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."
Hang on St. Christopher
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Buckle down the rumble seat and let the radiator boil
Got an overhead downshift and a two-dollar grill
Got an eighty-five cabin on an eighty-five hill
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up tonight the devil can ride
Hang on St. Christopher with a barrelhouse dog
Tear a hole in the jackpot, drive a stake through his heart
Do a hundred on the grapevine, do a jump on the start
Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go
Get me to Reno and bring it in low, yeah
Hang on St. Christopher with the hammer to the floor
Put a highball in the crank case, nail a crow to the door
Get a bottle for the jockey gimme a two-ninety-four
There's a seven-fifty Norton bustin' down January's door
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up tonight the devil can ride
Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go
Get me to Reno got to bring it in low
Put my baby on the flat car, got to burn down the caboose
Get 'em all jacked up on whiskey, then we'll turn the mad dog loose
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Open it up tonight the devil can ride, oh, yeah
Oh, yeah
The lyrics of Tom Waits's Hang on St. Christopher are a raucous ode to car culture, capturing the thrill of the open road, the power of a well-tuned engine, and the danger of living life on the edge. The title is a reference to St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, who is often invoked for protection on one's journey. The song encourages the listener to buckle up and take a wild ride with the devil himself.
Throughout the song, Waits uses a variety of vivid imagery to paint a picture of the reckless joy of driving, from "smoke and oil" to "tearing a hole in the jackpot." There are references to specific locations, such as Mount Baldy and the Grapevine, which add to the sense of a real journey being taken. The repeated refrain to "hang on" to St. Christopher underscores the danger inherent in this journey and serves as a plea for divine protection.
Ultimately, Hang on St. Christopher is a celebration of the thrill of living life to the fullest, even if it means risking everything. The song's wild energy, driving rhythm, and powerful lyrics have made it a favorite among fans of Tom Waits and car culture alike.
Line by Line Meaning
Hang on St. Christopher through the smoke and the oil
Endure the hardship and chaos of life
Buckle down the rumble seat and let the radiator boil
Stay committed and endure the tough times
Got an overhead downshift and a two-dollar grill
Have the right tools and determination to overcome obstacles
Got an eighty-five cabin on an eighty-five hill
Have high aspirations and ambitions
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Hold on tight through life's ups and downs
Open it up tonight the devil can ride
Take risks and face your fears to achieve greatness
Hang on St. Christopher with a barrelhouse dog
Go through life with a sense of adventure and exploration
Kick me up Mount Baldy, throw me out in the fog
Challenge yourself to reach new heights and embrace the unknown
Tear a hole in the jackpot, drive a stake through his heart
Do whatever it takes to achieve your goals and dreams
Do a hundred on the grapevine, do a jump on the start
Take risks and enjoy the ride
Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go
Stay grounded and steadfast in the face of adversity
Get me to Reno and bring it in low, yeah
Help me reach my destination and stay humble in the process
Hang on St. Christopher with the hammer to the floor
Drive with conviction and a sense of purpose
Put a highball in the crank case, nail a crow to the door
Do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it's unconventional
Get a bottle for the jockey gimme a two-ninety-four
Celebrate your victories with those who helped you succeed
There's a seven-fifty Norton bustin' down January's door
Great things can be achieved with the right tools and mindset
Put my baby on the flat car, got to burn down the caboose
Take risks and live life to the fullest
Get 'em all jacked up on whiskey, then we'll turn the mad dog loose
Live life on the edge with those who share your sense of adventure
Hang on St. Christopher on the passenger side
Stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings
Open it up tonight the devil can ride, oh, yeah
Embrace the unpredictability of life and take on any challenge
Oh, yeah
Expression of enthusiasm and excitement
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@b00gi3
Forgot how insanely amazing this particular album is. Mind blowing.
@b00gi3
Ashamed to say I think this is one out of his many I have not purchased. This album is now on the purchase list as a priority. Have purchased most of them. Just fyi Bandcamp is a good way to purchase Waits stuff with most of the dollars going towards him and his band, and he has a few LPs on sale through ANTI records.
@planetmoon5817
now is tomorrow and taylor swich is the promise
@FourWorlds1
Man, that industrial sound in the percussion is TASTEY!
@HunterSTommygun
I don’t know why but this makes me feel very mysterious but like a noir detective
@PhilPankiewicz
the bass and drums are filthy good
@michaelsiebert1874
i have this cd since 1988 wow wow wow
@clumsydad7158
prob my fav waits song
@b00gi3
I always think that, and then I hear another. The driving bass on this is a big seller though.
@yestotruth794
all time favorite song, just love everything about it