In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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
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
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Great version of a great song,
this song feels to me like its written by a convict on the run after a prison break. the different bits represent different situations one might find themselves in running through a heavily forested area. the part about the weather vane might represent the speed he moves with. the skeleton backseat tucker is an old car wreck in the woods, with the cloth degraded away to the steel supports of the seat. his frequent use of "pulling on troubles braids" looks like it might represent the act of running/being on the move, which then brings him to the next rest/situation. obviously, this is just my interpretation to get the thread started.
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
Been wondering ever since I first heard the song what 'Wolf tickets' meant so, thanks for that