16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six, Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits [096]

Song by Song welcomes Jo Neary to the show to discuss repeated musical themes in the writing of Waits, surreal lyrical imagery, and the influence (or lack thereof) of Captain Beefheart. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick and Sam Pay; two musicians listening to and discussing every single Tom Waits track in chronological order. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: [email protected] Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six, Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983) Ice Cream For Crow, Ice Cream For Crow, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (1982) We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly. Lyrics - 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six I plugged 16 shells from a thirty-ought-six and the Black Crow snuck through a hole in the sky so I spent all my buttons on an old pack mule and I made me a ladder from a pawn shop marimba and I leaned it up against a dandelion tree and I filled me a sachel full of old pig corn and I beat me a billy from an old French horn and I kicked that mule to the top of the tree and I blew me a hole 'bout the size of a kickdrum and I cut me a switch from a long branch elbow I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six Well I slept in the holler of a dry creek bed and I tore out the buckets from a red Corvette, tore out the buckets from a red Corvette Lionel and Dave and the Butcher made three you got to meet me by the knuckles of the skinnybone tree with the strings of a Washburn stretched like a clothes line you know me and that mule scrambled right through the hole I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six Now I hold him prisoner in a Washburn jail that strapped on the back of my old kick mule I bang on the strings just to drive him crazy I strum it loud to rattle his cage strum it loud just to rattle his cage I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six whittle you into kindlin' Black Crow sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six