A Mournful Tune: A Look at Tom Waits’ New Single
[by Daniel Boothe]
Along a decrepit old railroad line creaks a handcar, methodically plodding along as its rider pumps up and down on the handle. He’s singing this song as he moves along, not to himself, mind you, but to every person, animal, and plant within earshot. Here is a man with stories to tell; a man weighed down by a history of hardship and adventure; a man without a regret in his mind.
It’s a mournful tune, there’s no doubt about that. “I’m lost at the bottom of the world” is pretty much right to the point. But at the same time, I don’t believe he means that the bottom of the world is such a rotten place. It’s almost an invitation to us all, to join him at the bottom and wander with a mandolin. It’s the old question, how can you find yourself before you’ve even lost yourself?
Tom Waits’ voice has been described in many ways, often including the words “bourbon,” “rusty saw,” and “run over by a truck.” To that list I’d like to contribute “barbed wire fence.” But it’s perfect somehow, its harshness overlaying a soulfulness that’s hard to ignore. How could it be that this man sings my favorite love song in the world (”Picture In A Frame”)? This is a great track from his upcoming three-disc release Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards, dropping November 21st. It happens to be a brawler. Three discs, three different feelings, and all Tom Waits. I, for one, am looking forward to it.
