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 Waitsβs 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 FreischΓΌtz" 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 BΓΌchner. 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 β 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 β ideally naked and purring on the hood of a new car. I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor."
The Part You Throw Away
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wreck it down
You walk away, then you
Turn around
What did that old blonde
Gal say?
That is the part
You throw away
I want that beggars eyes
A winning horse
A tidy Mexican divorce
St. Mary's prayers
Houdini's Hands
And a Barman who always
Understands
Will you loose the flowers
Hold on to the vase
Will you wipe all those teardrops
Away from your face
I can't help thinking
As I close the door
I have done all of this
Many times before
The bone must go
The wish can stay
The kiss don't know
What the lips will say
Forget I've hurt you
Put stones in your bed
And remember to never
Mind instead
Well all of your letters
Burned up in the fire
Time is just memory
Mixed in with Desire
That's not the road it is
Only the map, I say
Gone just like matches
From a closed down cabaret
In a Portuguese Saloon
A fly is circling around
The room
You'll soon forget the
Tune that you play
For that is the part
You throw away
Oh that is the part
You throw away
The lyrics of Tom Waits's song The Part You Throw Away describe the process of letting go of things in life that are no longer serving you, whether it be a relationship, a memory, or a physical object. The first verse talks about losing something slowly and then turning back around to look at it. The "old blonde Gal" mentioned is likely a metaphor for a wise woman who is advising the listener to cast away the parts of their life that they don't need. The repetition of the phrase "That is the part you throw away" serves as a reminder to the listener to focus on what is important and let go of the rest.
The next verse lists a series of desires that the singer has, from "beggars eyes" to "Houdini's hands." These could be interpreted as the things that the singer wants to keep in their life, despite the need to let go of other things. The chorus continues with the theme of letting go, asking if the listener will keep the vase or the flowers, and encouraging them to wipe away their tears.
The third verse reflects on the repetition of this cycle of letting go and holding on. The "bone must go" but the "wish can stay." In other words, while it's important to let go of what doesn't serve you, it's also okay to hold on to what brings you joy. The final verse takes a surreal turn with the image of a fly circling around a Portuguese Saloon. The listener is encouraged to forget the tune they're playing and throw away the parts of their life that are holding them back.
Line by Line Meaning
You dance real slow
Move gently and slowly on the dance floor.
You wreck it down
You ruin or destroy everything you touch.
You walk away, then you Turn around
You're indecisive and unsure of what you want.
What did that old blonde Gal say?
You're questioning the wisdom of someone who has been around for a while.
That is the part You throw away
You need to discard the things that won't matter in the end.
I want that beggars eyes
I'm longing for the eyes of someone who has seen hardship and struggle.
A winning horse
I'm after something that will come out on top, no matter what.
A tidy Mexican divorce
I desire a clean break from something that's gone wrong.
St. Mary's prayers
I'm seeking divine intervention and guidance.
Houdini's Hands
I want someone who can perform magic tricks and make the impossible possible.
And a Barman who always Understands
I need someone who can listen and sympathize without judging or criticizing.
Will you loose the flowers
Are you willing to let go of the beauty and sweetness in your life?
Hold on to the vase
Will you keep the container even after its contents are gone?
Will you wipe all those teardrops Away from your face
Can you move on and get past the sorrow?
I can't help thinking As I close the door
I'm reflecting on past mistakes and missed opportunities.
I have done all of this Many times before
I keep repeating the same patterns and making the same mistakes over and over again.
The bone must go
You need to remove something that's causing you pain or discomfort.
The wish can stay
You can hold onto the hope for something better.
The kiss don't know What the lips will say
A kiss may not lead to the words or actions you expect.
Forget I've hurt you
Please forgive and move on from any pain I've caused.
Put stones in your bed
Create something uncomfortable or unsettling as a form of punishment or revenge.
And remember to never Mind instead
Just let it go and don't dwell on the things that don't matter.
Well all of your letters Burned up in the fire
All of our communication is lost and destroyed.
Time is just memory Mixed in with Desire
The past is just a collection of emotions and experiences.
That's not the road it is Only the map, I say
The plan may not work out the way you thought, but you can still find your way.
Gone just like matches From a closed down cabaret
Like a fleeting moment, things can disappear quickly and unexpectedly.
In a Portuguese Saloon A fly is circling around The room
Even in the midst of something seemingly peaceful, there can still be irritants and distractions.
You'll soon forget the Tune that you play
People will forget your actions and decisions in the grand scheme of things.
For that is the part You throw away
Things that seem important or necessary now may not matter in the end.
Oh that is the part You throw away
This idea of discarding unnecessary things is reinforced.
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Kathleen Brennan, Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ohdannyboy4727
They say the perfect song couldn't be made.
Tom: hold my beer
@Agent_47_S
I don't know how you bring this feeling to life, I don't even know how to describe it, but great job Tom, this is perfect. I wish you make more songs with this kind of feeling. This song has been on repeat for me for a long time now :)
@roeberdt-bT.1021
..."born and fated"...,.
...
...,.
.,...
@ferminbarajaspazos6853
Este es un temazo de Tom, pero los dioses no existen.
@paulawhannell18
Forget that I hurt you put stones in our bed and remember to never mine instead. β€
@boneytony5041
Donβt listen to old blonde gals.
@annalisavajda252
Who are the ones that we left in charge?
Killers
Thieves
and
Lawyers.
@roderickbalt8993
He sounds a bit like Steve Earle here, or rather the other way around :).
@mauditanglais2510
I do not have a god, but if I did I would say O M G to Tom.
@psychologicalsigma9917
You really think your acknowledgement of a god or not determines the matter π
What if ur God believes in you n u don't believe in it?