Tom Waits Quotes (1949-)

Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Tom Waits quotes.

“The piano has been drinking, not me.”

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drinkingpiano

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“Come down off the cross, we can use the wood.”

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crossdownwood

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“The dog won't bite if you beat Him with a bone”

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wontbitebeat

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“What's he building in there? We have a right to know.”

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buildingwhatsright

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“If I exorcise my devils, well, my angels may leave too.”

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exorcisedevilsangels

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“The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.”

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printgivethtaketh

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“If you get far enough away you'll be on your way back home.”

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enoughyoullaway

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“And someone will head south 'til this whole thing cools off.”

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someonesouthwhole

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“I don't have a drinking problem ‘cept when I can't get a drink.”

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drinkingproblemdrink

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“I'm so goddamn horny, the crack of dawn better be careful around me!”

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goddamncarefulbetter

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“Don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk.”

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theresdevildrunk

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“Songs are really just very interesting things to be doing with the air.”

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interestingreallythings

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“Well, I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”

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lobotomyfrontalrather

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“"She's been married so many times she's got rice marks all over her face"”

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shesmarriedtimes

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“How do the angels get to sleep / When the Devil leaves his porch light on?”

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angelsleavessleep

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“If there's one thing you can say about mankind, there's nothing kind about man.”

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theresmankindnothing

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“Pregnant women and Vietnam vets, beggin on the freeway, bout as hard as it gets.”

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pregnantvietnamfreeway

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“Some men are searching for the Holy Grail, but there ain't nothing sweeter than riding the rail.”

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searchingnothingsweeter

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“They say that I have no hits, and I'm difficult to work with. And they say that like it's a bad thing.”

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difficultthinghits

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“And the things you can’t remember tell the things you can forget, that history puts a saint in every dream.”

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thingsrememberhistory

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“I know a place where a royal flush can never beat a pair, and even Thomas Jefferson is On The Nickel over there.”

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jeffersonthomasnickel

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“The face forgives the mirror, the worm forgives the plough, the question begs the answer, can you forgive me somehow?”

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forgivesquestionforgive

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“And sometime around 2 AM you end up taking advantage of yourself. Ain't no way around that. Making a scene with a magazine.”

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aroundadvantagesometime

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“(When asked for advice for younger musicians) "Break windows, smoke cigars, and stay up late. Tell 'em to do that, they'll find a little pot of gold."”

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musiciansyoungerwindows

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“Well, you know when you're the opening act for large groups? Sometimes you feel like a rectal thermometer, you're going out there taking the temperature of the audience.”

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yourethermometertemperature

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Tom Waits Quotes by Topic

Find exactly what you are looking for by browsing this categorized list of Tom Waits quotes by topic.

Tom Waits on Answer

“The question begs the answer, can you forgive me somehow?”

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questionforgivesomehow

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Tom Waits on Devil

“Don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk.”

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theresdevildrunk

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Tom Waits on God

“Don't you know there ain't no devil? There's only God when He's drunk.”

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theresdevildrunk

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Tom Waits on Angels

“How do the angels get to sleep when the devil leaves the porch light on?”

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angelsleavessleep

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Tom Waits on Worms

“The face forgives the mirror The worm forgives the plough The question begs the answer Can you forgive me somehow?”

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forgivesquestionforgive

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Tom Waits on Mirror

“The face forgives the mirror, the worm forgives the plough, the question begs the answer, can you forgive me somehow?”

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forgivesquestionforgive

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Quotes About Tom Waits

Gain deeper perspective through quotes about Tom Waits from others.