Mr. Siegal Lyrics

Lyric discussion by reckless1 

Cover art for Mr. Siegal lyrics by Tom Waits

i read somewhere that mr. siegal is a reference to a gangster from the early 1900s. but what does this song mean? "you got to tell me brave captain, why are the wicked so strong." i think he's talking to god in this line. it's almost as if he's questioning god. he doesn't know why "the wicked are so strong." it's a good argument.

Bugsy Siegel is credited with developing Las Vegas into a gambling/tourist mecca.

As a huge Tom Waits fan, I Had a startling revelation last night. While watching the movie, "Abandon Ship" (1957) on TCM, one of the characters said the line: "...tell me brave captain, why are the wicked so strong"!!!!