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."
Gun Street Girl
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling James in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all a tale
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
And now he's dancing in the Birmingham jail
Dancing in the Birmingham jail
He took a hundred dollars off a slaughterhouse Joe
He got all liquored up on that road house corn
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
He bought a second-hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
And dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
With a pawnshop radio, quarter past four
He left for Waukegan at the slamming of the door
Left for Waukegan at the slamming of the door
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
He's sitting in a sycamore in St. John's wood
Soaking day-old bread in kerosene
Well, he was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog
He's staying out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
He never get up in the morning on a Saturday
Sitting by the Erie with a bull-whipped dog
Telling everyone he saw, "they went that-a-way, boys"
Telling everyone he saw, "they went that-a-way"
Now the rain's like gravel on an old tin roof
And the Burlington Northern pulling out of the world
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
Well, he's riding in the shadow by the St. Joe ridge
Hearing the click-clack tapping of a blind man's cane
He was pulling into Baker on a New Year's Eve
One eye on a pistol and the other on the door
One eye on a pistol and the other on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
Smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
Banging on the table with an old tin cup
Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
Never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
I said John, John, he's long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
Gun Street Girl by Tom Waits is a true story that tells the tale of a man named Falling James who fell in love with a Gun Street girl. The lyrics give us an insight into the lives of eccentric characters and their interactions that lead to bizarre and often dangerous situations. Throughout the song, the lyrics are vividly descriptive and evoke feelings of adventure, danger, and longing.
The first verse sets the scene with Falling James in Tahoe mud. The next thing we know, he has fallen in love with a Gun Street girl and is now in jail. The second verse provides details of the events leading up to his capture. Falling James stole $100 from a slaughterhouse Joe, bought a shotgun, got drunk, and shot a hole in a yellow Corvette. The third verse introduces new characters like Shadow and a bull-whipped dog. The song has an eerie, oblique feel to it that leaves the listener imagining rather than being told overtly what had happened.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three
Counting off before starting a story
Falling James in the Tahoe mud
A character named James fell in the mud in Tahoe
Stick around to tell us all a tale
Encouraging the listener to stay and hear the story
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
James fell in love with a woman from Gun Street
And now he's dancing in the Birmingham jail
He's in jail in Birmingham, possibly for a crime related to the Gun Street girl
He took a hundred dollars off a slaughterhouse Joe
James stole money from someone named Joe who worked in a slaughterhouse
Brought a brand new Michigan twenty-gauge
He bought a new shotgun from Michigan
He got all liquored up on that road house corn
He got drunk on corn liquor at a roadhouse
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
James shot a gun and damaged a yellow Corvette
He bought a second-hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
He bought a used car from someone who was both Cuban and Chinese
And dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
He changed the color of his hair in a Texaco bathroom
With a pawnshop radio, quarter past four
He left at 4:15am with a cheap radio he bought from a pawnshop
He left for Waukegan at the slamming of the door
He abruptly left for Waukegan without saying goodbye
I said John, John, he's long gone
Referring to the character John, who left and is now far away
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
He went to Indiana and may never return
He's sitting in a sycamore in St. John's wood
John is resting in a tree in St. John's wood
Soaking day-old bread in kerosene
He is soaking bread in kerosene, possibly to eat or as a makeshift torch
Well, he was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog
He was sad and dirty-looking
He's staying out of circulation till the dogs get tired
He is avoiding being caught by authorities until they give up searching
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
Someone named Shadow repaired a toilet with an unusual tool
He never get up in the morning on a Saturday
The subject of the sentence, whoever it is, doesn't wake up early on Saturdays
Sitting by the Erie with a bull-whipped dog
Someone is sitting next to Lake Erie with a dog that has a whip-like tail
Telling everyone he saw, "they went that-a-way, boys"
He's pointing in a direction and saying that someone went that way
Now the rain's like gravel on an old tin roof
Rain is falling hard on a tin roof, making a loud noise
And the Burlington Northern pulling out of the world
A train named the Burlington Northern is leaving, possibly taking John away
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
The singer is drunk and daydreaming
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
The Gun Street girl caused John's problems and current situation
Well, he's riding in the shadow by the St. Joe ridge
John is traveling in the shadow of a ridge near St. Joe
Hearing the click-clack tapping of a blind man's cane
He can hear the sound of a blind man's cane tapping on the ground
He was pulling into Baker on a New Year's Eve
He's arriving in a place called Baker on New Year's Eve
One eye on a pistol and the other on the door
He is looking to protect himself and keeping an eye on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
A woman named Charlotte brought her bag to King Fish Row
Smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
She brought new shoes made from alligator skin without bringing attention to herself
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
Charlotte was wearing a raincoat and had long, yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Someone tied Charlotte to a tree with a skinny, rich person
Banging on the table with an old tin cup
The artist is making noise by hitting a cup on a table
Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
The singer is singing that he won't have anything to do with Gun Street girls again
I said John, John, he's long gone
Repeating that John is gone
Gone to Indiana, ain't never coming home
John is in Indiana and may not return
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: THOMAS A. WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@IProvideLyrics1924
Falling James in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all the tale
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
And now he's dancing in the Birmingham jail
Dancing in the Birmingham jail
Took a 100 dollars off a Slaughterhouse Joe
Bought a brand new Michigan 20 gauge
Got all liquored up on that roadhouse corn
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
Bought a secondhand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
Dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
With a pawnshop radio, quarter past 4
He left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
He left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
I said, John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
I said John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
Sitting in a sycamore in St. John's Wood
Soakin' day-old bread in kerosene
He was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog
Stayin' out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
He never got up in the morning on a Saturday
Sittin' by the Erie with a bull-whipped dog
Tellin' everyone he saw they went thatta way
Tellin' everyone he saw they went thatta way
Now the rain's like gravel on an old tin roof
And the Burlington Northern's pullin' out of the world
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
Riding in the shadow by the St. Joe Ridge
He heard the click clack tappin' of a blind man's cane
He was pullin' into Baker on a New Year's Eve
With one eye on the pistol and the other on the door
One eye on the pistol and the other on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
And she smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
I said, John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
I said John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
Bangin' on a table with an old tin cup
Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I'll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I said, John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
I said John, John he's long gone
Gone to Indiana
Ain't never coming home
@17HMR
I normally listen to black metal, but every now and then Tom is all you need in your life.
@jonathanroland5604
You'd probably enjoy Panopticon (although if you like Tom Waits and black metal you probably already listen to them!)
@ronkoep4625
You hit the nail exactly on the head I love that hardcore metal that Tom is the shit
@lillwhitetrashboy
fuck yeah dear BM& TOM it's all what we need
@transatlanticsilkcottonfabrics
Well when you have been listening to the likes of cradle of filth for 8 hours... definitely the one, if you need something to relax to.
“It’s just silence, coloured in”
@JP-of8uq
I'm the same way. Give me Emperor or give me Waits!!!!!!
@leonche64
"He bought a second-hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese and dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco." I can't ...I can't even begin to figure out where he...I just can't.
@markwhite2207
Almost every song is a movie I'd love to see...what about 'he was blue as a robin's egg and brown as a hog'!
@Dave-hp4vh
I always feel like I watched a Hitchcock movie after listening to this song.
@ElyssiumEarth
That he did.