Noir Music | “Warm Beer and Cold Women” by Tom Waits

Tom Waits (via via lucystardust.tumblr.com)

Tom Waits beautifully crafts a familiar noir setting in “Warm Beer and Cold Women”– The gravel in his throat matched only by his sincerity in this incredibly genuine, incredibly unforgettable song. Each lyric hits exactly the way it should, Waits like a noir poet laureate:

warm beer and cold women, I just don’t fit in
every joint I stumbled into tonight
that’s just how it’s been
all these double knit strangers with
gin and vermouth and recycled stories
in the naugahyde booths

with the platinum blondes
and tobacco brunettes
I’ll be drinkin’ to forget you
lite another cigarette
and the band’s playin’ something
by Tammy Wynette
and the drinks are on me tonight

all my conversations I’ll just be
talkin’ about you baby
borin’ some sailor as I try to get through
I just want him to listen
that’s all you have to do
he said I’m better off without you
till I showed him my tattoo

now the moon’s rising
ain’t got no time to lose
time to get down to drinking
tell the band to play the blues
drink’s are on me, I’ll buy another round
at the last ditch attempt saloon

warm beer and cold women, I just don’t fit in
every joint I stumbled into tonight
that’s just how it’s been
all these double knit strangers with
gin and vermouth and recycled stories
in the naugahyde booths

with the platinum blondes
and tobacco brunettes
I’ll be drinking to forget you
lite another cigarette
and the band’s playing somethin’
by Johnnie Barnett
and the drinks are on me tonight

*Here is an interview with Tom in 1979– I place it here because it’s one of my favorites (I especially love it when Tom puts a match in his pocket around minute 3).