Genius and legend(s) of Tom Waits...

Well, let's see how many responses to this we get?

Post your favourite Tom Waits song and discuss, anecdotes... Toughie, because mine changes day to day...

I'm going with "Come on up to the house" - I want this played at my funeral, it's a gorgeous, heartwarming song and makes me think of my friends.

I'm sure this is untrue, but the weirdest Waits rumour I heard was the first time he met his son he turned up on his (ex?) wife's front porch, mopping a cut on his head with a Burger King wrapper and his son answered the door.

Tom Waits is one of the most brilliant song writers the world has ever produced. His music is so intense and real, if you take a moment to read the lyrics to his songs they paint such vivid images.

His songs range from the tragic to the meloncholy to the bizarre and humorous. They represent how I feel 98.5% of the time..lol.

Some can't get past the gutteral, growling voice, but I love it. He is a genius and he has earned an epic following of musicians and fans alike without ever selling out or going commercial.



My all time favorite Waits quote:

"I always play Russian roulette in my head, its thirty two black and twenty seven red. How far from the gutter, how far from the pew..... I'll always remember to forget about you"


Christmas Card From a Hooker In Minneapolis




Bottom of the World





Walk Away






Great thread

reply to post by BlackOps719


Hey, thanks for the reply, I was worrying no one here would bother with it.

The first time I heard Waits, my friend played me some and I said "This is terrible, he sounds like a drunk tramp"... then I heard it one morning after staying over and woke up hungover, my buddy put on "Small change" and it all clicked, I was hooked from then on.

He's one of the ultimate songwriters for me, most musicians seem to get lazy as they get older and just trudge out pale immitations of their earlier work, but Waits seems to really push and challenge himself and his fans. I remember being wary about the "Orphans" collection being B-sides and rarities and it's better than a lot of other artists "proper" material.

Great selection of Waits song you picked.

Cheers

reply to post by jokei




LOL....same here. The first time I heard him sing it freaked me out. I thought it sounded like what a wolf would sound like if it tried to sing..haha.

Then I started reading the words that he wrote and they just blew me away. He is every bit the lyricists that a Bob Dylan or a Neil Young is, IMO of course.


This is the first song that ever really got me on a Waits bandwagon, and it is a good intro song for noobs who have never heard him or are just starting out.

Still one of my favorite songs in the world, a real masterpiece.


Ol' 55

reply to post by BlackOps719


Yeah, but Wolves are pretty cool animals, so it's a good comparison - maybe more like an old stray dog. Lyrically, I'd put him above Dylan - JUST MY OPINION, I know how people feel about Dylan.

Ol 55' is a gorgeous song...

So much of my life is soundtracked by Waits.



There was this night in my (old) local rock club when everyone had "overindulged" - this was the mid 90s and I pestered the DJ for about an hour to play this, he eventually gave in. So in amongst Marilyn Manson and all the metal stuff the played this. It was an amazing moment, everyone started slow dancing, it was crazy-funny, even all the metal kids were quite respectful to it.

Waits is amazing...

very glad to see you guys are fans...

Huge step up from the MJ threads last week...

Perhaps my prayers are being answered

This song is so raucous and unnerving, the beat is absolutely mesmerizing. Great tune, one of his more aggressive tracks of work.


Starving In The Belly of a Whale

reply to post by BlackOps719


Tom Waits is definitely an acquired taste, but well worth the effort.

"Old 55" is a solid classic. I like this one too...

www.youtube.com...

[edit on 15-7-2009 by whaaa]

Tom Waits reads Charles Bukowski









A few of my favorite Waits lyrics.......





Everything Goes To Hell - by Tom Waits



Why be sweet, why be careful, why be kind?
A man has only one thing on his mind
Why ask politely, why go lightly, why say please?
They only want to get you on your knees
There are a few things I never could believe

A woman when she weeps
A merchant when he swears
A thief who says he'll pay
A lawyer when he cares
A snake when he is sleeping
A drunkard when he prays
I don't believe you go to heaven when you're good
Everything goes to hell, anyway...

Laissez-faire mi amour, se la vie
Shall I return to shore or swim back out to sea?
The world don't care what a soldier does in town
It's all hanging in the windows by the pound
There are a few things I never could believe...

A woman when she weeps
A merchant when he swears
A thief who says he'll pay
A lawyer when he cares
A snake when he is sleeping
A drunkard when he prays
I don't believe you go to heaven when you're good
Everything goes to hell, anyway...

I only want to hear you purr and to hear you moan
There is another man who brings the money home
I don't want dishes in the sink
Please don't tell me what you feel or what you think
There are few things I never could believe...

A woman when she weeps
A merchant when he swears
A thief who says he'll pay
A lawyer when he cares
A snake when he is sleeping
A drunkard when he prays
I don't believe you go to heaven when you're good
Everything goes to hell, anyway...

[edit on 7/15/09 by BlackOps719]

ALL of you posting on Ole Tom are some of my new favorites here at ATS!!!!

It is a rare day indeed when I find new fans of this genius hero of mine!

Really, really enjoying the posts here... it's interesting no one seems to be able to just post 1 video or song.

The Bukowski one was awesome, can't believe I hadn't seen that before.

This one makes me chuckle...