The Tom Waits Project: #17. "Blood Money" (2002)

There are few artists who have had as enjoyably weird of a career as that of Tom Waits. With a career spanning over 45 years, he has reinvented himself countless times while providing some of rock's strangest, most eclectic tunes imaginable. Over the course of 2019, my goal with The Tom Waits Project is to explore every single one of his studio albums as well as live albums and soundtracks (no compilations) and chart the shifts in his career as well as hopefully understand what makes him so ubiquitous in pop culture. He's an artist who has always been there, making things weird, but there's a good chance you haven't truly noticed him. Here's your chance to join me every other Wednesday on a quest to find out what makes him so special.

Album: "Blood Money"

Release Date: May 7, 2002

Label: ANTI- Records

Certifications: 
-The Netherlands (Gold, 400,000 copies sold)

Track List:

1. "Misery is the River of the World"
2. "Everything Goes to Hell"
3. "Coney Island Baby"
4. "All the World is Green"
5. "God's Away on Business"
6. "Another Man's Vine"
7. "Knife Chase"
8. "Lullaby"
9. "Starving in the Belly of a Whale"
10. "The Part You Throw Away"
11. "Woe"
12. "Calliope"
13. "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

*NOTE: Listen to it here.

Track Analysis

This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.

"Misery is the River of the World"

Once again, Tom Waits is back in cynical mode. He hasn't really been this straightforward with it since "Bone Machine" over a decade earlier, and the good news is that he's still creatively in top form. He perfectly depicts the struggles of mankind being a terrible place to live with simple line twists like "nothing kind about man." While the instrumentation is fairly familiar at this point, playing the familiar demented sense of cheer, it's fun to hear him apply this to a river, finishing the song by asking everyone to row along. It feels like the opening to one of the most demented water rides imaginable. It's scary to think about what lies ahead, and his gruff voice, which sounds on the verge of being torn from his throat, only sells that more.

"Everything Goes to Hell"

This is the perfect way to follow-up the last song, which focused on how misery sends people down a terrible river. The way that things are going, it looks like it will be the river Styx or some form of punishment. Still, there's more of optimism in Waits' voice, as he sings in a hushed register that is peaceful. He sings of a group of people giving in to temptation who are unable to go to heaven. It's why he suggests everything goes to hell, which only feels fitting for this album so far. What's odd is how pleasant this is underneath the demonic instrumentation that sounds like it's collapsing over Waits with every note. There's something attractive about it, even though it does feel like there will be some mania lying on the other side of this journey.

"Coney Island Baby"

After diving deep into the cynicism of this world, Waits pulls back to find something more attractive. He's talking once again about the bright spot in a dark world. In this case, it's a Coney Island Baby. Given his love of circus imagery, it makes sense that he would find an oddball at a carnival and feel a sense of love. It's rather romantic from his perspective, believing that she'll save him from whatever misery comes next. What's staggering is that even as this song delves into something sweet, his voice can't help but crack, worn from age and a sense of despair. Still, the joy in his life shines through in that exact moment, making it sound even sweeter even as it gets grittier. 

"All the World is Green"

It seems like this album is obsessed with a lot of water imagery. After opening with a song about a river, it's been fairly consistent in depicting things that are either liquid or next to it. In this case, he's singing about falling into the ocean. He wants to be at peace, and his quiet voice reflects this as the chimes play behind him. It's beautiful and reflects his quest for something more normal. With his Coney Island baby in tow, he's likely finding a way to escape the hell of this world in favor of something else. The only issue is that the instruments are once again towering over him, asking him to give up his joy for their reality. 

"God's Away on Business"

This is where it all started for me. Back in the early 2000s, I came across this video when a friend shared it. It was bizarre and I had no true grasp for what Waits actually was as a musician. It was wonderful in a way, and it's more ingenious as a flip from the previous song. Whereas the previous stretch has been peaceful and full of optimism, Waits once again returns to this strange belief that God is not going to help you out of your trouble. After all, everything goes to hell. It makes sense that he would try to sound as demented as possible, making you feel the pressure as dark souls intersect with his life, pushing every temptation into a pit of despair. It's further evidence that his weirdest songs cross very well with spirituality in ways that are fairly interesting (see: "Mule Variations").

"Another Man's Vine"

As one can guess when God's away, it's that things start to fall apart. In this case, it sounds like the Coney Island Baby is starting to become a fan of infidelity. It's a song that focuses on how there's a red rose on another man's vine. Considering that the image itself is one of beauty and desire, it makes sense that he uses it to suggest that the thing he wants is starting to drift away. His voice sounds strong even as there's a wavering underneath, suggesting that the happiness that he has been working towards is starting to crumble underneath him. The misery will flow once again, sending everything to hell. That is unless he takes a course of action.

"Knife Chase"

It's true that this is just an instrumental track and that means there isn't much "story" to interpret. However, it does fit with the chronology of things given what it sounds like. The instruments pop like a dangerous alley in a 50's noir film. The chugging sound underneath sounds like a man running, possibly away or to danger. Everything about it has an urgency that's only complimented by the title, which suggests that someone is about to get stabbed. It's a wonderful blues piece and one that is Waits' most coherent and straightforward take in quite a few years. It's not a particularly diversion of a song, but it still works at capturing an urgency and danger that likely will end with death.

"Lullaby"

While the song itself has nothing terrible going on, it's quite haunting in the progression of the music. Following a knife chase that likely ended with a serious injury, it sounds like he's singing the wounded man to a final resting place. It makes sense given that a lot of the lyrics center around this sense of not being able to get what you want in the world. The fact that Waits is singing it in such a peaceful manner only adds to his sense of mental illness or his unfair view of the world. He wants happiness and will cause misery to get it. Is he really a sane person then? It's hard to say. Still, for a song about going to sleep, it's hard to not suggest that it's an eternal sleep that allows him to be with his Coney Island baby without any interference.

"Starving in the Belly of a Whale"

After such a peaceful song, it feels right for Waits to once again ratchet up the tension. His voice returns to the cracked, demonic source suggesting that he's once again heading down towards hell. With the tempo speeding up, he manages to capture the insanity that he's facing with such vivid imagery. There's no pleasant way to get out of the belly of the whale, so he must live with his consequences. What makes the song extra sweet is its ability to use a harmonic that sounds like it's scratching against a rail, creating this sense of desperation that is painful, but also kind of beautiful in its chaos. It's a nice little song, even as it suggests that the worst is yet to come.

"The Part You Throw Away"

As the album begins to wrap up, it's one of the more sporadic songs on Waits' album. While it's peaceful in nature with the simple plucking behind him, he recounts a lot of the corners of the world and things that he must throw away. It's a typical song from him, as it covers a lot of great imagery as he finds ways to suggest that there's a lot of pettiness in the world. There's no need to get caught up in all of the chaos that preceded this song. It's time to be at peace with yourself, no matter who you are because the end is coming sooner than you think.

"Woe"

As mentioned, this is the part of the album where things are winding down. With a little over a minute, it's a self-reflective song that finds Waits looking back on his past mistakes. Maybe he's caused trouble from killing a man, or something that upset his Coney Island baby. Whatever it may be, there's something eating at him as it sounds like his world is falling away. She's disappearing and all that he has left is the woe that he started the album with. There are two songs to go, and it's doubtful that he's going to find joy within those six minutes.

"Calliope"

Another instrumental on the album and this one is more rooted in metaphoric anguish. While there's a horn blowing what's clearly a depressing melody, the chimes surrounding clang is a discordant fashion. Everything is just slightly unbalanced, leaving one unsure of what's going to happen next. It's a short song and one that captures a tonal consistency with the rest of the album. It's a spiraling down into sadness, back into the river of misery. There's no way to get out of it this time. He's stuck there for good.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

This feels like the perfect statement for what the album has built to. With a protagonist who has murdered people and left the world in misery, it makes sense to find that the real revelation that good men are hard to find. Waits is not one of them. He tries to find ways to justify it, but even he's out of ideas at this point. His favorite color is red, which is violent and symbolic of the bloodshed throughout the album. It's a melancholic way to say goodbye, but it also proves that even he couldn't escape his misery and find happiness with his Coney Island baby. He just had to give in to temptation because God was away on business. He couldn't fend for himself, and that's the real tragedy.

Closing Remarks

The truth is that Waits is rarely, if ever, a bad artist. He manages to continually find ways to spice up his style whether through lyrics or musical accompaniment. I love discovering each album because they are surprisingly coherent in a narrative despite having a dozen standalone songs. The issue is that while "Blood Money" is a very well constructed album, listening to every one of these back-to-back makes it a tad tiresome to hear him rely on familiar images of death and cynicism over and over. Where there was something uplifting about it with "Mule Variations," this sounds like a B-sides album at times of stuff he did during the "Frank's Wild Years" era. It's not a bad thing, again Waits rarely lacks ingenuity, but it's hard to really call it a masterpiece when compared to his other albums that do the same thing, but way better. With that said, "God's Away on Business" remains an undisputed masterpiece as Waits falls further and further into using religious imagery in his music in such delightfully perverse ways.

Coming Up Next: "Alice" (2002)

Album Rankings

This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Tom Waits album is the best.

1. "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "Blue Valentine" (1978)
3. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
4. "Mule Variations" (1999)
5. "Small Change" (1976)
6. "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
7. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
8. "Bone Machine" (1992)
9. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
10. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
11. "Blood Money" (2002)
12. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
13. "Closing Time" (1973)
14. "The Black Rider" (1993)
15. "Night on Earth" (1992)
16. "Big Time" (1988)
17. "One From the Heart" (1982)

Song Rankings

This section is dedicated to finding the best songs from each album and comparing them to each other in hopes of finding which one is Tom Waits' best song.

1. "Hang Down Your Head" from "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "Filipino Box Spring Hog" from "Mule Variations" (1999)
3. "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" from "Bone Machine" (1992)
4. "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" from "Blue Valentine" (1978)
5. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" from "Small Change" (1976)
6. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
7. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Big Time" (1988)
8. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
9. "Jersey Girl" from "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
10. "Shore Leave" from "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
11. "God's Away on Business" from "Blood Money" (2002)
12. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
13. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
14. "Los Angeles Mood (Another Private Dick)" from "Night on Earth" (1992)
15. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
16. "Just the Right Bullets" from "The Black Rider" (1993)
17. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)