Gun Street Girl, Rain Dogs, Tom Waits [119]

Phoebe and Lauren return to discuss some more Criminal-related music this week, as Waits seems to further abandon the New York core of Rain Dogs for a more southern blues/chain gang feel, wandering into the world of the murder ballad. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick and Sam Pay; two musicians listening to and discussing every single Tom Waits track in chronological order. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: [email protected] Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Gun Street Girl, Rain Dogs, Tom Waits (1985) Stack O’Lee, American Epic: Mississippi John Hurt, Mississippi John Hurt (1928/2017) We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly. Lyrics - Gun Street Girl Falling James in the Tahoe mud Stick around to tell us all the tale He fell in love with a Gun Street girl and Now he's dancing in the Birmingham jail Dancing in the Birmingham jail Took a 100 dollars off a Slaughterhouse Joe Bought a bran' new Michigan 20 gauge Got all liquored up on that roadhouse corn, Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow corvette Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow corvette Bought a second hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese Dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco With a pawnshop radio, quarter past 4 Well he left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door He left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door I said, John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home I said John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home Sitting in a sycamore in St. John's Wood Soakin' day old bread in kerosene He was blue as a robin's egg brown as a hog Stayin' out of circulation till the dogs get tired Stayin' out of circulation till the dogs get tired Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone He never got up in the morning on a Saturday Sittin' by the Erie with a bull whipped dog Tellin' everyone he saw They went thatta way Tellin' everyone he saw They went thatta way Now the rain's like gravel on an old tin roof And the Burlington Northern's pullin' out of the world With a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw And a Gun Street Girl was the cause of it all A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all Riding in the shadow by the St. Joe Ridge He heard the click clack tappin' of a blind man's cane Pullin' into Baker on a New Year's Eve With one eye on the pistol and the other on the door With one eye on the pistol and the other on the door Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row And she smuggled in a bran' new pair of alligator shoes With her fireman's raincoat and her long yellow hair, well They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire They tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire I said, John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home I said John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home Bangin' on a table with an old tin cup Sing I'll never kiss a Gun Street Girl again I'll never kiss a Gun Street Girl again I said, John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home I said John, John he's long gone Gone to Indiana Ain't never coming home