He started his career in the early 1970s as a singer in spit 'n' sawdust bars. Initially, he was deeply influenced by the beat generation, novelists like Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and poets like Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski. Waits is often compared to Charles Bukowski, being similar both in content and lifestyle
Waits was unable to make a living from his music in the 70s because his classical bar music, based in pre-rock, and Americana, blues, and Vaudeville styles were not popular. Waits's voice back then was soft, warm and clear.
Waits subsequently developed a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In fact, his songs are perhaps best known to the general public in the form of cover versions of more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart.
Although Waits’s albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries.
Lyrically, Waits's songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of seedy characters and places; he sings about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts, although he also includes more conventional and touching ballads in his repertoire.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him; he was an unsuitable match with Zappa's avantgarde style.
Countless cigarettes, gallons of alcohol and many all night parties eventually left their trace in his face and voice.
His more recent gravelly voice can be first heard on Small Change. This distinctive voice turned out to be his trademark. It is described by the Music Hound Rock Album Guide as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over with a car". Small Change with its sentimental ballads, its bar-jazz attitude and Film Noir-oriented stories turned out to be his biggest commercial success in the 1970s.
Waits subsequently developed a more unique style. His songs have grown more abrasive since then, and the arrangements have turned more surreal and experimental with every new record. His life brings him to new visions, as indicated by the direction taken in his "Alice" release.
While composing the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's One From The Heart Waits met Kathleen Brennan, his bride-to-be. They married in 1980 and she helped him quit drinking and smoking. Since their marriage they have been working together on his albums as co-producers and co-writers. It is hard to say which part belongs to her and which to him, but it's easy to see that they make a perfect team. Additionally, his eldest son Casey can be heard on turntables and percussion on Waits's album "Real Gone".
One of Waits's greatest successes was the album "Swordfishtrombones", released in 1983. It struck with his critics and fans alike. He achieved a new level of song writing and left former conventions (and his earlier career) behind. All songs, whether ballads, jive or jazz are played in a completely different way. It seems that Waits had taken the musical archetypes of these styles and made them his own. All tracks are in the quintessential Waits style. They have a striking rawness and listenability and they set the stage for his success and his future career.
The Bad As Me Songfacts reports that 36 years after the release of Waits' first album, Closing Time in 1973, Bad As Me became Waits's first ever top 10 album in the US when it debuted at #6 with 63,000 sales.
In the late 1980s Waits discovered an outlet for his creativity in composing musicals. His first Musical was named "The Black Rider", and is based on "Der Freischütz" by Carl Maria von Weber. It was co-produced by Robert Wilson and the lyrics come from William S. Burroughs. The story is slightly reminiscent of Kurt Weil's and Berthold Brecht's "Three Penny Opera" and the 1930s. The debut performance of the play was in 1990 at the Thalia Theater, Hamburg and has been played by various theatre groups since then.
Waits was also responsible for two other musicals, which later became albums released simultaneously in 2002. One was the musical "Blood Money," which covers the "Woyczek" theme of Georg Büchner. This one is one of the darkest works from Waits. The other musical is based on Lewis Carroll's classic children's novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". "Alice" is very romantic, dreamy and soft, and contains one of Waits most romantic songs. Even though they were released at the same time, the bootlegs of the "Alice" musical were long before traded between fans and were just rearranged and re-mastered for the official release.
Besides many film contributions as composer – the Internet Movie Database imdb.com lists 47 appearances of Waits as composer and 38 soundtracks containing songs by Waits - he also is an actor with a total of 25 appearances, ranging from some mini-roles as a trumpeter in "Heart of Saturday Night" and the R. M. Renfield in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" to the major role of Zack in Jim Jarmusch's "Down by Law". He recently appeared in Roberto Benigni's "The Tiger and the Snow", playing You Can Never Hold Back Spring at Benigni's wedding dream. Even more recently, Waits played Mr.Nick (the Devil) in Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus".
In addition to a number of concert videos, he also appeared in the critically-acclaimed concert feature film "Big Time" (1990).
Waits has always refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials. He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers for using his material without permission. Waits also successfully sued an advertiser for using a work that was stylistically similar to his work, after he had declined to sell them the rights to his song. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad — ideally naked and purring on the hood of a new car. I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor."
'Til the Money Runs Out
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Hudson in panther Martin's eyes, he's high and outside wearin' candy apple
Red, scarlet gave him twenty seven stitches in his head, with a pint of green
Chartreuse ain't nothin' seems right, you buy the Sunday paper on a Saturday
Night.
Can't you hear the thunder someone stole my watch, I sold a quart of blood
And bought a half a pint of scotch, some one tell those Chinamen on telegraph
Unload, so bye bye baby baby bye bye.
Droopy stranger lonely dreamer toy puppy and the prado, we're laughin' as
They piled into Olmos' El Dorado, Jesus whispered eni meany miney moe, they're
Too proud to duck their heads that's why they bring it down so low, so bye
Bye baby baby bye bye.
The pointed man is smack dab in the middle of July, swingin' from the
Rafters in his brand new tie, he said I can't go back to that hotel room all
They do is shout, but I'll stay wichew baby till the money runs out, so bye
Bye baby baby bye bye.
The lyrics to Tom Waits's 'Til the Money Runs Out are a surrealistic commentary on addiction, excess, and the incessant desire for escapism from reality. The opening line, "Check this strange beverage that falls out from the sky, splashin' Bagdad on The Hudson in panther Martin's eyes," sets a tone of absurdity, where reality seems to be distorted, and what is happening is out of the ordinary. The song is full of strange characters like Panther Martin, the high outsider wearing candy apple red, and the pointed man, who swings from the rafters in his brand new tie, suggesting that they are in a state of frenzy or mania.
The lyrics portray a sense of helplessness, where the characters seem to be caught in a cycle of addiction, constantly searching for ways to escape reality. The line, "Droopy stranger lonely dreamer toy puppy and the prado, we're laughin' as they piled into Olmos' El Dorado," suggests that people are not necessarily happy living their lives, but rather find solace in each other's company, even if it's temporary. The use of language is intentionally obscure and jumbled, reflecting the fragmented nature of the world that the song portrays.
The chorus, "bye bye baby baby bye bye," is repeated multiple times throughout the song, providing a sense of finality, suggesting that there is no escape from the cycle of addiction and excess until the "money runs out." The line, "I'll stay wichew baby till the money runs out," suggests that the characters in the song are aware of their predicament, but they continue to indulge in excess until it's no longer possible.
Overall, 'Til the Money Runs Out is a poignant song that reflects on the desperation of those caught in the cycle of addiction and escapism.
Line by Line Meaning
Check this strange beverage that falls out from the sky, splashin' Bagdad on
The Hudson in panther Martin's eyes, he's high and outside wearin' candy apple
Red, scarlet gave him twenty seven stitches in his head, with a pint of green
Chartreuse ain't nothin' seems right, you buy the Sunday paper on a Saturday
Night.
Take a look at this weird drink that has come from nowhere and has hit Bagdad on the Hudson, which is affecting Panther Martin's eyes. He seems to be high and drugged out, wearing a bright red outfit. After receiving 27 stitches on his head, he's drinking a pint of green Chartreuse and everything seems surreal, including buying a Sunday paper on a Saturday night.
Can't you hear the thunder someone stole my watch, I sold a quart of blood
And bought a half a pint of scotch, some one tell those Chinamen on telegraph
Canyon road, when there ain't no time to
Unload, so bye bye baby baby bye bye.
I can hear the noise of the thunderstorm, and someone has stolen my watch. To buy some scotch, I had to sell a quart of blood. When there's no time to escape, tell those people on Telegraph Canyon Road. Hence, I say goodbye.
Droopy stranger lonely dreamer toy puppy and the prado, we're laughin' as
They piled into Olmos' El Dorado, Jesus whispered eni meany miney moe, they're
Too proud to duck their heads that's why they bring it down so low, so bye
Bye baby baby bye bye.
Droopy, a lone dreamer carrying a toy puppy and a Prado SUV, is laughing out loud and sing to each other as they all pile into Olmos' El Dorado car. Jesus whispers eni meany miney moe, referring to the futility of choices. They are so proud that they seldom bow their heads leading to their ultimate defeat. Thus, it's time to say goodbye.
The pointed man is smack dab in the middle of July, swingin' from the
Rafters in his brand new tie, he said I can't go back to that hotel room all
They do is shout, but I'll stay wichew baby till the money runs out, so bye
Bye baby baby bye bye.
The pointed man is right in the middle of July, singing and swaying while hanging from the rafters, wearing his brand new tie. He regrets going back to his hotel room because of the noise complaints. Regardless, he will continue to stay with his partner until they both run out of money. This means it's time to say goodbye.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: TOM WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mathieuschuler366
Lyrics:
Check this strange beverage fall out from the sky
Splashin' Baghdad on the Hudson in Panther Martin's eyes
He's high and outside wearin' candy apple red
Scarlet gave him twenty seven stitches in his head
With a pint of green Chartreuse, ain't nothin' seems right
You buy the Sunday paper on a Saturday night
Can't you hear the thunder? Someone stole my watch
I sold a quart of blood and bought a half a pint of scotch
Someone tell those Chinamen on Telegraph Canyon Road
When you're on the bill with the spoon, there ain't no time to unload
So bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Droopy stranger, lonely dreamer, toy puppy and the Prado
We're laughin' as they piled into Olmos' El Dorado
Jesus whispered, "Eni meany meany miney moe"
They're too proud to duck their heads that's why they bring it down so low
So bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Pointed man smack dab in the middle of July
Swingin' from the rafters in his brand new tie
He said, "I can't go back to that hotel room, all they do is shout
But listen baby, I'll stay wichew 'til the money runs out"
So bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye, bye bye, bye
Bye, bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Check this strange beverage fall out from the sky
Splashin' Baghdad on the Hudson in Panther Martin's eyes
He's high and outside wearin' candy apple red
Scarlet gave him twenty seven stitches in his head
With a pint of green Chartreuse, ain't nothin' seems right
You buy the Sunday paper on a Saturday night
Bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
Oh, bye bye baby, bye bye, baby, baby, bye bye
@darylcumming7119
One of my favourite Tom Wait's albums❤.
@Mekratrig
A reviewer once noted that Waits had a voice that sounded like "it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car". (Wikipedia)
@Morporkshortman
JUST his voice??
@cahillgreg
The reviewer should be shot for quoting that cliché yet again.
@ronsmith1364
My first album by Mr Waits & introduced me to many hours of musical bliss & years of enjoyment.
Sha nan na nan naaa
@cahillgreg
Same, my first Tom album - bought it in Dolphin Discs, North Earl Street, Dublin in 1985 - I had all his albums within a month
@josephmoss8680
Tom waits is a poet w his lyrics! Love the music !" Bye,bye baby! I'll stick w ya till the money runs out"
@RustedLeica
Genius, Pure Genius !!!
@Badueliito
I cant count how many times i got deunk with this, incluiding now
@garygood8233
I'll stay wichya baby til my time runs out!!! Love you Tom!!!!!!