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."
Jitterbug Boy (Sharing a Curbstone With Chuck E. Weiss Robert Marchese Paul Body and the Mug and A
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
by the shoe-shine
resting on my laurels
and my Hardys too
life of Riley on a swing shift
gears follow my drift
Once upon a time I was
in show-biz too
I seen the Brooklyn Dodgers
playin' at Ebbets Field
seen the Kentucky Derby too
it's fast women, slow horses, I'm reliable sources
and I'm holding up a lamp post
if you want to know
I seen the Wabash Cannonball,
buddy, I've done it all
because I slept with the lions
and Marilyn Monroe
had breakfast in the eye
of a hurricane
fought Rocky Marciano,
played Minnesota Fats
burned hundred-dollar bills,
I eaten Mulligan stew
got drunk with Louis Armstrong
what's that old song?
I taught Mickey Mantle
everything that he knows
and so you ask me
what I'm doing here
holding up a lamp post
flippin' this quarter,
trying to make up my mind
and if it's heads I'll go to
Tennessee, and tails I'll buy a drink
if it lands on the edge
I'll keep talking to you
The lyrics to Tom Waits's song Jitterbug Boy (Sharing a Curbstone With Chuck E. Weiss Robert Marchese Paul Body and the Mug and A) are filled with vivid images of a life of adventure and experiences. The singer paints a picture of himself as a lighthearted man who has lived a full life and seen it all. He talks about being a shoe-shine boy who is now taking life easy, reminiscing about his time in show business and the many things he has seen and done.
The singer goes on to list some of the things he has witnessed, including the Brooklyn Dodgers playing at Ebbets Field, the Kentucky Derby, and the Wabash Cannonball. He also mentions some of the people he has met along the way, including Marilyn Monroe, Louis Armstrong, and Mickey Mantle, whom he claims to have taught everything he knows. The singer's stories are full of color and energy, making it clear that he has lived a life of excitement and adventure.
Despite all the experiences he's had, the singer finds himself holding up a lamp post and flipping a quarter, trying to decide what to do next. He seems content to continue living his life on his own terms, making choices based on the flip of a coin.
Overall, Jitterbug Boy is a song about living life to the fullest and embracing the unexpected. It's a celebration of the joy that comes from experiencing new things and meeting new people, even if those experiences are sometimes difficult or unpredictable.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm a jitterbug boy
I am a lively and energetic person
by the shoe-shine
I am currently getting my shoes shined
resting on my laurels
I am proud of my past accomplishments and am currently taking a break
and my Hardys too
I am wearing a brand of shoes called Hardys
life of Riley on a swing shift
I have an easy and enjoyable life working on the night shift
gears follow my drift
I am confident in my abilities to handle any situation
Once upon a time I was
At one point in my life, I used to be
in show-biz too
Involved in the entertainment industry
I seen the Brooklyn Dodgers
I have watched the Brooklyn Dodgers play
playin' at Ebbets Field
At Ebbets Field, specifically
seen the Kentucky Derby too
I have watched the Kentucky Derby horse race
it's fast women, slow horses, I'm reliable sources
The race is known for having attractive women and slow horses, and I am a trustworthy source of information on this topic
and I'm holding up a lamp post
I am currently leaning against a lamp post
if you want to know
If you're curious
I seen the Wabash Cannonball,
I have witnessed the Wabash Cannonball train
buddy, I've done it all
I have experienced a lot in my life
because I slept with the lions
I have spent the night in a room with lions
and Marilyn Monroe
I have met Marilyn Monroe
had breakfast in the eye
I ate breakfast within the center of the storm called the 'eye' of a hurricane
of a hurricane
During a hurricane, one of the most intense weather conditions
fought Rocky Marciano,
I have fought against Rocky Marciano, a well-known boxer
played Minnesota Fats
I have played billiards against Minnesota Fats, a famous billiards player
burned hundred-dollar bills,
I have burnt $100 bills, as if they were of no value to me
I eaten Mulligan stew
I have eaten Mulligan stew, a simple beef stew often made by campers and travelers
got drunk with Louis Armstrong
I once became intoxicated in the company of Louis Armstrong, a legendary musician
what's that old song?
I am now reminded of an old song and wish to hear it
I taught Mickey Mantle
I have imparted my knowledge to Mickey Mantle, a well-known baseball player
everything that he knows
I was his mentor, and he learned all he knows from me
and so you ask me
You are now questioning me
what I'm doing here
You want to know why I am here
holding up a lamp post
I am still holding onto the lamp post as we speak
flippin' this quarter,
I am flipping a coin as a means of making a decision
trying to make up my mind
I am currently indecisive
and if it's heads I'll go to
If the coin lands on heads, I will go to
Tennessee, and tails I'll buy a drink
If it lands on tails, I will buy a drink instead
if it lands on the edge
In the unlikely event that the coin lands on its edge
I'll keep talking to you
I will simply continue our conversation
Contributed by Hunter B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@DartTalk
Probably the greatest album ever recorded.
@jamesbueker11
Never forget seeing him live in Austin. The stage had a street light and half a 57 Chevy. Just a remarkable night. A great performer
@CptEtgar
thanks for sharing .
@edpp3687
Very envious. I could have seen him in Edinburgh in the 2000s but I'd quit drinking and Tom Waits seemed mixed up in my drinking. Still don't drink but I luckily found my way back.
@dudesbloodclusterpluck5230
This is my theme song for the guy I always thought I would be when I grow up... still haven't grown up.
@timrizzo3941
Always been one of my favorites of his.
@CptEtgar
This is a real treasure. Tom and Kath should get a Nobel as well IMHO.
@zetetick395
Classic minimal piano / storytelling Tom
@pathines6995
When I'm drinking with friends ( I have none) I brag about all the places I've been and the things I've seen when this song comes on. A lot of my adventures were inspired by this and the island records
@gregorysullivan7175
Oh man.