Tom Waits Quotes

Tom Waits
Tom Waits
American Musician
Born: Dec 7, 1949
Listening Me Music People Think You
Related authors: Bob Dylan Dolly Parton Frank Sinatra Juice Wrld Kanye West Lil Peep Nipsey Hussle YoungBoy Never Broke Again
We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness. Tom Waits
Happiness Knowledge Confused Wealth Beneath Weight Abundance Quantity Buried Being Information Which
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. You find that out really fast. Tom Waits
Truth You Lie People Care Long Out Telling Entertained Find Most dont Care Them Really Fast
Songs really are like a form of time travel because they really have moved forward in a bubble. Everyone who's connected with it, the studio's gone, the musicians are gone, and the only thing that's left is this recording which was only about a three-minute period maybe 70 years ago. Tom Waits
Time Travel Musicians Recording Gone Everyone About Only Bubble Songs Studio Like Period Because Years Years Ago Left Time Travel Maybe Moved The Only Thing Form Which Really Forward Connected Thing
When you're writing, you're conjuring. It's a ritual, and you need to be brave and respectful and sometimes get out of the way of whatever it is that you're inviting into the room. Tom Waits
You Writing Sometimes Be Brave Whatever Way Respectful Out Ritual Inviting Get Brave Room Need
I saw a crow building a nest, I was watching him very carefully, I was kind of stalking him and he was aware of it. And you know what they do when they become aware of someone stalking them when they build a nest, which is a very vulnerable place to be? They build a decoy nest. It's just for you. Tom Waits
You Build Building Become Stalking Carefully Saw Kind Nest Someone Crow He Know Him Vulnerable Very Just Place Which Them Aware Watching
I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy. Tom Waits
Me Free Rather Bottle Than Front
Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends. Tom Waits
Pain Sham Real Real Friends Friends Real Pain Champagne
When I was younger, I wanted to be older. Now I am older, I am not quite so sure. Tom Waits
Older Sure Am Quite Wanted Younger Now
If you're in the middle of the ocean with no flippers and no life preserver and you hear a helicopter, this is music. You have to adjust to your needs at the moment. Tom Waits
Life Music Needs You Ocean Adjust No Life Hear Middle Helicopter Your Moment
Writing songs is like capturing birds without killing them. Sometimes you end up with nothing but a mouthful of feathers. Tom Waits
You Writing Feathers Sometimes Nothing Birds Songs Like Without End Up Them Capturing
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
Truth You Lie People Care Long Telling Entertained Most Them
The only thing worse than being in the Hall of Fame is not being in the Hall of Fame. Tom Waits
Worse Only Hall Fame Than Being The Only Thing Thing
You almost have to create situations in order to write about them, so I live in a constant state of self-imposed poverty. I don't want to live any other way. Tom Waits
You Poverty Live Other State Way Constant About Write Almost Any Situations Any Other Way Order Want Them Create
I think I have an adrenaline addiction, no question about that. Tom Waits
Think Addiction About No Question Adrenaline Question
My reality needs imagination like a bulb needs a socket. My imagination needs reality like a blind man needs a cane. Tom Waits
Needs Man Reality Imagination Like Blind Blind Man Bulb Man Needs Cane
I hate Disneyland. It primes our kids for Las Vegas. Tom Waits
Hate Our Kids Vegas Disneyland Las Vegas
My first big gig was an opening show for Frank Zappa, and I think that was difficult. Tom Waits
First Big Difficult Think Frank Frank Zappa Gig Opening Show Zappa
Somebody said I sound like an old lady, and I was really insulted by that. I'm trying to sound like Skip James and Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. Tom Waits
Old Somebody Marvin Gaye Like Robinson Insulted Smokey Said Sound Trying Lady James Old Lady Really Skip
If you're a writer, you know that the stories don't come to you - you have to go looking for them. The old men in the lobby: that's where the stories were. Tom Waits
You Old Men Looking Lobby Writer Come Know Go Were Where Stories Them Old Men
I always liked the idea that America is a big facade. We are all insects crawling across on the shiny hood of a Cadillac. We're all looking at the wrapping. But we won't tear the wrapping to see what lies beneath. Tom Waits
Insects Looking Big Beneath Hood Lies See Wrapping Facade Cadillac Idea Liked Always Shiny America Crawling Across Tear
If you record the sound of bacon in a frying pan and play it back, it sounds like the pops and cracks on an old 33 1/3 recording. Almost exactly like that. You could substitute it for that sound. Tom Waits
You Old Recording Back Bacon Exactly Record Could Almost Like Sound Sounds Cracks Substitute Frying Pops Play Pan
You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it's hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. Tom Waits
Love You Car Hungry Out Slot Silver More Put Takes Feel Like Know How Hand Up Wants Really Your Actually Right Players
I'm so horny the crack of dawn better watch out. Tom Waits
Better Out Horny Dawn Crack Watch
What you want is for music to love you back. That's why you pay your dues. You want to feel like you belong and are part of this symbiosis, metamorphosis, whatever you want to call it. Tom Waits
Love Music You Whatever Pay Back Part Feel Like Call Dues Love You Want To Love Your Why Belong
The big print giveth and the small print taketh away. Tom Waits
Big Small Giveth Print Away
I have a Chamberlain I bought from some surfers in Westwood many years ago. It's an early analog synthesizer; it operates on tape loops. It has 60 voices - everything from galloping horses to owls to rain to every instrument in the orchestra. Tom Waits
Rain Every Analog Everything Synthesizer Some Voices Horses Bought Instrument Loops Years Years Ago Tape Owls Orchestra Galloping Many Chamberlain Early
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