The Early Years: The Lyrics, 1971-1983

by Tom Waits

Known for his growling vocals and for the distinct poetry of his lyrics, Tom Waits has amassed over the course of three decades a devoted cult following. The Early Years collects the lyrics—formative and classic—from the first ten albums of this true bard of hard living. A celebration of both his words and of the artist himself, this lyrical biography charts the course from Wait's emotional debut album, Closing Time (1977), to the experimental stirrings in Heartattack and Vine (1991) and One from the Heart (1992). Here the words achieve a new potency, adding further dimension to this singularly gifted artist.

Genres: Poetry, Music, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

About the author

Thomas Alan Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by one critic as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over with a car." With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock styles such as blues, jazz, and Vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music, Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. Waits has also worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and as a supporting actor in films, including The Fisher King, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Short Cuts. He has been nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart.

Lyrically, Waits' songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional ballads. He has a cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. His songs are best known to the general public in the form of cover versions by more visible artists — for example "Jersey Girl" performed by Bruce Springsteen, "Downtown Train" performed by Rod Stewart, and "Ol' '55" performed by the Eagles. Although Waits' albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries. He has been nominated for a number of major music awards, and has won Grammy Awards for two albums, Bone Machine and Mule Variations.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure about the piano, but the proofreader was definitely drinking.

[None Ofyourbusiness Loves Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bear with me here:

In the smoky haze of a midnight dive,
Where the neon flickers and shadows thrive,
In the forgotten corners where the lost souls roam,
He finds his muse in the urban foam,
A jukebox serenade to the weary and worn.

With a cigarette’s glow and a bourbon’s bite,
The moon sketches the darkness, the whiskey pens the light,
From the gutter’s edge to the street lamp’s glow,
His words are the alleys where the dreamers go.

A carnival of characters, a parade of pain,
In his early verses, these ghosts remain,
The drifters, the dreamers, the vagabond,
The barflies who swear they always get conned.

For years I’ve listened, each song a part,
I know them all, they live in my heart,
Though the music’s magic and voice unique,
These poems alone are treasures to seek.

So here’s to Tom and his early days,
In the backroom bars and the alleyways,
Where every line is a shot of truth,
And every verse is a glimpse of youth.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this thinking it was terribly decadent of me as I have every one of these songs memorized and could sing them or think them at the drop of a hat but I just had to have it when I saw it. I am really glad I bought it and read it. Despite my extreme familiarity with the lyrics, reading them really brought a fresh light to them. I could feel their beat/Bukowski connections much more with reading them as opposed to listening to them in songs (ironic since Beat poetry is so often read aloud). Since I essentially think Tom Waits is perfection, I am not even going to try to be unbiased here--the lyrics/poems are filled with amazing imagery, filthy romance, the essence of poetry and beauty in the gutter and unrequited life. Stunningly beautiful and highly recommended.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrics are stellar despite many recurring themes/words/phrases...he definitely got better when his wife came into the picture. Brings back many sad drunken nights feeling sorry for myself in my twenties as there is hardly a better sound track to heartache and self loathing... only real gripe is the typos, actually kind of ridiculous this was published as is, probably 3-4 typos per song sadly, which hinders the experience of reading along to the songs. Still for lyrical imagery and devastating couplets Tom is hard to beat.

[James Murrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the lyrics of early Tom Waits. He is truly a lyrical genius. Many may not appreciate his singing style but, when I hear him sing his songs, I hear him singing from down deep in his soul and that is the mark a truly great artist. To bare your soul is a great burden but he bares it well and you can see it in his lyrics. I highly recommend this book to any Tom Waits fan or to any serious student of the songwriting craft.
Peace,
James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com

[Arthur Graham]

Closing Time
The Heart of Saturday Night
Nighthawks at the Diner
Small Change
Foreign Affairs
Blue Valentine
Heartattack and Vine
Swordfishtombones

[Cody Blaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being as big of a fan as I am of Tom Waits, especially his lyrics, I thought this book would be a nice addition to my ever-expanding personal library. Unfortunately, there are numerous typographical errors within the text of this book. So many, in fact, that it distracts the reader from the actual lyrical imagery at times. You'd be better off reading the liner notes of his albums, honestly. As guarded as Waits is about having creative control, I'm surprised that he allowed this to be published.

[J.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Tom Waits’ early stuff, so it’s nice to have all the lyrics in one collection. However it’s riddled with spelling errors, hence the missing star.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Waits' lyrics stand up well in the poetic context, and this collection makes the themes which interest him apparent - hard drinking, women, itinerance, dive bars and California.

Bukowski is an obvious thematic comrade in arms but Waits can be more exuberant and could also be seen as a West Coast cool counterpart to Frank O'Hara's NYC intelligentsia hipster.

Jack and Neal, Potters Field, and Barber Shop all stood out to me as particularly excellent.

The collection does suffer a bit in typos and layout errors, but perhaps an eventual reissue will correct that.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

To paraphrase musician, there's nothing wrong with this that $100 wouldn't fix. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe a book of poetry. It is a book of lyrics and only half the mystery and magic that is the wild Mr. Waits. One shouldn't expect more.

[marvin]

im with you WADO... whoa... I just spotted Mr. Waits in francis ford coppola's The Cotton Club.

[Will Saulsbery · Rating 5 out of 5]

That i have a ways to go....

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sloppy book. Full of typos and mis-prints. Tom's work is brilliant, but this work doesn't serve it well

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I love Tom Waits, I thought his actual lyrics fell kind of flat once divorced from his distinct voice and musical style.

[William Owen]

Oh good lord, I need this book and I need it yesterday.