17. Gun Street Girl by Tom Waits Lyrics Meaning – Delving into the Heart of Americana Noir
Lyrics
Falling James in the Tahoe mud
Stick around to tell us all a tale
Well, he fell in love with a Gun Street girl
And now he’s dancing in the Birmingham jail
Dancing in the Birmingham jail
He took a hundred dollars off a slaughterhouse Joe
Brought a brand new Michigan twenty-gauge
He got all liquored up on that road house corn
Blew a hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
A hole in the hood of a yellow Corvette
He bought a second-hand Nova from a Cuban Chinese
And dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
With a pawnshop radio, quarter past four
He left for Waukegan at the slamming of the door
Left for Waukegan at the slamming of the door
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
He’s sitting in a sycamore in St. John’s wood
Soaking day-old bread in kerosene
Well, he was blue as a robin’s egg and brown as a hog
He’s staying out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Out of circulation till the dogs get tired
Shadow fixed the toilet with an old trombone
He never get up in the morning on a Saturday
Sitting by the Erie with a bull-whipped dog
Telling everyone he saw, “they went that-a-way, boys”
Telling everyone he saw, “they went that-a-way”
Now the rain’s like gravel on an old tin roof
And the Burlington Northern pulling out of the world
Now a head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw
And a Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
A Gun Street girl was the cause of it all
Well, he’s riding in the shadow by the St. Joe ridge
Hearing the click-clack tapping of a blind man’s cane
He was pulling into Baker on a New Year’s Eve
One eye on a pistol and the other on the door
One eye on a pistol and the other on the door
Miss Charlotte took her satchel down to King Fish Row
Smuggled in a brand new pair of alligator shoes
With her fireman’s raincoat and her long yellow hair
Well, they tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
Tied her to a tree with a skinny millionaire
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
Banging on the table with an old tin cup
Sing I’ll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
Never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I’ll never kiss a Gun Street girl again
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
I said John, John, he’s long gone
Gone to Indiana, ain’t never coming home
Tom Waits’ gravelly voice is like the soundtrack to an old film noir, one that’s set in the shadowy corners of Americana. His song ’17. Gun Street Girl’ is a musical odyssey that dives deep into a grim narrative, bordered by the edges of a society that’s certainly seen better days. Waits, a maestro of the macabre and mundane, stitches together a tale that’s both abstractly poetic and piercingly literal – a puzzle for the mind and a ballad for the soul.
Through a sequence of vivid vignettes, Waits paints a picture of a man’s entanglement with a ‘Gun Street girl,’ a love affair that spirals into a life of crime, escape, and ultimately, regret. This song, from his seminal album ‘Rain Dogs,’ reflects the album’s thematic focus on the urban underbelly and remains a standout track that entices listeners to peel back its layers. Here, we explore the depths of ’17. Gun Street Girl,’ and attempt to unpack the dense imagery and unravel the poignant storytelling that Waits is known for.
The Road to Perdition and Passion: A ‘Gun Street’ Love Affair
The protagonist, Falling James, starts off ‘in the Tahoe mud,’ an expression indicating a mess of a situation. His descent isn’t solitary; it’s linked to a woman from Gun Street, whose very name suggests danger and allure. This love, if it can be called that, catapults him into a destructive dance—not of romance, but of crime and punishment, illustrated by his time in the Birmingham jail. Here, Waits begs the question, how often does a pursuit of love entwine with the potential for ruin?
The repeated motif of prison suggests not only a literal confinement but a metaphorical one—a confinement within a life shaped by poor choices and compelling desires. Waits doesn’t just sing about love; it’s a love that seduces one into damnation. And as Falling James dances in incarceration, Waits waltzes with the listener, spinning them through a dusty tale of an Americana dream gone awry.
A Tapestry of Americana: Imagery and Intrigue
Tom Waits is nothing if not a master of imagery. In ‘Gun Street Girl,’ he draws from an eclectic palette of American iconography. From the ‘yellow Corvette,’ a symbol of quintessential American success that falls victim to James’ shotgun, to the ‘Cuban Chinese’ vendor and the bathroom of a Texaco, Waits captures a snapshot of America’s melting pot seen through a prism of desperation. These symbols reflect the diverse and often chaotic nature of American society and life.
The geographical references, ‘Waukegan,’ ‘St. John’s wood,’ and ‘Burlington Northern,’ aren’t just waypoints on a map; they’re backdrops to James’ existential wandering and the ebb and flow of the American spirit. His journey is both physical and metaphysical, moving through literal locations and states of being, painting a subtle critique of the pursuit of an increasingly elusive American dream.
The Hidden Meaning Behind The Gravely Lyrics
At first glance, the song’s narrative could be dismissed as just another tale of a good man gone bad. But ‘Gun Street Girl’ carries a hidden meaning within its gravelly depths. It’s a commentary on the human condition, touching on themes such as freedom, escapism, and the search for redemption. Much like the ‘head full of bourbon and a dream in the straw,’ the song’s protagonist is intoxicated with fantasies of a different life, but finds himself stuck—an unraveling dreamer in a realist’s narrative.
Even as James physically escapes, his mind remains trapped in the circumstances of his past actions. The symbiosis between the storytelling and the sonic landscape concocted by Waits serves as a vehicle transporting the listener between reality and allegory. Each verse suggests a layered allegory of choices and consequences, an examination of life’s complexities through the eyes of an ordinary individual facing extraordinary predicaments.
Memorable Lines: The Poetic Heart of ‘Gun Street Girl’
Tom Wait’s lyrics read like lines extracted from a dust-worn journal that’s seen too much of life. ‘Falling James in the Tahoe mud’ instantly sets the scene for our fallen character, while the mention of a ‘Gun Street girl,’ adds an enticingly ominous note. Lines like ‘sitting by the Erie with a bull-whipped dog’ and ‘soaking day-old bread in kerosene’ are seared into the listener’s imagination, evoking a hardscrabble existence that’s rich with detail and feeling.
It’s in the song’s refrain, though, where Waits captures the heart of his message. When he croons, ‘I’ll never kiss a Gun Street girl again,’ one can sense the mixture of regret and longing—the emotional toll of a love that’s best left behind, yet forever stains the lips that have tasted it. The paradox of desire and danger in these lines defines much of Waits’ style, forever etching them into the canon of his most poignant lyrics.
The Instrumental Undertow: How Music Paints the Mood
Waits isn’t simply telling a story; he’s building an atmosphere. The ramshackle beat and the jangling, discordant instrumentation set the stage for a tale told equally by the music as by the lyrics. This aural backdrop of ’17. Gun Street Girl’ drags you into a noir world, replete with characters whose lives seem as battered as the drums in the merging soundscape. The mournful hum of the trombone and the gutteral tone of the guitar emphasize the themes of desolation and despair.
Music and narrative blend seamlessly as the song crafts a space where the listener inhabits the shoes of the protagonist. And as Waits’ raspy voice resonates with the weight of a man who knows too well the story he tells, the instrumentation whispers, and sometimes shouts, a harmonious echo that underscores the twisted romance and the tragic undertone of the lyics—a testament to Tom Waits’ genius as an artist who understands the power of a song to be more than the sum of its parts.
