Complete List Of Tom Waits Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: English: Photograph by Greg Gorman, according to the Tom Waits Library. Published by Asylum/Herb Cohen Management., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Alan Waits emerged from the middle-class suburbia of Pomona, California, where he spent his early years absorbing the eclectic sounds of R&B, soul, and Mexican radio. His journey into the professional music business began in the late 1960s while he worked as a doorman at the Heritage coffeehouse in San Diego; it was there that he transitioned from watching folk acts to performing his own material. By 1971, his talent caught the attention of Herb Cohen, leading to a publishing deal and eventually a recording contract with David Geffen’s Asylum Records. This early period was defined by a bohemian, jazz-influenced persona that saw him navigating the Los Angeles club circuit and even enduring a legendary, if mismatched, stint opening for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

Throughout a career spanning over five decades, Waits has released seventeen studio albums, beginning with the melancholic, piano-driven Closing Time in 1973. While his catalog is vast and varied, he is perhaps most recognized for a trio of experimental records in the mid-1980s: Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Franks Wild Years. These albums signaled a radical departure from his early lounge-singer image toward a surrealist landscape of marimbas, pump organs, and avant-garde percussion. Although he has famously avoided the pursuit of mainstream radio hits, several of his songs reached wide audiences through other artists, such as the Eagles covering “Ol’ 55” and Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Jersey Girl.” His own notable singles and signature tracks include the gravelly anthem “Downtown Train” and the dark, rhythmic “Goin’ Out West.”

The industry has showered Waits with prestigious accolades that validate his unconventional approach to songwriting and performance. He is a two-time Grammy Award winner, securing Best Alternative Music Album for the jagged, industrial sounds of Bone Machine in 1992 and Best Contemporary Folk Album for Mule Variations in 1999. His immense contribution to the landscape of American music was cemented in 2011 when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Beyond these major honors, he received an Academy Award nomination for his evocative original score for the 1982 Francis Ford Coppola film One from the Heart. He is so deeply loved in the business because he embodies the uncompromising artist; he successfully reinvented his sound mid-career and has influenced generations of musicians with his vivid, cinematic storytelling and distinctive, raspy vocal delivery.

Outside the recording studio, Waits has cultivated a prolific and eccentric acting career that showcases his unique physical presence. He has appeared in numerous films, often collaborating with high-profile directors such as Jim Jarmusch in Down by Law and Coffee and Cigarettes, as well as Francis Ford Coppola in The Cotton Club and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, where he played the iconic role of Renfield. His theatrical work is equally substantial; he collaborated with director Robert Wilson and writer William S. Burroughs on the stage production of The Black Rider, providing the music and lyrics for a show that premiered in Hamburg. He also contributed music to theater productions like Alice and Woyzeck, demonstrating a deep commitment to the intersection of music, drama, and visual art.

His humanitarian and advocacy work is marked by specific, targeted contributions rather than generic celebrity endorsements. In 2013, Waits contributed a rare cover of “The Soul of a Man” to the God Don’t Never Change tribute album to benefit the Music Maker Relief Foundation. This organization supports aging blues and roots musicians in financial need. He has also been a vocal advocate for artists’ rights and protection against the unauthorized use of their voices in advertising; he famously won a landmark legal battle against Frito-Lay after the company used a vocal impersonator in a Doritos commercial. Furthermore, he donated a signed hat and various memorabilia to the 2008 Little Kids Rock auction to support music education in public schools. He participated in the Bridge School Benefit concerts organized by Neil Young to assist children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs.

Complete List Of Tom Waits Songs From A to Z

$29.00 – Blue Valentine – 1978
16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
2:19 – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
9th & Hennepin – Rain Dogs – 1985
A Good Man Is Hard to Find – Blood Money – 2002
A Little Rain – Bone Machine – 1992
A Sight for Sore Eyes – Foreign Affairs – 1977
A Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun – Blue Valentine – 1978
After You Die – Bad as Me – 2011
Ain’t Goin’ Down to the Well – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Airport Song – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Altar Boy – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Alice – Alice – 2002
All Stripped Down – Bone Machine – 1992
All the Time – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
All the World Is Green – Blood Money – 2002
Anywhere I Lay My Head – Rain Dogs – 1985
Another Man’s Vine – Blood Money – 2002
Army Ants – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Back in the Crowd – Bad as Me – 2011
Bad as Me – Bad as Me – 2011
Bad Liver and a Broken Heart (In Lowell) – Small Change – 1976
Baby Gonna Leave Me – Real Gone – 2004
Barber Shop – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Barcarolle – Alice – 2002
Bend Down the Branches – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Better Off Without a Wife – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Big Black Mariah – Rain Dogs – 1985
Big Face Money – Mule Variations – 1999
Big in Japan – Mule Variations – 1999
Big Joe and Phantom 309 – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Black Box Theme – The Black Rider – 1993
Black Market Baby – Mule Variations – 1999
Black Wings – Bone Machine – 1992
Blind Love – Rain Dogs – 1985
Blow Wind Blow – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Blue Valentines – Blue Valentine – 1978
Bone Chain – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Books of Moses – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Bottom of the World – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Briar and the Rose, The – The Black Rider – 1993
Bride of Rain Dog – Rain Dogs – 1985
Burma-Shave – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Buzz Fledderjohn – Mule Variations – 1999
Calliope – Blood Money – 2002
Carnival – The Black Rider – 1993
Cemetery Polka – Rain Dogs – 1985
Chicago – Bad as Me – 2011
Chick a Boom – Real Gone – 2004
Children’s Story – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Chocolate Jesus – Mule Variations – 1999
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis – Blue Valentine – 1978
Cinny’s Waltz – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Circus – Real Gone – 2004
Clang Boom Steam – Real Gone – 2004
Clap Hands – Rain Dogs – 1985
Closing Time – Closing Time – 1973
Cold Cold Ground – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Cold Water – Mule Variations – 1999
Come On Up to the House – Mule Variations – 1999
Coney Island Baby – Blood Money – 2002
Crossroads – The Black Rider – 1993
Danny Says – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Dave the Butcher – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Day After Tomorrow – Real Gone – 2004
Dead and Lovely – Real Gone – 2004
Depot, Depot – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Diamonds & Gold – Rain Dogs – 1985
Diamonds on My Windshield – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Dirt in the Ground – Bone Machine – 1992
Dog Door – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Dog Treat – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Don’t Go into That Barn – Real Gone – 2004
Down, Down, Down – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Downtown – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Downtown Train – Rain Dogs – 1985
Down There by the Train – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Drunk on the Moon – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Earth Died Screaming – Bone Machine – 1992
Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson) – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Emotional Weather Report – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Everything Goes to Hell – Blood Money – 2002
Everything You Can Think – Alice – 2002
Eyeball Kid – Mule Variations – 1999
Face to the Highway – Bad as Me – 2011
Fall of Troy, The – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Fannin Street – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Fawn – Alice – 2002
Filipino Box Spring Hog – Mule Variations – 1999
First Kiss – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Fish & Bird – Alice – 2002
Fish in the Jailhouse – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Flash Pan Hunter – The Black Rider – 1993
Flash Pan Hunter/Intro – The Black Rider – 1993
Flower’s Grave – Alice – 2002
Foreign Affair – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Frank’s Theme – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Frank’s Wild Years – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Fumblin’ with the Blues – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Georgia Lee – Mule Variations – 1999
Get Behind the Mule – Mule Variations – 1999
Get Lost – Bad as Me – 2011
Gin Soaked Boy – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
God’s Away on Business – Blood Money – 2002
Goin’ Out West – Bone Machine – 1992
Goodnight Irene – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Gospel Train – The Black Rider – 1993
Gospel Train/Orchestra – The Black Rider – 1993
Grapefruit Moon – Closing Time – 1973
Green Grass – Real Gone – 2004
Gun Street Girl – Rain Dogs – 1985
Hang Down Your Head – Rain Dogs – 1985
Hang On St. Christopher – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Heartattack and Vine – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Heigh Ho – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Hell Broke Luce – Bad as Me – 2011
Home I’ll Never Be – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Hoist That Rag – Real Gone – 2004
Hold On – Mule Variations – 1999
House Where Nobody Lives – Mule Variations – 1999
How’s It Gonna End – Real Gone – 2004
I Can’t Wait to Get Off Work (And See My Baby on Montgomery Avenue) – Small Change – 1976
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – Bone Machine – 1992
I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You – Closing Time – 1973
I’ll Be Gone – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
I’ll Shoot the Moon – The Black Rider – 1993
I’ll Take New York – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
I’m Still Here – Alice – 2002
I Never Talk to Strangers – Foreign Affairs – 1977
I Wish I Was in New Orleans (In the Ninth Ward) – Small Change – 1976
Ice Cream Man – Closing Time – 1973
If I Have to Go – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
In Shades – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
In the Colosseum – Bone Machine – 1992
In the Neighborhood – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Innocent When You Dream (78) – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Innocent When You Dream (Barroom) – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Interlude – The Black Rider – 1993
Invitation to the Blues – Small Change – 1976
It’s Over – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Jayne’s Blue Wish – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Jersey Girl – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Jesus Gonna Be Here – Bone Machine – 1992
Jitterbug Boy (Sharing a Curbstone with Chuck E. Weiss, Robert Marchese, Paul Body and The Mug and Artie) – Small Change – 1976
Jockey Full of Bourbon – Rain Dogs – 1985
Johnsburg, Illinois – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Just Another Sucker on the Vine – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Just the Right Bullets – The Black Rider – 1993
Kentucky Avenue – Blue Valentine – 1978
King Kong – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Kiss Me – Bad as Me – 2011
Knife Chase – Blood Money – 2002
Kommienezuspadt – Alice – 2002
Last Leaf – Bad as Me – 2011
Last Rose of Summer, The – The Black Rider – 1993
Let Me Get Up on It – Bone Machine – 1992
Lie to Me – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Little Drop of Poison – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Little Man – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love) – Closing Time – 1973
Lonely – Closing Time – 1973
(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Long Way Home – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Lord I’ve Been Changed – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Lost in the Harbour – Alice – 2002
Lowside of the Road – Mule Variations – 1999
LowDown – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Lucky Day – The Black Rider – 1993
Lucky Day Overture – The Black Rider – 1993
Lucinda – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Lullaby – Blood Money – 2002
Make It Rain – Real Gone – 2004
Martha – Closing Time – 1973
Medley: Jack & Neal/California, Here I Come – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Metropolitan Glide – Real Gone – 2004
Midnight Lullaby – Closing Time – 1973
Midtown – Rain Dogs – 1985
Misery Is the River of the World – Blood Money – 2002
Missing My Son – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
More Than Rain – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Mr. Siegal – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Murder in the Red Barn – Bone Machine – 1992
Muriel – Foreign Affairs – 1977
New Coat of Paint – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
New Year’s Eve – Bad as Me – 2011
Never Let Go – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street) – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Nobody – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
No One Knows I’m Gone – Alice – 2002
November – The Black Rider – 1993
Nirvana – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
The Ocean Doesn’t Want Me – Bone Machine – 1992
Oily Night – The Black Rider – 1993
Ol’ ’55 – Closing Time – 1973
Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) – Closing Time – 1973
On a Foggy Night – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
On the Nickel – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
On the Road – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
(Opening Intro) – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Pasties and a G-String (At the Two O’Clock Club) – Small Change – 1976
Pay Me – Bad as Me – 2011
Picture in a Frame – Mule Variations – 1999
Please Call Me, Baby – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Please Wake Me Up – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Poor Edward – Alice – 2002
Poor Little Lamb – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Pony – Mule Variations – 1999
Pontiac, The – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Potter’s Field – Foreign Affairs – 1977
Putnam County – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Puttin’ on the Dog – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Rainbirds – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Rain Dogs – Rain Dogs – 1985
Rains on Me – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Raised Right Men – Bad as Me – 2011
Red Shoes by the Drugstore – Blue Valentine – 1978
Redrum – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Reeperbahn – Alice – 2002
Return of Jackie and Judy, The – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Road to Peace – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Romeo Is Bleeding – Blue Valentine – 1978
Rosie – Closing Time – 1973
Ruby’s Arms – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Russian Dance – The Black Rider – 1993
San Diego Serenade – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Satisfied – Bad as Me – 2011
Saving All My Love for You – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Sea of Love – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Semi Suite – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Shake It – Real Gone – 2004
She Stole the Blush – Bad as Me – 2011
Shiny Things – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Shiver Me Timbers – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
Shore Leave – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Singapore – Rain Dogs – 1985
Sins of My Father – Real Gone – 2004
Small Change (Got Rained on with His Own .38) – Small Change – 1976
Soldier’s Things – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Somewhere – Blue Valentine – 1978
Spidey’s Wild Ride – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission) – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Spare Parts II and Closing – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Starving in the Belly of a Whale – Blood Money – 2002
Step Right Up – Small Change – 1976
Straight to the Top (Rhumba) – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Straight to the Top (Vegas) – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Such a Scream – Bone Machine – 1992
Swordfishtrombone – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
‘T’Ain’t No Sin – The Black Rider – 1993
Table Top Joe – Alice – 2002
Take Care of All My Children – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Take It with Me – Mule Variations – 1999
Talking at the Same Time – Bad as Me – 2011
Tango Till They’re Sore – Rain Dogs – 1985
Telephone Call from Istanbul – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Tell It to Me – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Tell Me – Bad as Me – 2011
Temptation – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
That Feel – Bone Machine – 1992
That’s the Way – The Black Rider – 1993
The Black Rider – The Black Rider – 1993
The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone’s Pizza House) – The Heart of Saturday Night – 1974
The One That Got Away – Small Change – 1976
The Part You Throw Away – Blood Money – 2002
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King) – Small Change – 1976
Time – Rain Dogs – 1985
‘Til the Money Runs Out – Heartattack and Vine – 1980
Tom Traubert’s Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) – Small Change – 1976
Top of the Hill – Real Gone – 2004
Town with No Cheer – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Trampled Rose – Real Gone – 2004
Train Song – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
Trouble’s Braids – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Two Sisters – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Underground – Swordfishtrombones – 1983
Union Square – Rain Dogs – 1985
Virginia Avenue – Closing Time – 1973
Walk Away – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Walking Spanish – Rain Dogs – 1985
Warm Beer and Cold Women – Nighthawks at the Diner – 1975
Watch Her Disappear – Alice – 2002
Way Down in the Hole – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
We’re All Mad Here – Alice – 2002
What Keeps Mankind Alive? – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
What’s He Building? – Mule Variations – 1999
Whistle Down the Wind – Bone Machine – 1992
Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard – Blue Valentine – 1978
Who Are You – Bone Machine – 1992
Widow’s Grove – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Woe – Blood Money – 2002
World Keeps Turning – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Wrong Side of the Road – Blue Valentine – 1978
Yesterday Is Here – Frank’s Wild Years – 1987
You Can Never Hold Back Spring – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006
Young at Heart – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards – 2006

Albums:

Closing Time (1973)

The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)

Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)

Small Change (1976)

Foreign Affairs (1977)

Blue Valentine (1978)

Heartattack and Vine (1980)

Swordfishtrombones (1983)

Rain Dogs (1985)

Franks Wild Years (1987)

Bone Machine (1992)

The Black Rider (1993)

Mule Variations (1999)

Alice (2002)

Blood Money (2002)

Real Gone (2004)

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006)

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Waits, Tom [Music CD]

Bad as Me (2011)

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