Red Shoes by the Drugstore
Tom Waits Lyrics


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She wore red shoes by the drugstore
As the rain splashed the nickel
Spilled like chablis along the midway
There's a little blue jay
In a red dress, on a sad night

One straw in a root beer
A compact with a cracked mirror
And a bottle of evening in Paris perfume

He told her to wait in by the magazines
He had to take care of some business it seems
Bring a raincoat and a suitcase
And your dark eyes
And wear those red shoes

There's a dark huddle at the bus stop
Umbrellas arranged in a sad bouquet
Lil' Caesar got caught
He was going down to second
He was cooled
Changing stations on the chamber
To steal a diamond
From a jewelry store for his baby
He loved the way she looked in those red shoes

She waited by the drugstore
Caesar had never been this late before
And the dogs bayed the moon
And rattled their chains
And the cold jingle of taps in a puddle
Was the burglar alarm
Snitching on Caesar

Now the rain washes memories from the sidewalks
And the hounds splash down the nickel
Full of soldiers
And Santa Claus is drunk in the ski room
And it's Christmas eve in a sad cafe
When the moon gets this way
There's a little blue jay
By the newsstand
Wearing red shoes

So meet me tonight by the drugstore




We're goin' out tonight
Wear your red shoes

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tom Waits's song Red Shoes by the Drugstore are a poetic and melancholic tribute to a peculiar and mysterious woman who wears red shoes. They create a vivid image of a rainy night in a city, where an unlikely love story unfolds between two characters living on the fringes of society. The opening verse sets the scene: the woman wears her red shoes by the drugstore, under the pouring rain that turns the pavement into a nickel-colored stream. The mention of chablis, a white wine often associated with luxury, suggests an underlying theme of glamour and escapism. The little blue jay in a red dress is a metaphor for the woman's colorful and unique personality, which stands out in a bleak and mundane environment.


The second verse adds more detail to the story: the man asks the woman to wait by the magazines while he takes care of some business. He tells her to bring a raincoat and a suitcase, implying they are going somewhere. The compact with the cracked mirror and the bottle of Evening in Paris perfume evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing - perhaps the woman wants to relive a past glamourous life that is now a distant memory. The man's request to wear the red shoes carries a hint of obsession and fetishism, as if he is drawn to the woman's eccentricity and uniqueness.


The rest of the lyrics are more fragmented and surreal, painting a picture of a city that is simultaneously dark and enchanting. Lil' Caesar's capture and the changing of stations suggest a criminal element in the story, while the mention of Santa Claus and Christmas eve adds a touch of melancholy and loneliness. The final verse is a call to action - the man invites the woman to meet him by the drugstore again, and promises a night out. The red shoes, once again, represent a symbol of adventure, individuality, and seduction.


Line by Line Meaning

She wore red shoes by the drugstore
The woman was wearing red shoes while standing by the drugstore


As the rain splashed the nickel
The rain was falling and hitting the nickel and creating a sound


Spilled like chablis along the midway
The rain was falling heavily, like spilling wine, throughout the midway


There's a little blue jay
There is a small blue jay


In a red dress, on a sad night
The blue jay was wearing a red dress on a sorrowful evening


One straw in a root beer
A root beer had a single straw in it


A compact with a cracked mirror
Someone had a portable makeup kit that had a broken mirror


And a bottle of evening in Paris perfume
They also had a bottle of 'Evening in Paris' perfume


He told her to wait in by the magazines
A person asked her to wait by the magazines


He had to take care of some business it seems
The person had some work to take care of


Bring a raincoat and a suitcase
The woman was supposed to bring a raincoat and a suitcase


And your dark eyes
The man asked her to bring her dark eyes too


And wear those red shoes
The man specifically requested the woman to wear her red shoes


There's a dark huddle at the bus stop
There was a shady group huddling near the bus stop


Umbrellas arranged in a sad bouquet
A collection of umbrellas was assembled, resembling a mournful bouquet of flowers


Lil' Caesar got caught
Someone named Lil' Caesar got caught


He was going down to second
Lil' Caesar was walking down to second


He was cooled
Lil' Caesar had been caught by law enforcement


Changing stations on the chamber
Someone was changing the radio stations on the car controller


To steal a diamond
They were driving to steal a diamond


From a jewelry store for his baby
They were stealing the diamond to give as a gift to someone special


He loved the way she looked in those red shoes
Lil' Caesar loved the way the person he was stealing the diamond for looked in her red shoes


She waited by the drugstore
The woman was standing by the drugstore, waiting for someone


Caesar had never been this late before
The person Caesar was unusually overdue


And the dogs bayed the moon
The dogs were howling at the moon


And rattled their chains
The chains on the dogs were clinking and rattling


And the cold jingle of taps in a puddle
The taps attached to the dog's feet were clinking against the puddles in the street


Was the burglar alarm
The sound of the dog's foot taps was acting as an accidental burglar alarm


Snitching on Caesar
The dog's barking act as a snitch against Lil' Caesar


Now the rain washes memories from the sidewalks
The rain was washing away reminiscences from the pavement


And the hounds splash down the nickel
The hounds were running around the area, causing rainwater to splash with the nickel


Full of soldiers
The area was full of military troops


And Santa Claus is drunk in the ski room
Santa Claus was intoxicated in the ski room


And it's Christmas eve in a sad cafe
It was Christmas eve, and the atmosphere in the cafe was sorrowful


When the moon gets this way
The moon's behavior was unusual tonight


There's a little blue jay
There is a small blue jay


By the newsstand
The blue jay was near the newsstand


Wearing red shoes
The blue jay was wearing red shoes, similar to the woman earlier in the song


So meet me tonight by the drugstore
The singer is inviting someone to meet them by the drugstore


We're goin' out tonight
The artist is proposing they go out together tonight


Wear your red shoes
The artist specifically asks the other person to wear their red shoes




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM WAITS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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