About Every Tom Waits Song (aka What’s He Building in There?)

Every Tom Waits Song is an email newsletter that — as you might have guessed from the title — explores Every Tom Waits Song. (My other newsletter, about Bob Dylan, I titled Flagging Down the Double E’s, so I decided to go a little more literal this time). If you subscribe, every Sunday morning a short essay about another Tom Waits song will land in your inbox.

I’ll be going through the Waits catalog alphabetically rather than chronologically. It seemed more fun to jump around eras rather than having to wait a year or more to even get to, say, Swordfishtrombones.

And I’m not just including songs on the proper albums either. Bonus tracks, guest appearances, outtakes from his theater work, it’s all fair game.

The list I’m working from is 464 songs long, so we’re going to be here a while.

Below I’ll keep a running list of what’s already run. Two lists, actually — the first will group the songs alphabetically (the order they ran in the newsletter), and then the second will group them by album for those that want to browse that way.

So catch up on what you’ve missed below, and subscribe to make sure you get new entries. It’s free, all you need to do is enter your email above.

Songs So Far - Alphabetical

A

“Adios Lounge”
“After You Die” - ran first
“Ain’t Goin’ Down to the Well”
“Alice”
“All Stripped Down”
“All The Time”
“All the World Is Green”
“Altar Boy”
“Annie’s Back in Town”
“Another Man's Vine”
“Anywhere I Lay My Head”
“Apartment for Rent”
“Army Ants”

B

“Babbachichuija”
“Baby Gonna Leave Me”
"Baby I'm Not a Baby Anymore (Beatrice Theme)"
"Back in the Crowd"
"Back in the Good Old World"
"Bad As Me"
"Bad Liver and a Broken Heart"
"Barber Shop"
"Barcarolle"
"Bella Ciao"
"Bend Down the Branches"
"Better Off Without a Wife"
"Big Black Mariah"
"Big Face Money"
"Big in Japan"
"Big Joe and Phantom 309"
"Black Box Theme"
"Black Market Baby"
"The Black Rider"
"Black Wings"
"Blind Love"
"Blow Wind Blow"
"Blue Skies"
"Blue Valentines"
"Bone Chain"
"Books of Moses"
"Bottom of the World"
"The Briar and the Rose"
"Bride of Rain Dog"
"Broken Bicycles"
"Brother Can You Spare A Dime?"
"Burma-Shave"
"Buzz Fledderjohn"

C

"Calliope"
"Candy Apple Red"
"Cannon Song"
"Carnival"
"Carnival (Brunello Del Montalcino)"
"Carnival Bob's Confession"
"Cemetery Polka"
"Chase the Clouds Away"
"Chicago"
"Children's Story"
"Chocolate Jesus"
"Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis"
"Cinny's Waltz"
"Circus"
"Clang Boom Steam"
"Clap Hands"
"Closing Time"
"Coattails of a Dead Man"
"Cold Cold Ground"
"Cold Water"
"Come On Up to the House"
"Coney Island Baby"
"Corinne Died on the Battlefield"
"Crazy 'Bout My Baby"
"Crossroads"

D

"Danny Says"
"Date to Church"
"Dave the Butcher"
"Day After Tomorrow"
"Dead and Lovely"
"Depot, Depot"
"Diamond In Your Mind"
"Diamonds and Gold"
"Diamonds on My Windshield"
"Dirt in the Ground"
"Dirty Old Town"
"Do You Know What I Idi Amin"
"Dog Door"
"Dogwood Cross"
"Don't Go Into That Barn"
"Down Down Down"

Songs So Far - By Album

Closing Time (1973)

• "Closing Time"

The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)

• "Depot, Depot"

• "Diamonds on My Windshield"

Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)

• "Better Off Without a Wife"

• "Big Joe and Phantom 309"

Small Change (1976)

• "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart"

Foreign Affairs (1977)

• "Barber Shop"

• "Burma-Shave"

• "Cinny's Waltz"

Blue Valentine (1978)

• "Blue Valentines"

• "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis"

One from the Heart (1982)

• "Broken Bicycles"

• "Candy Apple Red"

Swordfishtrombones (1983)

• "Dave the Butcher"

• "Down Down Down"

Rain Dogs (1985)

• “Anywhere I Lay My Head”

• "Big Black Mariah"

• "Blind Love"

• "Bride of Rain Dog"

• "Cemetery Polka"

• "Clap Hands"

• "Diamonds and Gold"

Franks Wild Years (1987)

• "Blow Wind Blow"

• "Cold Cold Ground"

Night on Earth (1992)

• "Baby I'm Not a Baby Anymore (Beatrice Theme)"

• "Back in the Good Old World"

• "Carnival (Brunello Del Montalcino)"

• "Carnival Bob's Confession"

Bone Machine (1992)

• “All Stripped Down”

• "Black Wings"

• "Dirt in the Ground"

The Black Rider (1993)

• "Black Box Theme"

• "The Black Rider"

• "The Briar and the Rose"

• "Carnival"

• "Crossroads"

Mule Variations (1999)

• "Big in Japan"

• "Black Market Baby"

• "Chocolate Jesus"

• "Cold Water"

• "Come On Up to the House"

Alice (2002)

• “Alice”

• "Barcarolle"

Blood Money (2002)

• “All the World Is Green”

• “Another Man's Vine”

• "Calliope"

• "Coney Island Baby"

Real Gone (2004)

• “Baby Gonna Leave Me”

• "Circus"

• "Clang Boom Steam"

• "Day After Tomorrow"

• "Dead and Lovely"

• "Don't Go Into That Barn"

Orphans: Brawlers (2006)

• “Ain’t Goin’ Down to the Well”

• “All The Time”

• "Bottom of the World"

• "Buzz Fledderjohn"

Orphans: Bawlers (2006)

• "Danny Says"

Orphans: Bastards (2006)

• “Altar Boy”

• “Army Ants”

• "Bone Chain"

• "Books of Moses"

• "Children's Story"

• "Dog Door"

Bad As Me (2011)

• “After You Die”

• "Back in the Crowd"

• "Bad As Me"

• "Chicago"

Non-Album Tracks

• “Annie’s Back in Town” (1978)

• “Apartment for Rent” (1975)

• “Babbachichuija” (1998)

• "Big Face Money" (1999)

• "Blue Skies" (1971/74)

• "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" (1993)

• "Cannon Song" (2009)

• "Chase the Clouds Away" (1990)

• "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" (1992)

• "Diamond In Your Mind" (2000)

• "Dirty Old Town" (1988)

Guest appearances

• “Adios Lounge” (Thelonious Monster, 1992)

• "Bella Ciao" (Marc Ribot, 2018)

• "Coattails of a Dead Man" (Primus, 1999)

• "Corinne Died on the Battlefield" (Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 2010)

• "Date to Church" (The Replacements, 1989)

• "Do You Know What I Idi Amin" (Chuck E. Weiss, 1999)

• "Dogwood Cross" (C-Side & Petit Mal, 2000)