Murder in the Red Barn, Bone Machine, Tom Waits [198]

Waits jumps on the salacious rumour-mill with this topical true-crime tale from... 1800s Suffolk. Maybe. Mary Epworth returns for a second week of conversation with Sam and Martin, discussing the truth and fiction around the real-life events that took place in the red barn, how Waits does or doesn't engage with this story, and issues surrounding vocal engagement and strain. 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: Murder in the Red Barn, Bone Machine, Tom Waits (1992) Murder of Maria Marten, No Roses, Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band (1971) 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 - Murder in the Red Barn There was a murder in the red barn Murder in the red barn The trees are bending over  The cows are lying down The autumn's taking over You can hear the Buckshot hounds The watchman said to Reba the loon Was it pale at Manzanita Or Blind Bob the racoon? Pin it on a drifter  They sleep beneath the bridge One plays the violin  And sleeps inside a fridge There was a murder in the red barn A murder in the red barn Someone's crying in the woods Someone's burying all his clothes Now Slam the Crank from Wheezer  Slept outside last night and froze Road kill has its seasons  Just like anything It's possums in the autumn  And it's farm cats in the spring There was a murder in the red barn A murder in the red barn Now thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house  Or covet thy neighbor's wife But for some  Murder is the only door thru which they enter life Now they surrounded the house They smoked him out They took him off in chains The sky turned black and bruised  And we had months of heavy rains Now the ravens nest in the rotted roof  Of Chenoweth's old place And noone's asking Cal  About that scar upon his face 'Cause there's nothin' strange  About an axe with bloodstains in the barn There's always some killin'  You got to do around the farm A murder in the red barn Murder in the red barn Now the woods will never tell  What sleeps beneath the trees Or what's buried 'neath a rock  Or hiding in the leaves 'Cause road kill has it's seasons  Just like anything It's possums in the autumn  And it's farm cats in the spring There was a murder in the red barn A murder in the red barn A murder in the red barn Now a lady can't do nothin'  Without folks' tongues waggin' Is that blood on the tree  Or is it autumn's red blaze When the ground's soft for diggin'  And the rain will bring all this gloom There's nothing wrong with a lady  Drinking alone in a room But there was a murder in the red barn A murder in the red barn