The folks who know the truth aren't talking.... The ones who don't have a clue, you can't shut them up!
Tom WaitsI'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them alive. It's like carrying water in your hands. I want to keep it all, and sometimes by the time you get to the studio you have nothing.
Tom Waitsbringing up children was]like living with a bunch of drunks...you really have to be on your toes all the time.
Tom WaitsMost songs have meager beginnings. You wake up in the morning, you throw on your suspenders, and you subvocalize and just think. They seem to form like calcium. I can't think of a story right off the bat that was that interesting. I write things on the back of my hand, usually, and sing into a tape recorder.
Tom Waits