Well, I pulled on trouble's braids
And I hid in the briars out by the quick mud
Stayin' away from the main roads
Passin' out wolf tickets downwind from the blood hounds

And I pulled on trouble's braids
And I lay by a cypress as quiet as a stone 'til the bleeding stopped
I blew the weather vane off some old road house
I built a fire in the skeleton backseat of an old Tucker
And I pulled on trouble's braids

I spanked cold red mud where the hornet stung deep
And I tossed in the ditch in a restless sleep
And I pulled on trouble's braids

I hung my rain-soaked jacket on some old barbed wire
Poured cold rusty water on a miserable fire
I pulled on trouble's braids

The creek was swollen by daybreak
And I could just barely see
And I floated downstream on an old dead tree
And I pulled on trouble's braids
I pulled on trouble's braids
I pulled on trouble's braids


Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira

Trouble's Braids Lyrics as written by Thomas Alan Waits

Lyrics © JALMA MUSIC

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Trouble's Braids song meanings
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    General Comment

    The phrase wolf ticket is a corruption of woof ticket, an African American slang expression for the practice of verbal intimidation, "sellin' (or passin' out) wolf tickets," that was misinterpreted. Over time, the misnomer has become accepted terminology in some quarters.

    Woofing (woofin')," like "signifyin" and "talkin' trash," is part of the African American oral tradition. The term is derived from the onomatopoeic expression of the sound of, for instance, a junkyard dog barking to ward off potential intruders.

    "Selling wolf tickets" is the act of engaging in threatening or intimidating verbal aggression, usually without the intent of doing actual physical harm. In West African and African-American cultures, verbal sparring and physical displays traditionally were employed as proxies for physical violence to preserve life and maintain peace and order. Woofin' also can be a means of "calling someone out," of challenging an opponent to a verbal or physical match.

    Examples of use:

    "You aint sellin' no woof tickets over here Kansas City (Mac)." Bill Cosby in the film Let's Do It Again.

    "I don't believe the hype or buy wolf tickets..." Xzibit from the song Paparazzi

    “Well I pulled on trouble's braids and I hid in the briars out by the quick mud stayin' away from the main roads passin' out wolf tickets...“ Tom Waits, from the song Trouble’s Braids

    JAKEZEIGLERon December 17, 2007   Link

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