Tramp & Tom Waits / Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

[exavierdotnet]

There is a community radio station in Tampa wmnf and every year during their pledgethon they had play the record which it is about 30 minutes or longer, tom waits really gets down on it, and the record being a loop which after a while becomes hilarious rather than moving, a fun piece, thanks!

[morganfisherart]

PS would also love to see the documentary (by Alan Power?) from which this tramp's voice was taken. Is it available anywhere...?

[morganfisherart]

Excellently done, you have paid a good visual tribute to this song's depth and humanity, a masterpiece I have loved since it first camout. Were the clips of the nude people taken from the film "The Body"? I found the people occasionally singing along to be very moving. Well done!

[lenseke]

I'm pretty sure the tramps name was Porter.... with this legacy he deserves to be remebered by name I think!

[AlexDCl]

Nice song, why are the people nude?

[cennis16]

is this song in any movie/tv shows or sampled by anyone it sounds so familiar

[creepoid]

Tramp ? Only a person just like everyone of us.....

[art88boi]

No religiuos meaning for me, just a moving work of art... love it!

[Carpetgnome]

Thank you so much for posting this. It never leaves me dry eyed. My nephew suffered severe seizures, leaving him pretty much autistic. He recently has begun talking again and this song has left me all blubbery. Thank you a million times.

[123jsbach]

THIS IS IT. Everything good and bad in life summed up by one darling, homeless man, accompanied by the delightfully dodgey voiced Tom Waits and Tub bells. Warmth, acceptance, strength, emotion, love and pain. What is life without all of these things? X

[CLeX04]

if they would have found the tramp he would have been made rich :(

[Klistern2]

love it

[agnus9]

I have always loved this song. can't listen to it without weeping. but why can't anyone interpret the lyrics right? I believe it's : "tis by faith i know, that He loves me so"

[samsimpson100]

An amazing story to this song, on Wilkepedia...Beautiful. The beggar Lazerus is still about...

[TheAlan39]

Beautiful

[SantaFeSandy]

Part 2 of inside the cover:

But for me there is great poignancy in his voice and, though I do not share the simple optimism of his faith, I am still touched by the memory of my first encounter with what Grainger would call the "human-ness" of his voice, and through this piece I try to give it new life." Gavin Bryars, 1993.

[SantaFeSandy]

From the inside CD cover: "Although the old man died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as a restrained testament to his spirit and optimism.The rhythm of his vocal line may be erratic & there is considerable irony in the relationship between what he is singing, & his circumstances at the time.

[ellandelachapelle]

This is one of the most moving recordings I´ve ever heard! (but I would prefer it without the voice of Tom Waits.) But "tramp"? Isn´t he worth mentioning by his NAME??

[cyberscape2]

@ellandelachapelle No one knows it.

[binaway]

@ellandelachapelle The old tramps name and identity is unknown and he was probably dead by the time his song was released , over 16 years after being recorded. No written lyrics or historical records of his song have ever been discovered.

[TheDinzdale]

Wow....

Incredible.

Thanks man.

[Lutsch]

The tramp has an odd accent. Does anyone have an idea from which country he could have been?

[tfwsoll]

@Lutsch - He has a a working class London (UK) accent.

[Lutsch]

@tfwsoll Thanks :)

[aredorange]

GAVIN BRYARS

[UK][Only UK Performance This Year]

06 November 2010, 19h30, Kings Place, London, UK

[taylorperrymusic]

does any body know the story on this song?

[fotohunt]

@taylorperrymusic

If you mean the story of the song creation, just click triangles next to the views count beneath the video.

If you mean what the song itself is about... hmm...check the Bible ;)

[DeHaarbal]

@fotohunt

... or, check the bottle...

[AlexDCl]

What's this all about, was it part of a documentary or something?

[MrPrimus1976]

Check out wikipedia, there you can find the full story

[cennorf]

The most incredible piece of music I have ever heard - beautiful and ironic.

Tom Waits was the perfect choice to add extra vocals.

[MrSymon68]

I first heard this when things in my life (I thought at the time) couldn't get any worse. It not just helped me through a very hard time, it may have saved me! Thankyou.

[tolkny]

It shows we never know how what we do today might influence and affect others.

I recall hearing this over and over again on Classic FMs Saturday morning hits programme and it then just confused me.

Then I heard a person tell the story behind it after singing it himself in a Quaker Meeting for Worship last Sunday held at the unlikely place of St Peters Chapel on the Wall, Bradwell on Sea, Essex.

That is what prompted me to seek it out here, Thanks.

[hooperal]

@BezMonitora

Ignorant people still make me smile, it's a beautiful piece of music with an honestly tragic outcome. 

[iampooter]

They never found the old man to give him royalties for this song. He came and he went, but look what he left behind for us. I wonder if he had any inkling what he had given?

[TomRAFC]

@iampooter i dont think anyone knew his name but i'm pretty sure he died before the recording was released

[iampooter]

@TomRAFC Well, let's hope they didn't piss it up the wall! Tom. X

[felixdeville]

this is awesome!!! Tommy W you where so good in The fisher king and...haha in Mystery Men...small roles but ... so important and strong!!!

[civomirak]

I'd say : what a pitty that the tramp can't be identified.

I made (simple) researches and could not find A SINGLE information about him.

Has anybody heard about him ?

[gradivarius1]

what a pitty the tramp died weeks afther the release of the single

[babelmaker]

absolutely wonderful. thank you so much for this inspired presentation of the work.

[6izgara]

thank you for this post! :)

[3984ja]

beautyfull !!!!