How Tom Waits writes songs

[@darwinsaye]

I think one of the most revealing things that Tom said about writing lyrics is that after years of *working* and agonizing over writing, he noticed that when children are playing and making up songs, they will just sing the first thing that comes out, whether it rhymes or not, whether it makes sense to a linear "narrative" or not; no editing, no analyzing, not only not over-thinking, but not thinking about it at all. You can really hear that in his lyrics when he transitions to his more experimental period starting with Swordfish "Trombones". You can even see it right in the album title. His song "A Little Rain" is a good example. The first stanza rhymes, A, A, B, B; and then you don't see another rhyme for the rest of the song. Although he does say "Oh, the world is round, so I'll go around" as one later line, which is wonderfully lazy and "naive", and in the last stanza he makes a stretch at "rhyming" vagabond and mom. Also the narrative meanders from passing mention of a German dwarf and a butchers son dancing in a bar, a guitarist with missing fingers, the narrator sleeping with a shovel and gloves, but ends up lamenting about a young runaway, who likely did not survive.

[@patrickbrownson1]

I think this is all true, but Tom Waits saying the first thing that comes to his mind is very different from any ol’ dunce doing so. His stream-of-consciousness approach ends up as “Jockey Full of Bourbon” and “Circus”. And I imagine that the time he spent as a more traditional songwriter, when he was crafting his lyrics more carefully, is what ultimately gave him his “first thought = best thought” abilities. So, even though he realized that “agonizing” over his writing was not giving him the results he wanted, I think he probably had to go through that initial period in order to go beyond it. And again, since he’s Tom Waits, his random thoughts are gonna be more intriguing and evocative than yours or mine anyway.

[@darwinsaye]

@@patrickbrownson1 Very true. I also think a lot of his talent in lyric writing lies in his ability to resist the ingrained, subconscious drive to edit. I’m sure he does *some* editing, but sometimes it’s striking just how abruptly out of context a phrase will seem to be, or how a phrase will strongly suggest an upcoming rhyme, only to be followed by a suddenly truncated un-rhymed line. He can *so* utterly subvert what the listener’s brain anticipates hearing. Utterly brilliant.

[@patrickbrownson1]

@@darwinsaye Yes. There are some phrases in his songs that will just pop into my mind at random times- “tilapia fish cakes and fried black swan”, “flamingo drinkin’ from a cocktail glass”, “stand in the shade of me, things are now made of me”- that have no traditional meaning or “depth”, either to my life or within the song itself. They are just amazing linguistic curlicues, and they bring me more joy than most other songwriter’s more linear writing could ever do.

[@JKentF]

⁠@@patrickbrownson1That’s what I do…. Tom is one of my favorites. I tend to get more linear though. Check out this one I did two years ago. 1. “You gotta make it work in any way you can” It’s a different feeling since momma split and left for another town You’ve got two hopeful kids gazing to the street corner Hoping she returns with her dimes and her quarters 2. “There’s not enough to go around, spare some for later” I suggest we cut it with scopolamine, 5 ml (udtalt “mills”) per Wednesday’s almost a week away and the holiday’s coming up You can’t cut a bald man, so what’s up? Chorus. A- We’ve got tiny presents in cheat boxes We’ve got ornaments for all to see There’s a plastic turkey, potatoes and relish And a styrofoam Christmas tree B- When summer comes and if we’re lucky There’ll be saved up for a trip Your hopes and dreams are sailed away On a styrofoam cargo ship It’s on my IG…. A lot of poetry there.

[@lasaranasdelneptuno2201]

Your best one yet imho. Josephine is a keeper!

[@soxymoon]

i love tom waits so much and i got to the end and got the best surprise heheh

[@MexieMex]

As Tom writes Grim Reapers and Grand Weepers, no wonder you needed to do two songs. Great work.

[@patrickbrownson1]

Glad you shouted out “Real Gone”- one of my absolute favorites of his, and (I think) his most criminally underrated.

[@kmanley29687]

Tom's one of my favorites, and this video was great!

[@boulderdesigner]

Tom waits for no one!.. You really nailed this songwriting exercise! Well done and most inspiring! 👏thank you

[@BeesWaxMinder]

G O L D I’m surprised how much of my own techniques mirror Tom Waits’ because I write nothing like him; play nothing like him; sound nothing like him and yet the fragments and the butterfly net and all that really resonate with me😜

[@TheSongwritersWorkshop]

Same here! Tom is unique in many ways, but some things about songwriting can be universal

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@TheSongwritersWorkshop Well Said

[@natet5959]

I could see Tom Waits writing a song like this. Well done!

[@serenitynow66]

Luv it!! Absolutely Brilliant!

[@michelspugna-ot6ve]

When gods come into town: great line!

[@americanasgrandson]

This was an excellent experience and I especially enjoyed being present to how you personally chose to approach the task. It was like the insight Waits shared and the choices you made even allowed me to imagine how my own experience might play. Right on! ♥️💙💜

[@teejaygeez]

Thank you for the deep dive. Great analysis and very convincing results. Well done.

[@jpsong321]

An excellent piece of work...Thank you!

[@wheresallthezombies]

Man I love these videos and was hoping you’d do Tom waits.

[@hansaugustsson7288]

Great video! Demonstrating practicing the method was very inspiring. Thnx!

[@jeremiahhankins3372]

I really like your analysis! I can definitely hear more of the singing through a megaphone sound, or maybe just some more percussive buisness going on in the first one. I was making up my own background vocal choir parts (and strings too) while listening to the second one. Very good, both of them!

[@лиза-я5ь4ы]

great!!

[@metroknow]

Found your KZbin content via TikTok - very glad I did! Love the concept and great analysis!

[@thebigfootking]

Loved Josephine especially. Any pointers on how to get Waitsian (is that a term!?) chord progressions down? What kinda keys does he ride often ride in? Any scales in particular I should have down?

[@rolandhicks1874]

Love that song

[@chickenstand8905]

That first one sounds more like Nick Cave than Tom Waits for my money. Either way, love the series man, so much great information and inspiration

[@edluacoles]

I came here to say the second one sounds just like Nick Cave!!!

[@GeneseeBen]

Thought the same!

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Cool video. Your first song does have a "Tom Waits-ie vibe". But it also reminds me of Nick Cave

[@jvb952]

Those are two pretty solid songs.

[@samsungladiesmasters]

Please do one video about Leo Cohen and Bob Dylan!

[@dead0ntime]

Wow this is wonderful. You really dove deep and captured Waits’ essence with your writing. Would love to see you tackle Springsteen or Stevie Wonder next

[@RegularSean]

Sometimes I come here just to listen to Josephine. Dig the lyrics.

[@caddisking]

May I suggest you check out Closer You Are: The story of Robert Pollard. He is the voice of the seminal band Guided By Voices. He is the most prolific song writer in rock n roll today. Well over 2000 songs to his name.

[@jamesleonard2870]

🌊🏄‍♂️🪷🥃

[@Herfinnur]

Thank you! I hope you'll do even more of these "singular" lyricists, you know, people who do things their own way. If you ever do a KZbin questionnaire / or whatever that thing is called I bet we'll have some interesting suggestions 😬

[@TheSongwritersWorkshop]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it!

[@TeddyBullard]

Bruh please do Jason Molina, Damien Jurado, and Jason Lytle!

[@clusterfigure]

+1 for Jason Molina

[@captaingrub2228]

Nice job. Here's something I noticed once: Tom sings "There's a hole in the ladder and a fence you can climb. You're mad as a hatter, and thin as a dime." Now consider this: Normally there's a hole in a fence, and a ladder you climb. This could be a switcharoo.

[@camwestfall918]

Reminds me of “she just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette” from Bob Dylan.

[@captaingrub2228]

@@camwestfall918 I concur.

[@captaingrub2228]

William Burroughs used to cut pages of prose into quadrants and then randomly tape them back together to see what he could get out of it. It works, if you know what to look for.

[@kevintarrant5854]

Just like Tom you wrote the songs using 8 bar phrasing, I’ve never heard him use anything else.

[@sclogse1]

Widows Grove might challenge that.

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Wow. 1st song was good. Josephine was excellent. Wow

[@TeddyBullard]

Stipe too pls ❤️

[@kevinjoseph517]

I read in a book cohen got to him first, then geffen signed him.

[@TeddyBullard]

While those early jazzbo albums are dear to my heart. Nostalgia etc, I'm so glad that he moved away from it. (he is too. Said it was a "shtick" not his authentic voice)

[@NealDurando]

Nice excercise du style. Also, stop trying to kill Tom Waits. I need him for a few more years at least.

[@normaleehi]

Kathleen Brennan.

[@wretchro100]

you kind of sound like nick cave!

[@willymoist5197]

Two words: Gordon Lightfoot

[@morbogast]

I think you don't get Tom Waits.

[@greenvelvet]

Okay? Care to expound? Not very helpful or constructive. I'd like to see you putting yourself out there.

[@caddisking]

When gods come to town. Just in time for Halloween....spooky goodness! A nother site that may interest you is the podcast. "The Working Songwriter".

[@helenlizzystewart4908]

thanks for that, going to check it out