LYRICS: Alice: There's Only Alice

There's Only Alice

(Alice demo version, 1992. Also known as: There's Only Alice)⁽¹⁾

It's dreamy weather we're on
You waved your crooked wand
Along an icy pond, with a frozen moon
A murder of silhouette crows, I saw in the tears on my face
And the skates on the pond, they spelled Alice⁽²⁾

I disappear in your name, but you must wait for me
Somewhere beneath the sea, there's the wreck of a ship
Your hair is like meadow-grass on the tide
And the raindrops on my window, and the ice in my drink
Baby, all I can think of is Alice

Arithme-tic, arithme-toc,⁽⁴⁾ turn the hands back on the clock
How does the ocean rock the boat?
How did the razor find my throat?
The only strings that hold me here are tangled up around the pier

And so a secret kiss brings madness with the bliss
And I will think of it when I'm dead in my grave
It set me adrift, and I'm lost in your hair
And I must be insane, to go skating on your name
And by tracing it twice, I fell through the ice of Alice

There's only Alice⁽³⁾

Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan, 1992
Unofficial release: "Alice, The Original Demos", 1999 and "Alice PMS", 1999
Demo recording. Recorded in Hamburg, Germany, 1992
Further reading: Alice full story

Alice

(Alice studio version, 2002)⁽¹⁾

It's dreamy weather we're on
You waved your crooked wand
Along an icy pond, with a frozen moon
A murder of silhouette crows, I saw
in the tears on my face
And the skates on the pond, they spell Alice⁽²⁾

I'll disappear in your name, but you must wait for me
Somewhere across the sea, there's the wreck of a ship
Your hair is like meadow-grass, on the tide
And the raindrops on my window,
and the ice in my drink
Baby, all I can think of is Alice

Arithmetic, arithmetock,⁽⁴⁾ turn the hands back on the clock
How does the ocean rock the boat?
How did the razor find my throat?
The only strings that hold me here
are tangled up around the pier

And so a secret kiss brings madness with the bliss
And I will think of this when I'm dead in my grave
Set me adrift, and I'm lost over there
And I must be insane, to go skating on your name
And by tracing it twice, I fell through the ice of Alice

There's only Alice⁽³⁾

Written by: Tom Waits and Kathleen Waits-Brennan
Published by: Jalma Music (ASCAP), C 1992/ 2002
Official release: Alice, Epitaph/ Anti Inc., 2002
Arrangements and lyrics published in "Alice - Tom Waits" (Amsco Publications, 2002)
Further reading: Alice full story

Known covers:
Bukowski Waits For You. Michael Kiessling. June 14, 2004. Buschfunk (Germany)
Todo Chueco. Danilo Gallo & The Roosters. 2005. El Gallo Rojo Records (Italy)
Fictions. Jane Birkin. March 20, 2006 Label: Capitil/ EMI

Waits performing "There's Only Alice" and theatre footage (excerpt)
at the Thalia Theater, Hamburg/ Germany. December, 1992.
Taken from The Late Show "Tom Waits & Robert Wilson's Alice" (1993)
BBC TV documentary presented by Beatrix Campbell. Aired March 4, 1993

⁽¹⁾ There's Only Alice: Sung by the White Rabbit in scene 1. Stage directions from the play: Scene 1: "Down The Rabbit hole". Alice falls down the rabbit hole; numerous objects fall past her. She sees a mirror with her name written on it. The mirror breaks and her name is lost. [The White Rabbit sings:]

⁽²⁾ And the skates on the pond, they spell "Alice": Notice analogy with: "And the branches spell "Alice", and I belong only to you" (Barcarolle, 1992/ 2002).

⁽³⁾ Stage directions from the play: "Meanwhile, Alice has come to rest beside a little glass table. She has landed in the White Rabbit's house. The White Rabbit picks up his camera, goes through a door, and disappears. Alice attempts to go through the door, but it shrinks to a tiny opening. Alice stretches out on the floor and peers through. She sees a beautiful flower garden beyond, but cannot reach it."

⁽⁴⁾ Arithmetic, arithmetock: This might be inspired by the Mock Turtle's puns from the original "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. Chapter 9: The Mock Turtle's Story: "Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with," the Mock Turtle replied; "and then the different branches of Arithmetic - Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision." (Source: "Lewis Carroll The Annotated Alice", Martin Gardner. Penguin Books, 1960).