Tom Waits — Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen)
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Total ratings: 428
Length: 6:20
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Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did
I've got what I paid for now
See ya tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you?
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and every thing's broken
And my stacks are soaking wet
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cab's parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old bush mill's I staggered, you buried the dagger in
Your silhouette window light
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
Now I lost my Saint Christopher now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the Maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say
That the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Mathilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No Prima Donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers and goodnight to Mathilda too
I've got what I paid for now
See ya tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you?
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and every thing's broken
And my stacks are soaking wet
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cab's parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old bush mill's I staggered, you buried the dagger in
Your silhouette window light
To go Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
Now I lost my Saint Christopher now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the Maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say
That the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Mathilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda
You'll go Waltzing Mathilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No Prima Donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers and goodnight to Mathilda too
Comments (120)add comment
Rated a 10 only because I can't rate it an 11, and also rating it that high might cause one or two of the haters to pop a blood vessel in rage.
Stand up diamond guy Tom.
Good gawd please make it stop!
tony620d wrote:
"I don't get played on the radio ever. Marcel Marceau gets more airplay than I do."
-Tom Waits
tom is played way to much on RP
"I don't get played on the radio ever. Marcel Marceau gets more airplay than I do."
-Tom Waits
tony620d wrote:
tom is played way to much on RP
That is an incorrect statement. Please disregard.
FamilyMan wrote:
TW is a piece of work. That voice, bruised and wounded by smoke and whiskey (I imagine) - like broken glass being ground, - masks the beauty of the imagery...wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did, I've got what I paid for now...it's a battered old suitcase and a hotel someplace, and an old wound that will never heal
Tom is a writer who illicits images of a gritty, and bare world I'm too scared to visit. But when he takes me there, it's a blast.
Whenever I see raindrops at night on my windshield, I tell my wife they're diamonds and become wistful for a steel train in the rain.
Dude! Nice...
Tom Waits is not covering Waltzing Matilda! He has used the chorus--that's all--listen to the lyrics! It is a mournful song--possibly about a soldier--Vietnam maybe--who is in a dire situation--very moving--not at all about hobos in Australia stealing sheep and getting caught etc. It is a haunting song and his voice fits it perfectly. number6 wrote:
By and large I like Tom Waits. Quite a bit.
But I hate Hate HATE his cover of this song.
Several years ago, I saw Jim Schwall sing it solo, acoustic guitar on his lap, as the final farewell to Tom Peterson. (If any of you are from Madison, WI, and ever saw a show at Brave Hearts Theatre, you'll know just why the man deserved the send-off we gave him.)
Anyway, Schwall's version will always be the definitive version of this song. It was spare, heartfelt, beautiful, and all of us were speechless and crying by the end.
Tom Waits is murdering it....
Hauntingly beautiful. It goes to show that even without a perfect instrument (in this case, his voice), an artist can still commit beauty when he pours his soul into his work.
Tom Waits talent aside, please put this song out of it's misery arrgghhh 
This guy is beyond brutal. It sounds like he's got gravel rolling around in his throat. Blech.
Please, let this song end. It just hurts.
When Tom Waits hits it right, I end up somewhere else, some time else. It 'aint always beautiful, but it is moving.
(click here)
TW is a piece of work. That voice, bruised and wounded by smoke and whiskey (I imagine) - like broken glass being ground, - masks the beauty of the imagery...wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did, I've got what I paid for now...it's a battered old suitcase and a hotel someplace, and an old wound that will never heal
Tom is a writer who illicits images of a gritty, and bare world I'm too scared to visit. But when he takes me there, it's a blast.
Whenever I see raindrops at night on my windshield, I tell my wife they're diamonds and become wistful for a steel train in the rain.
tlong9396 wrote:
I like his version of this song. He made it his own and it sounds fresh to me.
It is his own. Waits rarely does covers. He wove in an old Australian tune to his poem to synthesize something familiar with something tragic and haunting. Others have covered Wait's song not vica versa.
pyxxel wrote:
No... NOOOOO... NOOONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hate it guts, sorry. Does NOTHING for me. Lyrics aside... I cannot listen to them while his voice grates on my nerves so hard it hurts....
OMG too much, please stop it....
Although must admit, the babe on the cover is cute... :D:D
No... NOOOOO... NOOONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hate it guts, sorry. Does NOTHING for me. Lyrics aside... I cannot listen to them while his voice grates on my nerves so hard it hurts....
OMG too much, please stop it....
I just can't take this guy's voice seriously. Whenever I hear him I immediately think about that Bill Brasky skit on SNL with one of the Baldwin brothers and John Goodman.
I like his version of this song. He made it his own and it sounds fresh to me.
Had to readjust this from a "2" to a "1" ...Sucko barfo.
I have tried so hard to get into this guy. He is an acquired taste - one that I just can't acquire. I'm glad he's out there; I think he's great in his own way; I've tried a couple of his discs; I simply find him unlistenable. Call me crazy....
voice drives me nuts - not a fit for this song
Gonna go listen to woxy.com until RP shapes up
tom waits rocks.
hehehe people on the office: "Dude what a hell is that"? is that a joke? Is he drunk?
They don't know .... although i admit .. is kinda funny at the begin of the song! :)
OScar
It's been averaging a "6". I just gave it a "7". 
number6 wrote:
To be specific in my complaints: I think Waits's lyrics are beautiful and evocative. But, as much as I like the man's vocal stylings, his singing voice is absolutely horrid for a ballad like "Waltzing Matilda". It completely destroys it for me. So much so that I wish he had never recorded it.
Yes, well... his voice may not be right for "Waltzing Matilda" but the song is "Tom Traubert's Blues"... just because the two songs have similar lines and the second evokes some of it's emotional strength from the connotations inherant to the first song, doesn't make it the same song. The song is quite different and is a perfect snapshot of one of life's deep, sad places. It is a potentially eternal song.
this song made me want to kill myself- just so I would be able to stop listneing. I could have changed channels, but I was hoping RP would come back to its senses.
When I first hear this my first thought was, "You've got to be kidding me...there is no way that is a real voice." But I learned long ago to not go by what sounds good; if you do forget ever hearing Bob Dylan or many other excelent artists. After listening to a few lines I fell hard for this song. I now play it regularly in my car and my 5 year old son lists it among his favorites, too. You've got to start them young on the road to good taste.
steeler wrote:
number6 wrote:
You misunderstand me. I don't deny that Tom Waits's version is particular to Tom Waits. If you check out the website I noted -- but one of countless many -- you'll see that the original song credited to "Banjo" Paterson has been morphing across the generations. There is no truly definitive version of the lyrics, and the tune has also gone through a few twists and turns (though it inevitably retains the melodic character present even in Waits's version).
All I meant to say was that, in my opinoin, the version of "Waltzing Matilda" rendered by Tom Waits sucks rocks in comparison to every other version I've heard. And it sounds particularly bad in comparison to a singularly beautiful solo performance I was lucky enough to witness firsthand.
To be specific in my complaints: I think Waits's lyrics are beautiful and evocative. But, as much as I like the man's vocal stylings, his singing voice is absolutely horrid for a ballad like "Waltzing Matilda". It completely destroys it for me. So much so that I wish he had never recorded it.
Are you freaking kidding me?! This song is more than 100 years old!
Bone up on your music history, my friend.
https://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/
You could not be more wrong. See below. number6 wrote:
Are you freaking kidding me?! This song is more than 100 years old!
Bone up on your music history, my friend.
https://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/
You could not be more wrong. See below.
Tom Traubert's Blues
(Four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen)
Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did
I got what I paid for now
See you tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you?
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and everything's broken
And my Stacys are soaking wet
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cabs parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmills I staggered, you buried the dagger
In your silhouette window light
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St. Christopher, now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the strip-tease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say
That the streets aren't for dreaming now
And manslaughter dragnets, and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow
Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen, flame keepers
And goodnight, Matilda, too
Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music (ASCAP), © 1976 & Warner Bros. Music Ltd, 1976
Official release: "Small Change", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1976 &
"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981 &
"Asylum Years", WEA International Inc., 1986
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)
Might be Waits' most famous song. Covered by artists like: Rod Steward, The Pogues, The Dubliners, Rolf Harris, John McDermott and Dave Gannet. Featured on the Basquiat soundtrack (Polygram, 1996). A tune easily recognized and easy to sing along. It's 1976, Waits at the crowning moment of his" beatnik-glory-meets-Hollywood-noir period". But "Tom Traubert's Blues" stands out from his other more jazzy tunes. Waits himself must have had special feelings for the song, because in the 1970's and 1980's he used to close his shows with this song, giving his audience some food for thought on their way home. And unlike most of his other songs, he kept it unchanged for over 20 years. It's finished, nothing to add, it doesn't get any better.
It's the opening track on the album "Small Change", recorded from July 15 to July 20 1976 at the Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood and released in September 1976 by Asylum Records. Most of the songs were written in May 1976 in London after his European debut at: "Ronnie Scott's Club", Soho/ London. It is said Waits stayed there for about two weeks after which he continued to tour Europe.
Q (1988): "When did you first see yourself as a songwriter?"
Tom Waits: "Actually, even after I had made records. I didn't feel completely confident in the craft until maybe Small Change. When I first put a story to music. I fell I was learning and getting the confidence to keep doing it. "Tom Traubert's Blues" "Small Change" and "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" gave me some confidence." (Source: "Tom's Wild Years" Interview Magazine (USA), by Francis Thumm. October, 1988)
It's often stated the song is inspired by the Australian hymn "Waltzing Matilda" (written by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson). So it's tempting to assume both songs deal with the same subject-matter. But this is not the case. The only thing similar in both songs is the chorus. There has been a lot of discussion about the origin and copyrights of this Australian version. For more info on "Waltzing Matilda" go to this site by Roger Clarke. Or try this WaltzingMatilda.com.
Waltzing Matilda:
'Banjo' (A.B.) Paterson, c. 1890
There are differing versions, but this one seems to be the most sung (9)
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
Up Jumped the troopers, one, two, three
"Who's
that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me (10)
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong
"You'll never take me alive!", said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by the billabong
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
steeler wrote:
Did not Tom Waits write it?
Are you freaking kidding me?! This song is more than 100 years old!
Bone up on your music history, my friend.
https://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/
This is actually one of my favorite songs by Mr. Waits. Some of his other stuff is too harsh-sounding for me...but this...this is amazing. :)
number6 wrote:
By and large I like Tom Waits. Quite a bit.
But I hate Hate HATE his cover of this song.
Several years ago, I saw Jim Schwall sing it solo, acoustic guitar on his lap, as the final farewell to Tom Peterson. (If any of you are from Madison, WI, and ever saw a show at Brave Hearts Theatre, you'll know just why the man deserved the send-off we gave him.)
Anyway, Schwall's version will always be the definitive version of this song. It was spare, heartfelt, beautiful, and all of us were speechless and crying by the end.
Tom Waits is murdering it....
Did not Tom Waits write it?
tom is played way to much on RP
By and large I like Tom Waits. Quite a bit.
But I hate Hate HATE his cover of this song.
Several years ago, I saw Jim Schwall sing it solo, acoustic guitar on his lap, as the final farewell to Tom Peterson. (If any of you are from Madison, WI, and ever saw a show at Brave Hearts Theatre, you'll know just why the man deserved the send-off we gave him.)
Anyway, Schwall's version will always be the definitive version of this song. It was spare, heartfelt, beautiful, and all of us were speechless and crying by the end.
Tom Waits is murdering it....
Ung, I have respect for stuff like, oh Leon Redbone and the like who have very interesting rough low voices, but this is just horrific.
If you're going to sing a ballad, don't sound like on every measure someone's punching you in the gut.
Sounds like he had a bottle of jack and got onstage next to some guy with a piano.
talkingvo wrote:
it sounds like he's about to hack up his left lung. with a cat attached to it.
I happen to disagree, but THAT is some funny stuff. laugh. out. loud.
For you detractors, man you just don't get it! And that's OK, you just have not walked far enough yet and been hungry enough...only then will you even begin to scrap the surface. Thanks Bill! 8) And thanks Tom W.
bwlang wrote:
ear grating
i agree with you wholeheartedly. it sounds like he's about to hack up his left lung. with a cat attached to it.
ear grating
Yankeelake wrote:
Tom Waits is exactly one of the reasons I started listening to RP.... "
Yep - I'm right with you. TW has written and performed real jewels from the sweet and sad ones like this to "You Goota Get Behind the Mule in the Morning and Plow"...and many more. And a radiio station that follows Tom Waites with Stevie Wonder....I know I'm home! So grateful for RP.Shesdifferent wrote:
his music is so very uninspiring. I feel like I should be at a bar crying in my beer listening to this nails on the blackboard screeching song
You contradict yourself, my friend. You may not like that particular inspiration, but you're inspired. As by few others, I'd bet.
Pyro wrote:
While Tom obviously has SOUL, it HURTS me to hear him sing. Literally gives me the willies.
Agreed.. the only thing I think of when I hear his horrible voice, or some of the drivel from Randy Newman (when it is that) is an episode of Family Guy ... Y2K happens and in the Nuclear Holocaust's aftermath.. Peter & Family up and go on a search for a twinky factory.. they come to a house, and it has a patch of grass, apple tree, and the property's inhabitant says its ok for the family to stay there.. if they don't mind Randy Newmans' singing.. and all he does then is sing about everything he sees.. much like some of newmans' real songs..
I can listen to this album and 'Closing Time' over and over forever. What an amazing song writer. Nobody can evoke the moods and emotions like Tom Waits can. Just awesome.
Tom Waits has one of those love it or hate it voices like Leon Russell, or Neil Young...but his music is so very uninspiring. I feel like I should be at a bar crying in my beer listening to this nails on the blackboard screeching song-aaaaahhhhhhhhPLEASE DON'T PLAY THIS SONG ANYMORE!
madtowner11 wrote:
Tom Waits might not have the most conventional voice in the world, but that's why I love him. Neil Young, on the other hand, is like Tom Waits in that his voice is unconventional, but, unlike Tom Waits, Neil Young's voice sucks ass. Tom Waits for President.
i dunno. i think people misunderstand neil young for EXACTLY the same reason that they misunderstand tom waits. two brilliant, odd, often misunderstood artists, imho.
i've said the exact thing before, just not as artfully. i too wonder why some people listen to rp! maybe just for the purpose of ranting, i don't know. boy, i'm glad i don't have that kind of hate or misery in me.
Yankeelake wrote:
Tom Waits is exactly one of the reasons I started listening to RP. What's interesting is that as the station grows, I find a lot more voices that shun some of the most interesting and talented musicians we have. Maybe that's why I love Tom so much. He isn't mainstream.
He has a way with love songs and ballads that you just can't get with a polished, velvety smooth voice. Try listening to The Briar and the Rose off of the Black Ryder album. How many people know that he wrote Jersey Girl? If you listen to the emotion he sings with, you might never want to hear Springsteen sing it again.
I think that I am just a bit disappointed with the amount of negativity from listeners who don't appreciate a particular artist or song. This station was built of that kind of variety. If I wanted to hear pop radio, I could tune into any one of a thousand stations broadcasting that mind numbing repitition hour after hour. Lighten up folks.there's a lot of "different" music out there that may not be to your taste, but reading through the comments, there are plenty of listeners who appreciate the variety that don't moan about songs they "don't get". Just my 2 cents...
Wow - this song is beautiful. Never heard it before - thanks RP!!
Can't get the picture of Tom Waits, shades donned and cigarrette dangling from mouth doing a slow, sexy waltz with that creature from Kangaroo Jack.
/Is that a Joey in your pouch or are you just happy to be slow dancing with me?
While Tom obviously has SOUL, it HURTS me to hear him sing. Literally gives me the willies.
Joyfulchristine wrote:
heartrendingly lovely
My words exactly.
Unbearably sweet and sad...
The man can write a tune pretty much as well as anyone out there, but man it takes some patience to deal with his vocals. I guess I don't understand why his voice changed so much from his earliest work. Is he forcing it like this to be cool like an old blues/jazz cat or has he feasted on a diet of unfiltered Camels and rot-gut whiskey? Either way, he's the definition of cool, but I'd prefer he stuck to writing music for other people with "smoother" voices to sing.
rock on
ebhp
:umbrella.gif: :fight.gif: O:) :fever.gif: 8) :nodhead:
heartrendingly lovely
Tom Waits is exactly one of the reasons I started listening to RP. What's interesting is that as the station grows, I find a lot more voices that shun some of the most interesting and talented musicians we have. Maybe that's why I love Tom so much. He isn't mainstream.
He has a way with love songs and ballads that you just can't get with a polished, velvety smooth voice. Try listening to The Briar and the Rose off of the Black Ryder album. How many people know that he wrote Jersey Girl? If you listen to the emotion he sings with, you might never want to hear Springsteen sing it again.
I think that I am just a bit disappointed with the amount of negativity from listeners who don't appreciate a particular artist or song. This station was built of that kind of variety. If I wanted to hear pop radio, I could tune into any one of a thousand stations broadcasting that mind numbing repitition hour after hour. Lighten up folks.there's a lot of "different" music out there that may not be to your taste, but reading through the comments, there are plenty of listeners who appreciate the variety that don't moan about songs they "don't get". Just my 2 cents...
diane wrote:
Horrid. Awful. Bad & Sad.
..
Maybe the last one on your list . . . I prefer to label it as wistful, though. Not a chance on the first three.
Horrid. Awful. Bad & Sad.
Can't he hear himself?
Perhaps that sense has gone the way of his voice...
And good night, Matilida, toooooooooo . . . .
istanbulbaby wrote:
à ÃÚêîãÀà ëÚ÷Ãî ÚñïîëÌçîâà ë ÀåÞåâóß ðóññêóß òóà ëåòÃóß áóìà ãó. Ãî åñëÚ ÿ ñÀåëà ë, òî îà ÷óâñòâîâà ë áû êà ê ãîëîñ Tom Wait's.
I am not sure about the point of the above, but I'll take that as a "yes". Just wanted to know. Too many people say, for example, "taste like shit" without understanding they imply that they actually know what shit really taste like. :p
Blech! His voice feels like cheap toilet paper from Russia!
I suppose you speak from experience then?
à ÃÚêîãÀà ëÚ÷Ãî ÚñïîëÌçîâà ë ÀåÞåâóß ðóññêóß òóà ëåòÃóß áóìà ãó. Ãî åñëÚ ÿ ñÀåëà ë, òî îà ÷óâñòâîâà ë áû êà ê ãîëîñ Tom Wait's.
redeyespy wrote:
Even after several listens it's still:
wow. just wow.
Sums it up for me.
istanbulbaby wrote:
Blech! His voice feels like cheap toilet paper from Russia!
I suppose you speak from experience then?
My nose is cold and I can't bring myself to go outside. It's wet. It's dirty, It's really freaking cold. Did I say I was cold? It's my first New York winter.
But this song made me feel warmer.
Blech! His voice feels like cheap toilet paper from Russia!
Stevo wrote:
Hey, I'm Tom Waits and I repeat the same lyric over and over in an annoying voice....
<-( :^o
Tom Waits might not have the most conventional voice in the world, but that's why I love him. Neil Young, on the other hand, is like Tom Waits in that his voice is unconventional, but, unlike Tom Waits, Neil Young's voice sucks ass.
Tom Waits for President.
:P
I like some Tom Waits, but this isn't doing it for me.
Gawd, it sounds like he's passing a kidney stone...put the poor man out of his misery!
Stevo wrote:
Hey, I'm Tom Waits and I repeat the same lyric over and over in an annoying voice....
Repeat the same lyric over and over? You've got to be kidding. Have you even read the lyrics to this song?
Hey, I'm Tom Waits and I repeat the same lyric over and over in an annoying voice....
fncll wrote:
It's a freaking sign of the end times that this has anything less than a 9 or so average... sheesh
:nodhead:
Yashure wrote:
can someone please put me out of his misery!
Hit mute, or install my mute filter.
I've just turned up the volume. What a great song after what we just heared!
It's a freaking sign of the end times that this has anything less than a 9 or so average... sheesh
hcaudill wrote:
I was curious about this song, after seeing a National Geographic article on Banjo Paterson, the Australian poet who wrote "Waltzing Matilda", which is a sort of unofficial national song of Australia. I found this page, which tells you everything you need to know and more:
https://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Smallchange/Tomtraubertsblues-ub.htm
that's wonderful. thanks :D
I've always enjoyed Tom Waits' music. I will admit that this isn't one of my favorite songs, but I listen to the "Closing Time" album ALL the time. By the same token, I found his "Blood Money" album, with a few exceptions, to be bloody aweful.
hey tom. shut up already with your mopey voice.
can someone please put me out of his misery!
I was curious about this song, after seeing a National Geographic article on Banjo Paterson, the Australian poet who wrote "Waltzing Matilda", which is a sort of unofficial national song of Australia. I found this page, which tells you everything you need to know and more:
https://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Smallchange/Tomtraubertsblues-ub.htm
Turns out the Tom Waits song has nothing in common with the Australian song except for that one line. "Tom Traubert's Blues" is, in Tom's words, a song about vomiting in a foreign country. "Waltzing Matilda" is about a sheep rustler.
*smacks forehead*
South Park? Tom Waits being compared to South Park must be a sign of the apocolypse. Sheer insanity.
yeesh, but I dislike Tom Waits. I just don't have whatever gene makes one want to listen to stuff like this. it's not just the music, which I find mopey, but his voice feels like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
maybe in another decade or two.
If your tastes run to cartoons, then, yeah, you probably won't get this.
wxman wrote:
Sounds like a SouthPark song.
I was thinking SNL's Frankenstein sings the blues
god this song sucks. shoot me now or better yet shoot him now. delete this song!
wxman wrote:
Sounds like a SouthPark song.
It's funny cause it's true.
Sounds like a SouthPark song.
Monster Ballad
playing this as I drove across North carolina in my convertable in the rain.
I hear it now and I swear I can hear my windshild wipers still.
it's a foggy rainny song, of wishes almost received.
His voice is definitely an acquired taste.
That said, I do enjoy the piano work in this very much.
samiyam wrote:
it's just SO LAME when i hear people saying that tom waits is "good even though he can't really sing."
tom waits sings just fine.
could louis armstrong sing?
Tom Waits is a song-writer's GOD. His voice may be cruddy, but you wouldn't ask Dylan to change his, would you?
his voice is CRUDDY?
methinks you just aren't getting it.
tom waits has a singing voice to DIE FOR.
geez, get a clue.
he's a great singer.
he has a great voice.
it really bugs me that people think that there's something "wrong" with tom waits' voice.
hello...he's sounding like that ON PURPOSE.
this is kinda like when people like only early picasso because his art was more realistic and "understandable" "back then."
well, listen to tom's early albums. he was more "realistic" back then, too. Ii just have to stop whatever I am doing and listen when I hear this aching beauty.
Even after several listens it's still:
wow. just wow.
I get the feeling that Tom doesn't care whether you think he can sing or not.
The sad truth in the US now is that he and Dylan and Springsteen and Nick Cave and others would never even get a record contract now. If you ain't on Am Idol, you ain't marketable.
newfff wrote:
Sounds pretty good from here. Are your ears faulty? 
I guess he's an aquired taste... I thought the song would never end. ">
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Well Put
samiyam wrote:
Tom Waits is a song-writer's GOD. His voice may be cruddy, but you wouldn't ask Dylan to change his, would you?
Dylan once claimed that he was as great a vocalist as Caruso, "I hit all the notes." Ditto Waits. If you don't like his tone, well, get over it. There is no better rendition of this classic.
red5_bc wrote:
"Hey, Tom... you can't sing" Why didn't anyone ever tell him this?
Sounds pretty good from here. Are your ears faulty?
Geed wrote:
A killer. Tom doesn't get any better than this. During my "long weekend" after my father had suddenly passed away, this and a handfull of other Tom classics kept me company while I sorted eveything out. Words cannot describe.....
Could not agree more (I think our comments -- mine are below -- entered at same time). This is probably the only song that I will play over and over again when my mood requires.
A killer. Tom doesn't get any better than this. During my "long weekend" after my father had suddenly passed away, this and a handfull of other Tom classics kept me company while I sorted eveything out. Words cannot describe.....
phhht wrote:
He's a GREAT lyricist. You can hear it in Alice, Step Right Up, Singapore, etc. etc.
This is just a brilliant song in so many ways. The lyrics are the most descriptive, poetic, and, yes, cryptic as any I've ever heard. Street poetry at its best. And the juxtaposition of Tom's gravelly voice with the beautiful music, well, it is just sublime.
phhht wrote:
He's a GREAT lyricist. You can hear it in Alice, Step Right Up, Singapore, etc. etc.
I was always partial to Postcard from a Prostitute in Minneapolis and Romeo is Bleeding.
...Throws a bottle at a milk truck
as it breaks he grabs his nuts
They all know the could be like Romeo if they only had the guts...
"Hey, Tom... you can't sing" Why didn't anyone ever tell him this?
grelch wrote:
For those who don't get Tom, it's pretty simple. He's a great story teller. He's a Steinbeckian storyteller of a musician. "I lost my St. Christopher as soon as I kissed her." As for his voice, tom Waits couldn't have any other. It's his vehicle. Might be an acquired taste, but if you choose not to acquire it, you'll be missing some very beautiful and haunting music.
Tom Waits is a song-writer's GOD. His voice may be cruddy, but you wouldn't ask Dylan to change his, would you?
stickytylertoo wrote:
...I lost my St. Christopher now that I kissed her...
He's a GREAT lyricist. You can hear it in Alice, Step Right Up, Singapore, etc. etc.
There is simply no one else like Tom Waits. A true original.
For those who don't get Tom, it's pretty simple. He's a great story teller. He's a Steinbeckian storyteller of a musician. "I lost my St. Christopher as soon as I kissed her." As for his voice, tom Waits couldn't have any other. It's his vehicle. Might be an acquired taste, but if you choose not to acquire it, you'll be missing some very beautiful and haunting music.
I was fortunate enough to have this be the first song I EVER heard by Tom Waits... and have loved him since. 
CaptTofu wrote:
man, my throat hurts just hearing this.
I was thinking the same thing. I'm pretty surprised the song is as long as it is (or seems).
What a heartbreaking song. In an NPR interview about a year ago, Tom Waits said something to the effect that he likes to tell painful songs with beautiful melodies. He certainly succeeds. That interview is well worth searching for on the www.npr.org site for fans of The Man.
I just dont get this guy. People on here seem to love him, though. I hear the voice and i gringe.
What a treat !
Please don't make Tom Waits a stranger to the RP playlist !!!
from the opening notes, I knew this song... warmed my heart now as much as it did all those many years ago. I never imagined I'd ever hear it on any kind of radio.... thank you! 
Coppertop wrote:
Damn I love this song !!
You one smart guy! This is truly a great song.
Damn I love this song !!
Beautiful song from the master.
man, my throat hurts just hearing this.
...I lost my St. Christopher now that I kissed her...