Black Wings by Tom Waits

Cafe Society
1

I’ve just been listening to my copy of Bone Macine and decided to solicit some opinions on the meaning of the song Black Wings. I’ve always debated this one with friends, but we never came up with an answer that really satisfied. For those of you not familiar with the song, it’s one of the darkest and creepiest that Tom has ever done. It’s a song about the last person in the world that you’d ever want to meet.

The lyrics can be a bit confusing at first since Tom is playing two characters in the song. The opening verse paints the picture of the man who is going to be telling you this story. The confusing bit is that it’s not told from the outside. Rather than sing about the man’s appearance or tell his history (which would distance the singer from the story) he sings the man’s thoughts or world-view as the man would express them in his head. The opening line of the verse is “Take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Just they say in the Bible.” The followup lines are creepier but I don’t want to print them for fear of pissing off a mod. Suffice it to say that you’re listening to a very bad man.

He tells you a story about a mythic underworld figure. Think Keyser Soze (or however the fuck you spell it.) except that this song predated the movie by several years. It’s not so much a story as a recitation of sightings, rumors, sparse facts and stories associated with the man. In the singer’s story, he phrases a couple of lines in ways that suggest that he may be supernatural.

“Well the boots mount the staircase
The door is flung back open
He’s not there for he has risen
He’s not there for he has risen”

and later
“He once killed a man with a guitar string
He’s been seen at the table with kings
They say he once saved a baby from drowning
There are those that say beneath his coat there are wings”

and the final line of the song

“One look in his eyes
And everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him (fade)”

So. My question to you is this: Who is the man? Maybe even what is he? I’ve hashed this over with friends several times and have some theories, but I don’t want to pollute your opinions.

*All lyrics by Tom Waits. pleasedontsuemeyouambulancechasingbastards

2

I don’t know that it applies to a specific individual. I’ve always thought of it as moody, cowboy gothic type imagery; a mysterious stranger with possibly supernatural powers. I think tying it down to, say, ‘Oh, it’s a song about a fallen angel’ or whatever would ruin the vague, dreamlike quality of the song. It doesn’t have explanations or meaning. It doesn’t need them.

My favorite song from Bone Machine is Who Are You. The lyrics written down just seem surreal, but sung, somehow you completely under what Tom Waits is saying, and it just makes you want to cry.

3

You’re probably right that naming the character would diminish the song, but the idea still attracts me.

4

Waits frequently puts together stories of the mystery/unknown in his songs. I have listened to Bone Machine several hundred times, at least…and I can’t say that ever tried to tie Black Wings to a specific person/entity.

Just like I never tried to figure out who the midget was that shot the game of billiards; just like I never tried to figure out who Frank was, or his wife that he watched burning, all halloween orange and chimney red; Just like I never tried to figure where it is that steam comes through the grill like the whole goddam town is ready to blow …

For me, his songs (from the SFT, RD, FWY, and Bone Machine era, anyway) are all about the imagery, landscape and feeling – not specifics to be deciphered.

Having said that, I am interested to hear your interpretation of the lyrics.