Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
When traveling abroad in the continental style,
It's my belief one must attempt to be discreet,
And subsequently bear in mind your transient position
Allows you a perspective that's unique
And though you'll find your itinerary a blessing and a curse,
Your wanderlust won't let you settle down
And you'll wonder how you ever fathomed that you'd be content
To stay within the city limits of a small midwestern town
Most vagabonds I knowed don't ever want to find the culprit
That remains the object of their long relentless quest
The obsession's in the chasing and not the apprehending
The pursuit, you see, and never the arrest
Without fear of contradiction, bon voyage is always hollered
In conjunction with a handkerchief from shore,
By a girl who drives a Rambler and furthermore is overly concerned
That she won't see him anymore
Planes and trains and boats and buses characteristically
Evoke a common attitude of blue
Unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport
And the cargo that they're carrying is you
A foreign affair, juxtaposed with a stateside
And domestically approved romantic fancy,
Is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances,
Knowing it will only be parlayed into a memory
It's my belief one must attempt to be discreet,
And subsequently bear in mind your transient position
Allows you a perspective that's unique
And though you'll find your itinerary a blessing and a curse,
Your wanderlust won't let you settle down
And you'll wonder how you ever fathomed that you'd be content
To stay within the city limits of a small midwestern town
Most vagabonds I knowed don't ever want to find the culprit
That remains the object of their long relentless quest
The obsession's in the chasing and not the apprehending
The pursuit, you see, and never the arrest
Without fear of contradiction, bon voyage is always hollered
In conjunction with a handkerchief from shore,
By a girl who drives a Rambler and furthermore is overly concerned
That she won't see him anymore
Planes and trains and boats and buses characteristically
Evoke a common attitude of blue
Unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport
And the cargo that they're carrying is you
A foreign affair, juxtaposed with a stateside
And domestically approved romantic fancy,
Is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances,
Knowing it will only be parlayed into a memory
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Foreign Affair Lyrics as written by Tom Waits
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Well to be most original, Wow! I can't believe no one's commented on this song! But seriously, pardoning the somehow cliche statement, this song is great. The 'most vagabonds' verse is phenomenal, so telling in so few words, great poetry throughout the song. I think in this case we are all vagabonds where our obsession is in the chasing and not the apprehending. Obviously the idea that the grass always longs greener, etc. but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's hope that keeps us going, not to raise the topic that the subject of heaven (per se) is only an invention based on the fear of dissolution and the end of life. Life is a 'long relentless quest', but what's interesting is the only ones who have quit it seems are the homeless, which is whom he chooses to chronicle. The homeless and trains would obviously be a major factor into much of Tom's later work (Cold Water is his greatest song as of yet, to name one of many). This song is strong because it takes on so many themes. The last verse is also great; as many may have noticed the rhyme scheme is weak in this song, but that 'weakness' becomes somehow (how the fuck does he do it!?) an offshoot of the inexplicable that the song aims to capture. I think. Because life can never offer firm resolve or certainty in any sense, this song serves to reimagine the always on the run image and equate it with a story that everyone is familiar with. Great song.