LYRICS: Blue Valentine: Whistlin' Past The Graveyard

Whistlin' Past The Graveyard

(Blue Valentine studio version, 1978)

I come in on a night train with an arm full of boxcars⁽¹⁾
On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan⁽²⁾ night
And I busted up a chifforobe⁽³⁾ way out by the Kokomo
Cooked up a mess of mulligan⁽⁴⁾ and got into a fight

Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard⁽⁵⁾, Papa one eyed Jack⁽⁶⁾

You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks
Go on and ask the Prince of darkness,
what about all that smoke come from the stack
Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood
Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud

I'm gonna be whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

I know you seen my headlights, and the honkin' of my horn
I'm callin' out my bloodhounds, chase the Devil through the corn
Last night I chugged the Mississippi, now that sucker's dry as a bone
I was born in a taxi cab, I'm never goin' home

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch
I only come to Baton Rouge I gotta find myself a witch
I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains
You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye
That ring around my finger's called the 4th of July
When I get a little bit lonesome and a tear falls from my cheek
There's gonna be an ocean in the middle of the week

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

I come into town on a night train, with an arm full of boxcars
On the wings of a magpie, cross a hooligan night
I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie
I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
A mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), © 1978
Official release: Blue Valentine, Elektra Entertainment/ WEA International Inc., 1978
Arrangement and lyrics published in "Tom Waits - Anthology" (Amsco Publications, 1988/ Nuova Carisch, 2000)

Whistlin' Past The Graveyard

(Bounced Checks alternate take, 1981)

Whistlin' past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard⁽⁵⁾, Papa one eyed Jack⁽⁶⁾

You probably seen me sleepin' out by the railroad tracks
Go and ask the Prince of darkness,
what about that smoke come from the stack
Sometimes I kill myself a jackal, suck out all the blood
Steal myself a station wagon, drivin' through the mud

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

My eyes have seen the glory of the draining of the ditch
I only come to Baton Rouge to find myself a witch
I'm gonna snatch me up a couple of 'em every time it rains
You'll see a locomotive, probably thinkin' its a train

Whistlin past the graveyard. steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

What you think is the sunshine is just a twinkle in my eye
That ring around my finger called the 4th of July
I'm gonna tear me off a rainbow and wear it for a tie
I never told the truth so I can never tell a lie

Whistlin past the graveyard, steppin' on a crack
Mean motherhubbard, Papa one eyed Jack

Written by: Tom Waits
Published by: Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP), © 1978
Official release:"Bounced Checks", WEA/ Asylum Records, 1981

Known covers:
Somethin' Funny Goin' On, Screamin' Jay Hawkins. March, 1994. Bizarre/ Planet (40105). Produced by Robert Duffey (re-released in 2000 "New Coat Of Paint"/ Manifesto)
New Coat Of Paint. Various artists. May, 2000. Manifesto Records. Performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins (same version as on: "Somethin' Funny Goin' On", 1994)
Under The Influence - The songs of Tom Waits. Barry Charles. 2003. Tara Hall Productions (Australia)
Three For All. We Three (Liebman, Swallow, Nussbaum). June 26, 2006. Challenge Records
Drivin' Rain. Michael Nash. March 13, 2007. Self-released

⁽¹⁾ Boxcar, an armful of: Grab an armful of boxcars. To Jump on a moving freight train in order to get free transportation c1915. Hobo use (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

⁽²⁾ Hooligan n.: A hoodlum; a ruffian; a tough guy (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner)

⁽³⁾ Chifforobe n.: A tall piece of furniture typically having drawers on one side and space for hanging clothes on the other (Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin - Third Edition)

⁽⁴⁾ Mulligan stew n.:
- A stew made of any available meat(s) or vegetable(s). Orig. hobo use, perhaps from "salmagrundi". Often used facetiously about any stewlike food, however excellent (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).
- A hobo dish containing just about anything you have handy. How to make just like they make it at the yearly hobo convention in Britt. Iowa. "Britt Mulligan Stew" = 450 lbs. of Beef, 900 lbs. of Potatoes, 250 lbs. of carrots, 35 lbs. of green peppers, 300 lbs. of cabbage, 100 lbs. of turnips, 10 lbs. of parsnips, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 20 lbs. of chili peppers, 25 lbs. of rice, 60 lbs. of celery, 1 lb bay leaves, 24 gallon of mixed vegetables, 10 lbs. of kitchen bouquet flavoring, about 400 loaves of bread are served, a total of 5000, 8 oz. cups ordered to serve the stew. (Submitted by Ulf Berggren. eGroups Tom Waits Discussionlist. March, 2000).
- Also mentioned in "Jitterbug Boy": "Burned hundred-dollar bills, I've eaten Mulligan stew."

⁽⁵⁾ Mother Hubbard:
- Phrase comes from the nursery rhyme: "Old Mother Hubbard. Went to the cupboard. To get her poor dog a bone; But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. But when she got there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor doggie had none." (Source: Dictionary Of American Slang, Wentworth/ Flexner).
- Mother-hubba/ -hubbard n. [20C] euph. for motherfucker (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9)

⁽⁶⁾ One eyed Jack: 1. adj. [1960s+] (US) in poker, used of a king or jack, esp. as wild cards. [the design of the face depicted in profile on cards] 2a. adj. [early-mid-19C] (US) crooked, dishonest. 2b. adj. [late 19C+] (orig. US) inferior, inadequate, unimportant] (Source: "Cassell's Dictionary Of Slang". Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN: 0-304-35167-9).