Words

Tom Waits can write.

His growl of a singing voice can belie some of the most heartfelt lyrics you'll ever hear. My friend Rick gave me a copy of his annual compilation CD, "On A Winter's Afternoon," which had a version of Waits' "Day After Tomorrow" sung beautifully by Linda Thompson. It's written from the point of view of a soldier who is essentially one day from finishing his tour of duty, and he's writing a letter home. This song is simple, straightforward poetry that somehow conveys volumes about war, life and death. It's not just clever wordplay; too many songwriters get caught up in cleverness. We're talking about an average joe, who's just trying to look out for himself and get back home, and the words serve that concept perfectly. But his thought process captures the much bigger picture of man/God/country and how that ends up in the lap of a grunt like him.

"I just do what I've been told,
we're just the gravel on the road....
and only the lucky one's come home
on the day after tomorrow."

He repeats the "day after tomorrow" phrase at the end of every verse, six times in all.

I don't think he makes it home.

Full lyrics: [http://tomwaits.lyrics.info/dayaftertomorrow.html]