Tom Waits Swordfishtrombone

From his 1983 album Swordfishtrombones

Lyrics:

Well he came home from the war
with a party in his head
and modified Brougham DeVille
and a pair of legs that opened up
like butterfly wings
and a mad dog that wouldn't
sit still
he went and took up with a Salvation Army
Band girl
who played dirty water
on a swordfishtrombone
he went to sleep at the bottom of
Tenkiller lake
and he said "gee, but it's
great to be home."

Well he came home from the war
with a party in his head
and an idea for a fireworks display
and he knew that he'd be ready with
a stainless steel machete
and a half a pint of Ballentine's
each day
and he holed up in room above a hardware store
cryin' nothing there but Hollywood tears
and he put a spell on some
poor little Crutchfield girl
and stayed like that for 27 years

Well he packed up all his
expectations he lit out for California
with a flyswatter banjo on his knee
with a lucky tiger in his angel hair
and benzedrine for getting there
they found him in a eucalyptus tree
lieutenant got him a canary bird
and shaked her head with every word
and Chesterfielded moonbeams in a song
and he got 20 years for lovin' her
from some Oklahoma governor
said everything this Doughboy
does is wrong

Now some say he's doing
the obituary mambo
and some say he's hanging on the wall
perhaps this yarn's the only thing
that holds this man together
some say he was never here at all

Some say they saw him down in
Birmingham, sleeping in a
boxcar going by
and if you think that you can tell a bigger tale
I swear to God you'd have to tell a lie...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tom
• Waits
• Swordfishtrombone
• Swordfishtrombones

[LotjeG]

Genius. Absolutely genius.

[Norwid77]

Yes.

[bluevalentine9]

Anybody else think that this guy (the character) is possibly the same guy that Tom talks about in his song 'Black Wings'? He uses the "Some say . . " phrase in both songs which got me thinking. I'm sure Tom didn't plan it that way, but it is pretty cool when you connect them like that.

[NaukyMC]

@roxyd5434 I made sure to inform the people listening to Mark Anthony's version of this. Hopefully, they won't act harshly to this truth.

[roxyd5434]

This is a tremendous song. Get the trilogy of albums. Swordfishtrombones, Raindogs, and Frank's Wild Years. Each are perfect.

You need to listen to the song I Need To Know by Mark Anthony. He steals from Swordfishtrombones, note for note.

[MrJDCasey]

Man,I remember the day I first heard this.I was livin' with my cousin in New Orleans and her husband turned me on to this.I felt like a new born child!

[Billkwando]

@Friedegger I came in through Bone Machine and HoSN totally grabbed me too. It's just fun to listen to. My fave is probably raindogsbonemachinefrankswildy­ears,

[Friedegger]

@CarlSagan0101 After listening to Real Gone and Rain Dogs on CD, I picked up Swordfishtrombones, Frank's Wild Years and Blue Valentine on cassette tape at a carboot sale. I played those tapes until my stereo wore out. Now I'm listening to his *really* early stuff on The Early Years, and I'm looking forward to listening to his newest album.

[CarlSagan0101]

@Friedegger

It's funny that you say that. The stuff that got me into him was off of Rain dogs, Bone machine, and Orphans. I didn't get into his stuff from the 70s until a couple months after I first started listening to him.

[bacardi119]

Shame on the person that hit the dislike button. How can you dislike this album for God's sakes. Oh well, maybe he was drunk and hit the wrong button.

[AlsatianCousin]

@RubHerSoul1 - well this indeed is a very good observation. Many people don't get him and that's fine - it's not a contest and Tom Waits wouldn't get many of them either and he'd be first to admit I'm sure - but nobody I ever heard hates him. It's one of those things, you know there's something there - just can't put my finger on it. And then it dawns on you years later.

[RubHerSoul1]

@Friedegger You've never seen the Breakfast Club? You must be a young' un. Well that's great that you appreciate Waits then. I've never met anyone who doesn't tho. Some folk just might not get him is all. But I never hear anyone say they hate him.