“I come into town on a night train with an arm full of boxcars
On the wings of a magpie cross a hooligan night
I’m gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie
I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie
Whistlin’ past the graveyard, stepping on a crack
Me and mother hubbard Papa one-eyed jack”
– Tom Waits ,‘Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard’ (1978).
One of the greatest songs about the resting place of the dead ever written!
Well, compared to songs about love, it’s a relatively small sample size, granted.
The way the gravel-voiced one growls and rasps his blues braggadocio poetry is pure (black) magic.
Excellent slink-through-the-night creep factor, but damn hard to whistle…
Link to the song below:
Ebb Then Flood 