What are the 5 best Tom Waits songs?
If you don't know who Tom Waits is, please re-post this until you find someone who wants to share their answer (while you're listening to every album).
If you don't know who Tom Waits is, please re-post this until you find someone who wants to share their answer (while you're listening to every album).
Comments
2"Ol 55"
3"I hope that I don't fall in love with you"
4"Martha"
5"Clap hands"
Bonus: was amazing in "the imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" which is an incredibly delightful underrated movie. Johnny Depp, Jude law, and Colin Farrell all stepped in to complete heath ledgers role after he died 😞🤩
Shiver Me Timbers
Please Call Me Baby
Step Right Up
Blue Valentines
Like Darth said, that's just today. Ask me again tomorrow.
Time
What’s He Building?
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Innocent When You Dream
Tomorrow is tears
You'll have to wait til yesterday is here."
16 Shells From a Thirty Ought Six
Murder In The Red Barn
Such A Scream
(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night
Hold On
Time
Blind Love
Hang Down Your Head
And man only 5? Too hard!
Soldiers things
The day after tomorrow
Hold On
Time
Martha
Step Right Up
Frank's Wild Years
16 Shells (Live off Big Time)
Cold Cold Ground
House Where Nobody Lives
Come On Up to the House
On the Nickel
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Eggs & Sausage
16 Shells…
Clap Hands
Johnsburg, Illinois
Rain Dogs
Cold Cold Ground
Small Change
Come On Up To The House
Blue Valentine
Better Off Without A Wife
Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)
Martha
God's Away On Business
What little I have left anyway.
But, yes, I also find Old Shoes doesn't seem to make it into people's Notable Tom Waits' songs for whatever reason
I think it is a masterpiece
Downtown train
Hang down your head
Gun street girl
Walking spanish
I hope that I don’t fall in love with you
Blue Valentines
Emotional Weather Report
Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis
Swordfishtrombones
Don't Go Into That Barn
Just The Right Bullets
Strange Weather
Hello?
Then every other Tom Waits song
House Where Nobody Lives
On the Nickel
Fannin Street (Live)
Walk Away
Cemetery Polka
Goin' Out West
Yesterday Is Here
Tango Till They're Sore
Briar and the Rose
Come On Up to The House
I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You
Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)
Diamonds on My Windshield
Shiver Me Timbers
Time
Grapefruit Moon
Hold On
But I'll have a different answer tomorrow. 😁
Hold On
Telephone Call from Istanbul
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Cold, Cold Ground
Ask me tomorrow and they’ll be different
(in my opinion) Tom Waits songs
(in no particular order)
1. (Looking For) The Heartb of Saturday Night
2. Eggs and Sausage
(In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)
3. 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six
4. Rain Dogs
5. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Cold, cold ground
Goin’ out west
Bad as me
Telephone call from Istanbul
Eyeball Kid
Tango Till They’re Sore
Watch Her Disappear
Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard
Clap Hands
Heart Attack and Vine
Piano Has Been Drinking
Heart of Saturday Night
Eggs and Sausage
Invitation to the Blues
Train Song
Yesterday is Here
Jockey Full of Bourbon
(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night
16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six
Underground
Jitterbug Boy
Walking Spanish
Black Wings
Who Are You
Make It Rain
Kommienezuspadt
Back in the Good Old World
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Heart of Saturday Night
And so many more, he's one of my favorite artists and I would have a different fave five on another day.
Hang On St. Christopher
Step Right Up
Big In Japan
November
honorable mention: The Twelve Inches
After that (and this might change on any given day)
Long Way Home
Time
Waltzin Matilda
Martha
Hang on St Christopher
Looking for the heart of Saturday night
Jersey girl
Jitterbug boy
Good lord this list might change hourly.
gears follow my drift
Once upon a time I was
in show-biz too
Ol' 55
I Don't Want To Grow Up
Downtown Train
Jersey Girl
I don’t Want to Grow Up
The Earth Died Screaming
Just the Right Bullets (The Black Rider)
Underground
Way Down in the Hole
Innocent When You Dream
(I’ll add more here as they come to me)
Gods Away On Business
Hold On
Grapefruit Moon
Come On Up to the House
Waltzing Matilda
God’s Away on Business
(Sorry that s all I know)
1. Hang On St. Christopher
2. Yesterday Is Here
3. Dirt In The Ground
4. God's Away On Business
5. Big In Japan
But that's just how I feel today. Could give a totally different list on any given day.
byrne’s don’t fence me in
pogues w/ kirsty just one of those things
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Shiver Me Timbers
Ol' 55
What's He Building
Ask me tomorrow and the list will probably be different, though
Martha
Long Way Home
Hold On
Come On Up to the House
Nirvana
with apologies to The Piano Has Been Drinking and Downtown Train
Downtown Train
(Lookin For) The Heart of Saturday Night
Ol' 55
Grapefruit Moon
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis
Ruby's Arms
Train Song
2 Metropolitan Glide
3 16 shells
4 Jockey full of bourbon
5 Train Song (Big Time)
So many more…
Talking At The Same Time
Little Drop of Poison
Bottom of the World
Innocent When You Dream
waltzing matilda
tom trauberts blues
time
hold on
hope that i dont fall in love with you
but that is just today eric tbh
2. Time
3. Kentucky Avenue
4. 16 Shells from a .30-06
5. A Sight for Sore Eyes
this was difficult! Nixed "Lord I've Been Changed" as not a TW original.
Grapefruit Moon
Long Way Home
Singapore
Cold Cold Ground
Martha
Martha
Martha
Ol' 55
Depends on the day and the vibe
I don’t know that I could formulate a top five given that I positively love so many songs in his catalog & he’s explored so many styles
Cinny’s Waltz is just a lovely instrumental & Mule Variations has so many great songs
Come on up to the house
16 Shells
Anywhere I lay my head
Soldier's Things
Gun Street Girl
Kentucky Avenue
Cold Cold Ground
Falling Down
This is also for today.
Darth, I do not want to be this guy, but aren’t “waltzing Matilda” and Tom Traubert’s Blues the same song?
I only mention it because it means you get another.
"Shore Leave"
"Martha"
"I Don't Wanna Grow Up"
"Jockey Full of Bourbon"
Time
Singapore
Downtown train
Rain Dogs
Heart Attack and Vine
Jockey Full of Bourbon
2:19
Fish in the Jailhouse
Fish & Bird
Fannin Street
Come On Up to the House
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Hold On
The Earth Died Screaming
The Heart of Saturday Night
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Emotional Weather Report
Nighthawk Postcards
Eggs and Sausage
Putnam County
New Coat of Paint
San Diego Serenade
Shiver me Timbers
Hold On
Martha
Gun Street Girl
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Hoist that Rag
Yesterday is Here
Walk Away
1. Cold Water
2. Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
3. God's Away on Business
4. Hell Broke Luce
5. Lucky Day (Glitter and Doom version)
green grass
little drop of poison
chocolate jesus
telephone call from Istanbul
take it with me when I go
and then everything else
(I'm inordinately fond of Drunk on the Moon but I won't pretend it qualifies for "best")
And you could easily pick 20 from each. But this thread is a prompt to go back and reacquaint with both.
Innocent When You Dream
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Anywhere I Lay My Head
Such a Scream
Filipino Boxspring Hog
Step Right Up
Downtown Train
Small Change
Red Shoes By The Drugstore
Romeo Is Bleeding
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
Clap Hands
Walking Spanish
Invitation To The Blues
Whew, I didn't think I'd get it down to 5.
Gun Street Girl
Frank's Wild Years
Clap Hands
Gin Soaked Boy
Walking Spanish
Puttin on the Dog
Sixteen Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six
World Keeps Turning
Clap Hands
Fish in the Jailhouse
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Hold On
This One's From The Heart
Downtown Train
@randyrainbow.bsky.social sing it, you're in for a treat...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbLIYEXqWeA
Blue Valentines
Get Behind The Mule
Fall of Troy
Tango Till They're Sore
But this list would change if I wrote it down 5 minutes from now because there are about 50 songs vying for the Top Five.
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Big in Japan
Let's Get Lost
Heart of Saturday Night
Singapore
Time
Reeperbahn
Hell Broke Luce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fju9o8BVJ8
Rain Dogs
More Than Rain
Chocolate Jesus
Hoist that Rag
But I will happily play this game tomorrow and pick 5 completely different and perfect songs
Shiny Things
Young at Heart
Going Out West
All of the Others
- Blind Love (Rain Dogs)
Martha
I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You
Heart of a Sat Night
San Diego Serenade
Who Are You
Jesus Gonna be Here
Temptation
Anywhere I Lay My Head
I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You
Time
Tango Til They’re Sore
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Long Way Home
Hold On
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Warm Beer Cold Women
Postcard From a Hooker in Minneapolis
Tom Traubert’s Blues
Martha
Step Right Up
Up Shit Creek Again
San Deigo Serenade
Franks Wild Years
Walking Spanish
Jitterbug Boy
Better off without a Wife
Lucky Day
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Frank’s Wild Years
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Goin Out West
Hoist That Rag
Goin Out West is a classic Miley pick.
Clap Hands
Jockey Full of Bourbon
On the Nickel
Make it Rain
$29.00
Closing Time
Cold Cold Ground
Lowside of the Road
Hold On
Clap Hands
Make It Rain
that's five, right? *takes another slug of whiskey*
Kentucky Avenue
Downtown Train
Hold On
Hoist that Rag
- Train Song
- Frank's Theme
- Yesterday's Here
- In the Neighborhood
- Jockey Full of Bourbon
I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You
Martha
Tom Traubert’s Blues
Rain Dogs
Kentucky Avenue
Tango Till They're Sore
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Bad As Me
Time
Hell Broke Luce
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Little Drop of Poison
Martha
Downtown Train
House Where Nobody Lives
Hold On
Georgia Lee
Anywhere I Lay My Head
picture in a frame
i hope that i don't fall in love with you
waltzing matilda / tom traubert's blues
god's away on business
house where nobody lives
anyway:
downtown train
jockey full of bourbon
goin out west
emotional weather report
christmas card from a hooker in minneapolis
Alice
Step Right Up
Saving All My Love For You
Another Man's Vine
But Tom Waits especially.
I went to see him live with other circus folks.
- Hell Let Luce
- XMas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
- What’s He Doing In There?
- I Hope that I Don’t Fall In Love With You
- Come Up to the House
- Make it Rain
- Big in Japan
- Down in the Hole
- Hold On
- Downtown Train
2. Hell Broke Luce
3. Tom Traubert's Blues
4. God's Away On Business
5. Little Drop Of Poison
Honorable mention:
Tommy The Cat w/Primus
Tango 'til They're Sore
Frank's Wild Years
A Soldiers' Things
Dead and Lovely
Day After Tomorrow
2. “Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love)"
3. "Pasties and a G-String (At the Two O'Clock Club)"
4. "Small Change (Got Rained on with His Own .38)"
5. "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)"
Heartattack and Vine
Tom Traubert's Blues
Going Out West
Get Behind the Mule
Off the top of my head. Could pick 50 more
Hold on
Goin' out west
God's away on business
Get behind the mule
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Way Down in the Hole
Downtown Train
Innocent When You Dream
Cold Cold Ground
16 Shells From A 30.6
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Downtown Train
Potter’s Field
Sixteen Shells From a 30.06
Clap Hands
Hoist That Rag
But really it’s a ridiculous question, they’re all essential.
step right up
the piano has been drinking
hold on
god's away on business
Hell Broke Luce
Heart attack and Vine
Tom Traubert's Blues
God's Away on Business
(List subject to change)
Chocolate Jesus
Clap Hands
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Diamonds and Gold
Rain Dogs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ivya27Bag
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Johnsburg, Illinois
Anywhere I Lay My Head
Hoist That Rag
Hold On
Jersey Girl (I grew up in NJ)
Step Right Up
Ol 55
Also my theory
All Dylan covers are better
All Waites covers are worse
Cohen covers can go either way
Heart of Saturday Night
Hold on
Jockey full of bourbon
Small Change (got rained on with his own .38)
Better off without a wife
Bonus:
Home I’ll Never Be
- (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night
- Jockey Full of Bourbon
- Way Down in the Hole
- Rain Dogs
- Burma-Shave
Walking Spanish Down the Hall.
Step Right Up.
What’s He Building in There?
The Heart of Saturday Night.
(5 is impossible, for right now, these will suffice.)
Broken Bicycles.
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Kentucky Avenue
On the Nickel
Blue Valentines
Ice cream man
Step right up
Singapore
Cemetery polka
Cemetery polka
16 shells
Gun street girl
Warm beer and cold women
Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis
https://youtu.be/4GOqbFq8R_M?si=6azSCEPuV6LbDtKE
- Hold On
- Innocent When You Dream
- God's Away on Business
- Hope I don't fall in love with you
Singapore
Time
Straight to the Top (Rhumba)
Hang on St. Christopher
Picture in a Frame
Ice Cream Man
Shiver Me Timbers
Old shoes & picture postcards
Drunk on the moon
Soldier's Things
Train Song
Anywhere I Lay My Head
In The Neighborhood
Tango Till They're Sore
Big Black Mariah
Murder in the Red Barn
This list will change daily
Down in the hole
Chocolate Jesus
Dirt in the ground
House where nobody lives
2. Walking Spanish
3. When You Dream
4. hang in St Christopher
5. The Piano Has Been Drinking
Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night
Kentucky Avenue
Jersey Girl
Heartattack & Vine
In the Cold Ground
Hang on St Christopher
Way Down in the Hole
C'mon Up to the House
Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You is #1.
Downtown Train
The Piano Has Been Drinking
gotta think about the rest
🐐
Hold On
Innocent When You Dream
Take One Last Look
Jersey Girl
- Everything on Mule Variations
- Everything on Heart of Saturday Night
- Innocent When You Dream
- The Piano Has Been Drinking
- Ol' 55
Honorable mention: Downtown Train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWDJIwqCXi4
Waltzing Matilda
Time
Innocent When You Dream
Downtown Train
I Wish I Was In New Orleans
Little Drop of Poison
God's Away on Business
Hold On
The Piano Has Been Drinking
Hold On
Hang on St. Christopher
Hope that I don't Fall in Love with You
Hoist That Rag
Heigh Ho
Goin' Out West
Gun Street Girl
God's Away
Get Behind the Mule
Goodnight Irene
Jesus Gunna Be Here
Cold, Cold Ground
Come On Up to the House
Down in the Hole
Clap Hands
The other 4 best Tom Waits songs about trains/transit:
Downtown Train
Jersey Girl (implied)
Train Song
Clang Boom Steam
16 Shells
Romeo is Bleeding
Just the Right Bullets
Small Change
A Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun
Ol' 55 (Cadillac - implied)
Goin' Out West (Oldsmobile)
16 Shells (Corvette)
Gun Street Girl (Corvette)
Trouble's Braids (Tucker)
The Good Old World
Singapore
Shore Leave
Downtown Train
Clap Hands
Big In Japan
Eggs and Sausage
Ol 55
Gun St Girl
Take It With Me
Lie To Me
Romeo Is Bleeding
All The World Is Green
Hang Down Your Head
Filipino Box Spring Hog
Christmas Card From A Hooker...
Don't Go Into That Barn
Misery Is The River...
Who Are You
Step Right Up
What's He Building in There
Pasties and a G-String
Underground
Hoist That Rag
Jersey Girl
I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You
Ol 55
The Heart of Saturday Night
16 Shells
Filipino Box Spring Hog
Downtown Train
Gun Street Girl
1. Make It Rain
2. Fish & Bird
3. Alice
4. A Good Man is Hard To Find
5. Baby Gonna Leave Me
Coney Island Baby
Lucinda
Get Behind the Mule
What's He Building In There?
Earth died screaming
Big in Japan
All stripped down
Martha
Picture in a Frame
Filipino Box Spring Hog
The Road to Peace
Hold On
I am awful with song names, but really, the best Tom Waits song is the one you are listening to at the moment.
And I am totally listening to Tom Waits today.
Tom Traubert’s Blues
Martha
Way Down In The Hole
Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis
Grapefruit Moon
Take it With Me
In Between Love
Shiver Me Timbers
Time
Walking Spanish Down the Hall
Hold On
Invitation to the Blues
Take it With Me
Fish & Bird
Tango til Their Sore
Underground
Train Song (Big Time “live” version)
Clap Hands
Jockey Full of Bourbon
November
Innocent When You Dream
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Innocent When You Dream
Get Behind The Mule
Hold On
Dead Second Wife
A Bottle Half-Full (of Tears)
The Child’s Lament
Something Happened to Margaret (opera)
How'd you leave out:
- Circustown Elegy
- 17th and Psoriasis
- Hobo Slim's Ironrail Waxworks and Confectionary Revue (reprise)
- Over Easy Over Time
- Mad Bus
San Diego Serenade
Come On Up To The House (Sarah Jarosz does a great cover of this)
Hold On
Tom Traubert's Blues
Downtown Train
Downtown Train
Come On Up To The House
Hope That I Don't Fall In Love
Step Right Up
Bad Liver and a Broken Heart
All the World in Green
A Soldiers Things
Whistle Down the Wind
Heart Attack and Vine
Honorable mention to Black Wings, Invitation to the Blues, Ruby's Arms