We sail tonight for Singapore,
we’re all as mad as hatters here
I’ve fallen for a tawny Moor,
took off to the land of Nod
Drank with all the Chinamen,
walked the sewers of Paris
I danced along a colored wind,
dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me We sail tonight for Singapore,
don’t fall asleep while you’re ashore
Cross your heart and hope to die
when you hear the children cry
Let marrow bone and cleaver choose
while making feet for children shoes
Through the alley, back from hell,
when you hear that steeple bell
You must say goodbye to me Wipe him down with gasoline
'til his arms are hard and mean
From now on boys this iron boat’s your home
So heave away, boys
We sail tonight for Singapore,
take your blankets from the floor
Wash your mouth out by the door,
the whole town’s made of iron ore
Every witness turns to steam,
they all become Italian dreams
Fill your pockets up with earth,
get yourself a dollar’s worth
Away boys, away boys, heave away
The captain is a one-armed dwarf,
he’s throwing dice along the wharf
In the land of the blind
the one-eyed man is king, so take this ring
We sail tonight for Singapore,
we’re all as mad as hatters here
I’ve fallen for a tawny Moor,
took off to the land of Nod
Drank with all the Chinamen,
walked the sewers of Paris
I drank along a colored wind,
I dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me
Now THIS is my idea of a real lullaby. All I need to do while I listen to this is snuff out some lit cigarettes on my arm and I fall fast asleep like a baby. No, listen, don't take that seriously, I like Tom Waits. It's just that my first exposure to his voice was pretty shocking and I've never fully recovered.
NOTHING else was written, sung, played or produced like this album in 1985. NOTHING!
While everyone else was heaping shiny DX7 bell sounds on everything, Waits was thrashing seven shades of shit out of anything that made a noise (including his own voice, of course). A timeless album.