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."
Gospel Train
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got to get on board
Train is leavin'
And there's room for one more
God, don't listen to the devil
He got ways to move you
This train don't carry no smokers
This train
Well, come on people
'Cause it's startin' to rain
Get on board, it's the gospel train
Don't listen to the devil
Don't listen to the devil
Satan will fool you
Satan will fool you
I said Satan will fool you
Well, this train don't carry no smokers
This train
This train
Woo
Woo
Come on people: get on board
Train is leavin'
And there's room for one more
Just trust in the Lord
Woo
Woo
Woo
Listen to me
Come on people
'Cause it's starting to rain
Get on board
Ride the gospel train
Don't listen to the devil
He got ways to move you
The song ‘Gospel Train’ by Tom Waits is a slow, captivating piece that speaks of the journey of faith. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of an old gospel train on which people are invited to come aboard. The train is a metaphorical representation of the journey towards enlightenment and salvation. Tom Waits urges his listeners to get on board the train if they want to reach their destination. The train is leaving, but there’s always room for one more. It is an invitation to join the journey towards the light, towards God.
The train does not carry smokers because it is a symbol of purity, and people who smoke are believed to be impure. Tom Waits also warns people against listening to the devil who has ways to move them, and who can deceive them from the truth. The train is a journey of trust in the Lord, and Tom Waits reminds his listeners that Satan will always try to fool them.
Overall, ‘Gospel Train’ is a powerful song about faith, trust, and the journey towards salvation. Tom Waits is encouraging his listeners to get aboard the metaphorical train, leave behind impurities, and embrace a life of purity, faith, and trust in God.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on people
Let's all come together
Got to get on board
We need to unite to succeed
Train is leavin'
Opportunities are limited and time-sensitive
And there's room for one more
There is still a chance for someone to join us
God, don't listen to the devil
Godly guidance should be preferred over evil enticement
He got ways to move you
The devil is crafty in his ways
This train don't carry no smokers
This ride disallows addictive tendencies
Well, come on people
The message bears repeating
'Cause it's startin' to rain
The circumstances are getting worse
Get on board, it's the gospel train
Join us in our effort to spread the word of God
Satan will fool you
The devil is a master of deception
I said Satan will fool you
Again, heed the warning
Well, this train don't carry no smokers
Another reminder of the journey's conditions
Woo
An exclamation of enthusiasm or warning
Come on people: get on board
Again, the message is emphasized
Just trust in the Lord
Place your faith in God
Listen to me
A plea for attention and consideration
Ride the gospel train
Embrace our mission to spread God's message
He got ways to move you
A final reminder of the devil's tricks
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Salvatore Favazzi
I love this song!
Fred Torillo
have you ever tried to explain to a friend who doesn't see or who won't admit that he sees the value in Tom waits what you see or value in Tom waits? I don't start with this particular track. I usually start with Heartattack and Vine and carefully hand pick cuts from Frank's Wild Years, The Heart of Saturday Night, and Blue Valentine... when they pass out from drinking too much its usually swordfishtrombone, mule variations, bone machine and orphans so they can absorb it subliminally.
John Byrne
groovy
Pilar Paes Barreto
Reinfield