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
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 I've lost my St. Christopher
Now that I kissed her
And the one-arm bandit knows
And the maverick Chinaman
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 it's a battered old suitcase in a hotel someplace
And a wound that would never heal
No prima donnas the perfume is on
And old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And it's goodnight to the street-sweepers
The night watchmen flame-keepers
And goodnight Matilda too
Goodnight Matilda too
The lyrics of Rod Stewart’s song “Tom Traubert’s Blues” describe the experiences of a disillusioned, wasted and wounded man seeking solace in the Australian folk song “Waltzing Matilda.” The opening lines suggest that the man’s plight was not caused by the moon, implying that it was simply fate that led him there. He is resigned to his fate and feels he got what he paid for. He is borrowing money from a friend to go waltzing Matilda, for which Matilda is a metaphor for his dream of escape and salvation. He is tired of his surroundings, where chaos and an unsympathetic environment prevail, and his spirit is almost broken.
The references to St. Christopher and the one-arm bandit suggest that he has lost all semblance of direction and hope, and his life is now in the hands of blind fate. The song mentions girls by the striptease shows, further emphasizing how the singer is at the bottom rung of society. Despite his situation, the man does not want sympathy, rather he wants to be left to his dream of returning to the solace and comfort of waltzing matilda. The song ends with a note of finality, as the singer says goodbye to the street-sweepers, the night watchmen and most importantly, goodbye to Matilda.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasted and wounded
I'm in a terrible state.
And it ain't what the moon did
It's not the moon's fault.
I got what I paid for now
I only have myself to blame for my situation.
See you tomorrow
I'll still be around tomorrow.
Hey, Frank, can I borrow
Can I have a couple of dollars, Frank
A couple of bucks from you
I need a little bit of money.
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
I want to go on my own personal journey.
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Will you join me?
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
I was taken advantage of in a dark alley.
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
I'm sick of being surrounded by these soldiers.
No-one speaks English and everything's broken
No one can communicate with me, and everything around me is falling apart.
And my strength is soaking away
I am getting weaker and weaker.
Now I've lost my St. Christopher
I have lost my luck and protection.
Now that I kissed her
Now that I have lost her.
And the one-arm bandit knows
The slot machine is aware of my situation.
And the maverick Chinaman
A Chinese gambler I know.
With the cold-blooded sigh
He's indifferent to my struggles.
And the girls down by the striptease shows go
The strippers continue to dance despite my problems.
No I don't want your sympathy, fugitives say
I don't need your pity, as it means nothing to me.
That the streets aren't for dreaming now
The streets are not the place for dreaming anymore.
Manslaughter dragnet
The law enforcement is scouring the area for criminals who have committed serious crimes.
And the ghost that sells memories
Memories can be bought just like a ghost.
Want a piece of the action anyhow
I want to experience life.
And it's a battered old suitcase in a hotel someplace
I'm carrying a suitcase that's falling apart, in a hotel room somewhere.
And a wound that would never heal
A wound that would never properly heal.
No prima donnas the perfume is on
I'm no high-class person, and my cologne smells cheap.
And old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
My shirt is stained with both blood and whiskey.
And it's good night to the street-sweepers
The workers on the streets are saying goodnight.
The night watchmen flame-keepers
The night watch guards keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
And good night Matilda too
It's time to say goodnight to my personal journey as well.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Tom 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.