken from 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) Time
- Tom Waits (commenting on the song "Time", 1985): "Time: Time is a precious commodity..." (Source: "Rain Dogs Island Promo Tape" (taped comments on songs as sent to radio stations). Date: late 1985)
(2) Smart money
- Money bet or invested by those in the know, or by influential or wealthy people who are supposedly in a position to know that their bet or investment will be profitable (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- Money paid by a person to obtain exemption from some disagreeable office or duty; in law it means a heavy fine; and in recompense it means money given to soldiers or sailors for injuries received in the service. It either makes the person "smart," i.e. suffer, or else the person who receives it is paid for smarting. (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
(3) St. Louis
- Also mentioned in: I Beg Your Pardon, 1982: "Please don't go back to St. Louis, can't you tell that I'm sincere.", 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.".
- Notice that East St. Louis is a notably rough and tough black side of town, very distinct from plain St. Louis. Being East of East St. Louis might be a Waitsian metaphor for being in the worst part possible of any town.
- 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)
(4) Napoleon
- On "The heart of Saturday night" Napoleon is credited for the cover illustration. According to Cal Schenkel Napoleon is the guy on the floor in front of the diner on the cover of "Nighthawks at the diner".
- Also mentioned in Diamonds And Gold (Rain Dogs, 1985): "Small time Napoleon's shattered his knees, But he stays in the saddle for Rose."
(5) Matilda: Might be Waits is refering to Matilda from Tom Traubert's Blues, 1976: "Waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me." The rhytmn and feeling of both songs are certainly alike
(6) Roll
- v.t.:To rob a drunk or sleeping person, usu. a drunk. To rob any person, as by a hold-up, or esp. to rob a prostitute's customer when he is sleeping or has left his clothing unwatched (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
- 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 Depot, Depot, 1974: "I'm on a roll, just like a pool ball, baby, Empty Pockets/ Purple Avenue, 1981: "What happened to my roll, September fell right through the hole."
(6) Put a candle in the window: Many cultures around the world practice the "candle in the window" tradition. In colonial America a "candle in the window" was used to honor dignitaries, announce births and just plain celebrate(Source: Libbey Hodges, Oliver and Mary Miley Theobold. Williamsburg Christmas. New York. Harry N. Abrams Inc. 1999). In today's America it is a tradition practiced throughout the year as a gesture of welcome and a promise of warm hospitality to guests (thanks to Celso Lazaretti for pointing out this reference).
(7) Fiddler/ piper, pay the: Who's to pay the fiddler/ piper? The phrase comes from the tradition about the Pied Piper of Hameln, who agreed to cure the town of rats and mice; when he had done so, the people of Hameln refused to pay him, whereupon he piped again, and led all the children to Koppelberg Hill, which closed over them. From the corresponding French phrase, "payer les violons," it would seem to mean who is to pay the fiddler or piper if we have a dance [on the green] (Source: "The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. � 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)
Train Song
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
Well, I broke down in East St. Louis(2), on the Kansas City line
Drunk up all of my money, that I borrowed every time
And I fell down at the Derby, the night's as black as a crow
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
What made my dreams so hollow, was standin' at the depot
With a steeple full of swallows, that could never ring a bell(3)
And I've come ten thousand miles away, with not one thing to show
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
Well, I remember when I left, without botherin' to pack
Don't you know I up and left, with just the clothes I had on my back
Now I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I'm out here on my own
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
It was a train that took me away from here, but a train can't bring me home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Train Song
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Well, I broke down in East St. Louis(2), on the Kansas City line
And I drunk up all of my money, that I borrowed every time
And I fell down at the Derby, now the night's as black as a crow
Must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
What made my dreams so hollow, I was standin' at the depot
With a steeple full of swallows, that could never ring a bell(3)
Oh, I've come ten thousand miles away, and I ain't got one thing to show
Must've been a train took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
Well, I remember when I left, without botherin' to pack
You know I up and left, with nothin' but the clothes I had on my back
Now I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I'm out here on my own
Must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
It must've been a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me, can't bring me home
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
Eyes And Ears. Bim Skala Bim. January, 1995. Bib Records
It Happened One Night. Holly Cole. June, 1995. Blue Note Records (Japan: 1995, USA/ EMD: 1996)
Nomad. Polarity Percussion Ensemble with John Kenny & David Moss. 1997. Self-released
Promised Land. The Holmes Brothers. January, 1997. Rounder Records
Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)
Righteous: The Essential Collection. Holmes Brothers. July 16, 2002. Rounder/ Pgd (same version as on "Promised Land", 1997)
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 1. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records
The Carnival Saloon Live. The Carnival Saloon. October, 2001. Self-released (Ireland)
Train Songs. Spring String Quartet. 2002. CCn'C Records
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Listen to audio excerpt of Train Song 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 "Train Song" 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.
Video blocked in Germany by Universal Music Group (UMG).
Notes:
(1) Train Song:
- Tom Waits (1987): "Kind of a gospel number. Frank is on the bench, really on his knees and can't go any further. At the end of his rope on a park bench with an advertisement that says "Palladin Funeral Home." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense". New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Tom Waits (1987): "Well, that's where it starts. When you're young you think everything is possible and that you're in the sun and all that. I always liked that Bob Dylan song, "I was young when I left home and I rambled around and I never wrote a letter to my home, to my home. Never wrote a letter to my home." You don't always know where you're going till you get there. That's the thing about train travel, at least when you say goodbye they get gradually smaller. Airplanes, people go through a door and they're gone. Very strange. They say now that jet lag is really your spirit catching up to your body." (Source: "Tom Waits is flying upside down (on purpose)". Musician (a Billboard publication) Mark Rowland October, 1987)
- Live intro as heard on Big Time: This is really the intro to 'Johnsburg, Illinois' but it's been edited in as an intro to 'Train Song' instead. You can hear the edit at 1.20]: "All right. Actually I get asked... Well... look, I think the question I get asked the most is... I mean, it happens a lot. Enough that I would remark on it. A lot of people come up to me and they say, 'Tom, is it possible for a woman to get pregnant without intercourse?' And my answer is always the same. I say, 'Well, listen. We're gonna have to go all the way back to the Civil War.' Apparently, a stray bullet actually pierced the testicle of a Union soldier, and then lodged itself in the ovaries of an eighteen year old girl, who was All right. Actually I get asked... Well... look, I think the question I get asked the most is... I mean, it happens a lot. Enough that I would remark on it. A lot of people come up to me and they say, 'Tom, is it possible for a woman to get pregnant without intercourse?' And my answer is always the same. I say, 'Well, listen. We're gonna have to go all the way back to the Civil War.' Apparently, a stray bullet actually pierced the testicle of a Union soldier, and then lodged itself in the ovaries of an eighteen year old girl, who was actually a hundred feet from him at the time. Well, the baby was fine. She was very happy, guilt free and... Of course, the soldier was a little pissed off. When you think about it, it's actually a FORM of intercourse, but... not for everyone. Those who love action maybe." actually a hundred feet from him at the time. Well, the baby was fine. She was very happy, guilt free and... Of course, the soldier was a little pissed off. When you think about it, it's actually a FORM of intercourse, but... not for everyone. Those who love action maybe." (Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)
(2) St. Louis
- Also mentioned in: I Beg Your Pardon, 1982: "Please don't go back to St. Louis, can't you tell that I'm sincere.", Time, 1985: "And you're East of East Saint Louis and the wind is making speeches.", 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)
(3) Ring the bell: To succeed; to meet with approval or make a hit with someone (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
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)
Way Down In The Hole
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon, walk the straight and narrow track
If you walk with Jesus, he's gonna save your soul
You gotta keep the Devil way down in the hole
He's got the fire and the fury at his command
Well, you don't have to worry if you hold on to Jesus' hand
We'll all be safe from Satan when the thunder rolls
We just got to keep the Devil way down in the hole
All the angels sing about Jesus' mighty sword
And they'll shield you with their wings, and keep you close to the Lord
Don't pay heed to temptation, for his hands are so cold
You gotta help me keep the Devil way down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
You gotta help me keep the Devil down in the hole
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1998
Official release: "Frank's Wild Years", Island Records Inc., 1987 &
"Beautiful Maladies", Island Records Inc., 1998
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Way Down In The Hole
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Well, I feel as though we should move right into the religious material
When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon, walk the straight and narrow track
When you walk with Jesus, he's gonna save your soul
You got to keep the Devil, well you gotta keep him down in the hole
He's got the fire, people he's got the fury at his command
Oh, you don't have to worry, hold on to, hold on to Jesus' hand
We'll all be safe from Satan, when the thunder, when the thunder starts to
roll
We got to keep the Devil, keep him on down, down in the hole
That red horned lousy low-life underneath our boots
Praise the Lord!
I don't know what it is, two dollar?
That demon meister, three dollar?
That Prince Devil
Just see if you can come up with a figure that matches your faith
You say how much has Jesus done for you
And we got to go in with our hydraulic system and blast him out!
People, can I get an amen!
All the angels, they start to sing all about Jesus' mighty sword
And they'll shield you with their wings, people they'll keep you close to
the Lord
Now don't pay heed to temptation, for his hands are so cold
You gotta keep the Devil, keep him on down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Well people, I got to speak about something
Can I get an amen!
Can I get a Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
Have mercy
The Lord is a very, very busy man
I do what I can
But Jesus is always going for the big picture
But he's always there to help us out of the little jams too(2)
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Down in the hole
Keep him down in the hole
We got to keep the Devil down in the hole
We got to keep the Devil, keep him on down in the hole
Down
Down, down, down, mighty Devil
I send you down below my boots
Down, down
Filling my life with anger and strife
Go down, mighty Devil
Find a place to live
Down, down, down
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play
Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Howlin' Mercy. John Campbell. 1993. Elektra
Heavy Metal Horns. Heavy Metal Horns. 1994. Self-released
Risque. Térez Montcalm. 1994. BMG Music Canada Ltd
Songs Of Tom Waits. Dolphin Blue. 1995. Self-released demo (Germany)
Gamblin' Days Are Over. Compulsive Gamblers. August, 1995. Sympathy for the Record Industry, SFTRI 372
R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "En strevsom mann")
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
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)
Spirit Of The Century. Blind Boys Of Alabama. April 24, 2001. EMD/ Real World Records
Hooray For The Moon. Jon Dee Graham. January, 2002. New West Records
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)
Pornoshow - Laura Fedele Interpreta Tom Waits. Laura Fedele. May, 2003.Auditorium, AUD 00902 (in Italian)
Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago. The Compulsive Gamblers. April 15, 2003. Sympathy for the Record Industry
Chateau Haag - Good News. Lisa Haag. November, 2004. Self-released (Austria)
Roll The Dice. Big Town Playboys. November 8, 2004. Mi5 Recordings (UK)
Levi. Phil Cunneff. 2005. Fells Point Jazz
Bump. BlueTouch. September 2005. Self-released
Enter The Mule. Blue Mule. October 22, 2005. Flat Five Press and Recording
Don't Act Right. Boss Diablo. May 19, 2006. Moondog Records
South Of Hell, France. Rev. Tom Frost. July 21, 2006. Closed For Private Party Records
The Look South. Sam Rosen. October 4, 2006. Class Act Records
Washington Square Serenade. Steve Earle. September 25, 2007. New West Records
The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter (soundtrack). Various artists. January 8, 2008. Nonesuch (three versions performed by: Blind Boys of Alabama, Neville Brothers and DoMaJe)
Live At Seaside Tavern. The Blues Busters. October 30, 2008. Self-released
No Provision. Spirit & Blues. January 16, 2009. Gracetone
American Landscape. The Nighthawks. February 3, 2009. Powerhouse Records
Candy Store. Kristine Jackson. February 20, 2010. Self-released
Looking Glass. Zoe Gilby. September 7, 2010. JazzAction
<object height="344" width="425"></object>
Waits performing "Way Down In The Hole" taken from the Big Time concert video.
Edited version from 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) Tom Waits (1987): "That's Ralph Carney on three horns simultaneously. We wrote that one real fast; it was practically written in the studio. Checkerboard Lounge gospel. Here, Frank has thrown in with a berserk evangelist. RR: That's redundant. WAITS: And for free, he pretends to be blind. One of those tent show things."(Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense" . New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
(2) But he's always there to help us out of the little jams too: This is the clou of a story that's been deleted from the original version (Warfield Theatre. November 5, 1987).
- Original story: "Well people, I got to speak about something! Can I get an amen! Can I get a halleluiah! Praise the lord! Have mercy... People, when I was on my way to this speech tonight, we pulled down in Dallas/ Texas. The lord loooves Dallas/ Texas. Well people, I mean to tell you the lord was working his wonders with his paint brush. All the many hues of his pallet. The almond, the many violets and the vermilion. And I was seated in Clipper Class. People I love Clipper Class! But I was seated next to and elderly Indian gentleman who was having some trouble with the tiny foil top that locks in the freshness on his strawberry preserves container. A problem we've all experienced from time to time... People I want you to know that he busted that top, till I thought he would die. And you know what I did!? You know what I did!? Well I tell you what I did! People I snatched the container from his hand, I tore open the foil top and I spread his preserves out on his toast for him! (applause)."
Yesterday Is Here
(Frank's Wild Years studio version, 1987)
If you want money in your pocket and a top hat on your head
a hot meal on your table and a blanket on your bed
Well, today is grey skies(2) tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
I'm going to New York City
and I'm leaving on a train
and if you want to stay behind and wait 'til I come back again
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
If you want to go where the rainbows end
you'll have to say goodbye
All our dreams come true baby up ahead
and it's out where your memories lie
Well, the road is out before me and the moon is shining bright
What I want you to remember as I disappear tonight
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow's tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), � 1986-1987
Official release: Frank's Wild Years, Island Records Inc., 1987
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Further reading: Frank's Wild Years the play
Yesterday Is Here
(Big Time live version, 1988)
Thank you ma'm!
If you want money in your pocket, you want a top hat on your head
a hot meal on your table and a blanket on your bed
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
I'm a going to New York City
I'll be leaving on a train
and if you wanna stay behind 'til I come back again
Well, today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Now, if you want to go where the rainbows end
you will have to say goodbye
All our dreams come true baby up ahead
and it's out where your memories lie
And the road is out before me and the moon is shining bright
What I want you to remember as I disappear tonight
That today is grey skies tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
And today is grey skies tomorrow's tears
You'll have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
You will have to wait 'til yesterday is here
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music, Admin. by Ackee Music, Inc. (ASCAP), � 1986-1987-1988
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: Frank's Wild Years the play. Further reading: Big Time full story
Known covers:
Bümpliz Casablanca. Züri West. May 13, 1989. BlackCat/ Switserland (In Swiss: “Bis I Zrügg Bi”)
Cool in July. Bertus Borgers & The Groove. 1992. Universe-Virgin (CDSP 95729)
Good News. Bertus Borgers & The Groove. 1992. Universe-Virgin (CD-single 165 558)
Wintertour. Züri West. November 21, 1992 Label: Weltrekords/ Switserland (live version in Swiss: “Bis I Zrügg Bi”)
Jack Candy. The Walkabouts. 1993. CD-single, SubPop Germany, SPCD 81/251
New West Hotel. The Walkabouts. 1993. SubPop Germany, SP 81/252
Pinups. Human Drama. May 18, 1993. Triple X
Eclipse. Astrid Seriese. July, 1993. Bridgadoon
Bury The Bottle With Me. Jever Mountain Boys. 1994. Blue Million Miles
Dear Sir. Cat Power (Chan Marshall). 1995. Plain (re released in 2001)
Sad Eyes. Vera Coomans & Philip Hoessen. 1996. Dureco (The Netherlands)
Into Temptation - Astrid Seriese sings Waits, Weill & more. Astrid Seriese. October, 1996 (September, 2003). Brigadoon
R�d Pust - Sven Henriksen synger Tom Waits, Sven Henriksen. 1996. Sonet (in Norwegian: "Der hvor regnbuen bor")
Dance With The Skeletons In Hell. Serious Solid Swineheard Is Better Than Homecooked. November 12, 1997. Day-Glo - (SPV)
Orange Juice For One. Gabriela Tanner Jazz Quintett. May 25, 2001. Jazz Elite Special
Acoustic. Calla. 2003. Self-released promo CDR (live)
Kazik Staszewski "Piosenki Toma Waitsa". Kazik Staszewski. March, 2003. VIP Production / Luna Music: LUNCD 093-2 (in Polish)
Bloomsburg to Bangladesh. Bloomsburg to Bangladesh. 2004. Blue Buddha Records (performed by Jeremy dePrisco)
The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys. The Alter Boys. March 8, 2005. Fractured Trans
Black Money. Cowboys On Dope. April 29, 2006. Extra Records (Germany)
Bark! The Barking Dogs. February 9, 2006. WTPL Music (France)
Comin' Home. Denvis. August 1, 2006. Rosa Records (Netherlands)
Keys to the Castle. Mare Edstrom. September 15, 2006. Spiritone Records
Live At Mississippi Studios. Amanda Richards. October 3, 2006. Self-released
The Shed. The Shed. December 1, 2007. Self-released
Falling Down (single). Scarlett Johansson. April 8, 2008. Rhino Records/ Atco (same version as on Anywhere I Lay My Head, 2008)
Anywhere I Lay My Head. Scarlett Johansson. May 20, 2008. Atco Records (bonus track)
Grapefruit Moon: Songs of Tom Waits. Southside Johnny & La Bamba's Bigband. September 19, 2008. Evangeline (Soulfood Music)
No Romeo. The Pussybats. August 12, 2008. Black Rain
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Listen to audio excerpt of Yesterday Is Here 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
Notes:
(1) Tom Waits (1987): "Kathleen changed the melody on that. It was almost like a Ray Charles number before. All of a sudden we ended up with Morricone. Wanted to get some of that spaghetti-western feel. "Today is grey skies/ tomorrow is tears/ you'll have to wait till yesterday is here. . ." The title was given to me by Fred Gwynne. He had the title, and didn't know what to do with it. He said "it's yours; see what you can make of it." RR: Umm, was he speaking to you through the TV set? TW: No. in a dream. No, on "Cotton Club." We had a lot of time to stand around in our tuxedos. Kicked the title around for a long time. Always liked the title." (Source: "From the set of Ironweed, Tom Waits talks with Rip Rense." New York Post: Rip Rense. Early 1987)
- Stephen Fried (1987): "He claims that the title of one of the most haunting tunes on Franks Wild Years, "Yesterday Is Here" - "...today is grey skies/ tomorrow is tears/ you'll have to wait till yesterday is here" - was given to him by Fred Gwynne during a break in Cotton Club's filming." (Source: "The Da Vinci of Downtown". GQ Magazine: Stephen Fried. November, 1987)
(2) Grey Skies: Notice this phrase being repeated in the play. Frank's Theme: "And dream away when everyone's gone, dream away your grey skies too". More Than Rain: "I have to say to you it's more than woe-be-gotten grey skies now."

The Early Years 1, 1991 (Not authorized by Tom Waits)
Frank's Song
That woman will take you, that woman will break you
That woman will make you something you never seen
That woman's got claws, that woman's got laws
Now look out man, you're gonna loose your mind
I had a friend, his name was Frank
He walked on the water and lord he sank
We used to go stag, now he's got a hag
It looks like Frankie's got a brand new bag
That woman will take you, that woman will break you
That woman will make you something you never seen
That woman's got claws, that woman's got laws
Now look out Frank, you're gonna loose your mind
What happened to Frank, can happen to you
Just find you a woman and watch what she'll do
That woman will take you, that woman gonna break you
Now look out man you're gonna loose, you're gonna loose your mind
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)
Known covers:
None
Goin' Down Slow
Well, it's a quarter to two
And I'm looking at you
We're goin' down, goin down slow
Yeah, it's a quarter to two
And I'm looking at you
We're goin' down, goin down slow
TV went off about one
We had only begun
I know that the wine's nearly gone
But I've got no intention of goin' home
Well, it's a quarter to three
And you're diggin' on me
We're goin' down, goin' down slow
Could stay here all night
Thinking you're out of sight
Please get up and turn out the light
There ain't nothing better than the middle of night
When it's a quarter to four
You're beggin' for more
And we're goin' down, goin' down slow
We're goin' down, goin' down slow
Goin' down, goin' down slow
Goin' down
Goin' down slow
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)
Known covers:
None
Had Me A Girl
Well, I had me a girl in LA
I knew she could not stay
Had me a girl in San Diego
One day she just had to go
And then I had me a girl in Tallahassee
Boy, what a foxy lassie(1)
And my doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue(2)
And my doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
My doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And then I had me a girl in Mississippi
Oh, she sure was kippy
Had me a girl from England
She done split for the mainland
And then I had me a girl from New York
She up and pulled my cork
And my doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, the doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And the doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, the doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
Then I had me a girl from North Dakota
She was just filling her quota
Then I had me a girl from Chula Vista
I was in love with her sister
Then I had me a girl from
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm
And the doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, my doctor said I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
Then I had me a girl from France
Just wanted to get in her pants
Then I had me a girl from Toledo
Boy, she sure was neato
Then I had me a girl from North Carolina
She's still on my mind
And my doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, the doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, my doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
Well, the doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
Doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
And my doctor says I'll be all right
The doctor says I'll be all right
Well, the doctor says I'll be all right
But I'm feeling blue
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. Demo version only.
(Not authorized by Tom Waits)
Known covers:
None
Notes:
(1) Lass(ie) n.: A girl or young woman (who is unmarried); A sweetheart (Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)
(2) Blue: adj. 1. [late 18C-19C] confused, terrified, disappointed. 2. [late 18C+] miserable, depressed (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)
Ice Cream Man (Early)
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."
I'm Your Late Night Evening Prostitute
Well, I got here at eight and I'll be here 'til two
I'll try my best to entertain you and
Please don't mind me if I get a bit crude
I'm your late night evening prostitute
So drink your Martini and stare at the moon
Don't mind me, I'll continue to croon and
Don't mind me if I get a bit lewd
I'm your late night evening prostitute
And dance, have a good time I'll continue to shine
Yes, dance, have a good time
Don't mind me if I slip upon a rhyme
And I got here at eight and I'll be here 'til two
I'll try my best to entertain you and
Please don't mind me if I get a bit crude
I'm your late night evening prostitute
I'm your late night evening prostitute
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)
Known covers:
None
Little Trip To Heaven (Early)
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
Look's Like I'm Up Shit Creek Again
Well, the sun came in my window
Wednesday morning
And your love was like the golden rays again
Now I'm lying here on a Thursday, and you're lovin' someone new
And it looks like I'm up shit creek again
And I can't help but thinking of your lovin' ways
And I've cried a quart of tears since you've been gone
And I can't face the morning by myself, love
And it looks like I'm up shit creek again
Since you've been gone I cry all the time
And I cannot stand leavin' you behind
So I'll pull myself together and I'll dry away the tears
But the morning light has brought back memories
And I can't face the morning by myself, love
And it looks like I'm up shit creek again
So I'm out a-walkin' on this dusty highway
Cause you've given me no reason for to stay
And I'll walk until I've found someone who'll love me not in vain
And it looks like I'm up shit creek again
And it looks like I'm up shit creek again
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)
Known covers:
Down To The Promised Land. Various Artists. 2000. Bloodshot Records (performed by Nora O'Connor)
Stranger To Someone. Jason Walker. May, 2002. Laughing Outlaw
Daltry Calhoun - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 20, 2005. Lakeshore Records (performed by Nora O’Connor)
Over Moons And Heavy Arms. Vago. June 16, 2007. Label: Self-released
Notes:
(1) Up shit creek (without a paddle): Taboo. Out of luck; in a hopeless predicament. Although the shortened form "up the creek" is common, the full orig. term is seldom heard now. Orig. from homosexual usage, meaning that one has encountered difficulties or has been discovered while engaged in anal intercourse (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)
Midnight Lullaby (Early)
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)
Poncho's Lament
Well the stairs sound so lonely without you
and I ain't made my bed in a week
Coffee stains on the paper I'm writing
and I'm too choked up inside to speak
And yes, I know that our differences pulled us apart
we never spoke a word heart to heart
And I'm glad that you're gone
but I wish to the Lord that you'd come home
And I'm glad that you're gone
got the feeling so strong
And I'm glad that you're gone
but I wish to the Lord that you'd come home
Well my guitar still plays your favorite song
though the strings have been outta tune for some time
Every time I strum a cord, I pray out to the Lord
that you'll quit your honkey-tonkin' sing my song
And I'm glad that you're gone
got the feeling so strong
And I'm glad that you're gone
but I wish to the Lord that you'd come home
So I'll throw another log onto the fire
and I'll admit I'm a lousy liar
As the coals die down and flicker
I hear that guitar picker
Play the song we used to sing so long ago
And I'm glad that you're gone
got the feeling so strong
Yes, I'm glad that you're gone
but I wish to the Lord that you'd come home
And I'm glad, damn glad you're gone
I got the feeling so strong
Yes, I'm glad that you're gone
but I wish to the Lord you'd come home
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)
Known covers:
La Danza. Span. 1993. Self-released (Switserland). "Jung", same version as on Be-Stoff, 2006
The Water Is Wide, Rita & Frank Eriksen. 1994. BMG (Norway)
New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by The Blacks
Bukowski Waits For Us - Vol. 2. Michael Kiessling. September 25, 2000. Buschfunk (Germany)
Ballads. Breit'N'Wark. March 13, 2002. Self-released.
The Rosinators. The Rosinators. June, 2003. PDC Music
East Of Sunset - Soundtrack. Various artists. September 13, 2005. Manifesto Records. Performed by: The Caseworker
Tom Catmull And The Clerics. Tom Catmull. September 6, 2006. Self-released
Be-Stoff. Span. September 9, 2006. Phonag (Switserland). "Jung", same version as on La Danza, 1993
Middle River. Matt Novak. August 15, 2007. Self-released
Notes:
(1) Apparently this was one of the first songs Waits ever performed (The Heritage ca. 1971). Lou Curtiss (2007): "The first times I saw him play (at The Heritage) I thought, 'He's just another Dylan guy'. The first song of his own I ever remember him doing was called 'Poncho's Lament'. I was standing next to Bill Nunn and I said, 'That's a good song, He's got promise." (Source: Lou Curtiss interview March 22, 2007 as printed in �Lowside Of The Road: A Life Of Tom Waits" by Barney Hoskyns. Faber/ Broadway, 2009)
Rockin' Chair
Well, I'm sittin' right here in my rockin' chair
Runnin' my fingers right through my hair
Fire is a-flickerin' with a yellow and gold
Makin' me quiver in the snowy cold
I got a lazy old woman, screamin' 'bout my money
Man, she took every cent and she didn't leave me any
Times were never this good, got a fly for food
Got no woman to spend my money
The lil' blooey done take all my money(1)
So I'm sittin' right here in my rockin' chair
Runnin' my fingers right through my hair
Spider caught the fly in his web
Do believe that he might be dead
Times were never this good, got a fly for food
Got no woman to spend my money
The lil' blooey done take all my money
So I'm sittin' and I'm sittin'
And I'm sittin' right here in my rockin' chair
Watchin' my old dog loosing his hair
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)
(Transcribed by Ulf Berggren. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. July, 2000)
Known covers:
None
Notes:
(1) Also transcribed as "Well, she blew and took all my money." or "The lil' blooey done take all my money."
So Long I'll See Ya
Mama's in the kitchen, Daddy's on the phone
And nobody knows what's goin' on
But I've got them "So long, I'll see you
cause my Buick's outside waiting" blues
Well, one for the money, honey, two for the show
And it's three to get ready, Tom's gotta go
He's got them "So long, I'll see you
cause my Buick's outside waiting" blues
Well bye-bye-bye, baby, bye-bye-bye
Sing bye-bye, skooby-do-bye-bye
Gotta skeet-skat outta here, skeet-skat outta here
And your Mama's in the kitchen, and your Daddy's on the phone
And nobody knows what's goin' on
But I've got them "So long, I'll see you
cause my Buick's outside waiting" blues
Well, Tommy's gotta skeet-skat, he's gotta skeet-skat outta here
Skeet-skat right outta here
And one for the money, two for the show
And three to get ready, I gotta go
Cause I've got them "So long, I'll see you
Cause my Buick's outside waiting" blues
Outside waiting blues
It's outside waiting blues
Said the Buick's outside waiting blues
And skeet-skat outta here, gonna skeet-skat outta here
Skeet-skat outta here, gonna skeet-skat
Got the "So long, I'll see you, Buick's outside waiting" blues
And skeet-skat outta here, gonna skeet-skat outta here
Gonna skeet-skat
Cause I got the "So long, I'll see you, Buick's outside waiting" blues
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)
Known covers:
Black & White and Blues All Over. Paul Zunno Band. 2002. Self-released
Virginia Avenue (Early)
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)
When You Ain't Got Nobody
Well, when you ain't got nobody, anybody looks nice
Don't take much to make you stop and look twice
And it's either feast or famine, I've found out that it's true
And I'm hungry as a bulldog, baby, how about you
And when you ain't got no big mama, all the mamas look hot
And when lovin' is your weakness, you're just bound to get caught
And the story never changes, history tells it so plain
And I'll be your Dick, honey, if you'll just be my Jane
And when you ain't got nobody, anybody looks nice
It don't take much to make you stop and look twice
It's either feast or famine, I've found out that it's true
And I'm hungry as a bulldog, baby, how about you
Baby, how about you
How about you
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)
Known covers:
None

The Early Years 2, 1992 (Not authorized by Tom Waits)
Blue Skies (Early)
Blue Skies
(1971 demo version)
Blue skies over my head
Give me another reason to get out of bed
Blue skies shine in my face
Give me another woman to take her place
Ain't got no money, cupboards are bare
No cigarettes, and the kids got nothing to wear
She walked out without a word
Now the only sound left is that morning bird
Singing, blue skies over my head
Give me another reason to get out of bed
Blue skies shine in my face
Give me another woman to take her place
Singing, blue skies over my head
Give me another reason to get out of bed
Blue skies shine in my face
Give me another woman to take her place
Give me another woman to take her place
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)
Blue Skies
(1973 promo version)
Blue skies over my head
You give me another reason to get out of bed
Blue skies is there shining in my face
Gonna give me another woman to take her place
I ain't got no money, the cupboards are bare
No cigarettes, and the kids got nothing to wear
She walked out without a word
Now the only sound left is that sweet morning bird
Singing, blue skies over my head, and now...
Give me another reason to get out of bed
Blue skies, it's there shining in my face
Will give me another woman to take her place
That woman stood by me through thick and through thin
When I was cold and hungry, well she smiled and let me in
But she wanted those fine things and those nights on the town
Well, it looks to me like she let me down
Blue skies, yeah, over my head
You gotta give me another reason to get out of bed, yeah
Blue skies, well, there shining in my face
Gotta give me another woman to take her place
Gotta give me another woman to take her place
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music Inc., �1974
Official release: single, b/w 'New Coat of Paint', Asylum Records (Asylum E45233), 1974
Known covers:
New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Floyd Dixon
Diamonds On My Windshield (Early)
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
Grapefruit Moon (Early)
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)
Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You (Early)
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)
In Between Love
In between love, trying to scheme love
Who can tell what we may find
Never thought love, that I'd get caught love
Between the magic in your eyes
Your love's like wind and it's so cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love, trying to scheme love
In between love again
In between love, trying to scheme love
Who can tell what we may find
All this time love, my eyes are blind love
To the feelings in my mind
Your love's like wind, and it's so cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love, trying to scheme love In between love again
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)
Known covers:
Liebeskl�nge - Chansons d'Amour. Christoph Nahrholdt. 2004. Self-released (Germany)
Chris Harris. Chris Harris. September 28, 2004. Self-released
I Think It's Going to Rain Today. Curtis Stigers. April 19, 2005. Concord Records
I Want You
I want you, you, you
All I want is you, you, you
All I want is you
Give you the stars above
Sun on the brightest day
Give you all my love
If only you would see
That I want you, you, you
All I want is you, you, you
All I want is 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)
Known covers:
Temptation. Holly Cole, 1995. Blue Note Records/ Capital (Japan/ USA)
Collection. Holly Cole Trio. September, 1998. EMI (Australia)
The Best Of Holly Cole. Holly Cole. November, 2000. Blue Note Records
Les Feuilles Mortes. Shade Of Blue/ Effi Geffken. 2004. Self-released (Bremen, Germany)
I Want You. The Wantones. April 7, 2008. Tôt ou Tard (France)
Mockin' Bird
Mockingbird high in a tree
Looks like you got the best of me
Mockingbird singin' this song
Well, the mockingbird is mockin' me now that you're gone
Mockingbird high and aloof
Well, he's blowin' notes on top of my roof
Well, the mockingbird singin' this song
Well, the mockingbird is mockin' me now that you're gone
Well, the mockingbird high in a tree
Lookin' up at you, you're lookin' down at me
And the mockingbird high and aloof
Blowin' notes on top of my roof
Mockingbird high in a tree
Well, lookin' up at you, you're lookin' down at me
The mockingbird singin' this song
Well, the mockingbird is mockin' me now that you're gone
Throwed some papers, tried to scare him away
Just a-looked down at me and this is what he said
And the mockingbird high in a tree
Looks like you got the best of me
Mockingbird singin' this song
Well, the mockingbird is mockin' me now that you're 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)
Known covers:
Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995. Manifesto Records. Performed by Tindersticks
Nobody (Early)
(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).
Ol' '55 (Early)
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)
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)
Please Call Me, Baby (Early)
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.
Shiver Me Timbers (Early)
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.)
So It Goes
If I was a seagull, high and aloof
I'd sail to your house and perch on your roof
But I ain't a seagull, you know my name
And the winds blow fortune, the winds blow pain
And so it goes, nobody knows
How to get to the sky, how to get to the sky
If I was a puppy dog in the early dawn
I'd make it to your house and sleep on your lawn
But I ain't a puppy dog, you know my name
And the winds are blowin' fortune, the winds blow pain
And so it goes, nobody knows
How to get to the sky, how to get to the sky
How to get to the sky, how to get to the sky
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)
Known covers:
None

Bone Machine, 1992
A Little Rain
(For Clyde)(2)
Well, the ice man's mule
is parked outside the bar
Where a man with missing fingers(3)
plays a strange guitar
And the German dwarf
dances with the butcher's son
And tonight a little rain never hurt no one
Well, they're dancing on the roof
and the ceiling's coming down
And I sleep with my shovel and my leather gloves
and a little trouble makes it worth the going
And a little rain never hurt no one
Oh, the world is round
and I'll go around
You must risk something that matters
Oh, my hands are strong
I'll take any man here
If it's worth the going
it's worth the ride
She was 15 years old
and she'd never seen the ocean
She climbed into a van
with a vagabond
And the last thing she said
was "I love you mom"
And a little rain never hurt no one
And a little rain never hurt no one
Da da da da da
Da da da da
Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan(1)
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), 1992
Official release: Bone Machine, Island Records Inc., 1992
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies" (Amsco Publications, 1997)
Known covers:
Ravenswood. Jeff Lang. 1994. Black Market Music (re-released in 2001)
A Little Rain. David Weaver. 1998. Bridge Records
Notes:
(1) A Little Rain:
- Tom Waits (1992): "Around here, these smalltown newspapers, they cover a lot of murders and a lot of car accidents. I don't know if there are more car accidents and more murders, or if they just get more upset over them. There's something in the way they write about them...it's like a warning. For some, you know, murder is the only door through which to enter life. That's a rough one to think about. Maybe in the cities it seems more commonplace because it's against a backdrop that is also violent. Here, where you see the golden fields or whatever, it's in greater relief. Stark contrast." (Source: "Tom Waits at work in the fields of song". Reflex nr. 28: Peter Orr. October 6,1992)
- Tom Waits (1992): "Oh, l love those expressions. I'm always writing those things down - a little rain never hurt no one. Kathleen had this melody, and I saved it from the fire. She has all these Irish melodies. Then we read one of those terrible articles in a newspaper about a kid in a van that went out of control and went over a cliff, and they all died. Goes through some different time periods. Starts out with the ice man's mule, then it goes to the dancing on the roof with the ceiling coming down, and ends up in the van. So I think it comes forward in time, a little bit, with the images. But it's a song you can add another verse to, if you want." (Source: Bone Machine press kit, Rip Rense. Late 1992)
- Tom Waits (2006): "Well she's [Kathleen] from the Midwest. Like the song A Little Rain, which is on Bone Machine. [Sings in a bleary manner] "Well, the ice-man's mule is parked outside the bar/ Where a man with missing fingers plays a strange guitar/ And the German dwarf dances with the butcher's son/ And a little rain never hurt no one..." She says, 'Why do you have to take his fingers off? Why can't you just let him play the guitar like a normal guy in a bar? God! And why does the German guy have to be dwarf? And if he is, why do we have to know? It's not a film!" "But honey, sometimes you gotta shorten people, lop off a limb. It's just artistic licence." (Source: "My Wild Years And The Woman That Saved My Life", Word magazine (UK), November 9, 2006. By Mick Brown)
(2) Clyde:
Q: I notice it's dedicated to Clyde. Who the hell is Clyde? Tom Waits: "A friend of ours who drives a dump truck. He's bigger than most human beings." (Source: Bone Machine press kit, Rip Rense. Late 1992)
(3) A man with missing fingers:
- One tends to relate this to Django Reinhardt: "Django Reinhardt was an accomplished musician working in Paris when at the age of eighteen the caravan in which he was sleeping was ravaged by fire. Apparently his wife had filled the caravan that day with bunches of dried flowers. During the night Django got up and knocked a candle over setting the flowers ablaze. His left leg, and the third and forth digits on his left hand were terribly burnt. The doctors wanted to amputate the leg as it was so badly damaged, but Django refused. This was the end, thought by his contemporaries, to a promising career. Due to the foresight of Djangos doctor, he recommended that Django be given a guitar as therapy. Django rose to the challenge and persevered, giving rise to the style of playing that was eventually to create a storm the world over." (Source: The Django Reinhardt Swing Page. Steve/ Michael Dregni, 2003)
- Further reading: The Django Reinhardt Swing Page, Django Picture Gallery, Django reinhardt at JazzImprov
All Stripped Down
Ooooooh yeah yeah yeah
Ooooh yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Well, the time will come
When the wind will shout
All stripped down All stripped down
And all the sinners know
What I'm talking about
All stripped down All stripped down
When all the creatures of the world
Are gonna line up at the gate
All stripped down All stripped down
And you better be on time
And you better not be late
All stripped All stripped All stripped down
All stripped down
Well, you know in your heart
What you gotta bring
All stripped down All stripped down
No big mink coat
No diamond ring
All stripped down All stripped down
Well, take off your paint
And take off your rouge
All stripped down All stripped down
And let your backbone flip
And let your spirit shine through
All stripped down All stripped down
I want you all stripped
All stripped
All stripped down
Ooh!
All the men we got
Well, they're goin' down the drain(2)
All stripped down All stripped down
And when I see your sadness
On a river of shame
All stripped down All stripped down
You got to raise up
Both the quick and the dead(3)
All stripped down All stripped down
With no shoes on your feet
No hat on your head
All stripped down All stripped down
I want you all stripped All stripped All stripped All stripped All stripped
All stripped down
Ain't nothin' in my heart
But fire for you
All stripped down All stripped down
With my rainy hammer
And a heart that's true
All stripped down All stripped down
All stripped All stripped All stripped All stripped down
All stripped down
Oh, they were all stripped down
Oh, people all stripped down, yeah
Well, they were all stripped
All stripped
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), 1992
Official release: Bone Machine, Island Records Inc., 1992
Known covers:
None
Notes:
(1) All Stripped Down:
- Tom Waits (1992): "You didn't hear it, but I have this song called "All Stripped Down", kind of half-gospel, half-love song. "I want you all stripped down," but it's also about Jesus: "Can't get into heaven unless you're all stripped down." That type of thing. We recorded it at home. I have this tape recorder at home that I love so much. I recorded all these really rough tapes on it and loved the grit that I got. And I was really trying to find the same feeling in a studio. That was the challenge." (Source: "Tom Waits at work in the fields of song". Reflex nr. 28: Peter Orr. October 6, 1992)
- Tom Waits (1992): I think it's about death, but it's also a sexy thing, too. It's like Jerry Lee Lewis. Walk a line between Jesus and girls. Q: That's Lewis' cousin, Jimmy Swaggart. TW: Swaggart, yeah ... Maybe it would be more of a Swaggart approach. Because they say that's what you have to do before you can get into heaven. You have to be all stripped down. You can't go to heaven with your body on. You just go up there with your spirit. I guess it's going to be like a mayonnaise jar with some smoke in it. So I save jars. You want to save different sized jars for different family members. I think it's like a Prince song." (Source: Bone Machine press kit, Rip Rense. Late 1992)
(2) Goin' down the drain:
- Down the drain: phr. [1930s+] lost, wasted, useless (Source: Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000).
- Notice the same phrase being used in Get Behind The Mule, 1999: "She's goin' to the bottom and she's goin' down the drain."
(3) You got to raise up both the quick and the dead: The phrase "The quick and dead" appears numerous times in the King James version of the Bible: Acts 10:42-- And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. Timothy 4:1--I&nb