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."
Bottom of the World
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The best friend you'll have is a railroad track
So when I was 13 I said, I'm rollin' my own,
And I'm leaving Missouri and I'm never coming home
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Satchel puddin' and Lord God Mose
Sittin' by the fire with a busted nose
That fresh egg yeller is too damn rare
But the white part is perfect for slickin' down your hair
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
The moon's the color of a coffee stain
Jesse Franks and Birdy Joe Hoax
But who is the king of all of these folks?
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well I dined last night with Scarface Ron
On Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
Razorweed onion and peacock squirrel
And I dreamed all night about a beautiful girl
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well God's green hair is where I slept last
He balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
Now I woke me up with a cardinal bird
And when I wanna talk he
Hangs on every word
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
The lyrics of Tom Waits's song Bottom of the World describe the journey of a young boy who runs away from home with the intention of exploring the world. His father tells him that the best friend he will have is a railroad track, which inspires the boy to leave and never look back. The lyrics "I'm lost at the bottom of the world" echo the feeling of being trapped in a foreign land without any direction or purpose.
Throughout the song, the boy encounters several strange characters, such as the likes of Satchel Puddin' and Lord God Mose, who are sitting by the fire with a busted nose. He also dines with Scarface Ron on Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan. These characters represent the different people the boy may encounter on his journey and the unique experiences he may have. The following stanza, "God's green hair is where I slept last, he balanced a diamond on a blade of grass" portrays the boy finding solace in nature and a spiritual connection with the world around him.
The chorus "I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar" alludes to the boy feeling trapped or restricted by the society he has left behind, with the barbershop liar representing the false promises and illusions of his previous life. As the song progresses, the lyrics display a mixture of fear, uncertainty, resilience, and excitement reflecting life's various emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
My Daddy told me, lookin back
Reflecting on the past, my father gave me advice
The best friend you'll have is a railroad track
He shared his belief that traveling is the best way to make friends
So when I was 13 I said, I'm rollin' my own,
At the age of 13, I decided to strike out on my own
And I'm leaving Missouri and I'm never coming home
Without looking back, I left my hometown of Missouri and vowed to never return
And I'm lost
I find myself without direction
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I am trapped by individuals who are untrustworthy and manipulative
Satchel puddin' and Lord God Mose
I spend time with colorful characters such as Satchel Puddin' and Lord God Mose
Sittin' by the fire with a busted nose
These individuals may have suffered injuries or been through rough times
That fresh egg yeller is too damn rare
Some things may be difficult to come by or too scarce to enjoy
But the white part is perfect for slickin' down your hair
However, some things can still be useful, such as using the white part of an egg to style one's hair
Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
There are many more characters that I spend time with, including Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
The moon's the color of a coffee stain
The world around me is dark and gloomy
Jesse Franks and Birdy Joe Hoax
More individuals I know include Jesse Franks and Birdy Joe Hoax
But who is the king of all of these folks?
I'm not sure who truly holds power over this group of people
Well I dined last night with Scarface Ron
I had dinner with Scarface Ron recently
On Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
We ate a meal consisting of unconventional foods like Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
Razorweed onion and peacock squirrel
We also ate razorweed onion and peacock squirrel
And I dreamed all night about a beautiful girl
During the night, I dreamt of a lovely woman
Well God's green hair is where I slept last
I fell asleep in a place where everything was green, including God's hair
He balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
In this place, God balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
Now I woke me up with a cardinal bird
I was awoken by a cardinal bird
And when I wanna talk he
Whenever I feel like talking, the bird
Hangs on every word
seems to listen to my thoughts and words intently.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Thomas Alan Waits, Kathleen Brennan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TitusPazmany
"Bottom Of The World"
My daddy told me, lookin' back
The best friend you'll have is a railroad track
So when I was 13 said, I'm rollin' my own,
And I'm leavin' Missouri and I'm never comin' home
And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Satchel Puddin' and Lord God Mose
Sitting by the fire with a busted nose
That fresh egg yeller is too damn rare
But the white part is perfect for slickin' down your hair
And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
The moon's the color of a coffee stain
Jesse Frank and Birdy Joe Hoaks
But who is the king of all these folks?
And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well I dined last night with Scarface Ron
On telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
Razorweed onion and peacock squirell
And I dreamed all night about a beautiful girl
And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well, god's green hair is where I slept last
He balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
Now I woke me up with a cardinal bird
And when I wanna talk he hangs on every word
And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Holly
this song carried me through incredibly rough times.
part of me always fantasized about the life portrayed in this song.
lost yes..but free.
smbeabout
As an alcoholic who has half-assed tried to keep his drunkenness to himself, Tom Waits has always spoken to me, because you can tell he's not judgmental.
viddymeenow
Just when I thought a differing line up of various Tom Waits songs were my “favorites-“ along came this nugget of aesthetic gold; and now this one is still tops to me 💕
Vince Colunga
Tom Waits takes me on a journey through my own life as a partner I never knew I had. Nostalgic for memories that aren't even yet formed. Masterpiece.
fahim113
Brings tears to my eyes every single damn time.
Buck Barnibus
+fahim113 Friend sounds to me like your lost at the bottom of a bottle. It is a good one though.
Del Quasar
I am glad I'm not the only one. Something about the last verse really hits hard.
MagikarpSushi
@Del Quasar The one that gets me is the one before, with the fake made-up meals and dreaming about a beautiful girl. Times are rough.
Lulls Baby
There are songs that define you. They are you. This song is me - I am this song. Its so beautiful.
Jason D'Andrea
Tom you have done it again..................... It's like he sings what I feel and he
brings me to tears again.................