Tom Waits - On The Nickle

You Tube has several versions of this. I'm embedding the vocal I like best, even if the recording at Montreal suffered a bit from the venue. The Nickle is Fifth Street in LA, call this sort of a hobo's lullaby.

Comments

[JD]

Very hard to listen to.....does this guy have throat cancer?

[Fred Beloit]

Of course being a piano-playing hobo is a bit of a challenge. The weight and girth of the ivories would make hopping a freight rather...a trial. I believe a uke would be the instrument of choice for me were I to become a "knight of the road", as my father used to call them. As for the song and performance, tastes in music are rather personal aren't they. I'd rather have Emmy Lou Harris doing Blue Kentucky Girl or La Donna E Mobile by Pavarotti.

[okie]

what the hell is "diffusion stereo"???

[okie]

what the hell is "diffusion stereo"???

Saw this guy on Letterman one night. Pretty bad stuff. Must be known best as a lyricist. And Letterman sucked too, as always now since he lets his politics shine through in his old age.

[Phoenix]

Tom Waits is no slouch. Check him out - he's done just about everything. His ballads are his forte.

[Dan Riehl]

Beer and Scotch are both acquired tastes. I like Emmy lou, Ronstadt, etc. Maybe Waits is the hard liquor among balladeers. Just one of those tastes I acquired along the way. ; )

[Buzzy]

Tom Waits is an acquired taste. I haven't listened to this one in a long time, thanks Dan.

[Fred Beloit]

Well, sometimes I jump not too high but too soon. I'm an old folkie and bluser (New Lost City Ramblers, Jimmy Martin, Big Bill Broonzy, Junior Wells, to name a very few), but also like classical and Southern Pacific (as in Tahiti) percussion. Heck, I like just about any kind of music, except modern pop, and still sing Sinatra, Jerry Lee Lewis, and other stuff in Karaoke down at the Amvets on Friday nights. I'll give Waits another try, why not.

[TheSpartan]

Something Dan and I agree on, wow.

[Brian the sailor]

I rather enjoyed that!