Tom Waits

[Estranged Reality]

As a lyricist he's on par with Dylan.

As a vocalist he's superior.

His vocals are an acquired taste. You either love them or hate them. One person described them as "Springsteen having a seizure." I love him.

He experiments with so many different genres, and was fooling around with industrial before Trent Reznor even started recording and before, indeed, it even had a name.

His new albums ORPHANS is genius. Pure genius. Some of his best work - ever.

Pick it up. It's worth the fifty bucks.

[frankwhite]

As a lyricist he's on par with Dylan.

As a vocalist he's superior.

His vocals are an acquired taste. You either love them or hate them. One person described them as "Springsteen having a seizure." I love him.

He experiments with so many different genres, and was fooling around with industrial before Trent Reznor even started recording and before, indeed, it even had a name.

His new albums ORPHANS is genius. Pure genius. Some of his best work - ever.

Pick it up. It's worth the fifty bucks.

my favorite waits album is nighthawks at the diner, but i love him in general. i have every album n every movie he's in too (talk about ur stalkers )

[Estranged Reality]

As a lyricist he's on par with Dylan.

As a vocalist he's superior.

His vocals are an acquired taste. You either love them or hate them. One person described them as "Springsteen having a seizure." I love him.

He experiments with so many different genres, and was fooling around with industrial before Trent Reznor even started recording and before, indeed, it even had a name.

His new albums ORPHANS is genius. Pure genius. Some of his best work - ever.

Pick it up. It's worth the fifty bucks.

my favorite waits album is nighthawks at the diner, but i love him in general. i have every album n every movie he's in too (talk about ur stalkers )

I've been meaning to buy Down By Luck. Is it any good?

I saw his cameo in The Fisher King the other day. Brilliant movie!

[frankwhite]

As a lyricist he's on par with Dylan.

As a vocalist he's superior.

His vocals are an acquired taste. You either love them or hate them. One person described them as "Springsteen having a seizure." I love him.

He experiments with so many different genres, and was fooling around with industrial before Trent Reznor even started recording and before, indeed, it even had a name.

His new albums ORPHANS is genius. Pure genius. Some of his best work - ever.

Pick it up. It's worth the fifty bucks.

my favorite waits album is nighthawks at the diner, but i love him in general. i have every album n every movie he's in too (talk about ur stalkers )

I've been meaning to buy Down By Luck. Is it any good?

I saw his cameo in The Fisher King the other day. Brilliant movie!

down by law, n it is HILAIRIOUS!!!!! it really is!!! i reccomend any of Jim Jarmusches movies but that particular one is great!!! it REALLY is!!!!

[adnan]

Certainly not on par with Dylan, Young, or Springsteen, but he's right up there, for sure.

[Estranged Reality]

Certainly not on par with Dylan, Young, or Springsteen, but he's right up there, for sure.

I think he's far better than Springsteen.

And I do honestly think he's on par with Dylan.

It's dreamy weather we're on

You waved your crooked wand

Along an icy pond with a frozen moon

A murder of silhouette crows I saw

And the tears on my face

And the skates on the pond

They spell Alice

I disappear in your name

But you must wait for me

Somewhere across the sea

There's a wreck of a ship

Your hair is like meadow grass on the tide

And the raindrops on my window

And the ice in my drink

Baby all I can think of is Alice

Arithmetic arithmetock

Turn the hands back on the clock

How does the ocean rock the boat?

How did the razor find my throat?

The only strings that hold me here

Are tangled up around the pier

And so a secret kiss

Brings madness with the bliss

And I will think of this

When I'm dead in my grave

Set me adrift and I'm lost over there

And I must be insane

To go skating on your name

And by tracing it twice

I fell through the ice

Of Alice

And so a secret kiss

Brings madness with the bliss

And I will think of this

When I'm dead in my grave

Set me adrift and I'm lost over there

And I must be insane

To go skating on your name

And by tracing it twice

I fell through the ice

Of Alice

There's only Alice

Little black girl in a red dress

On a hot night with a broken shoe

Little black girl you shoulda never left home

Theres probly someone thats still waitin up for you

Its cold back in chicago

But in los angeles its worse

When all you got is $29.00 and an alligator purse

I see already that vulture in the fleetwood

With the shartruse hood

Can see youre trying to get your bearings

And you say hey which ways the main stem

And where ever you say youre from

Hell say he grew up there himself

And hell comeon and make you feel

Like you grew up right next door to him

And you say take a left on central

And he throws it in reverse

Cause you only got $29.00 and an alligator purse

And hell come on like a gentleman

And youll be a little shy

You say your ex old man was a sax player

Hell say baby I used to play bass for sly

And you say you like his cadillac, say honey I got 2 or 3

Hell say sweetheart youre sure fortunate

That you ran into me

When youve done a dime in the joint

You figure nothin could be worse

And you got $29.00 in an alligator purse

Well he got pharoh on the 8 track

You start smokin a little boo

You thinkin gettin out of chicago was the

Best thing ever happened to you

But he aint no good samaritan

Hell make sure hes reimbursed

Lot more than $29.00 and an alligator purse

Now the sirens just an epilog

The cops always get there to late

They always stop for coffee on the way to the scene of the

Crime

They always try so hard to look like movie stars

They couldnt catch a cold

You only wasting your dime

And shes lucky to be alive

The doctor whispered to the nurse

She only lost a 1/2 pint of blood

$29.00 and an alligator purse

Well, Jesus will be here

Be here soon

he's gonna cover us up with leaves

With a blanket from the moon

With a promise and a vow

And a lullaby for my brow

Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

Well I'm just gonna wait here

I don't have to shout

I have no reason and

I have no doubt

I'm gonna get myself

Unfurled from this mortal coiled up world

Because Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

I got to keep my eyes open

So I can see my Lord

I'm gonna watch the horizon

For a brand new Ford

I can hear him rolling on down the lane

I said Hollywood be thy name

Jesus gonna be

Gonna be here soon

Well I've been faithful

And I've been so good

Except for drinking

But he new that I would

I'm gonna leave this place better

Than the way I found it was

And Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

Well my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splickly out to my old '55

As I drove away slowly, feeling so holy, God knows, I was feeling alive.

Now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck, freeway cars and trucks,

Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,

Oh, Lord, let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.

And it's six in the morning, gave me no warning; I had to be on my way.

Well there's trucks all a-passing me, and the lights are all flashing,

I'm on my way home from your place.

And now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck, freeway cars and trucks,

Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade

Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,

Oh, Lord, let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.

And my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splickly out to my old '55

As I pulled away slowly, feeling so holy, God knows, I was feeling alive.

Now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck,

Freeway cars and trucks, freeway cars and trucks, freeway cars and trucks...

Edited December 6, 2006 by Estranged Reality

[adnan]

Well yeah, opinions and all that. Springsteen seems musically and lyrically superior to me.

Tom Waits is great, no doubt. I'm not saying he isn't.

[shades]

but springsteen is pop music.

I never heard any Waits.

Ill go find some

[adnan]

Springsteen is pop?

Have you heard ANYTHING other than "Born in the U.S.A." or "Tunnel of Love"?

[Guest Ohdistortedsmile1789]

You're forgetting Morrissey.

[adnan]

Who's forgetting Morissey?

I haven't listened to him in ages. I should.

[Guest Ohdistortedsmile1789]

Who's forgetting Morissey?

I haven't listened to him in ages. I should.

All of you.

Yes, you should.

[Estranged Reality]

Who's forgetting Morissey?

I haven't listened to him in ages. I should.

All of you.

Yes, you should.

I still prefer Waits.

[adnan]

To be honest, comparing great minds like Waits, Morrissey, Young, Springsteen, and Dylan is very hard to do. They're all nearly as good as each other, and unlike comparisons between Zeppelin and Cream for example, you can't debate it properly. It'll always come down to opinion.

[nameless_girl]

Thank you! This is what I've been saying for ages - Waits is most certainly on par with what is most commonly percieved to be the Holy Trinity of "confessional" songwriters: Dylan, Young, Springsteen (I still haven't really listened to Young, though, so I can't say much about how justified his place atop that pedestal is).

Except that I'd definitely add the downright shamefully underrated Cohen to that list as well.

[frankwhite]

Thank you! This is what I've been saying for ages - Waits is most certainly on par with what is most commonly percieved to be the Holy Trinity of "confessional" songwriters: Dylan, Young, Springsteen (I still haven't really listened to Young, though, so I can't say much about how justified his place atop that pedestal is).

Except that I'd definitely add the downright shamefully underrated Cohen to that list as well.

he kicks ass. i think the song 'The Future' is the bestest social commentary ever. early shit rules too, although a lotta people find him very dreary. he's definietly a more accomplished/recognised poet than dylan.

[Zeppelin]

Tom Waits is incredible.

[nameless_girl]

Except that I'd definitely add the downright shamefully underrated Cohen to that list as well.

he kicks ass. i think the song 'The Future' is the bestest social commentary ever. early shit rules too, although a lotta people find him very dreary. he's definietly a more accomplished/recognised poet than dylan.

I've always been of the opinion that his literary accomplishments, i.e. those of a poet but also novelist, exceed Dylan's or pretty much any other singer-songwriter's I can think of.

I'm not as much a fan of his early period as I am of the "dark" era, though. Colloquially known as "if you wanted to kill yourself, this would be the music to do it to... or, if you hadn't intended on doing so, you will after listening to these songs."

[Nightrain_Kid]

Havnt heard enough of him to judge but what i have heard is very cool. Nick Cave is as good as anyone mentioned and Ryan Adams being the best contemporary songwriter out there surely deserves a place in such illustrious company

[worldwideboss]

Dylan is a better songwriter, but there's no shame in being second to God himself. To Waits' credit, he is a very talented writer and a singer with a signature voice. Great artist.

[frankwhite]

Except that I'd definitely add the downright shamefully underrated Cohen to that list as well.

he kicks ass. i think the song 'The Future' is the bestest social commentary ever. early shit rules too, although a lotta people find him very dreary. he's definietly a more accomplished/recognised poet than dylan.

I've always been of the opinion that his literary accomplishments, i.e. those of a poet but also novelist, exceed Dylan's or pretty much any other singer-songwriter's I can think of.

I'm not as much a fan of his early period as I am of the "dark" era, though. Colloquially known as "if you wanted to kill yourself, this would be the music to do it to... or, if you hadn't intended on doing so, you will after listening to these songs."

aint a motherfucker that clocks that literary aspect tho...sad.

[Dead Flower]

Well, Jesus will be here

Be here soon

he's gonna cover us up with leaves

With a blanket from the moon

With a promise and a vow

And a lullaby for my brow

Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

Well I'm just gonna wait here

I don't have to shout

I have no reason and

I have no doubt

I'm gonna get myself

Unfurled from this mortal coiled up world

Because Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

I got to keep my eyes open

So I can see my Lord

I'm gonna watch the horizon

For a brand new Ford

I can hear him rolling on down the lane

I said Hollywood be thy name

Jesus gonna be

Gonna be here soon

Well I've been faithful

And I've been so good

Except for drinking

But he new that I would

I'm gonna leave this place better

Than the way I found it was

And Jesus gonna be here

Be here soon

If you listened to that song without knowing who the artist is, you'd swear it was a by some old-time black bluesman. Not something from an album released in 1992.

That's what I love about 'Bone Machine'. Every song has its own identity - it's like a host of different characters, each with their own short story. I often imagine the gruff, naive criminal that's hurtling along the highway in his Olds '88 when I listen to Goin' Out West. Or the toothless farmer picking at his banjo as he recalls a grisly crime in Murder In The Red Barn.

That was my first Tom Waits album, and I love it.

Since then I've also purchased 'Closing Time' and 'Blue Valentine', which are both completely different from 'Bone Machine', but equally great. Also 'Swordfishtrombones' and 'Rain Dogs', which I haven't clicked with as much yet.

So, yeah, I'm still working my way though his mountains of material, but I'm really enjoying it. He's much more diverse and interesting than Dylan, really.

[Nightrain_Kid]

Im listening to Rain dogs as i type, i love this album

[worldwideboss]

Im listening to Rain dogs as i type, i love this album

Great record, although I prefer Closing Time.

[Wild_Child]

As good as Dylan? No.

But this guy is damn good.