Tom Waits - Kentuchy Avenue Lyrics






eddie graces buick got 4 bullet holes in the side
charley delislesittin' at the top of an avacado tree
mrs storml stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn
i got a half pack of lucky strikes man come along with me
lets fill our pockets with macadamia nuts
then go ever to bobby goodmansons
and jump off the roof

hilda plays strip poker
and her mamas across the street
joey narinsky says she put her tongue in his mouth
dicky faulkners got a switchblade
and some goosenecks risers
that eucalyptus is a hunchback
theres a wind up from the south
let me tie you up with kite string
and i'll show you the scabs on my knee
watch out for the broken glass, put your shoes and socks
on and come along with me

lets follow that fire truck
i think your house is burning down
then go down to the hobo jungle and kill some rattle
snakes with a trowel
we'll break all the windows in the ols anderson place
and steal a bunch of boysenberrys
ans swear em on our face
i'll get a dollar from my mamas purse
and buy that scull and crossbones ring
and you can wear it round your neck on an old piece of string

then we'll split on ronniie arnold
and flip him the bird
and slash the tires on the school bus
now don't say a word
i'll take a rusty nail and scratch your initials on my arm
and i'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore

take the spokes from your wheellchair
and a magpies wings
and tie em to your shoulders and your feet
i'll steal a hacksaw from my dad
and cut the braces off your legs
and we'll bury them tonight in the cornfield

put a church key in your pocket
we'll hop that freight train in the hall
and we'll slide down the drain all the way
to new orleans in the fall





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Tom Waits Kentuchy Avenue Comments
  1. G.... M....

    After all these years, this must be one of the best loves songs ever written.

  2. R.... Z....

    The thing i dont understand is why people dont know how to appreciate Tom enough because he is something else entirely makes me even more sad then his songs

  3. G.... F....

    One of the best songs about friendship I have ever heard. ☺

  4. k.... f....

    wow master that's harsh but this is not hitting  me yet but to understand depth you've got to have been there yourself for real for a awhile I believe its truly sad that many people are never tested maybe some slight setbacks but it takes pain to grow and hardship to see ,the more one is driven down if they survive it at all out comes the real self!!!!!Theresa no other way unless your faking it and so much is faked today look at the news con artists lol reality is gone!!

  5. G.... 3....

    Where the FUCK has this music been all my life??
    OMG!?!?! AMAZING

  6. B.... B....

    the best

  7. M.... N....

    NO ! MY UNFORTUNATE LIFE JUST GOT A REPRIEVE . DON'T YOU CRY MOTHERS TILL I PUT A church key IN YOUR POCKET! TOM WAITS TALKS , SPEAKS & SINGS MY THING !!

  8. S.... t....

    ''Wherever ya goin' Whatever ya been... Tom Waits for you.''

  9. k.... 5....

    One of the best performances and songs ever conceived

  10. M.... B....

    song about all of us, back when me were so innocent

  11. o.... ....

    Lyrics:
    Eddie Graces Buick got four bullet holes in the side
    And Charlie Delisle sittin' at the top of an avocado tree
    Mrs. Stormll stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn
    I got a half pack of Lucky Strikes, man, so come along with me
    Lets fill our pockets with macadamia nuts, then go over to Bobby Goodmansons
    And jump off the roof Hilda plays strip poker and her mamas across the street
    Joey Navinski says she put her tongue in his mouth
    Dicky Faulkners got a switchblade and some gooseneck risers that eucalyptus is a hunchback
    There's a wind up from the south
    So let me tie you up with kite string and I'll show you the scabs on my knee
    Watch out for the broken glass, put your shoes and socks on and come along with me
    Lets follow that fire truck
    I think your house is burnin' down
    Then go down to the hobo jungle
    And kill some rattlesnakes with a trowel
    We'll break all the windows in the old Anderson place
    And steal a bunch of boysenberrys
    And smear 'em on our face
    I'll get a dollar from my mamas purse
    And buy that skull and crossbones ring
    And you can wear it around your neck
    On an old piece of string
    Then we'll spit on Ronnie Arnold
    And flip him the bird
    And slash the tires on the school bus
    Now don't say a word
    I'll take a rusty nail
    And scratch your initials on my arm
    And I'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore
    I'll take the spokes from your wheelchair
    And a magpies wings
    And I'll tie 'em to your shoulders and your feet
    I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad
    And cut the braces off your legs
    And we'll bury them tonight in the cornfield
    Put a church key in your pocket
    We'll hop that freight train in the hall
    And we'll slide all the way down the drain
    To New Orleans in the fall

  12. J.... S....

    Tom is truly amazing!

  13. M.... ....

    What an increible freaking piece of music.
    People say Waits and Bukowski go together. Personally I prefer Waits and William (Dicky??) Faulkner, or Waits and Cormac McCarthy.

  14. J.... S....

    There are very few people throughout time, that are true artists. We are living in a time with a true artist.

  15. B.... C....

    Every time. Gets me every time.

  16. T.... A....

    Tie a magpies wings to his friends shoulders, so he could be free. 😭

  17. O.... S....

    If a really touching song had a big brother...he would be this song

  18. D.... W....

    I Agree, His Best Album, Also Maybe Everybody's Best Album

  19. J.... D....

    I can only hear it once a year now.  But I think of all of ya..and our times gone by.  Will see you'se again, for sure. All My Love.

  20. M.... W....

    in that second - i´m crying and crying soo much - i lost my loved girlfriendwoman last weekend - (no worry sche and i´m still alive) - i got no chance - i thought i have, we have that crazx power - but ALL environment are against us... :-(

  21. c.... K....

    Masterpiece

  22. c.... K....

    Incredible

  23. J.... L....

    Tom's depth of lyric is clear on this work... no one else can write like this... no. one.

  24. v.... ....

    his voice is fake and gay

  25. p.... t....

    I'm a huge tom waits fan, ever since his first album. but this is the only good song on this album

  26. T.... G....

    One of the greatest vocal performances of the 20th century.

  27. s.... 6....

    camping music...

  28. t.... k....

    save us all

  29. L.... ....

    Eddie Graces Buick got four bullet holes in the side
    And Charlie Delisle sittin' at the top of an avocado tree
    Mrs. Stormll stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn
    I got a half pack of Lucky Strikes, man, so come along with me
    Lets fill our pockets with macadamia nuts, then go over to Bobby Goodmansons
    And jump off the roof Hilda plays strip poker and her mamas across the street
    Joey Navinski says she put her tongue in his mouth
    Dicky Faulkners got a switchblade and some gooseneck risers that eucalyptus is a hunchback
    There's a wind up from the south
    So let me tie you up with kite string and I'll show you the scabs on my knee
    Watch out for the broken glass, put your shoes and socks on and come along with me
    Lets follow that fire truck
    I think your house is burnin' down
    Then go down to the hobo jungle
    And kill some rattlesnakes with a trowel
    We'll break all the windows in the old Anderson place
    And steal a bunch of boysenberrys
    And smear 'em on our face
    I'll get a dollar from my mamas purse
    And buy that skull and crossbones ring
    And you can wear it around your neck
    On an old piece of string
    Then we'll spit on Ronnie Arnold
    And flip him the bird
    And slash the tires on the school bus
    Now don't say a word
    I'll take a rusty nail
    And scratch your initials on my arm
    And I'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore
    I'll take the spokes from your wheelchair
    And a magpies wings
    And I'll tie 'em to your shoulders and your feet
    I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad
    And cut the braces off your legs
    And we'll bury them tonight in the cornfield
    Put a church key in your pocket
    We'll hop that freight train in the hall
    And we'll slide all the way down the drain
    To New Orleans in the fall

  30. Y.... L....

    THough I get the general feel and imagery of teh lasr verse I do not feel I understand the direct meaning completely...
    'Just put a church key in your pocket
    We'll hop that freight train in the hall
    We'll slide all the way down the drain
    To New Orleans in the fall'


    Is there something that is probably has direct association for teh native speaker but escapes from a foreigner.. like 'freight train in the hall'' - why 'in the hall?' and 'the drain' what does it mean here? Sorry if these questions sound stupid... (I do not as about church key... supposing it has some specific meaning in the personal context of the song like other details... but I cannot be sure too) as I said I grasp the general mood and images but I feel like I do not catsh some details I want to understand. Thank you

  31. M.... ....

    This is love

  32. o.... ....

    just read an interview with King Buzzo of the Melvins where he says:

    _"There's one song on this album called 'Kentucky Avenue' that I can't play in front of my wife because she just breaks out bawling. I kind of use that song as a barometer for people: 'Listen to this song and tell me what you think.' I'll play it for them, and if they have no reaction to it my standards for them lower. Because they're not listening to what the song's about. They're not listening to what's really going on there."_

    that's pretty great. article where he picks ten records that are the most important to him. something like that. about Blue Valentines: _"I first heard this in the mid-Eighties and I literally have listened to it every single week, at least once a week, for 35 years."_ heh that's kinda fascinating to me I guess I don't think of him as a sentimental guy, heck even I don't listen to the older stuff that much anymore these days

    o.... ....

    Ps, the Melvins are horrible

    o.... ....

    @Master Carbuncle I disagree with you firmly. Love this album.

    o.... ....

    Tom sounds a little full of himself there.

    o.... ....

    @Master Carbuncle This is bait

    o.... ....

    @Doctor Turdmidget The guy said that about Kentucky avenue. Not tom about his own music.

  33. c.... m....

    I think this is a candidate for best song ever but even in my personal memories "Song to the Siren" would win and be what I wanted played at my funeral

  34. c.... m....

    In the shallow culture of popular song "Kentucky Avenue" is profound and the brilliant; iI often think is it better than "Song to the Siren". Personally while Tom Waites song endures and brings me to tears in the last verses I think "Song to the Siren" is timeless and should last forever

  35. D.... W....

    I've chosen it for the finale of my cremation service. I want peoples crying as they leave.

  36. T.... ....

    I have no words probably one of the best song I ever heard

  37. t.... k....

    Let's just fly away leave it all behind

  38. c.... m....

    Maybe the best song ever i cry every time iI play it . Only "Song to the siren" comes first n my personal feelings

  39. c.... m....

    Llke Jack Kerouac met Bob Dylan - saddest song ever about lost childhood innocence; the illogical things you would do to make your friend "better" despite their medical condition. Saw off their leg braces and make wings from their wheelchair spokes and Magpies wings. Distilled from memories of youth before age and the death of childhood friends made you collapse into despair. I can only lsten to this once or twice a year as I cry so much its bad for my own mental health. But its still my favorite song ever written.

  40. c.... m....

    Best song ever about platonic childhood love for a friend. I miss all my dead friends and i wish I had the skills to write a classic song about them. As a very od man who has bought and lstened to popular music for 50 years in my top ten Kentucky is probably second

  41. m.... ....

    This gets me. Every time.

  42. E.... K....

    This song is about love, friendship and innocence. I had a best friend when I was 10 years old like this. I did this stuff in the suburbs in the mid sixties. I cry every time I listen to this.

  43. t.... k....

    Save the broken

  44. f.... ....

    "I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad, cut the braces off your legs..."

  45. c.... m....

    When I was 11 years old as a UK schoolkid I pased an exam that at that time in the 1960's defined my life choices. Anyway the point about school is irrespective of our exam successes stuff still happenes. In the summer holidays one of my class mates died of an asthma attack at the age of 12. We were told by our teacher - i`m ashamed that now I cant remember the boy's name but I do remember that nobody out of maybe respect or superstition would sit at his desk. And then a new kid turned up who had to sit there as there were no more spare desks. He opened the desk top and there was the dried remains of a bouquet of flowers that had been in the desk since the previous August. Whoever put the bouquet into the desk had more compassion then me. Listening to Kentucky Avenue makes me cry not only for the boy's in the song but also for my poor dead friend who went to heaven in 1971.

  46. m.... h....

    very well done ol boy

  47. H.... K....

    Don't ever try and kill a rattlesnake with a trowel.

  48. c.... ....

    I am not sure what period he was thinking, if specific. This song reminds me of my impression of the 40's.

  49. C.... W....

    Damn neighbors peeling onions again.

  50. J.... G....

    Sad songs say so much. Thank you Tom Waits.

  51. S.... V....

    Buzz Osborne brought me here.

  52. o.... b....

    Well Eddie Grace's Buick got four bullet holes in the side
    And Charlie DeLisle is sittin at the top of an avocado tree
    Mrs. Storm will stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn
    I got a half a pack of Lucky Strikes man so come along with me
    And let's fill our pockets with macadamia nuts
    And go over to Bobby Goodmanson's and jump off the roof

    Well Hilda plays strip poker with the Mummers 'cross the street
    Joey Navinski says she put her tongue in his mouth
    And Dicky Faulkner's got a switchblade and some gooseneck risers
    That eucalyptus is a hunchback there's a wind down from the south
    So let me tie you up with kite string and I'll show you the scabs on my knee
    Watch out for the broken glass put your shoes and socks on
    And come along with me

    Let's follow that fire truck I think your house is burnin down
    And go down to the hobo jungle and kill some rattlesnakes with a trowel
    And we'll break all the windows in the old Anderson place
    And we'll steal a bunch of boysenberries and I'll smear em on your face
    I'll get a dollar from my mama's purse and buy that skull and crossbones ring
    And you can wear it round your neck on an old piece of string

    Then we'll spit on Ronnie Arnold and flip him the bird
    And slash the tires on the school bus now don't say a word
    I'll take a rusty nail and scratch your initials in my arm
    And I'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore
    I'll take the spokes from your wheelchair and a magpie's wings
    And I'll tie 'em to your shoulders and your feet
    I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad and cut the braces off your legs
    And we'll bury them tonight out in the cornfield
    Just put a church key in your pocket we'll hop that freight train in the hall
    We'll slide all the way down the drain to New Orleans in the fall

  53. R.... F....

    I love this song, was reminded of it by Billy the Bum by John Prine... the Polio link...

  54. a.... ....

    My girlfriend at the time and I one night had a large argument, pushing us to the limit of our relationship, and it continued as we went for a drive to really mull it over and talk about it. This song came on one of the mixed CD's I made for her... When it came on we pulled over on the side of the road and listened to it super loud... Made us both weep and fixed all of our problems right there and then. I think about her now and then, how it might've been. But we've come to a conclusion that this song is our little piece of naive love that we'll forever cherish, despite the future. Thanks Tom...

  55. D.... W....

    2metres of Glaswegian regularly in blubbering bits at this. Just change the names. We all had that childhood.

  56. W.... F....

    Power and emotion, great story. Tear jerking perfection

  57. m.... h....

    very special song for me i so in a wheel chair with no legs

  58. m.... ....

    This is the sound of Art. :)

  59. m.... p....

    "i'll cut the spokes from your wheelchair"...you just don't see it coming....then the waterworks start....

  60. m.... h....

    a master peace it choks me up thank you till the day i leave

  61. m.... h....

    it tacks me back to remember of my childhood thank you mr waits

  62. A.... P....

    If Harper Lee had ever written a song, it might have sounded like this.

  63. r.... ....

    just lovely....his songs are works of art

  64. T.... ....

    “I was born at a very young age..” TW. He is a priceless American institution and few people even know who he is.

  65. H.... S....

    Just put a church key in your pocket we'll hop that freight train in the hall
    we'll slide all the way down the drain to New Orleans in the fall

  66. m.... ....

    This is one of his best songs, always manages to make me cry.

  67. K.... B....

    If you don't choke up at this, you have a waxy pea-sized excuse for a heart. Just beautiful.

    K.... B....

    The idea of someone listening to this and feeling nothing is pretty scary.

  68. F.... B....

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    KENTUCKY AVENUE LYRICS

    Well Eddie Grace's Buick got four bullet holes in the side
    And Charlie DeLisle is sittin at the top of an avocado tree
    Mrs. Storm will stab you with a steak knife if you step on her lawn
    I got a half a pack of Lucky Strikes man so come along with me
    And let's fill our pockets with macadamia nuts
    And go over to Bobby Goodmanson's and jump off the roof

    Well Hilda plays strip poker with the Mummers 'cross the street
    Joey Navinski says she put her tongue in his mouth
    And Dicky Faulkner's got a switchblade and some gooseneck risers
    That eucalyptus is a hunchback there's a wind down from the south
    So let me tie you up with kite string and I'll show you the scabs on my knee
    Watch out for the broken glass put your shoes and socks on
    And come along with me

    Let's follow that fire truck I think your house is burnin down
    And go down to the hobo jungle and kill some rattlesnakes with a trowel
    And we'll break all the windows in the old Anderson place
    And we'll steal a bunch of boysenberries and I'll smear em on your face
    I'll get a dollar from my mama's purse and buy that skull and crossbones ring
    And you can wear it round your neck on an old piece of string

    Then we'll spit on Ronnie Arnold and flip him the bird
    And slash the tires on the school bus now don't say a word
    I'll take a rusty nail and scratch your initials in my arm
    And I'll show you how to sneak up on the roof of the drugstore
    I'll take the spokes from your wheelchair and a magpie's wings
    And I'll tie 'em to your shoulders and your feet
    I'll steal a hacksaw from my dad and cut the braces off your legs
    And we'll bury them tonight out in the cornfield
    Just put a church key in your pocket we'll hop that freight train in the hall
    We'll slide all the way down the drain to New Orleans in the fall

    SHARE THE LYRICS

  69. T.... F....

    Men, it's good to weep hard...

  70. M.... ....

    This song has me in tears every time. The last part, starting at the skull and crossbone lyrics, to the end. Heck. Cannot stop crying. The way he says "drugstore" gets me every time. Such a sad and emotional song.

  71. J.... E....

    My dad used to listen to Tom Waits a lot. I liked him but when I was growing up he was more like pleasant background music and I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics. I remember the ending of this song though; wasn't sure what it was supposed to be about. But listening to the whole song it seems to be about desperately holding onto childhood innocence, in the face of a world-shattering and inexplicable tragedy...maybe he had a friend who was stricken with polio, as so many kids were before the vaccine. That was the way it often happened, a strong, healthy child would suddenly fall terribly ill and either die or end up permanently confined to a wheelchair. I can only imagine the shock of a child dealing with that happening to a close friend. But he remains loyal and steadfast, visiting his friend to tell him (or her) about the goings-on in the town, and assuring his friend they will still have many adventures together, even though he knows it's probably not true. Along with the childlike optimism there's also an unbearable note of sadness and resignation to the cruelty of fate in the song.

    J.... E....

    Jayne Eyre...when I heard this I was sobbing because the whole thing mirrored my own childhood--we even had a Ronny Arnold who was a jerk. But I was very close friends with a boy across the Street who had polio. I would visit him, when his mother allowed, and I'd tell him tales, what was going on, what WE were going to do..even though we both knew it would not happen. It takes me back to an innocent as well as a cruel time. As you said so well.

  72. B.... R....

    I have listened a thousand times.  My eyes have leaked a thousand times.

  73. T.... F....

    Thanks Tom, you're such a gift. Bless you and your family.   Thanks ever so much.

  74. D.... S....

    yeah, where is that gorgeous chick who got me into this ... married her ,, still ply it all the time

  75. D.... B....

    yeah... his best work.....cheerz

  76. W.... F....

    Not just Tom's best album, I can't think of a better album ever.

  77. W.... C....

    Even the birds on my telephone wire are listening.....they feel it too.

  78. p.... N....

    Timeless poetry in song of heart

  79. B.... ....

    This reduces my wife to a puddle every time she hears it. Me too.

  80. D.... P....

    This is timeless, a masterpiece, memories of our youth and families we all knew. When neighborhoods were open and kids came home when the street lights came on. The way this song's story-line unfolds is amazing and will break your heart if you have one. Nobody like you Tom, thank you.

  81. J.... B....

    Tears well shed.

  82. p.... ....

    13 pulgares abajo?
    vaya tela..

  83. L.... l....

    meravigliosa, grazie

  84. J.... L....

    so beautiful. thank you.

  85. G.... W....

    This is a truly beautiful song, thank you Tom Waits, not just for this song but for countless others.

  86. r.... ....

    By far his best album, the tracks are on another level. Excellence far beyond anything else.

    r.... ....

    So true, I've owned this album for 38 years and it never pales, sheer genius

  87. D.... W....

    A song about childhood, and a Child Hood.

  88. R.... F....

    watch out for the glass, put yer shoes and socks on..

  89. E.... T....

    Maestro.

  90. D.... B....

    Why does this song put a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye ???

    D.... B....

    Just one? One tear? Waterfalls here.

    D.... B....

    probably because you are a human being ! Tom has a special key to touch everyone's soul and that's why I love him so deeply. Take care

  91. S.... ....

    Gets me every time! The last thing I want to hear before I die.

    S.... ....

    I was going with Rubys Arms but fuck, this.

  92. R.... F....

    affirmative action for the disabled... like we all did, before it was "a thing"...

  93. a.... ....

    Yes...
    and Thank you.

  94. R.... F....

    Blue Valentine was the first album I heard tom, remains my fave.

  95. D.... G....

    Genius lyrics

  96. S.... L....

    For those wondering, Kentucky Avenue is the street he lived on as a kid.

    S.... L....

    In Whittier, CA, about a mile and a half from me!

    S.... L....

    The disabled friend whom suffered from polio and a few (possibly all) of the other characters and details are also true.

    S.... L....

    It was his sister. It's all true. He is the greatest writer of all time

  97. M.... P....

    Fucking LOL.

    M.... P....

    Mondo Prime Die.

  98. S.... ....

    'i ran into an orphanage, and set the place alight... i pissed on the ashes as the kids howled into the night. i stole all of their crutches and beat an old lady to death... i would've apologised but death made her deaf" better lyrics right there XD

    S.... ....

    @Hairy Nerd ugly to think so

    S.... ....

    Who wrote them? The lyrics to your orphanage arson poem?