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9th & Hennepin Lyrics
Well it's Ninth and Hennepin
All the doughnuts have names that sound like prostitutes
And the moon's teeth marks are on the sky
Like a tarp thrown all over this
And the broken umbrellas like dead birds
And the steam comes out of the grill
Like the whole goddamn town's ready to blow...
And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos
And everyone is behaving like dogs
And the horses are coming down Violin Road
And Dutch is dead on his feet
And all the rooms they smell like diesel
And you take on the dreams of the ones who slept here
And I'm lost in the window, and I hide in the stairway
And I hang in the curtain, and I sleep in your hat...
And no one brings anything small into a bar around here
They all started out with bad directions
And the girl behind the counter has a tattooed tear
"One for every year he's away", she said
Such a crumbling beauty
Ah, there's nothing wrong with her that a hundred dollars won't fix
She has that razor sadness that only gets worse
With the clang and the thunder of the Southern Pacific going by
And the clock ticks out like a dripping faucet
'til you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin
And you spill out over the side to anyone who will listen...
And I've seen it all, I've seen it all
Through the yellow windows of the evening train...
All the doughnuts have names that sound like prostitutes
And the moon's teeth marks are on the sky
Like a tarp thrown all over this
And the broken umbrellas like dead birds
And the steam comes out of the grill
Like the whole goddamn town's ready to blow...
And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos
And everyone is behaving like dogs
And the horses are coming down Violin Road
And Dutch is dead on his feet
And all the rooms they smell like diesel
And you take on the dreams of the ones who slept here
And I'm lost in the window, and I hide in the stairway
And I hang in the curtain, and I sleep in your hat...
And no one brings anything small into a bar around here
They all started out with bad directions
And the girl behind the counter has a tattooed tear
"One for every year he's away", she said
Such a crumbling beauty
Ah, there's nothing wrong with her that a hundred dollars won't fix
She has that razor sadness that only gets worse
With the clang and the thunder of the Southern Pacific going by
And the clock ticks out like a dripping faucet
'til you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin
And you spill out over the side to anyone who will listen...
And I've seen it all, I've seen it all
Through the yellow windows of the evening train...
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Wish I knew the names of those doughnuts...
Dear @morbid morag, I remember reading an interview with Tom Waits where he said that the names of the doughnuts were things like....'Cherry Licky' 'Vanilla Tops', 'Chocolate delight ' and 'creamy suprise'.
Dear @morbid morag, I remember reading an interview with Tom Waits where he said that the names of the doughnuts were things like....'Cherry Licky' 'Vanilla Tops', 'Chocolate delight ' and 'creamy suprise'.
Tom waits, I believe, spent some time in Minneapolis back in the 70's. I knew a guy who ran lights for him in a small bar told how TW said... "for this next song I want a piss yellow spotlight...". I also know someone from Mpls. who remembers the doughnut shop where they actually had names like prostitutes. Of course that's all gone now as they've "cleaned up" that whole part of Hennepin Ave. The line "No one brings anything small into a bar around here" is a direct quote from the Play/Movie "Harvey". Jimmy Stewart plays the character (in the movie) and he's describing his life with his friend Harvey (a large invisible rabbit) & how they spend their time in bars listening to peoples hopes & dreams & lives.
"til you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin..." My favourite line but the whole piece shimmers with endlessly evocative images and states of mind. It's difficult to do the song justice by trying to craft additonal words about it. Either you're hooked by it or you're not. One thing I've always been curious about are Tom Waits' possible Minneapolis connections--he writes about the city a fair bit. Anyone with info on this?
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I don't know of a Tom Waits connection to Minneapolis, but Tom writes a lot of his songs about towns across the US, although most seem to be northern, Midwestern towns. My thought is that the towns are just part of the vibe of being somewhere.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I don't know of a Tom Waits connection to Minneapolis, but Tom writes a lot of his songs about towns across the US, although most seem to be northern, Midwestern towns. My thought is that the towns are just part of the vibe of being somewhere.
I actually wrote a short story for school based on the tattoo tear line.
Minneapolis was where TW spent a couple o years with Cyndi Lauper. He wrote " Who Are You Now " for her. Fallin' James was also in these periods. Hear of him in " Gun Street Girl. " I think that was James in the video for " Way Down In the Hole. "
This song is descriptive enough to be an entire movie. I imagine a black and white movie with the narroter introducing a bar while a couple step off of a train, before they head there because of "bad directions." Then they witness a murder, get lost, can't escape, etc.
I think "bad directions" applies here in a more universal sense.
I think "bad directions" applies here in a more universal sense.
"And no one brings anything small into a bar around here They all started out with bad directions"
"And no one brings anything small into a bar around here They all started out with bad directions"
He's saying every problem that the patrons in this bar is huge to that particular person. No such thing as a small problem: "no one brings anything small...here."
He's saying every problem that the patrons in this bar is huge to that particular person. No such thing as a small problem: "no one brings anything small...here."
When he says they all started out with bad directions, he means they have been headed for 9th & Hennipen since childhood. It was their destiny to end up here.
When he says they all started out with bad directions, he means they have been headed for 9th & Hennipen since childhood. It was their destiny to end up here.
My two cents.
My two cents.
"the girl behind the counter has a tattooed tear 'one for every year he's away,' she said,"
beautiful.
i agree with charrbin...descriptive reaches a whole new level in this. it has that slinking detective vibe going on. you can almost imagine him taking a drag from a cigarette as he goes from each part, smoke forming a halo around whatever lightbulb is hanging from the ceiling, swaying as he exhales.
I'm a big ol' poser, so I don't know Tom Waits the way I should. Is this song about 9th and Hennepin in Minneapolis?
I was told odds are it is goodmorning. he sings of minneapolis in "christmas card from a hooker..." also. You should listen to that one as well if you haven't already. It's just as descriptive and it brings a tear to my eye every listen.
This guy tells stories soooo beautifully, but listen to it, its about dark and death. still i can easily listen to it before goin to sleep it is relaxing and dark! HOW DOES HE DO IT"!