Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

7/28/2019 Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

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TOM WAITSS NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER

Before Waitsian Raindogs, there were... Nighthawks.

Nighthawks at the diner of Emma's 49er

there's a rendezvous of strangers

around the coffee urn tonight...

("Eggs & Sausage", 1975)

Nighthawk n 1: a person who likes to be active late at night [syn: {night owl},

{nightbird}] 2: mainly nocturnal North American goatsucker [syn: {bullbat},

{mosquito hawk}] (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, WordNet (r) 1.6(wn) interface)

Night-hawk (Heb. tahmas) occurs only in the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:16;

Deut. 14:15). This was supposed to be the night-jar (Caprimulgus), allied to the

swifts. The Hebrew word is derived from a root meaning "to scratch or tear the

face," and may be best rendered, in accordance with the ancient versions, "an

owl" (Strix flammea). The Revised Version renders "night-hawk. (Easton's 1897

Bible Dictionary (easton))

Though Waits himself never said so, the title and cover art of the album refers to

the Edward Hopper's painting: "Nighthawks" (1942.Oil on canvas: 30 x 60 in. The

Art Institute of Chicago.)

Click here for more info on Hopper.

Jay S. Jacobs (2000): "Waits's manager, Herb Cohen, suggested that he do a live

album. One that would showcase the compelling Waits stage persona Waits

himself had some reservations about embarking on the live album project, but he

eventually agreed to do it. Bones Howe was enthusiastic from the outset, and he

knew just how the job should be done. I said I didn't want to go into a club. I'dseen Tom live and we could make a much better record if ... we made a recording

studio into a club. There was a room at the back of the Record Plant. It's a big

recording studio, almost a soundstage. We put a little stage over in the corner.

There was a booth with glass, so we didn't need to be in the room." Howe

scheduled the Record. Plant shows for the last two days of July 1975, and

everyone got to work creating the appropriate ambiance. "We put tables in the

room and we had a guest list," says Howe. "We had beer and wine and potato

chips on the tables. And we sold out four shows ... two nights in a row. Tom got

this stripper named Dwana to be the opening act." Dwana was an old-timeburlesque queen whom Tom had met on one of his jaunts to the Hollywood


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underworld. She warmed up the crowd - which was largely made up of friends

and acquaintances of Waits and crew - and everyone was primed for a drunken

voyage into an Edward Hopper painting or a Charles Bukowski poem. Waits didn't

plan on disappointing them. Bones had put together a live band from the session

musicians who had worked on The Heart of Saturday Night. Mike Melvoin servedas bandleader and also covered keyboards. Pete Christlieb blew tenor sax, Jim

Hughart hauled the upright bass, and Bill Goodwin played drums. Melvoin recalls

the scene: "Candles on the tables ... A room full of people. The show started with a

stripper, who was the classic old tassle-twirler. It was wonderful. The ambiance

was great. The band was sensational. The interaction between the band and Tom

was wonderful - between the band and Tom and the audience. It was great

chemistry, and I have to hand it to Bones for putting that together." Later on,

says Howe, when the time came to mix the album, he and Tom "just went out and

hid in a recording studio. We took the best of each of the four shows, put an

album together out of it and then mixed it. We had a really, really good time

doing it. The album shows that." The album's working title had been "Nighthawk

Postcards from Easy Street," but they shortened it to Nighthawks at the Diner.

Listening to the finished product, it's evident that the sessions it documents were a

hoot for everyone involved, but, as often happens with live albums, fun in concert

didn't quite translate onto vinyl." (1)

Dan Daley (2004): "For Waits' and Howe's first collaboration, it seemed logical to

move up to the larger track configurations that were quickly becoming popular,

and Heart Of Saturday Night and Nighthawks At The Diner, the first two albumsthey made together, in 1974 and 1975 respectively, were done on the 3M 16-

track deck at Wally Heider's Studio 3. Nighthawks was an especially interesting

project. "We did it as a live recording, which was unusual for an artist so new,"

says Howe. "Herb Cohen and I both had a sense that we needed to bring out

the jazz in Waits more clearly. Tom was a great performer on stage Herb had

him out there opening solo with an acoustic guitar for the Mothers Of Invention,

so that was a baptism under fire for anyone, having to yell back at the hecklers

and do your show. I told Tom that he should use a piano instead, and he says

back [and Howe can almost perfectly mimic Waits' trademark growl andinflections], 'There's never one up there!' So we started talking about where we

could do an album that would have a live feel to it. We thought about clubs, but

the well-known ones like the Troubadour were toilets in those days. "Then I

remembered that Barbra Streisand had made a record at the old Record Plant

studios, when they were on 3rd Street near Cahuenga Boulevard. It's a mall now.

There was a room there that she got an entire orchestra into. Back in those days

they would just roll the consoles around to where they needed them. So Herb

and I said let's see if we can put tables and chairs in there and get an audience

in and record a show. "I got Michael Melvoin on piano, and he was one of the

greatest jazz arrangers ever; I had Jim Hughart on [upright] bass, Bill Goodwin


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on drums and Pete Christlieb on sax. It was a totally jazz rhythm section. Herb

gave out tickets to all his friends, we set up a bar, put potato chips on the tables

and we had a sell-out, two nights, two shows a night, July 30 and 31, 1975. I

remember that the opening act was a stripper. Her name was Dewana and her

husband was a taxi driver. So for her the band played bump-and-grind music

and there's no jazz player who has never played a strip joint, so they knew

exactly what to do. But it put the room in exactly the right mood. Then Waits

came out and sang 'Emotional Weather Report'. Then he turned around to face

the band and read the classified section of the paper while they played. It was

like Allen Ginsberg with a really, really good band." Howe used a similar

microphone setup as for previous sessions, although he had to make a few

exchanges based on what Record Plant had available those nights. Electro-voice

RE16s replaced the Shures he was used to, and Howe set up a Shure SM57 for

Waits's vocal. "It was easy to use as a hand microphone," he says. "I also had a

RE16 for him to use if he wanted." Howe ran the 3M 16-track deck at 15ips. "I

knew the high end sounded better at 30ips, but I didn't like how it emasculated

the overall sound and thinned out the low end. All the jazz records I recorded I

did at 15ips. I actually went from 15ips on tape right up to the moment I started

working in digital."(2)

Bones Howe's original layout diagram for the live recording that would become

Nighthawks At The Diner.(2)

Tenor sax (Pete Christlieb). Nr.1: Shure SM57 micDrums (Bill Goodwin). Nr. 2, 3: Shure 546 mic on the kick and hi-hat. Nr. 4, 5, 6:

Sony C37 mics(?)

Electric piano (Mike Melvoin). Nr. 7: direct

Upright bass (Jim Hughart). Nr. 23, 24: direct

Piano (Mike Melvoin/ Tom Waits). Nr. 22, 10, 12: Electro-voice RE16 mic (vocals),

Shure SM57 mic, Telefunken U87 mic

Vocals (Tom Waits). Nr. 8, 9: Shure SM57 mic, Electro-voice RE16 (second mic)

Michael Melvoin (1999): "I knew that I was dealing with an extraordinary,different kind of talent. There were a couple of things about it. First of all, the

lyrics ... I would describe them as top-rank American poetry. I thought then, and I

still believe, that I was dealing with a world-class poet. My degree from school was

in English literature, so I felt that I was in the presence of one of the great Beat

poets. Tom's work was a counterpoint to that experience. I was amazed by the

richness of it. The musical settings that he was using reminded me of certain roots

jazz experiences that I thought were very, very appropriate for that."(3)

By the way, a Nighthawk is actually a bird. But it probably isn't what you

expected it to be...


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It's the size of a Robin...

Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

Identification Tips:

Very short bill. Blackish upperparts with gray and white patterning.Brown and white patterning on head and chest. Underparts with heavy dark

bars.

Dark wings with conspicuous pale patch midway out from bend in wing.

Dark tail with thin white bars.

The common nighthawk is easily recognizable as it flies high over city streets

and rooftops, or country areas on summer evenings. A hollow booming sound is

produced by the wings as the bird pulls out of a steep dive while in pursuit of

flying insects. Nighthawks catch mosquitoes, flying ants, and other insects on the

wing. Their enormous mouths, with surrounding bristles, are ideally suited for

aerial capture. Nighthawks build no nests. Instead, they lay their eggs on the

ground, or, in cities, on flat gravel rooftops.

Notes:

(1) Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits." Jay S. Jacobs, ECW

Press 2000

(2) Source: "Bones Howe & Tom Waits" by Dan Daley, Sound On Sound.

January/ February 2004

(3) Source: "Wild Years, The Music and Myth of Tom Waits." Jay S. Jacobs, ECWPress 2000. Telephone conversation. June 25, 1999

Part of the

Tom Waits Supplement

1999-2005


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Emotional Weather Report(1)

What we're talking about is late night and early morning low clouds

with a chance of fog, chance of showers into the afternoonwith variable high cloudiness and gusty windsGusty winds at times around the corner of Sunset and Alvorado(2)Yeah, I know, things are tough all overWhen the thunder storms start increasing over theSoutheast and South Central portions of my apartment, I get upsetAnd a line of thunderstorms was developing in the early morningahead of a slow moving coldfront, cold bloodedwith tornado watches issued shortly before noon Sundayfor the areas including the western region of my mental healthand the northern portions of my ability to deal rationallywith my disconcerted precarious emotional situationIt's cold out thereColder than a ticket taker's smile at the Ivar Theatre, on a Saturday nightFlash flood watches covered the southern portion of my disposition, yeahThere was no severe weather well into the afternoon

except for kind of a lone gust of wind in the bedroomA high pressure zone covering the eastern portion of a smallsuburban community with a 1034 millibar high pressure zoneand a weak pressure ridge extending from my eyes down to my cheekscause since you left me baby and put the vice grips on my mental healthwell, the extended outlook for an indefinite period of timeuntil you come back to me, baby, is high tonight, low tomorrowand precipitation is expectedThat wraps up the weather for this evening.Now back to the eleven o'clock blues.Doctor George Fishbeck(3) ain't got nothing on me!Written by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP ), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(1) Opening intro: "Well... an inebriated good evening to you all.Welcome to Raphael's Silver Cloud Lounge. Slip me a lil' crimson,Jimson. Gimme the low-down, Brown. Now what's the scoop, BettyBoop? I'm on my way into town. Christ, while we're at it, I want to thankDawna for opening the program for us. I'm so goddam horny that the


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crack of dawn better be careful around me! Yeah... I wanna pull on yourcoat about somethin' here tonight. Yeah, a little news I'd like to throw inyour direction. See, I... I used to know a girl... Yeah, and it was a hubba-hubba and ding ding ding, I said baby you got everything. A week later itwas a hubba-hubba and ding ding dong, baby it sure didn't last too long. Iknow, things are tough all over, and they ain't getting any better. I wasmoved to kinda squib a little bit of kind of an emotional weather forecastfor you this evening. What I'm talking about is, well you know, I've beenplaying night clubs and staying out all night long. Comin' home late. Gonefor three months, come back and everything in your refrigerator turns intoa science project. So you get designs on a waitress, you know? She gotthree or four kids. She's sorting out her checks and she's counting out herchange. You say, 'Hey baby, heat me up a bear claw on the radar range.'Well, then it gets real cold... (Transcript by Pieter from Holland as publishedon the Tom Waits Supplement. August, 2000)

Raphael's Silver Cloud Lounge: Located along I-25 in New Mexico,about 45 miles north of Albuquerque and 15 miles sounth of Santa Fe. Aclassic road house in the 70's. Lot's of cool (non-stadium level) bandsplayed there. About 500 miles to Phoenix/ Dallas/ Denver. A logicalstopover for any band road tour. (Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)

Low-down, lowdown n.: The real truth; confidential or authenticinformation; relevant facts; little known intimate facts; info; dope

(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).Also mentioned inBarber shop, 1977: "What's the low down Mr. Brown heard you boy'sleavin town". Notice the same phrase being mentioned in Barber Shop,1977: "What's the low down Mr. Brown, heard you boy's leavin' town."

Hubba-hubba: excl. [1940s+] (US teen) term of approval, esp. whendirected at a passing girl [hubba! hubba!, a college cheer] ("Cassell'sDictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).Also mentioned in Standing On The Corner, Cleveland version, 1976:"Im gonna watch em go by. Oh, hubba hubba, man."

(2) Sunset and Alvarado: Corner in downtown L.A. (90026) about a milefrom Dodger Stadium. A seedy section of West Hollywood: very poor,multi-ethnic, and run-down. Charles Bukowski lived for quite a while inthis area and wrote of the whores, drugs, numerous bars and generaldepravity of the area. (Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)(3) Doctor George Fishbeck: A well known now retired L.A. newsweather caster for ABC (KABC in the 1970s). (Submitted by Adam Jacksonas sent to Tom Waits Supplement. July, 2002)


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On A Foggy Night(1)It was all upon a foggy(2) night, an abandoned roadIn a twilight mirror mirageWith no indication of any kind of service stationOr an all-night garageI was misinformed(3), I was misdirectedCause the interchange never intersectedLeaving me marooned(4) beneath a bloodshot moonAll upon a foggy night, a foggy nightAll upon a foggy nightIt was kind of an abandoned road, in a blurred brocade collageIs that a road motel, I cant really tellYou gotta tell me, is that a vacancy lodgeTheres no consolation, what kind of situationTo be aimlessly askew amidst a powder blue(5)No tell tail(6) light clueSpun just like the spell you spinThis precarious pandemonium

Roslyn, Im stranded, all upon a foggy nightLike a sweepstakes ticket for a Broadway arcadeHeads you win, tails I loseIm ramblin, Im gamblinAll upon a foggy nightFoggy nightFoggy nightFoggy nightYou got the vice grips on my personalityIts all upon a foggy nightAll upon a foggy nightAll upon a foggy nightOn a foggy nightAll upon a foggyAll upon a foggy nightWritten by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975


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(1)Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": "Well, I think its abouttime Itook you on an improvisational adventure into the bowels of theMetropolitan region. Looks like a bona fide high voltage decked out in fullregalia Angelino audience, driving in Subarus, Pintos, Malibus,Oldsmobiles. A small suburban community. This is kinda bout two thirtyin the morning. You been standing on the corner of 5th and Vermouth,and you climb into the helm of a 1958 monkey-shit brown Buick Super,and youre on your way home. A luxury automobile, bought at Dollar BillsEasy Autos for next to nothin. Youre cruisin along, everythings goinfine. Put a little smooth music on the stereo. Light up an Old Gold, savethe coupon! Gotta think in terms of that patio furniture and that Toromower, man. Yeah. Youre on the Santa Monica freewayheaded in aneasterly direction, you just passed the La Cienega good turn-off, and yourun into a cold fogbank... "(Transcript by Pieter from Holland as published onthe Tom Waits Supplement. August, 2000)

Bonified/ Bona fide: adv. [20C] (US black) competent, qualified, the rightman for the job [? Fr. bon, good + sfx, -ifiedor pron. of Lat. bona fide,genuine, lit. 'in good faith'] (Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)

Old Gold: American cigarette brandname. Produced by Lorillard Inc."During the 1950s Old Gold Cigarettes sponsored quiz show commercialsthat featured models dressed in oversized replicas of Old Gold cigarette

boxes. Called "The Dancing Butts," they danced across the stage duringcommercial spots Unseen but for their gorgeous legs, the models in theseclassic TV ad spots included Gloria Vestoff as "Regular," Dixie Dunbar as"King Size" and Whitey as the "Little Matchbox." The cover for SmallChange shows a pack of Old Golds lying on the table

Intro to On A Foggy Night (Folkscene, 1974): "This is the soundtrack fora film - the soundtrack was written quite a bit later than the film - the filmcame out about 1947 and I wrote it just a couple of weeks ago and it'sabout a foggy night on one of those "triangle" films that you see on TheLate Showand this is just about the eternal triangle - like George Raftand Fred McMurray and Rosalind Russell - and somebody has to go andit's going to be George Raft in this case and Fred McMurray's got this oldPlymouth and he's on this foggy road with McMurray in the trunk, a littlebit of his lapel sticking out the back of the trunk and this song comes onthe radio ...." (Folkscene 1974, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7)

Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. July 23, 1974 (June 10?))


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Intro to On A Foggy Night (Folkscene, 1975) "There's a stretch ofhighway from Blythe to San Diego - I drove all night from Nogalis and Igot to Blythe and I hadn't washed my windshield. Driving through Blytheat about 3 o'clock in the morning I sort of imagined all these Eucalyptustrees hanging over the highway and these big radio towers which weren'treally there. I was just driving a long time. And I've talked to truck driversthat say that same stretch of highway they imagined being in a forest - ifyou've been driving for a long time but there's something about cominginto town on highway 8 that's exciting. But when we were going out therewas a fog bank up around Hecumba(?) and - God, a mysterious wet fogwas hanging over the highway and so we're coming down and this isabout driving on a foggy night on an abandoned road late at night ..."(Source: Folkscene 1975, with Howard and Roz Larman (KPFK-FM 90.7)Source: audio tape. Date: Los Angeles/ USA. January 12 (February 13?),1975)

(2) Foggy adj.: Confused; confusing, perplexing; unrealized, not specificenough (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(3) I was misinformed: This might be quoting from 'Casablanca': Louis:

And what in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick Blaine: Myhealth. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Louis: The waters? Whatwaters? We're in the desert. Rick Blaine: I was misinformed.(4) Maroon v. adj.: 1. To put ashore on a desolate island or coast andleave to one's fate 2. To place or leave in isolation or without hope ofready escape (Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)

(5) Powder blue: n. A moderate to pale blue or purplish blue. Etymology:From the color of powdered smalt (Source: The American HeritageDictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright 2000 byHoughton Mifflin Company) Notice the same phrase being used in BarberShop, 1977: "I just bought myself a struggle buggy suckers powder blue."Downtown, 1980: "Just another dead soldier in a powder blue night."

(6) No tell tail light clue: tell tail/ tell tale. A motor vehicle's indicator light(it shows where one/ the car is)

Eggs & Sausage(1)(In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)Nighthawks at the diner(2)of Emmas 49erTheres a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight

All the gypsy hacks and the insomniacs(3)Now the papers been read, now the waitress said


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Eggs and sausage and a side of toastCoffee and a roll, hash browns(4) over easyChile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? Yeah...

Its a graveyard(5)charade, its a late shift masqueradeAnd its two for a quarter, dime for a danceWoolworth(6)rhinestone diamond earrings and a sideways glanceNow the register rings, now the waitress singsEggs and sausage and a side of toastCoffee and a roll, hash browns over easyChile in a bowl with burgers and fries

What kind of pie? YeahNow well, the classified section offers no directionIts a cold caffeine in a nicotine cloudNow the touch of your fingers lingers burning in my memoryIve been 86ed(7) from your schemeNow Im in a melodramatic nocturnal sceneNow Im a refugee from a disconcerted affairNow the lead pipe morning falls, now the waitress callsEggs and sausage, another side of toastCoffee and a roll, hash browns over easyChile in a bowl with burgers and friesNow what kind of pie?A la mode if you will(8)Just come in and join the crowdHad some time to kill, yeahYou see, I just come in to join the crowd

Had some time to killJust come in to join the crowdCause I had some time to killWritten by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release:"Nighthawks At The Diner", Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975 &"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981Arrangements and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (AmscoPublications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

(1) Intro: "I was always eh... kinda wanted like to consider myself kind ofa pioneer of the palate. A restaurateur if you will. Ive wined, dined, sipped


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and supped in some of the most demonstrably demi-epitomable bistros inthe Los Angeles metropolitan region. Eh-he-he-he... Yeah, Ive hadstrange looking pattie melts at Norms. Ive had dangerous veal cutlets atthe Copper Penny. Well, what you get is a breaded Salisbury steak and aShakenBake, and topped with a provocative sauce of Velveeta and half-and-half..., eh-he-he-he. Smothered with Campbells tomato soup. He-he-he-he... You see, I had kind of a eh... well, I ordered my veal cutlet, Christit left the plate and it walked down to the end of the counter. (...?...)waitress (...?...), boy shes wearing those rhinestone glasses with the littlepearl thing clipped on her sweater. The veal cutlet come down trying tobeat the shit out of my cup of coffee but... Coffee just wasnt strongenough to defend itself. Eh-he-he-he..." (Transcript by Pieter from Hollandas published on the Tom Waits Supplement. August, 2000)

Pattie melt n.: A rissole (the pattie) with melted swiss cheese (the melt,q.v.) on top, served on a piece of rye bread soaked with melted butter andgrilled (s.a. foods). (American - Australian slang dictionary, O'Shea)Shake 'n Bake: Brandname of a popular US instant food. Introduced in1965 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (SHAKE 'N BAKEcoating mix in two versions, chicken and fish)Velveeta: Brandname of a US soft processed-cheese spread. Introducedin 1928 by Kraft Foods/ General Foods Company (VELVEETA)Half-and-Half: 1. Coffee creamer, semi-skimmed milk 2. A blend of darkand medium roast coffee beans 3. A cup of half coffee and half milk.

Campbell: Brand of soup in the typical red-and-white can. Made famousby the graphic work of Andy Warhol in 1968.

L) Warhol's famous interpretation. R) The original Campbell logo

Intro to Eggs & Sausage (WAMU Radio, 1975): TW: "This is new, I don'tknow what the hell to do with it really yet, but after you hang aroundenough diners, it seems a place you always go when you're feeling like a

refugee from a disconcerted love affair - you end up at a 24 hour place, inLA we got a place called Norm's - all the losers are there and thewaitresses are all good looking." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview Source:audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

(2) Nighthawks At The Diner: 1. Refers to Edward Hopper's famouspainting: "Nighthawks", 1942. Oil on canvas: 30 x 60 in. The Art Instituteof Chicago 2. DL: "Cars, in fact, are one of Waits' real passions. Hesports an elaborate tattoo on his arm emblazoned with the word'Nighthawk', which was the name of a 'car-club' he belonged to as a

teenager and he can readily run off a list of the wheels he's owned,including his current emerald green '64 T-bird." (Source: "Tom Waits: A


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Sobering Experience", Sounds magazine, by Dave Lewis. Date: August 4,1979)(3) Insomniac adj: Experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness;"insomniac old people"; "insomniac nights"; "lay sleepless all night";"twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights"- Shakespeare [syn: sleepless,

watchful] n : someone who cannot sleep [syn: sleepless person] (WordNet 1.6, 1997 Princeton University)(4) Hash browns, Hash-brown potatoes: Finely chopped, cookedpotatoes that are fried (often in bacon fat) until well browned. The mixtureis usually pressed down into a flat cake in the pan and browned on oneside, then turned and browned on the other. It's sometimes only brownedon one side. Other ingredients such as chopped onion and green pepperare often added for flavor excitement (Epicurious food dictionary, CondNetInc.). Notice "Hash browns" also being mentioned in The Ghosts OfSaturday Night, 1974: "Hash browns, hash browns, you know I can't be

late."(5) Graveyard shift n.: A working shift that begins at midnight or 2:00A.M. to 8:00 A.M. It refers, of course, to the ghostlike hour of employment(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(6) Woolworth: Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852-1919 ). U.S. merchant,born in Rodman, N.Y.; from profits of his chain of five-and-ten-cent storesbuilt the Woolworth Building, New York City. The Woolworth Building islocated at 233 Broadway and was completed in 1913, it was the tallestbuilding in the world from 1913-1930. It was financed by Frank Woolworthand often called the "Cathedral of Commerce." So - "Woolworth

rhinestone diamond earrings" would be really cheap earrings(7) Eighty-six v.t.: 1. Lit. and fig., to reject or disqualify a person; toignore, insult, or tease someone; to eject someone from a place or groupesp. from a bar, against his will. Common lunch-counter use; used by thecook to inform waiters that there is no more of a specific dish 2. A personwho is not to be served, as at a lunch counter, because he is thought tobe undesirable or unable to pay; a person who is not to be served liquor,as at a bar, because he is or will become drunk and/ or disorderly.Alluses because the term rhymes with "nix." Used by waiters, bartenders,etc. so that customers will not understand(Dictionary Of American Slang,

Wentworth/ Flexner)

(8) A la mode if you will: originally transcribed as: "Have a bowl if youwill." A la mode: adj. Served with ice cream: apple pie la mode. (Source:The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton MifflinCompany. All rights reserved.)


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Better Off Without A Wife(1)All my friends are marriedEvery Tom and Dick and Harry(2)

You must be strong if youre to go it aloneHeres to the bachelors and the Bowery(3) bums(4)Those who feel that theyre the onesThat are better off without a wifeCause I like to sleep until the crack of noonMidnight howlin at the moonGoin out when I want to,And Im comin home when I pleaseDont have to ask permission

If I wanna go out fishinNever have to ask for the keysIve never been no Valentino(5)But I had a girl who lived in Reno(6)Left me for a trumpet playerWell, it didnt get me downHe was wanted for assaultAnd though he said it werent his faultYou know the coppers(7) rode him right out of town(8)Ill be sleeping until the crack of noonMidnight howlin at the moonAnd Ill be goin out when I want toComin home when I pleaseDont have to ask permissionIf I wanna go out fishinNever have to ask for the keysYeah, you see Im kinda selfish about my privacyNow as long as I can be with meWe get along so well I cant even believe itI love to chew the fat(9) with folksIll be listening to all your dirty jokesIm so thankful for these friends I do receiveIll be sleeping until the crack of noonMidnight howlin at the moonAnd Ill be goin out when I want to

Comin home when I pleaseDont have to ask permission


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If I wanna go out fishinNever have to ask for the keys, noHey, I got this girl I know, man, and I just...

Shes been married several times and...I dont wanna end up like her.I mean, shes been married so many timesshes got rice-marks all over her face.Yeah, you know the kind...Written by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(10)

Known covers:The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990.Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ Klsch)Step Right Up (The Songs Of Tom Waits). Various artists. November, 1995.Manifesto Records. Performed by Pete Shelley(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": "For all the bachelors outthere tonight. Yeah, for anybody whos ever whistled this song (plays thewedding march). Or maybe youve whistled it but youve lost the sheetmusic. Eh-heh-heh-heh. This is eh.... Well, actually, I dont mind going toweddings or anything. As long as its not my own, I show up. But, eh...Ive always kind of been partial to calling myself up on the phone andasking myself out. You know... (whoops from the audience). Oh yeah, youcall yourself up too, huh? Yeah... Well, one thing about it, youre alwaysaround! Yeah, I know. Yeah, you ask yourself out, you know. Some classjoint somewhere. The Burrito King or something. You know... Well, I aintcheap, you know. Take yourself out for a couple of drinks maybe, youknow. Then youll be... some provocative conversation on the way home.And park in front of the house, you know, and you... Oh yeah, youresmooth with it... you know, you put a little nice music on. Maybe you puton like... you know... like shopping music, something thats not too

interruptive, you know. And then, you know, and eh... slide over real nice,you know, say, Oh, I think you have something in your eye. Eh-heh-heh.Well, maybe its not that romantic with you, but Christ, I... you know! Itaint... you know... Take myself up to the porch, and take myself inside.Oh, maybe... I make a little something, a brandy snifter or something.Would you like to listen to some of my back records. I got somethinghere... Well, usually about 2.30 in the morning youve ended up takingadvantage of yourself and... there aint no way around that, you know.Yeah, making the scene with a magazine, there aint no way around... Illconfess, you know, Im no different, you know. Im not weird about it or

anything. I dont tie myself up first, I just... you know. I just kind of... spend


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a little time with myself. So this is kind of a little anthem here..." (Submittedby Ulf Berggren as sent to Raindogs Listserv Discussionlist, October 31, 1999)

Make the scene with the magazine, to:phr. [1900s] to masturbate, [joc.use ofmake the scene + assonance, with ref. to the 'men's magazines'used for stimulation] ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel& Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

Tom Waits (Intro from Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Well here's oneabout eh... matrimony... Eh, it's kind of an old song I kept working aroundeh... I used to do it like a blues and it ended up like a little ballad, like alittle anthem. But this is kind of a eh... Well I don't have any personalvendetta against the constipation of holy matrimony, but this is just kind ofa... " (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concert radio

show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (LawrenceJames Travagliante). December 3, 1975)

(2) Every Tom and Dick and Harry: 1a. Fig., just any youth or man(men) regardless of worth; a nobody. Usu. in the expression "every Tom,Dick and Harry."(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner ) 1b. Aset of nobodies; persons of no note; persons unworthy notice. Jones,Brown, and Robinson are far other men: they are the vulgar rich,especially abroad, who give themselves airs, and look with scorn on allforeign ways which differ from their own. ("The First Hypertext Edition of TheDictionary of Phrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. 1997-99Bibliomania.com Ltd)(3) Bowery, The: America's most famous Skid Row (New York City). TheBowery gets it name from boweryij, the Dutch word for farm, because itwas part of a farming area north of the city during the late 17th century.As the city grew northward, the Bowery grew in elegance andprominence, Philanthropist Peter Cooper and songwriter Stephen Fosterwere among those who called the street home. The Great BoweryTheatre opened in 1826 as the largest auditorium on the continent andcame to play a major role in the theatrical life of the city. After the CivilWar, much of the commercial and residential bustle of the city shifted toBroadway and Fifth Avenue. Elevated trains above the Bowery spewedoil and hot coals on the sidewalks below, making the street undesirablefor pedestrians. Cheap entertainment and cheap lodging replaced homesand businesses, drawing visiting sailors and a steady crowd of vagrants.The Bowery's seedy reputation earned it a prominent place in the cultureof the times. The Luc Sante novel Low Life focused on the neighborhood.And the work of painter Reginald Marsch was linked with the street life ofNew York, including the Bowery. From the 1930s to the 1950s, theBowery was featured prominently in films including the popular Bowery

Boys series. More recently, the famous street received mentions in theBroadway musicals Guys and Dolls and The Will Rogers Follies.("The


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Bowery Mission" at http://bowery.org/. Copyright 1997-2000 Christian Herald,Site Designed and Maintained by Admatha)(4) Bum n.: 1. Generally, a beggar, tramp, hobo, vagrant, or loafer; also,any jobless man or youth having little or no income; a poor, poorlydressed, and unkempt frequenter of saloons; a down-and-outer;

sometimes , a hoodlum 2. A drifter; a grifter 3. Any male without aprofessional occupation, goal in life, or social prestige; any disreputableor disliked youth (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).Alsomentioned in "Barber Shop" (Well, if I had a million dollars, what would Ido? Id probably be a barber, not a bum like you), "Mr. Henry/ TieUndone" (That the no good bum is at it again. After shes given him all thebest years of her life)(5) Valentino: Cliche expression meaning: a passionate lover. FromAmerican actor Rudolph Valentino. Born: 1985 Rodolpho Guglielmi diValentina D'Antonguolla in Castellaneto Italy. Died: New York 1926.

Became the stereotype Latin-lover(6) Reno: also mentioned in: Wrong side of the road, 1978: "And we'lldrive all the way to Reno on the wrong side of the road.", Hang on St.Christopher, 1987: "Hang on St. Christopher now don't let me go, get meto Reno and bring it in low."(7) Coppern.: A policeman; esp., a tough policeman or one who is intenton enforcing the law to its fullest (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/Flexner)(8) Town, out of: In prison. Some underworld use. (Dictionary Of AmericanSlang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(9) Chew the fat: 1. To talk; to gossip; to chat at lenght, esp. about trivialmatters. 2. A visit, esp. for the purpose of discussing "old times." Orig.British Army sl., W.W.I.(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(10) Song could be inspired by: "Doin' What I Please". Fats Waller, AndyRazaf. Transcribed from Don Redman and His orchestra, vocals by DonRedman; recorded October 6, 1932: "I'm staying single, Conscience atease, I'm free to mingle, I do what I please! When I'm out late nights, Noone has my keys, Yeah, I keep my dates nights Doin' what I please. Youknow, I don't have no starved waters, (?) Because they keep you on theshelf, And I ain't takin' orders, So I just go along enjoyin' myself. Should Igo sailing 'Cross the seven seas? No one can stop me, Doin' what I

please! You know I have romances, Just like a dog has fleas, And I takein all the dances, That's because I do what I please. I blow in at these

parties, Just like a reckless breeze; I outsmart all these other smarties,Because I do just what I please. You know, where there's no action, You'llfind that there's blues about, And I get my satisfaction Only when I'msteppin' out. And whenever I get tipsy Out at one of these jamborees, Noone can stop me, 'Cause I do what I please!"


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Nighthawk Postcards(1)

(From Easy Street)(2)Yeah, you check out the street and it looks like theres kind of a...Kind of a blur drizzle down the plate glassAnd as a neon swizzle stick(3)is stirrin up the sultry night airLooks like a yellow biscuit of a buttery cue ball moonRollin maverick across an obsidian skyAnd as the buses go groanin and wheezinDown on the corner Im freezinOn a restless boulevard at a midnight road

Im across town from Easy Street(2)With the tight knots of moviegoers and out-of-towners(4) on the stroll(5)The buildings towerin high above lit like dominoes or black diceUsed car salesmen dressed up in Purina checkerboard slacks(6)and FosterGrant(7) wrap-aroundsPacing in front of Rainbow, Earl Scheib(8), $39.95 merchandise.Like barkers at a shootin galleryThey throw out a Texas Guinan(9) routine:Hello sucker, we like your money, just as well as anybody elses hereCome on over here now...Let me put the cut back in your strut and the glide back in your strideNow climb aboard a customs Oldsmobile, let me take you for a rideOr they give you the P. T. Barnum(10) bit:Theres a sucker born every minute!''You just happened to be comin along at the right time, you knowCome over here nowAnd you know, all the harlequin sailors are on the stroll

In search of: "LIKE NEW", "NEW PAINT"and decent factory air and AM-FM dreams.Yeah, and all the piss yellow gypsy cabs(11)Theyre stacked up in the taxi zonesAnd theyre waitin like pinball machinesto be ticking off a joy ride to a magical placeLike "Truckers Welcome" dinerswith dirt lots full of Peterbilts and Kenworths and Jimmys(12) and the likeTheyre hi-ballin(13) with bankrupt brakesMan, theyre overdriven and theyre underpaid

Theyre overfed, and theyre a day late and a dollar shortBut Christ, I got my lips around a bottle


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and I got my foot on the throttle and Im standin on the cornerStandin on the corner like a just got in town jasper(14)Im on a street corner with a gasper(15)Lookin forsome kind of a Cheshire billboard grin(16)Stroking a goateed chinUsing parking meters as walking stickson the inebriated strollWith my eyelids propped open at half mastBut you know, over at "Chubbs Pool and Snooker"Well, it was a nickel after two, yeah, it was a nickel after two(17)And in the cobalt steel blue dream smokeWhy, it was the radio that groaned out the hit paradeAnd the chalk squeaked and the floorboards creaked

And an Olympia sign(18) winked through a torn yellow shadeOld Jack Chance himself leanin up against a WurlitzerMan, he was eyeballin(19) out a five ball combination shotImpossible you say? Hard to believe?Perhaps out of the realm of possibility?Naaaah!Cause he be stretchin out long tawny fingersout across a cool green felt in a provocative golden gateHe got a full table railshot thats no sweat

And I leaned up against my bannisterI wandered over to the Wurlitzer and I punched A2I was lookin for maybe Wine Wine Wine by the Night Capsstarring Chuck E. Weiss(20Or maybe... maybe a little somethin called High Blood Pressureby George "Cryin in the Streets" Perkins(21), no dice(22)Cause thats Life, thats what all the people sayYoure ridin high in April, youre seriously shot down in May(23)I know Im gonna change that tune(24)When Im standing underneath a buttery moon

thats all melted off to one sideOkayIt was just about that time that the sun came crawlin yellowout of a manhole(25) at the foot of 23rd Street(26)And a Dracula moon in a black disguisewas making its way back to its pre-paid room at the St. Moritz Hotel(27)And the El train(28) tumbled across the trestlesAnd it sounded like the ghost of Gene Krupa(29)With an overhead cam and glasspacks(30)


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And the whispering brushes of wet radials on wet pavementShhhhhhhhhhhhsh....With a traffic jam session(31) on Belmont tonightAnd the rhapsody of the pending eveningI leaned up against my bannisterAnd Ive been looking for some kind of an emotional investmentWith romantic dividendsYeah, kind of a physical negotiation is underwayAs I attempt to consolidate all my missed weekly rendezvousinto one low monthly payment, through the nose(32)With romantic residuals and legs akimbo(33)But the chances are that more than likelyStandin underneath a moon holdin waterI'll probably be held over for anothersmashed weekend!Thank you...Written by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner": "[upright bass solo]Goodness gracious, my bass player should be chained up somewhere.Mongrel... canine... growl. I wanna take you on kind of an inebriationaltravelogue here Yeah, aint got no spare, you aint got no jack You dontgive a shit, you aint never comin back. Maybe youre standin on thecorner of 17th and Wazee Streets. Out in front of the Terminal BarTheres a Thunderbird movin in a muscatel sky... He-he. Youve beendrinkin cleanin products all night... Open for suggestions... Eh-he-he-he.Its kinda bout... well its kinda bout goin down to the corner. Say, Well,Im just goin down to the corner to get a pack of cigarettes, Ill be back ina minute "(Transcription by Ulf Berggren, 2000)

Terminal Bar: A sleezly little bar 2 blocks straight up from the trainstation in Denver, Colorado where Waits hung out long ago. It is at 17th

and Wazee streets - or it was. Back when Waits hung out their it was avery sleezy part of Denver. Now however, with the baseball stadium(Coors Field) being built 3 blocks away, the area has been revitialized intothe hippest part of Denver (called 'LODO'). Alas the terminal bar justsuccombed to property value pressures and sold out in the Fall of 1996 (itis being severely remodeled into a yuppie resturant). (Tom Waits Digest,Seth Nielssen)

TW (WAMU Radio, 1975): "I'll tell you a story, I did this last night at theCellar Door, a friend of mine, John Heard (Hurt?), accompanied me on

piano, a great piano player, he sounds like George Shearing or earlyDave Brubeck, Steve Allen, he's a great piano player - it's called


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Nighthawk Postcards From Easy Street which is going to be the title ofmy next forthcoming album and it'll be out in October some time, a littlenarrative piece, I started writing it on the corner of 12th & Wazee St indowntown Denver, Colorado, out in front of a place called the TerminalBar, now that's about a half a block from the Santa Fe Freight Depotthere and originally the name they gave to the bar had to do with the factthat it was so close to the Santa Fe Freight but now 20 years later everyterminal case in town beats the pavement to get there. I started writing itin Denver, I finished it up on 23rd St in New York City - so this is kind ofan improvisational adventure into the bowels of the metropolitan region,kind of a travelogue piece - when the highway is a wet slick anaconda ofa 2 lane and you're motivating and negotiating a hairpin turn behind thewheel of a serious powder blue Ford Fairlane, with the whisperingbrushes of wet radials on wet pavement .."(Source: WAMU Radio InterviewSource: audio tape. Date: Washington, DC. April 18, 1975)

TW (Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Let's see eh... Well I could do youa kind of a [snaps fingers] Vroooooooom... vroooooomm... vrooooooom...You know eh, it's kind of a little inebriational travelogue here eh.. abouteh... It was kinda like say: Well, hey look baby, I'll be right back, I'm justgoing down the corner and get myself a pack of cigarettes see... And youknow, you get down and you hit the bricks and you notice there's kind of aThunderbird move rolling across a muscatel sky... You see... You'restanding there down there on the corner of 5th and Vermouth, it's a block

away from the corner of Baby Why Did You Leave Me and Why Don't YouPlease Come Back Home..." (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: TheCoffee Break Concert radio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conductedby Kid Leo (Lawrence James Travagliante). December 3, 1975)

(2) Easy street:1. Financial independence 2. A way of life characterizedby wealth and luxury; a pleasant and successful life; successful businessdealings (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(3) Swizzle stick n.: A stick used to stir mixed drinks (Merriam - Webstercollegiate dictionary).Also mentioned in "Putnam County" (And swizzle

stick legs jackknifed over naugahyde stools)(4) Out-of-townern.: A visitor or transient from out of town (Dictionary Of

American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(5) Stroll n.: A road, highway, or street. c1935 jive use; some Negro use(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).Also mentioned in"Drunk On The Moon" (Tight-slack clad girls on the graveyard shift,'Neath the cement stroll, catch the midnight drift), "Shore Leave" (Well,with buck shot eyes and a purple heart I rolled down the national stroll)(6) Purina Checkerboard Slacks: 1a. The small, red and whitecheckered square used as the logo for the Purina corporation (specializes

in dog and cat food). So in this case: red checkered slacks (Submitted byCheryl Dillis. August, 2000).


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Slacks: Trousers for casual wear. The word was used in the early 19thcentury as a coloquialism to describe trousers in general and, later,trousers worn by soldiers(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/

Flexner). 1b.Ralston Purinas famous "checkerboard" logo was amarketing decision by Danforth (company's founder), based on hischildhood memories of a family in which the mother dressed all of herchildren in clothing made from the same bolt of cloth. One year, herchoice of material was the checkerboard design, and Danforth neverforgot the distinctive red-and-white pattern. Today, more than a centuryafter its founding, Ralston Purina is the worlds largest producer of drydog and dry and soft-moist cat foods, which are marketed under thePurina brand name (Ralston Purina Company official website)

(7) Foster Grant: At the time a very famous brand of sunglasses in theUS. Promoting their brand with the slogan: "Who's that behind thoseFoster Grants?". You can buy your own pair at: The Foster GrantHomepage.

L) Louis Jordan M) Peter Sellers R) Terence Stamp(8) Earl Scheib: Earl Scheib, founded in 1937, is USA leader in low-costauto-painting. They call themselves: "The world's largest company-owned

and operated production auto-painting and body repair shop ". In the 60'stheir slogan was: "I'll paint any car any color for $ 29.95 ". The "any "colorwas not literal (mostly very simple primary colors ). Their logo wasdecorated with a colourful rainbow.

1999 Internet advertising

(9) Guinan, Texas: In the 20's Guinan owned several gin mills in New

York City. Her trademark welcome was "Hello, Suckers!" She began hercareer as an actress, and was one of the original silent moviecowgirls. Legend has it that the joint was raided one night when thePrince of Wales was there. She popped an apron on him and hid him inthe kitchen, washing dishes.

Q: How much of your audience do you think is hip to all the slangterminology you use? It seems you've made an exhaustive study of

American pop culture, especially the underside of it. There are terms Iknow that I'm sure most people don't, things like Thunderbird, Stacy

Adams, names like Texas Guinan....Tom Waits: Yeah. Kerouac made arecord back in '59 on Hanover Records with Steve Allen and he talked


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about her. Her famous line was, "Hello sucker." (Source: "Bitin' The GreenShiboda With Tom Waits" Down Beat magazine (USA), by MarvHohman. Date: Victoria restaurant/ Chicago. June 17, 1976)

(10) Barnum, P.T.: Flamboyant 19th century American entrepreneurPhineas Taylor Barnum. Born: 1810 - died: 1891. The first and perhapsgreatest showman of the US. In 1842 he opened his "American Museumof Curiosities" in NY city, in which he displayed all kinds of real but alsofake curiosities and freaks. In 1871 he opened his circus "The greatestshow on earth" in Brooklyn. The original circus was called simply the P. T.Barnum Circus. He then merged with his competitor and formed theBarnum & Bailey Circus. When Barnum died, Bailey ran the circus. When

Bailey died, the Ringling Brothers bought them out. That's how we get theincredibly long Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Heobtained a considerable wealth through his malafide, commercialapproach. Notorious swindler. The quote: "There's a sucker born everyminute" typifies his cynical view of life. Check out this article by R.J.Brown claiming he never said it...TW: "... Waits: Yeah, right. Barnum & Bailey had Sarah Bernhardt's legon display for a couple of years. They had it in formaldehyde. There wasa certain point where Sarah Bernhardt's leg was making more moneythan she was 'cause she was doing Shakespeare in bars. I don't know

how that ties in, but help me."("Tom Waits '99, Coverstory ATN". Addicted toNoise: Gil Kaufman and Michael Goldberg. April, 1999).TW: "... But I was trying to imagine what it would be like for a person[Eyeball kid ]with an enormous eyeball for a head to be in show business.If Barnum & Bailey were still around, I imagine he would have thrown inwith them."("The Man Who Howled Wolf". Magnet: Jonathan Valania.June/July, 1999)

(11) Gypsy n.: A taxicab operating without a taxi license (Dictionary OfAmerican Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(12) Jimmy, Jimmie n.: A car or engine built by GMC (General MotorsCorp. ). From pronouncing the initials GMC rapidly. Hot-rod use sincec1955(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(13) Highball, Hiball v.: To move ahead at full speed (The AmericanHeritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)(14) Jaspern.: An exceptionally pious or meek person. A rube. A fellow; aguy (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(15) Gaspern.: A cigarette, esp. marijuana cigarette. Much more common

in Eng. than in U.S.; now archaic in both countries (Dictionary Of AmericanSlang, Wentworth/ Flexner)


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(16) Cheshire grin:He grins like a Cheshire cat. Cheese was formerlysold in Cheshire moulded like a cat. The allusion is to the grinningcheese-cat, but is applied to persons who show their teeth and gumswhen they laugh. ("The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase andFable", E. Cobham Brewer. 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd ).Also quoted in"Small Change": "And the naked mannequins with their Cheshire grins."(17) A nickel after two: meaning five minutes past two. Nickel: n.[1970s+] (US) the number five [nickel, a 5-cent coin] ("Cassell's DictionaryOf Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)(18) Olympia: Brand name of a beer brewed in Washington. Popular inthe NW part of USA. Olympia's attempts to go nationwide like Coors havenot done well as far as I can tell (Submitted by Gary Duncan. RaindogsListserv discussionlist. September, 2000)(19) Eyeball v.: To eye; look at; look around a place. Harlem Negro use.Teenage and synthetic hipster use since c1950(Dictionary Of AmericanSlang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(20 Weiss, Chuck E.: Further reading: Chuck E. Weiss(21) George Perkins: Referring to "Cryin' In The Streets (Part 1)" byGeorge Perkins & The Silver Stars (Silver Fox Records)

(22) No dice, no-dice: 1. No; without success; being refused or refusedpermission (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 2.phr.

[1930s+] (orig. US) impossible, out of the question, on no account [therefusal of a gambling-house proprietor to allow a player to start orcontinue playing] ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel &Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)(23) Riding high v.: 1. Feeling very good. Occasionally meaning snobbishor egotistical. ("He was riding high after he got into the college hewanted."). (The Online Slang Dictionary, Walter Rader ) Quoting: That's Life.Writers: Kay, Gordon. Recorded by: Frank Sinatra

That's LifeThat's life, that's what people say.You're riding' high in April,Shot down in May.But I know I'm gonna change that tune,When I'm back on top in JuneThat's life, funny as it seems.Some people get their kicks,

Steppin' on dreams;But I don't let it get me down,


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'Cause this ol' word keeps getting aroundI've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,A poet, a pawn and a king.

I've been up and down and over and outAnd I know one thing:Each time I find myself flat on my face,I pick myself up and get back in the raceThat's life, I can't deny it,I thought of quitting,But my heart just won't buy it.If I didn't think it was worth a try,I'd roll myself up in a big ball and die

(24) Change that tune: To speak or act in a different manner; to assumea different attitude. Dates back 600 years. First seen in John Gower'sConfessio Amantis (1390):"O thou, which hast desesed the Court ofFrance be thi wrong Now schalt thou singe an other song." (Submitted byCheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October, 2000. From "2,107Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by Charles Earle).

Change one's tune:phr. [late 16C+] to alter one's opinions orstatements, esp. to go back on what one has previously said [musicalimagery] ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co.,

1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

(25) Manhole: n. [1970s] (US Black) a bar, a saloon, a club etc. esp. formen only ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co.,1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)(26) 23rd Street: New York City (Chelsea Hotel). TW: "This is a storyhere, takes place on 23rd Street, New York City, it is a place eh calledChelsea Hotel"(Intro to "Small Change", Cold Beer version), 1979)(27) St. Moritz Hotel: Also mentioned in The One That Got Away, 1976:"Costello was the champion at the St. Moritz Hotel." Also mentioned in

original intro by George Duke for Tom Waits at the Orpheum Theatre,Boston, November 9, 1974:George Duke: "Ladies and gentlemen, direct from the St. Moritz Hotel onthe Sunset Strip, a friend of ours from Los Angeles, Mister Tom Waits!Sodden and wistful as he might be. How are you doing, buddy? Yourbeards getting very good. He holds the distinction of being the only

person at the St. Moritz Hotel in Los Angeles able to room next to RayCollins for longer than three weeks at a time." (Transcription by UlfBerggren as sent to Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist, 2000)


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St. Moritz Hotel, Los Angeles. Photo credit: Dorene LaLonde(28) El (train): n. [late 19C+] (US) the elevatedrailway, usu. that of NewYork, but also in other cities, e.g. Chicago, where such transport systemsexisted ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998.ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)(29) Krupa, Gene: Born Eugene Bertram Krupa, January 15, 1909, inChicago, IL; Died of heart failure, October 16, 1973, in Yonkers, NY.Drummer and swing band leader. Studied drums and performed with localChicago groups in the 20's. Free-lanced with the bands of BixBeiderbecke, Benny Goodman, and saxophonist Adrian Rollini. He joinedGoodman's band and played on NBC-Radio's Let's Dance in 1934. LeftGoodman to form Gene Krupa Orchestra four years later. He appeared atthe last reunion of original Goodman Orchestra in 1973. In 1944 Krupawas voted: best drummer, Down Beat Readers' Poll.

(30) Glasspacks n.: A type of muffler which gives a nice throaty and loudsound. (Tom Waits Digest, Seth Nielssen)(31) Jam session n. : Orig. an informal gathering of jazz musicians toplay for their own pleasure, usu. in free and lengthy improvisations onwell-known themes; later a term applied commercially to public jazzperformances (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

(32) Pay through the nose: 1. To pay excessively (Dictionary Of AmericanSlang, Wentworth/ Flexner) 2. To pay reluctantly or to pay an exorbitantprice. (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis, Tom Waits eGroups discussionlist. October,2000. From "2,107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions" by CharlesEarle) Lyrics might also refer to using cocaine. Also mentioned in TheWages Of Love, 1982: "You see, love has a graveyard nurtured for those,that fell on their sabers and paid through the nose."(33) Leg akimbo: Leg bowed outward (Webster's II New RiversideDictionary, submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000)

Warm Beer And Cold Women(1)Its warm beer and cold women, no I just dont fit inEvery joint I stumbled into tonight, thats just how its beenAll these double-knit strangers with gin and vermouthAnd recycled stories, in the naugahyde(2) boothsAnd the platinum blondes and tobacco brunettesIll just be drinkin to forget you, I light another cigarette


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And the bands playin somethin by Tammy Wynette(3)And the drinks are on me tonightAll my conversations now, Ill just be talkin about you, baby

Im borin some sailor as I try to get throughI just want him to listen now, I say thats all you have to doHe said Im better off without you, until I showed him my tattooAnd now the moons risin, aint no time to loseTime to get down to drinkin, tell the band to play the bluesAnd the drinks are on me, Ill buy another roundAt the last ditch attempt saloonWarm beer and cold women, no I just dont fit inEveryjoint I stumbled into tonight, thats just how its been

All these double-knit strangers with gin and vermouthReceding hairlines, in the naugahyde boothsAnd the platinum blondes and tobacco brunettesIll just be drinkin to forget you, baby, I light a menthol cigaretteAnd the bands playin somethin by (4)Johnnie BarnetteAt the last ditch attempt saloonWritten by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975

Known covers:The Piano Has Been Drinking. The Piano Has been Drinking. April, 1990.Chlodwig/ BMG Germany (in German/ Klsch)(1) Warm Beer And Cold Women intro's:

Live intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner: "Hey, how are ya? This isabout a... well, Id kinda reached the end of an emotional cul-de-sac one

particular evening. It was a strange sort of evening. I ended up at a littlevino place called The Three Little Pigs. Well, I was starin at the beer

nuts, and the swizzle sticks, and the three littlepigs... I was gettin a lot ofvisual and verbal insubordination from a double-knit character in thecorner, and... One of those nights... "

Live intro from "The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, December 3, 1976":"Well, Im all disoriented here! Wed like to do a... The ensemble here iscompletely nerve-ridden Well, were gonna do a little song here... Itsabout a... I started out with bad directions to a party one night. You knowhow that is. The guy didnt speak English. Told us to get on 32 and run itallthe way out. Ended up in a small little bar. And Ive been into a lot ofbars and... this was one of them. This (?) little place originally was a


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mens room, and they decided to knock out a wall and build on. A livin,breathin example of urban renewal, extensive renovations, under newmanagement, please pay when served, and... well..."(2) Naugahyde: American trademark used for vinyl-coated fabrics(Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)

(3) Wynette, Tammy: Tammy Wynette, born Virginia Wynette Pugh inItawamba/Mpi May 5 1942. Two of her biggest hits were "Stand by YourMan" and "DIVORCE." Her 1969 album, Tammy's Greatest Hits, soldmore copies than any female country recording artist ever had andcrossed over to the Top 40 pop lists. Wynette married her third husband,country superstar George ("No Show") Jones, in 1968, and the couplebecame known as "Mr. & Mrs. Country Music." They were also frequentfodder for the tabloids, due to Jones' fondness of the bottle. Jones was aviolent drunk, however, and Wynette finally left him in 1975 ( this is whenMr.Waits recorded Warm beer ). Stress-related hospitalizations; the

torching of her tour bus and fifteen-bathroom house; and a 1978kidnapping, during which she was held at gunpoint, strangled, and beatenseverely by her abductor. She came honestly by her nickname, "TheHeroine of Heartache." The nineties witnessed one of the most unusualcollaborations in musical history: Wynette teamed with British dance bandK.L.F. for the strange single, "Justified and Ancient," The First Lady ofCountry Music died in her sleep in April of 1998. She was fifty-five.(4) Jonnie Barnett: Jonnie Barnett, co-writer of the Clay Walker hit, "TheChain Of Love," died August 18, 2002 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville.According to information provided the Tennessean newspaper, Barnettwas 56 and died of a stroke. In addition to "Chain," a 2001 BMI award-winner, Barnett also co-wrote "One Foot In The Blues," which wasrecorded by Johnny Adams and nominated in 1997 at the W. C. HandyBlues Awards for blues song of the year. Born Jonathan Barnett Kaye inSumpter, SC, Barnett broke into the entertainment business as aperformer, sharing the bill with such acts as Frank Zappa, Tom Waits,Cheech & Chong, Howlin' Wolf, Eric Burdon and Brownie McGhee &Sonny Terry. However, he was primarily a songwriter for the last 20 yearsof his life. Among those who recorded his songs were Hank Williams Jr.,Etta James, the Holmes Brothers, Joe Simon, Eric Burdon, Irma Thomasand his sometimes co-writer Dan Penn. Occasionally doubling as a movieactor, Barnett had small parts in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975) andCheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980). Barnett and his co-writer, RoryLee, wrote a short-story version of "The Chain of Love" that appeared inthe inspirational book Chicken Soup For The Country Soul before Walkerreleased it in song form. (Traditional Country Hall Of Fame, 2002 -EdwardMorris, CMT)

Tom Waits (1975): "I've played audiences that hate me, that'd love to do

damage to my physical person. Interviewer - what do you do? Well, youthink up a lot of insults before you go on stage, I learned a lot of 'em from


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Jonnie Barnett." (Source: WAMU Radio Interview. Date: Washington, DC. April18, 1975)

Putnam County(1)I guess things were always kinda quiet around Putnam CountyKinda shy and sleepy as it clung to the skirts of the 2-laneThat was stretched out just like an asphalt dance floorWhere all the old-timers in bib jeans and store bought bootsWere hunkerin(2) down in the dirt

To lie about their lives and the places that theyd beenAnd theyd suck on Coca Colas, yeah, and be spittin Day's WorkUntil the moon was a stray dog on the ridge and...And the taverns would be swollen until the naked eye of 2 a.m.And the Stratocasters slung over the Burgermeister beer gutsAnd swizzle stick legs(3) jackknifed over naugahyde(4) stools... yeahAnd the witch hazel spread out over the linoleum floorsAnd pedal pushers(5) stretched out over a midriff bulgeAnd the coiffed brunette curls over Maybelline eyesWearing Prince Machiavelli, or something... yeah

Estee Lauder, smells so sweetAnd I elbowed up(6) at the counter with mixed feelings over mixed drinksAs Bubba and the Roadmasters moaned in pool hall concentration and...And knit their brows(7) to cover the entire Hank Williams(8) songbookWhether you like it or notAnd the old National register was singin to the tune of $57.57... yeahAnd then its last call, one more game of eightballBernieced be puttin the chairs on the tablesAnd someone come in and say, Hey man, anyone got any jumpercables?

Is that a 6 or a 12 volt, man? I dont know...Yeah, and all the studs in town would toss em downAnd claim to fame as they stomped their feetYeah, boastin about bein able to get more ass than a toilet seat(9)And the GMCs(10) and the Straight-8 Fords were coughin and wheezinAnd they percolated(11) as they tossed the gravel underneath the fendersTo weave home a wet slick anaconda of a 2-laneWith tire irons and crowbars a-rattlinWith a tool box and a pony saddleYoure grindin gears and youre shiftin into first

Yeah, and that goddam Trannys just gettin worse, manWith the melody of see-ya-laters and screwdrivers on carburetors


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Talkin shop about money to loanAnd Palominos and strawberry roans(12)... yeahSee ya tomorrow, hello to the Missus!With money to borrow and goodnight kissesAs the radio spit out Charlie Rich(13), man,and he sure can sing that son of a bitchAnd you weave home, yeah, weavin homeLeavin the little joint winkin in the dark warm narcotic American nightBeneath a pin cushion skyAnd its home to toast and honey, gotta start up the Ford, manYeah, and your lunch moneys right over there on the drainin boardAnd the toilets runnin! Christ, shake the handle!And the telephones ringin, its Mrs. RandalAnd where the hell are my goddam sandals?What you mean, the dog chewed up my left foot?With the porcelain poodles and the glass swansStaring down from the knickknack shelf... yeahAnd the parent permission slips for the kids field tripsYeah, and a pair of Muckalucks(14) scraping across the shag carpet...yeahAnd the impending squint of first lightAnd it lurked behind a weepin marquee in downtown PutnamYeah, and itd be pullin up any minute nowJust like a bastard amber Velveta yellow cab on a rainy cornerAnd be blowin its horn in every window in townWritten by: Tom WaitsPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(1) Intro from "Nighthawks At The Diner":I wanna tell you a story here.Its about a place called Putnam County. Yeah... Hows the service here?Yeah, its all right? I mean, I gave you a beer and everything. Dont gottapay or nothin. Well, they hit you up at the door on your way out...

Patrick Humphries quotes an unidentified Sound Magazine interviewfrom 1976 by Mike Flood Page: "I used to listen to a lot of records by aguy called Lou Short. He made a lotta albums in the forties and nobodyknew who he was. He used to pay to have them made. But everybody inBaxter, Putnam County knew who he was. And he was the townhypochondriac. I mean, there's a breeze coming up and he's got a littlesniffle... Anyway, the town hypochondriac finally upped and died, and onhis tombstone... it said 'Lou Short Died' and on the bottom it said 'I toldyou I was sick!'" (Source: "Small Change, A life of Tom Waits". PatrickHumphries, 1989. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-312-04582-4).


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Baxter is in Putnam County Tennessee.(Merriam - Webster collegiatedictionary) It's East of Nashville, more or less near the town ofMurfreesboro (Pony: Mule Variations, 1999)

TW (introducing Putnam County, Coffee Break radio show, 1975): "Whydon't I tell a story? I could do this piece called "Putnam County". This isabout a place in Tennessee eh... It's a real town, a small town. It's one ofthose towns where... It's so small that the main drag is a transvestite...and eh... " (Source: Coffee Break Concert Interview: The Coffee Break Concertradio show on WMMS-FM (Cleveland/ USA). Conducted by Kid Leo (LawrenceJames Travagliante). December 3, 1975)

TW (1976): "Those guys [country rockers like the Eagles] grew up in L.A.and they don't have cow-shit on their boots - they just got dog shit fromLaurel Canyon. They wouldn't last two minutes in Putnam County, that'sfor sure. If somebody gets shot and killed there on a Saturday night, theSunday papers say he just died of natural causes!" (Source: "Tom Waits:Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of SordidBohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)

(2)Hunker: "It sounds like the most typically American of phrases, but itseems originally to have been Scots, first recorded in the eighteenthcentury. Nobody seems to know exactly what its origin is, though it hasbeen suggested its linked to the Old Norse huka, to squat; that wouldmake it a close cousin of the modern Dutch huiken and German hocken,meaning to squat or crouch, which makes sense. Thats certainly whatsmeant by the word in American English, in phrases like hunker down oron your hunkers. The Oxford English Dictionary has a fine description ofhow to hunker: squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutelybent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weightupon the fore part of the feet. The advantage of this position is thatyoure not only crouched close to the ground, so presenting a small targetfor whatever the universe chooses to throw at you, but youre also readyto move at a moments notice. Hunker down has also taken on the senseof to hide, hide out, or take shelter, whatever position you choose to do itin. This was a south-western US dialect form that was popularised byPresident Johnson in the mid 1960s. Despite its Scots ancestry, hunker israre in standard British English." (Source: World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 19962004. All rights reserved)(3) Swizzle stick n.: A stick used to stir mixed drinks (Merriam - Webstercollegiate dictionary).Also mentioned in "Nighthawk Postcards" (And as aneon swizzle stick is stirrin up the sultry night air)


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(4) Naugahyde: American trademark used for vinyl-coated fabrics(Merriam - Webster collegiate dictionary)(5) Pedal pushers: A style of pants in which the pant leg ends right at thecalf; three-quarter length trousers (Submitted by Cheryl Dillis. August, 2000).Also mentioned in "Heartattack And Vine" (See that little Jersey girl in the

see-thru top. With the pedal pushers, suckin on a soda pop)(6) Elbow one's way in: To push one's way through a crowd; to get aplace by hook or crook. ("The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary ofPhrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd)(7) Knit the/one's brows: To frown; to scowl. To bend the brow(Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.).Alsomentioned in "Gin Soaked Boy": "The dogs are barking out back, andyou're knittin' your brow"(8) Williams, Hank: The father of contemporary country music. Williamswas a superstar by the age of 25; he was dead at the age of 29. In those

four short years, he established the rules for all the country performersthat followed him. He lived a life as troubled and reckless as that depictedin his songs. Born in Mount Olive, Alabama, on September 17, 1923."Move It On Over," released in 1947, became Hank Williams's first singlefor MGM. It was an immediate hit. In 1950 Williams began recording aseries of spiritual records under the name Luke the Drifter. Williamscontinued to rack up hits in 1951, beginning with the Top Ten hit "DearJohn" and its number one flip-side, "Cold Cold Heart." Hank had severalother hits in 1951, including the number one "Hey, Good Lookin'" and"Howlin' at the Moon," "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You),"

Though his professional career was soaring, Hank Williams's personal lifewas beginning to spin out of control, he began to drink frequently. Hankturned completely reckless in 1952, spending nearly all of his wakinghours drunk and taking drugs, while he was frequently destroyingproperty and playing with guns. Williams continued to play a large numberof concerts, but he was always drunk during the show, or he missed thegig altogether. The Grand Ole Opry fired him for that very reason. He wastold that he could return once he was sober. Instead of heeding theOpry's warning, he just sank deeper into his self-destructive behaviour.Hank Williams was scheduled to play a concert on January 1, 1953.Before he and his chauffeur left Ohio, Williams was injected with twoshots of the vitamin B-12 and morphine by a doctor. The driver wasstopped for speeding when the policeman noticed that Williams lookedlike a dead man. Williams was taken to a hospital and he was officiallydeclared dead at on January 1, 1953. Hank Williams had died in the backof the Cadillac, on his way to a concert. The last single released in hislifetime was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive."


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(9) To get more ass than a toilet seat: Have more arse than a toiletseat, tophr. [1960s+] of a man, to have an active, even excessive, sexlive (Cassel's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green 1998. Cassel & Co., 2000)(10) GMC: A car or engine built by GMC (General Motors Corp.). Hot-roduse since c1955 (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(11) Percolate v.i.: 1. To become hot and boil over, said of earlyautomobile engines. c1915-c1925. 2. To run smoothly and easily, said ofautomobiles and motors. Some use since c1920(Dictionary Of AmericanSlang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(12) Palominos and Strawberry Roans: 1. Light golden color andauburn color horses. Roan actually means chestnut-colored. RoyRogers's horse was Trigger, a beautiful palimino which made that colorvery popular(Submitted by Gary Duncan. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist.September, 2000) 2. They're in a parking lot in that part of the song,chatting away while leaving for home. I thought they were talking about

upholstery. Palomino leather and strawberry roan leather(Submitted by UlfBerggren. Raindogs Listserv discussionlist. September, 2000)(13) Rich, Charlie: Born in Forrest City on December 14, 1934, to a poorArkansas family. Rich was a multi talented artist, bridging Jazz, Blues,and Rock, in a more versatile way than many other artists. "I didn't digcountry" Rich would say. As he struggled to find his musical niche, thebluesy "Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave" brought Richunderground fame. Rich with his famous grey streak of hair, recorded"Big Boss Man", and "Behind Closed Doors" in 1973. After making over$2 million in 1975 alone (the time Nighthawks was recorded), Rich settled

into a quiet Memphis suburb. An interesting moment came when Charliewas presenting the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the YearAward. As Rich opened the envelope, he discovered to his horror thatJohn Denver had won. Rich set fire to the award on stage, in a rage offury and disbelief, later attributed to a painkiller reaction. Like Jerry LeeLewis, Rich is haunted by a deeply religious upbringing which is at oddswith his Rock n' Roll profession. Charlie's son Alan is an outstandingkeyboard session man for major Rock bands today. Personal quote: "Ireally don't like happy music. I don't think it says anything." It is said Waitshas opened shows for Rich in the early 70's.

TW (1976): "I played at Max's, Kansas City and opened a show forCharlie Rich." (Source: WNEW FM: Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight Date:Recorded MediaSound Studios NYC. December 14, 1976. Aired December 18,1976 on WNEW-FM. Rebroadcast March 24, 1996 WNEW-FM.)

(14) Muckalucks: TW: "Muckalucks are carpet slippers, a Peterbilt is a

truck and Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe..." (Source:"Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An


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Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by Fred Dellar.Date: June 5, 1976)

Spare Parts 1(A Nocturnal Emission)Well, the dawn cracked hard just like a bullwhipCause it wasnt takin no lip from the night beforeAnd it shook out the streets, as the stew bums(1) showed up

Like bounced checks(2), rubbin their necksAnd the sky turned the color of Pepto-Bismol(3)Yeah, and the parking lots growledMy old sport coat full of promissory notesAnd a receipt from a late night motelThe hawk(4) had his whole family out there in the windAnd he got a message for you to bewareKickin your ass in, in a cold-blooded fashionAnd dishin out more than a good man can bearAnd I got shoes untied, my shirttails outAint got a ghost of a chance(5) with this old romanceJust an apartment for rent down the blockIvar Theater(6) with live burlesqueMan, the managers scowlin, with his feet on the deskBoom boom against the curtain, youre still hurtin, ay-ayAnd then push came to shove(7), and shove came to biffGirls like that just lay you out stiffMaybe Ill go to Cleveland and, you know, get me a tattoo or somethinMy brother-in-law lives thereAnd its a skid mark tattoo on the asphalt blueWas that a Malibu?Vroooooom, vroooooomYeah, its Liz Taylor(8) and Montgomery Clift(9)Coming on to the broads with the same ol riff, yeahHey baby, why dont you come up to my place?Well listen to some smooth music on the stereo eh-he-heNo thank you, she said, eh-he-he, you got any Stan Getz(10records?

No man, I got eh... Smothers Brothers(11)


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So I combed back my Detroit(12), jacked up my pegs(13)I wiped my Stacy Adams(14) and I jackknifed my legsYeah, I got designs on a movin violationYeah baby, you put me on hold and Im out in the windAnd its gettin mighty coldIts colder than a gut-shot bitch wolf dog with nine suckin pupspullin a number 4 trap up a hill in the dead of winterin the middle of a snowstorm with a mouth full of porcupine quillsWell, I dont need you, babyYou see, its a well known fact, you knowIm four sheets to the wind(15), Im glad youre goneIm glad youre gone, cause Im finally aloneGlad youre gone, but I wish youd come home

Yeah, and I struggled out of bed

Cause the dawn was crackin hard just like a bullwhipAnd it wasnt takin no lip from the night beforeYeah, as it shook out the streets and the stew bums showed upJust like bounced checks, rubbin their necksAnd the sky turned the color of Pepto-Bismol(3)And my old sport coat full of promissory notesAnd the hawk had his whole family out there in the windHe got a message for you to beware

Kickin your ass in, in a cold blooded fashionHell be dishin out more than a good man can bearWell, lets take it to Bakersfield, get a little apartment somewhereWritten by: Tom Waits and Chuck E. WeissPublished by: Fifth Floor Music Inc. (ASCAP), 1975Official release: Nighthawks At The Diner, Elektra/ Asylum Records, 1975(1) Stewbum 1. n.: An unemployed, homeless street beggar, or hobo,who has reached this lowly position through alcoholism. Orig. any beggaror hobo, as one who lives on stew; but the association has changed to

one who is, or has too often been, stewed(Dictionary Of American Slang,Wentworth/ Flexner) 2. Stew bum: n. [1900s-30s] a down-and-outalcoholic, the most deprived of vagrants ("Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang".Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)(2) Bounced check n.: A check that is returned for lack of funds = "rubbercheck" (New dictionary of American slang, Chapman)(3) Pepto-Bismol: A bright pink medicine that helps soothe your stomach.Sickly sweet to the taste. Anyone who grew up with it never forgets it...(Submitted by Andy and Jodi, September, 2000)(4) Hawk: Person with agressive stance in life. In politics: advocate of

active warfare.


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"occlusive coronary artery disease". Check out: The Montgomery CliftShrine

(10) Stan Getz: Stanley Gayetzky. Born: Philadelphia, Penns., February 21927. American bandleader and jazz saxofonist. Worked with AstridGilberto amongst others. Is regarded as representative of Cool Jazz andWest Coast Jazz(11) Smothers Brothers:In the early 60s, Dick and Tom Smothersbecame famous for hilarious parodies of folksongs and recorded manywide-selling albums. They used this style of comedy for cutting socialsatire as well. Eventually they were given a CBS TV show in 1967 and itproved popular, introducing the public to a wide range of folk musicians

and comedians, but it was seen as too controversial and eventuallycanceled. In 1975 Tom and Dick made a come-back on NBC (this iswhen Spare parts was recorded). Mr. Waits appeared on on their TVshow in 1982 singing "Old boyfriends ". The brothers are still doingshows. To engage them go to: The Smothers Brothers Homepage(12)D etroit n.: A type of men's haircut in which the hair on the top of thehead is cut short and the hair on the sides long. Detroit cut, crew on top,normal trim on sides. (Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)(13) Peg n. pl.: The legs; trousers. Jive use (Dictionary Of American Slang,Wentworth/ Flexner)

(14) Adams, Stacy: Slang expression: Born from Stacy Adams which is afancy dress shoe. Also see: Stacy. To buy your own Stacys check out thissite. Also mentioned in Tom Traubert's Blues, 1976: "No one speaksEnglish, and everythings broken And my Stacys are soaking wet."

TW (1976): "Stacey Adams once were a very prestigious shoe... if youhad them on then nobody messed with you and you could go anywhere.Stacey's stayed ahead of current affairs and were considered extremelyhip." (Source: "Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting ToConvey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism" New Musical Express (UK), by

Fred Dellar. Date: June 5, 1976)

(15) Four sheets to the wind:

A1) Drunk. Synonymous with the phrase "Three Sheets to the Wind"(Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

A2) Unsteady from over-drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in thewind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a ropecalled a tack; the other corner is left more or less free as the rope calleda sheet is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is said to be in the wind,


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and the sail flaps and flutters without restraint. If all the three sails wereso loosened, the ship would reel and stagger like a drunken man.Captain Cuttle looking, candle in hand, at Bunsby more attentively,perceived that he was three sheets in the wind, or, in plain words, drunk.-Dickens; Dombey and Son.("The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary ofPhrase and Fable", E. Cobham Brewer. 1997-99 Bibliomania.com Ltd).

B) "Its a sailors expression, from the days of sailing ships. Theterminology of sailing ships is excessively complicated and every time Irefer to it people write in to say Ive got it wrong, usually contradictingeach other. So treat what follows as a broad-brush treatment, open todispute on fine points. We ignorant landlubbers might think that a sheet isa sail, but in traditional sailing-ship days, a sheet was actually a rope,particularly one attached to the bottom corner of a sail (it actually comesfrom an Old English term for the corner of a sail). The sheets were vital,since they trimmed the sail to the wind. If they ran loose, the sail wouldflutter about in the wind and the ship would wallow off its course out ofcontrol. Extend this idea to sailors on shore leave, staggering back to theship after a good night on the town, well tanked up. The irregular anduncertain locomotion of these jolly tars must have reminded onlookers ofthe way a ship moved in which the sheets were loose. Perhaps one loosesheet might not have been enough to get the image across, so thespeakers borrowed the idea of a three-masted sailing ship with threesheets loose, so the saying became three sheets in the wind. Our first

written example comes from that recorder of low life, Pierce Egan, in hisReal life in London of 1821. But it must surely be much older. The versionyou give, incidentally, is comparatively recent, since the older one (theonly one given in the big Oxford English Dictionary) is three sheets in thewind. However, online searches show that your version is now about tentimes as common as the one containing in, so it may be that some daysoon it will be the only one around. The version with to seems to begaining ground because so many people think a sheet is a sail" (Source:World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 19962004. All rightsreserved)

C) Also mentioned in Tom Traubert's Blues (sub title), 1976: "Four sheetsto the wind in Copenhagen"

Nobody(Live album version)


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Nobody, nobodyWill ever love you the way I could love youCause nobody, nobody is that strongLoves bitter sweetAnd lifes treasures deepAnd no one can keep a love thats gone wrongNobody, nobodyWill love you the way that I couldCause nobody, nobodys that strongCause nobody is that strongNobody, nobodyWill ever love you the way I can love youCause nobody, nobodys that strongYouve had many loversYoull have many othersBut theyll only just break your poor heart in twoNobody, nobody

Will love you the way that I couldCause nobody, nobodys that strongCause nobody is that strong

Big Joe And Phantom 309(1)See, I just happened to be back on the East coast a few years backI was tryin' to make me a buck like everybody elseI'll be damned if times didn't get hard, and Christ I got down on my luckAnd I got tired of just roamin' and bummin'(2) aroundSo I started thumbin' (3)my way back to my old hometownAnd you know, I made quite a few miles in the first couple of daysYou know, I figured I'd be home in a week if my luck held out this wayYou know, it was the third night, oh and I got stranded

And it was out at a cold lonely crossroads(4)

And as the rain came pouring down, man I was hungry


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Yeah, I was hungry, tired and freezin', caught myself a chillBut it was just about that timeYeah, it was just about that time that the lights of an ol' semi topped the

hillYou should've seen me smile when I heard them air brakes come onYeah, and I climbed up into that cab where I knew it'd be warmAt the wheel... well, at the wheel sat a big manAnd I'd have to say he must've weighed two tenAs he stuck out a big hand and he said with a grin'Big Joe's the name, and this here rig's called Phantom 309'Well, I asked him why he called his rig

Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

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