https://youtu.be/YH4KM1uYPq8

Tom Waits Week – Day 3

March 26th 2014 – Day 85

The album “Heartattack & Vine” has always been one of my favourites, and to me the whole thing is a work of poetry; from the slow groove of the opening title track to the heart-wrenching sadness of the final ballad, it is a masterpiece.

But when I first heard the album I was just getting into blues, and there is one song that stands out the most for me as an anthem for all the raw street imagery of urban-blues. It is like a cross between Charles Bukowski and Elmore Leonard, with a small trippy slice of William Burroughs thrown in.

Mr Siegal

I spent all my money in a Mexican whorehouse baby
cross the street from a Catholic church
and I wiped off my revolver
and I buttoned up my burgundy shirt

I shot the morning in the back with my red wings on
told the sun he better go back down
and if I can find a book of matches
I’m goin to burn this hotel down

you got to tell me brave captain
why are the wicked so strong
how do the angels get to sleep
when the devil leaves his porch light on

well I dropped thirty grand on the nugget slots
I had to sell my ass on Fremont Street
and the drummer said theres sanctuary
over at the bagdad room

oh and now thats one for the money two for the show
three to get ready and go man go
I said tell me mister Siegel
how do I get out of here

Willard’s knocked out on a bottle of heat
drivin dangerous curves across the dirty sheets
he said man you ought to see her when her parents are gone
man you ought to hear her when the sirens on

I said tell me brave captain
why are the wicked so strong
how do the angels get to sleep
when the devil leaves the porch light on

don’t you know that ain’t no broken bottle that I picked up in my headlights
on the other side of the Nevada line
where they live hard die young
and have a good lookin corpse every time

well you know the pit boss said: I should keep movin
this is where you go when you die
so I shot a black beauty
and I kissed her right between the eyes

oh well Willard’s knocked out on a bottle of heat
drivin dangerous curves across the dirty sheets
he said when the bitch is wound up and her parents are gone
man you ought to hear her with the siren on

I said tell me brave captain
why are the wicked so strong
how do the angels get to sleep
when the devil leaves his porch light on

I spent all my money now in a Mexican whorehouse
cross the street from a Catholic church
and then I wiped off my revolver
and I buttoned up my burgundy shirt

I shot the morning in the back with my red wings on
I told the sun he’d better go back down
and if I can find a book of matches
I’m goin to burn this hotel down

well it’s one for the money two for the show
I said three to get ready and go man go
I said tell me mister Siegel
how do I get out of here

Tom Waits, 1980

Namaste.