submissions

Tom Waits – Reeperbahn Lyrics	19 years ago
I think the best line in this whole song is "the apple's gone, but there's always the core." If I had to condense the song to one line, that would be it. It says it all.

submissions

Tom Waits – Fish & Bird Lyrics	19 years ago
It feels like a fable more than anything. A story about animals that reveals something about human emotions. It's lovely.

submissions

Tom Waits – Don't Go Into That Barn Lyrics

19 years ago

I'm not sure about it being about slavery, or I'm not sure about it being JUST about slavery. (I think the line about slave ships would be awkward in the song if it was, seeing the rest is so sideways about it.) The feel I get from the whole song is burying secrets, frightening secrets. Denying they exist. Considering this is the way some Americans relate to slavery, I think the two themes merge beautifully in this song.

submissions

Tom Waits – Big in Japan Lyrics

19 years ago

This song might be one of his more gimmicky, but I like it a lot. One line that stands out for the purposes of this site is "I got the sizzle but not the steak." "Sell the sizzle, not the steak" is an old saying in advertising, urging ads to promote the experience, the aura of a product more than the product itself. (I.e., show the cool guy surrounded by women drinking a soft drink, don't show the drink alone.)

submissions

Tom Waits – Watch Her Disappear Lyrics	19 years ago
Agreed. 99% of people who try to write something like this come off melodramatic and purple, but somehow Tom Waits is able to hit just the right spot for it to be magic.

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