Tom Waits, from Mule Variations
Yes, I know, I will soon fill this blog with songs called "Hold On". I might even make it a running gag. But I will have to like the song, and I really like this one. I was inspired to share this one by my new friend, Penny. We share a lot of common ground musically, with Tom Waits at the top of the list. If you haven't visited her yet, get on it!
Mule Variations was released in the early Aughts. Waits' music falls into several categories, and this record includes most of them: fractured gospel, corrosive stomps, creepy spoken word, and hypersentimental balladry. "Hold On" falls into the last group. The people in his songs come from the underside of society, rife with flaws, but struggling to find love. Their hearts are usually in the right place.
Well, go ahead and call the cops,
You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Swordfish Trombones made me a TW addict. His ballads are heart hiiting. Hold On indeed.
ReplyDeleteOh, Oh ... I was thinking of recording a short rendition of Johnsburg, Illinois. Now I definitely will :-)
ReplyDeleteRachel X
Excellent choice, Leslie. :)
ReplyDeleteCan't believe that I missed your thoughts on Tom Waits till now.
ReplyDeleteIn a Petra Bellejambes administration there is no doubt as to who is the Poet Laureate.
Hold On is TW at his best, fatigued endurance, desperate embers of warmth, hope preserved insanely against impossible odds.
The most perfect moment of quiet I ever heard were the endless 2 or 3 seconds at the close of the Big Time tour, 2,000 people fixing the last dying notes of song in their minds before erupting in praise.
Wow. Can't top Tom.
Thanks