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Starving in the Belly of a Whale Lyrics
Life is whittled
Life's a riddle
Man's a fiddle that life plays on
When the day breaks and the earth quakes
Life's a mistake all day long
Tell me, who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In a crooked ol' world
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Don't take my word
Just look skyward
They that dance must pay the fiddler
Sky is darkening
Dogs are barking
But the caravan moves on
You tell me, who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In a crooked ol' world
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh we're starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
As the crow flies
It's there the truth lies
At the bottom of the well
E-o-Leven goes to heaven
Bless the dead here as the rain falls
Don't trust a bull's horn
A doberman's tooth
A runaway horse or me
Don't be greedy, don't be needy
If you live in hope
You're dancing to a terrible tune
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Life's a riddle
Man's a fiddle that life plays on
When the day breaks and the earth quakes
Life's a mistake all day long
Tell me, who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In a crooked ol' world
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Just look skyward
They that dance must pay the fiddler
Sky is darkening
Dogs are barking
But the caravan moves on
You tell me, who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In a crooked ol' world
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh we're starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
It's there the truth lies
At the bottom of the well
E-o-Leven goes to heaven
Bless the dead here as the rain falls
Don't trust a bull's horn
A doberman's tooth
A runaway horse or me
Don't be greedy, don't be needy
If you live in hope
You're dancing to a terrible tune
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh starving in the belly
Starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
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I think, considering the creativity of the song writer, the song must be taken in the context with the LP 'Blood Money' - Just like "Misery is tgr River of the World" and "Gods away on Business", "Starving..." seems to convey a strong feeling of hopelessness, hopelessness no matter what.
SO GOOD NOT TO SURE WHAT IT MEANS EITHER
rotting in a shitty city.
And in a shitty body. With a shitty attitude. And a shitty life. And I'd break every mirror in this apartment before packing up w/o a trace if there weren't three little ones that would be hurt.
And in a shitty body. With a shitty attitude. And a shitty life. And I'd break every mirror in this apartment before packing up w/o a trace if there weren't three little ones that would be hurt.
Amazing song! One of Tom Waits' best. I think it's about how society is shitty
obviously alluding to jonah, who was stuck in a whale's bellows for 3 days for sinning.
in the same way, our bad deeds have got us starving (in a metaphorical sense of course) where we are. fits in really well with the rest of the blood money album
I think it means that we have everything but don't know it, and just keep searching for an elusive thing.