Hell Broke Luce
Tom Waits Lyrics

I had a good home but I left
He had a good life back home but he decided to leave for the war

I had a good home but I left, right, left
He left his home for the war and he is referring to the marching cadence

That big fucking bomb made me deaf, deaf
The bomb explosion was so loud that it made him deaf

A Humvee mechanic put his Kevlar on wrong
A mechanic put his Kevlar vest on improperly, which caused it to be ineffective

I guarantee you'll meet up with a suicide bomb
He believes that anyone who fights in the war will eventually encounter a suicide bomb

Hell broke luce
He is saying that all hell broke loose in the war

Big fucking ditches in the middle of the road
There are large ditches in the middle of the road that can cause accidents

You pay a hundred dollars just for fillin' in the hole
They charge people money to fill in the holes on the road

Listen to the general every goddamn word
Soldiers are expected to obey every order from the general

How many ways can you polish up a turd
The soldiers are being asked to do the impossible and make something bad look good

What did you do before the war?
He is asking someone what they did before they went to war

I was a chef, I was a chef
The person he is asking was a chef before they went to war

What was your name?
He is asking the person their name

It was Geoff, Geoff
The person's name was Geoff

I lost my buddy and I wept, wept
He is emotional because he lost a friend in the war

I come down from the meth
He is saying that he was on drugs while fighting in the war

So I slept, slept
He is sleeping a lot now that he is no longer taking drugs

Pantsed at the wind for a joke
He is referring to an embarrassing moment for humor

I pranced right in with the dope
He walked in with drugs

Glanced at her shin she said nope
He is being rejected by someone he likes

Nimrod Bodfish have you any wool
He is asking someone named Nimrod for wool (perhaps for warmth)

Get me another body bag, the body bag's full
He needs another body bag because the one he has is full

My face was scorched, scorched
His face was burned in the war

I miss my home I miss my porch, porch
He misses his old life

Can I go home in March? March
He is asking if he can go home in March

My stanch was a chin full of soap
He was clean-shaven

That rancid dinner with the Pope
He had a bad meal at some point

Kelly Presutto got his thumbs blown off
Someone he knows lost their fingers in the war

Sergio's developing a real bad cough
Sergio is getting sick from the war

And hell broke luce
He repeats that all hell broke loose

Boom went his head away
Someone's head exploded

And boom went Valerie huh
Someone else exploded

What the hell was it that the president said?
He is questioning the president's leadership

Give him a beautiful parade instead
Instead of providing help to the troops, the president is wasting resources on a parade

When I was over here I never got to vote
He was unable to vote while overseas

I left my arm in my coat
He lost his arm while at war

My mom she died and never wrote
His mother died while he was at war and they never got the chance to communicate

We sat by the fire and ate a goat
He remembers spending time with his friends/fellow soldiers

Just before he died he had a toke
Someone he knows/lost smoked before they died

Now I'm home and I'm blind
He is now home from the war and blind

And I'm broke
He is also poor