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Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.

Tom Waits

My wife called me a mule. She once said, “I didn’t marry a man; I married a mule!” I kept thinking about it. It was in the back of my head. I think it makes a good title for an album.
TOM WAITS

Animal Goodness Man Marriage Myself Thinking Wife
Oh, I’m not a percussionist, I just like to hit things.
TOM WAITS

Funny Instrument Musician Myself
We have a deficit of wonder right now.
TOM WAITS

Imagination Right Wonder
I do some acting. And there’s a difference between “I do some acting” and “I’m an actor.”
TOM WAITS

Act Actor Difference Myself
I hate Disneyland. It primes our kids for Las Vegas.
TOM WAITS

Hate Myself Prime
The piano has been drinking, not me.
TOM WAITS

Drink Funny Instrument Myself Piano
I always had a great appreciation for jazz, but I’m a very pedestrian musician. I get by. I like to think that my main instrument is vocabulary.
TOM WAITS

Appreciation Greatness Music Myself Vocabulary
Arithmetic arithmetock Turn the hands back on the clock How does the ocean rock the boat? How did the razor find my throat? The only strings that hold me here Are tangled up around the pier.
TOM WAITS

Arithmetic Boat Finding Hands Hold Myself Ocean
You’re my North Star when I’m lost and feeling blue.
TOM WAITS

Love Relationship Romantic Star Yourself
The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.
TOM WAITS

Bible Devil Hands Himself Religious
I started out with nothing and I still got most of it left.
TOM WAITS

Inspirational Myself Poor Reach Start
Got a head full of lightning, a hat full of rain.
TOM WAITS

Head Rain
Well, it’s either kiss me or kill me, that’s how I see it.
TOM WAITS

Kill Kiss Myself See
For a songwriter, you don’t really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take them apart and see what they’re made of, and wonder if you can make one, too.
TOM WAITS

Learning Listening Oneself Song Wonder Writing
Children make up the best songs, anyway. Better than grown-ups. Kids are always working on songs and throwing them away, like little origami things or paper airplanes. They don’t care if they lose it; they’ll just make another one.
TOM WAITS

Best Better Care Children Growth Oneself
I like vocal word stuff. But I don’t always write with an instrument, I usually write a capella. It’s more like drawing in the air with your fingers. It’s closest to the choreography of a bee. You’re freer.
TOM WAITS

Fingers Freedom Instrument Myself Vocal Word
Their memory’s like a train: you can see it getting smaller as it pulls away And the things you can’t remember Tell the things you can’t forget that History puts a saint in every dream.
TOM WAITS

Dreams Memories Remember Train Yourself
Most people don’t care if you’re telling them the truth or if you’re telling them a lie, as long as they’re entertained by it.
TOM WAITS

Care Entertainment Lying People Truth Yourself
I did my time in the jail of your arms.
TOM WAITS

Arms Time Yourself
There’s no prayer like desire.
TOM WAITS

Desire One Liner Prayer
The folks who know the truth aren’t talking. The ones who don’t have a clue, you can’t shut them up!
TOM WAITS

Talk Truth Yourself
Did the devil make the world while God was sleeping?
TOM WAITS

Devil God Sleep World
And the earth died screaming, while I lay dreaming.
TOM WAITS

Death Earth Myself Scream
The Universe is making music all the time.
TOM WAITS

Music Time Universe
You learn as much from your kids as they learn from you.
TOM WAITS

Children Learning Yourself
I never told the truth so i can never tell a lie.
TOM WAITS

Lying Myself Talk Truth
It’s rather mystifying when you think about writing songs – where they come from, and how they’re born.
TOM WAITS

Born Mysterious Thinking Writing Yourself

Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.

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Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.

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