Stewart's music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined The Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also maintained a solo career releasing his debut album that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.
After Stewart had a handful more UK top ten hits, the Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads with "Sailing", off the 1975 UK and Australian number-one album, Atlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America. A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs". Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 70s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.
After a disco and new wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to a soft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991's Vagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated with Bryan Adams and Sting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.
In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". A Grammy and Brit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart
Studio albums
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004)
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005)
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010)
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas, Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)
Blood Red Roses (2018)
The Tears of Hercules (2021)
Tom Traubert’s Blues
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And 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 waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim
of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No-one speaks English
And everything's broken
And my strength is soaking away
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go a waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs they are barking
and the taxi cab's 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 bush mills I staggered
You buried the dagger
Your silhouette window light
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go a waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St. Christopher
Now that I kissed her
And the one-arm bandit knows
And the maverick China man
with the cold-blooded sigh
And the girls down by the striptease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go a waltzing Matilda with me
No I don't want your sympathy
Fugitives say
that the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnet
and the ghost that sells memories
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 jailor
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Mathilda'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
in a hotel someplace
And a wound that would never heal
No prim-donas the perfume is on
and old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street-sweepers,
The night watchmen flame-keepers
And goodnight Matilda too
Goodnight Matilda too.
The lyrics of Rod Stewart's "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" paint a bleak picture of a man who seems to be in a state of desperation and hopelessness. The opening lines describe him as "wasted and wounded," a clear indication that he's in a bad place. He then goes on to say that he got what he paid for, suggesting that he's ended up in this situation by his own choices.
Throughout the song, the man makes references to "waltzing Matilda" and asks others to join him. Matilda is actually an Australian folk song about a jolly and carefree swagman who wanders the Australian countryside with his bullock-drawn cart. The man in this song seems to be using the name as a metaphor for an escape from his troubles, a chance to escape into a happier place.
As he continues to sing, he talks about his experiences in a foreign land where nobody speaks his language and everything is broken. He's clearly struggling to cope with his surroundings, and his strength is "soaking away." He's desperate for someone to help him, and even begs to be stabbed at one point.
The song ends on a somewhat cryptic note. The man mentions a "battered old suitcase in a hotel someplace" and "a wound that would never heal." It's unclear what he's referring to, but it seems to suggest that he's carrying some kind of emotional baggage with him that he can never escape from.
Overall, "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" is a song about a man who's at the end of his rope, searching for any kind of escape from his troubles. The references to "waltzing Matilda" suggest that he's clinging to the hope of a better future, but it's not clear whether he'll ever find it.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasted and wounded
I'm physically and emotionally drained
And it ain't what the moon did
My current state is not due to the moon or any external forces
I got what I paid for now
I'm reaping the consequences of my actions
See you tomorrow
I'll see you again soon
Hey Frank can I borrow
Frank, can you loan me some money?
A couple of bucks from you
I need a small amount of money from you
To go waltzing Matilda waltzing Matilda
I want to escape and go on an adventure
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Will you come along with me?
I'm an innocent victim
I didn't deserve what happened to me
of a blinded alley
I'm trapped in a dangerous situation
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
I'm exhausted from being around so many soldiers
No-one speaks English
I can't communicate with anyone
And everything's broken
Everything around me is damaged
And my strength is soaking away
I'm losing my energy and willpower
Now the dogs they are barking
The dogs are making noise
and the taxi cab's parking
A taxi has stopped nearby
A lot they can do for me
They can't help me with my problems
I begged you to stab me
I wanted someone to put me out of my misery
You tore my shirt open
Someone attacked me violently
And I'm down on my knees tonight
I'm feeling defeated and powerless
Old bush mills I staggered
I stumbled after drinking whiskey
You buried the dagger
You hurt me deeply
Your silhouette window light
I see your shadow through the window
Now I've lost my St. Christopher
I've lost my lucky charm
Now that I kissed her
Now that I've said goodbye to my loved one
And the one-arm bandit knows
Even a slot machine can sense my despair
And the maverick China man
Even a stranger feels my pain
with the cold-blooded sigh
He sighs because he knows there's nothing he can do
And the girls down by the striptease shows go
Even the dancers at the strip club want to escape
No I don't want your sympathy
I don't want your pity
Fugitives say that the streets aren't for dreaming now
People in trouble know that the streets are dangerous
Manslaughter dragnet and the ghost that sells memories
Even the law and the supernatural can't help me
Want a piece of the action anyhow
I still want to experience something exciting
And you can ask any sailor
Even sailors know about my troubles
And the keys from the jailor
Even the person who holds the keys to my freedom can't help me
And the old men in wheelchairs know
Even those who are physically handicapped understand my pain
That Mathilda's the defendant
The woman I'm trying to escape with is associated with something negative
She killed about a hundred
She's a notorious criminal
And she follows wherever you may go
I can't escape her influence
And it's a battered old suitcase in a hotel someplace
All I have left is a damaged suitcase in some unknown hotel
And a wound that would never heal
My emotional scars will never fully disappear
No prim-donas the perfume is on
There are no pretentious people around me
and old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
All I have left of my past is a bloody and alcoholic memory
And goodnight to the street-sweepers,
The night watchmen flame-keepers
Wishing goodnight to those who have to work hard during the night
And goodnight Matilda too
Saying goodbye to Mathilda and my past
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@merrilynstanger7241
You are still charming , charisma and you have entertained us for decades
For me since last years of High School
My God
ThAts a long time I was born in 1960
You do the broken heart songs so damn well , you do the rocking rock so well
But this ?
Divinely SUBLIME from a gal down under
Love you Rod Stewart
🇦🇺💜🌹
@jimoliver535
@@jacquegroves3346 I'm replying to your statement: "best song ever from Rod"
It's NOT Rod Stewart's song. It's a Tom Waits song.
If you were to say the best song you've ever heard Rod sing that's one thing, but you said it's FROM Rod...but it's not from him. It's another famous recording artist's song... who, by the way, did it better than he did as an original.
If you're going to take time to respond, you should first take time to carefully read (and comprehend) what it is what I wrote. Or be more clear in your statement in the first place.
I clearly said it's not his song. Or his (In your words) 'epic'. I never said he wasn't singing it in this video.
@merrilynstanger7241
You are still charming , charisma and you have entertained us for decades
For me since last years of High School
My God
ThAts a long time I was born in 1960
You do the broken heart songs so damn well , you do the rocking rock so well
But this ?
Divinely SUBLIME from a gal down under
Love you Rod Stewart
🇦🇺💜🌹
@dorothykuveke1217
Sending my gratitude to a man, a singer who has spent his lifetime making so many of us happy just by singing his heart out ❤️🕊️🕊️
@user-wk2jj3uu4u
so true…
@beatrixscholtz9560
So true,, 😁
@srijitbasu7423
So so true
@jodye5540
He not only looks amazing in this video from 1992, (we ALL looked good 30 years ago in 1992!) but that voice! One of the best songs he ever recorded, and he's still hot!
@eckdolmick5781
😁
@eckdolmick5781
You understand that Rod Stewart is good when he sings good stuff.
@maggiethecatroberts4197
❤❤❤
@PlampinUK
Nah, I was a fat slob even back then :) Rod looked good though.