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."
Soldier's Things
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And swallowtail coats
Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes
Bathing suits and bowling balls
And clarinets and rings
All this radio really needs is a fuse
A tinker, a tailor
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
And this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
Cufflinks and hubcaps
Trophies and paperbacks
It's good transportation
But the brakes aren't so hot
Neckties and boxing gloves
This jackknife is rusted
You can pound that dent out on the hood
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
Oh, and this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
In Tom Waits's song "Soldier's Things," the first verse paints a vivid picture of a collection of various items: "Davenports and kettle drums / And swallowtail coats / Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes / Bathing suits and bowling balls / And clarinets and rings / All this radio really needs is a fuse." These are items that are seemingly disparate and unrelated, but they all have one thing in common: they are all part of a collection of items belonging to a soldier who has returned home from war.
The second verse delves deeper into the soldier's collection, which includes items that have great personal significance to him: "Cufflinks and hubcaps / Trophies and paperbacks / It's good transportation / But the brakes aren't so hot / Neckties and boxing gloves / This jackknife is rusted / You can pound that dent out on the hood." The inclusion of items like cufflinks and hubcaps suggest that these items were found either in the soldier's home or in his pockets, and they all tell a story about the soldier's journey through the war.
The chorus of the song serves as a reminder of the soldier's sacrifice: "A tinker, a tailor / A soldier's things / His rifle, his boots full of rocks / Oh, and this one is for bravery / And this one is for me / And everything's a dollar / In this box." Everything in the collection has been assigned a sentimental value or meaning to the soldier, and each item comes with a story or memory associated with it, highlighting the toll that war takes on soldiers and how they carry the weight of their experiences with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Davenports and kettle drums
Sofas and large drums used in orchestras and military bands respectively.
And swallowtail coats
Formal coats with tails that taper off to a point at the back.
Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes
Coverings for tables and shiny leather shoes with a glossy finish.
Bathing suits and bowling balls
Swimming costumes and heavy balls used in the game of bowling.
And clarinets and rings
Musical instruments and circular pieces of jewelry worn on fingers.
All this radio really needs is a fuse
The radio only requires a fuse to function, despite all the other things that seem unnecessary.
A tinker, a tailor
Someone who mends or tinkers with machinery and someone who makes or alters clothing.
A soldier's things
Items that belong to a soldier, which may be mundane or significant.
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
The soldier's weapons and equipment can be heavy and burdensome.
Oh, and this one is for bravery
A medal or award that signifies acts of bravery.
And this one is for me
An item that holds personal value or significance to the soldier.
And everything's a dollar
All the items are being sold for the same low price.
In this box
All the items are contained within a single container.
Cufflinks and hubcaps
Jewelry used to fasten shirt cuffs and decorative covers for car wheels.
Trophies and paperbacks
Awards or commemorative items and books with soft covers.
It's good transportation
The item in question is a vehicle that is useful for travel.
But the brakes aren't so hot
The vehicle's brakes are not very effective or reliable.
Neckties and boxing gloves
Accessories worn around the neck and padded gloves worn during boxing matches.
This jackknife is rusted
A type of folding knife is corroded with rust.
You can pound that dent out on the hood
The damage to the exterior of the vehicle can be repaired with some heavy pounding.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bubblegumbabeface6629
This song is very personal to me.
Everyone talks about war, films, books and television shows, but far few talk about the soldier after they have come home from doing and seeing unnatural things.
I struggled alot when I came home. It's the mundane things that get to you.
Adjusting back to the civilian world. Figuring out a new career, trying to raise a family
all these things are overshadowed by your experiences.
Sometimes it seems like no one understands you and sometimes you feel you don't even
understand yourself. As a female veteran, I found it particularly difficult for me.
The whole world seems different.
@ifa5369
Lyrics :
“Davenports and kettle drums
And swallowtail coats
Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes
Bathing suits and bowling balls
And clarinets and rings
And all this radio really needs is a fuse
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
And this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
Cufflinks and hubcaps
Trophies and paperbacks
It's good transportation
But the brakes aren't so hot
Neckties and boxing gloves
This jackknife is rusted
You can pound that dent out on the hood
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
Oh, and this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box...”
@alcoburn888
Davenports and kettle drums
and swallow tail coats
table cloths and patent leather shoes
bathing suits and bowling balls
and clarinets and rings
and all this radio really
needs is a fuse
a tinker, a tailor
a soldier's things
his rifle, his boots full of rocks
and this one is for bravery
and this one is for me
and everything's a dollar
in this box
Cuff links and hub caps
trophies and paperbacks
it's good transportation
but the brakes aren't so hot
neck tie and boxing gloves
this jackknife is rusted
you can pound that dent out
on the hood
a tinker, a tailor
a soldier's things
his rifle, his boots full of rocks
oh and this one is for bravery
and this one is for me
and everything's a dollar
in this box
@henryl.8506
Davenports and kettle drums
And swallowtail coats
Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes
Bathing suits and bowling balls
And clarinets and rings
And all this radio really needs is a fuse
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
And this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
Cufflinks and hubcaps
Trophies and paperbacks
It's good transportation
But the brakes aren't so hot
Neckties and boxing gloves
This jackknife is rusted
You can pound that dent out on the hood
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
Oh, and this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
@Haroupi
LYRICS:
Davenports and kettle drums
And swallowtail coats
Tablecloths and patent-leather shoes
Bathing suits and bowling balls
And clarinets and rings
And all this radio really needs is a fuse
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
And this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
Cufflinks and hubcaps
Trophies and paperbacks
It's good transportation
But the brakes aren't so hot
Neckties and boxing gloves
This jackknife is rusted
You can pound that dent out on the hood
A tinker, a tailor
A soldier's things
His rifle, his boots full of rocks
Oh, and this one is for bravery
Oh, and this one is for me
And everything's a dollar
In this box
@MrUnidyne
My father was a Korean war veteran who died this morning at 81. This song has been going through my head all day.
@DONTCRYPEPE
MrUnidyne thank you for your service
@balduinoiv5268
one of my uncles serving in korea, with Colombian Batallion, he fought in the old baldy battle, he told ne ones, that make the correct thing just take us one second to change a life, i always try to imagine why he told that, anyway, greetings to you from Colombia.
@wilhelmrogue1
RIP to your uncle
@jacknicholls9679
Thanks your for your service once a solider always a solider
@plankedskank
Sorry for your loss.. 7yrs ago
@goldeneagle3608
We are still in the desert......
@chestyp0311
Goldeneagle360 I am still in the desert, I am still there, patrolling grinding tired
@mathcie8465
So take your package and let the arabs live their life without your fake justice which is just petrol dollars avidity 😉🤬
@faresbenyoussef8996
"I heard the black birds sing" Arthur Shelby.
Cheers to you all peaky blinders fans