"Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" as written by and Tom Waits....
Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did
I got what I paid for now
See ya tomorrow, hey Frank can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and everything's broken
And my Stacys are soaking wet
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs are barking
And the taxicabs parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me
You tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmills I staggered
You buried the dagger in
Your silhouette window light
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St. Christopher
Now that I've kissed her and the
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinaman, and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the strip tease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy
The fugitives say that the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow
Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And you can ask any sailor
And the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase
To a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight Matilda, too
I got what I paid for now
See ya tomorrow, hey Frank can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and everything's broken
And my Stacys are soaking wet
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs are barking
And the taxicabs parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me
You tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmills I staggered
You buried the dagger in
Your silhouette window light
To go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St. Christopher
Now that I've kissed her and the
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinaman, and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the strip tease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy
The fugitives say that the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow
Go waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And you can ask any sailor
And the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase
To a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight Matilda, too
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
"Tom Traubert's Blues" as written by Tom Waits
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) song meanings
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You can see it in the song if you look at it again: there are a lot of references things like "innocent victim", "fugitives", "dagger", "bandit", "I don't want your sympathy", "I got what I paid for now", seems like Waits wanted to write Tom Traubert's story from his own perspective.
Here is what I know for those who want real answers. The biographical background while interesting, is not that relevant.
A drunk wants to hit the rails (so to speak) so he borrows money
A waltzing Matilda is a hobo's bag on a stick (she follows wherever you may go)
justifications and booze bottles (soldier's here)
No one speaks English and everything's broken
And my suspenders (STACES, not STACY'S) are soaking wet to go
cabs and dogs, and stabbing as a dual reference, wanting to die and the "stab" when the booze (Old Bushmill's) hits your throat.
Lost my St. Christopher (out of luck) now that I've kissed her
Slot machines (one-armed bandit) drug dealers (maverick Chinamen)
neon signs (cold-blooded signs) and loose women cannot help.
No, I don't want your sympathy
Hobos are not as innocent anymore
Murder hunts and (ghosts that sell memories?)
all want you.
sailors, keys and invalids are not free.
Matilda (street life) kills.
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna (he means he is a mess here),
the perfume is on an old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight, Matilda, too
That's about it.
Staces or Braces are suspenders. What does Ghosts who sell memories mean? Antique store or book store people? Or maybe photography studio owners?
"Waltzing Matilda" in this song at least, refers to being on the road, far from home and broke, period.
Two of my brothers were successful folk songwriters in the late 60s-early 70s who sold pieces to the likes of Mac Davis, John Denver and Johnny Cash. Both told me all manner of experiences and observations go into song lyrics. Some are specific, others are "hybrids" that come from many different yet similar experiences. Occasionally something totally unrelated just works its way in perfectly. To me, that explains the different "origins" of the song Waits gives in his live prefaces. In one show, he says it's about "throwing up in a foreign country". In another, he mentions the real Tom Traubert. In yet another he talks about something else.
I've also read interviews with Waits where he describes going through a period of thinking how "uniquely American" being a drunk is when he was writing many of the songs that appear on this album.
We all want to know the true meaning behind such powerful lyrics as these and other songs Waits has written. Unfortunately, without being a close personal friend of his, none of us will ever truly know.
My gosh, I remember how many wildly different theories I heard from friends & acquaintances for such songs as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" & "25 or 6 to 4". Looking back, it's pretty damn funny.
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/…
Etymology[edit]
Derived from sailing ships. The 'sheet' in the phrase uses the nautical meaning of a rope that controls the trim of sail. If a sheet is loose, the sail flaps and doesn't provide control for the ship. Having several sheets loose ("to the wind") could cause the ship to rock about drunkenly.
Adjective[edit]
four sheets to the wind (not comparable)
(idiomatic) Extremely drunk [quotations ▼]
Synonyms[edit]
three sheets to the wind
'Waltzing matilda' means to travel with your swag (where you roll all your stuff up in a fabric or whatever and carry it). Waltz = to travel, matilda = swag.
Good song, I like the war/fight/hopelessness type theme and sombreness of it.
One of my favourite lines ever.
One of Waits' greatest songs, i think. His manager at the time cried the first time he read/heard it, and called it the greatest piece of poetry ever written.
I think it is partially a song about self destruction, starting perhaps with asking his father for some money (father’s name is Frank) to go ‘waltzing Matilda’ (disappearing, and travelling with just his ‘swagbag’).
One story goes that ex-military German immigrants used to call their army greatcoats ‘Matilda’, as they gave them the warmth a women could.
His producer at the time, Bones Howe, has been noted to quote at seminars, as being the most perfect lyric:
“And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal.”
An outstandingly powerful line for me is:
“Now I've lost my St Christopher now that I've kissed her”.
St Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, and so mirroring the above comments, he was no longer lost (or a ‘raindog’ for that matter – dogs getting lost after a downpour washes away their marked scents). However, it’s believed that St Christopher is also the patron saint of bachelors... Perfect double whammy.
Ultimately, I think this about absolute heartbreak, and the joy in finding somebody – probably in Copenhagen. Lost and found. It will not be forgotten.
"And you can ask any sailor and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant. She killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go"
That the song is about lonliness. Cause by what I don't know. But right there he list three obviously very lonely things. and the rest of the song seems to contribute to wonder or being lost so it makes sense. And they say people die of lonliness or heartache everday
"She killed about a hundred"