Foreign Affair, Foreign Affairs, Tom Waits [055]

It's the conclusion of another album and another season, as Martin, Sam, Sam and Simon discuss the thematic oppositions between this final track and the themes and ethos of the rest of Foreign Affairs. 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: Foreign Affair, Foreign Affairs, Tom Waits (1977) Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home), That Stubborn Kinda' Fella, Marvin Gaye (1963) 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 - Foreign Affair When traveling abroad in the continental style It's my belief one must attempt to be discreet And subsequently bear in mind your transient position Allows you a perspective that's unique And though you'll find your itinerary a blessing and a curse Your wanderlust won't let you settle down And you'll wonder how you ever fathomed that you'd be content To stay within the city limits of a small mid western town Most vagabonds I knowed don't ever want to find the culprit That remains the object of their long relentless quest The obsession's in the chasing and not the apprehending The pursuit you see and never the arrest Without fear of contradiction bon voyage is always hollered In conjunction with a handkerchief from shore By a girl who drives a Rambler and furthermore is overly concerned That she won't see him anymore Planes and trains and boats and buses characteristically Evoke a common attitude of blue Unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport And the cargo that they're carrying is you A foreign affair juxtaposed with a stateside And domestically approved romantic fancy Is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances Knowing it will only be parlayed into a memory