3 Tom Waits Songs That Make You Feel Like You’re in Vaudeville

Have you ever listened to Tom Waits and felt like you’ve been transported to some sort of stage play, some weird vaudeville act? Or maybe you’re just in some kind of fever dream that Waits has created and concocted just for you.

But the funny thing is, you would never want to leave his strange spell. Here below, we wanted to highlight three songs from the iconic performer that transport us to a new land and a new headspace. Indeed, these are three Tom Waits songs that make you feel like you’re in vaudeville.

“Big Black Mariah” from ‘Rain Dogs’ (1985)

More than any bit of language, this song’s sonic performance makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to some fever dream of a carnival. The drums have you shaking your shoulders like they’re 15 feet wide. The gate of your steps widens and your shoes seem 10 sizes larger. You’re this powerful clown stomping through the world like an elephant. And it’s all because Tom Waits came on the stereo and you got lost in it all. That’s talent! (And great dancing, by the way!)

“What’s He Building?” from ‘Mule Variations’ (1999)

Speaking of strange dreams, that’s what this song is, to be sure. But it’s also grounded in something very real. A near-short story of a track, this tune is rooted in the wondering so many of us have as neighbors. What are those people who live next door doing in their house? Why does all that weird noise come up from the basement? What could they be building, making, destroying, or concocting in there? Do we even want to know what’s happening in this real-life vaudeville scene? Probably not!

“Tom Traubert’s Blues” from ‘Small Change’ (1976)

When the circus comes to town, you know you’re going to experience characters galore. And that’s just what Tom Waits presents in so many of his tracks, too. There is a circus in each of them. For evidence, dive into the weird world of “Tom Traubert’s Blues”. It’s like the sad clown version of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. And in that way, it just tugs at your heartstrings like a tragic stage play.

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