Down, Down, Down He went down down down And the Devil called him by name He went down down down Hangin’ onto the back of a train He went down down down This boy went solid down Always chewed tobacco with the bathtub gin Always chewed tobacco with the bathtub gin He went down down down This boy went solid down He went down Well, he went down down down And the Devil jumped on his head He went down down down Stayin’ in a broken down shed He went down down down Sleepin’ in the devil’s bed He went down down down Never listened to the words I said He went down down down down down Well, he went down Well, he went down down down And the Devil said where you been He went down down down He was screamin’ down around the bend Down down down This boy went solid down He was always cheatin’ and he always told lies He was always cheatin’ and he always told lies Down down down This boy went solid down He went down Words and music by Tom Waits ©1983 Jalma Music Inc.

Produced by Tom Waits Recorded and mixed by Biff Dawes Recorded at Sunset Sound, August 1982 Tom Waits: Vocals Stephen Taylor Arvizu Hodges Eric Bikales: Organ Larry Taylor: Acoustic bass Victor Feldman: Snare drum and tambourine Carlos Guitarlos: Electric guitar Track 11 on the album ‘Swordfishtrombones’ 1983 Time: 2.14 Click here for live versions Tom in the Swordfishtrombones Promo Interview: ‘It’s best described as Pentecostal reverent, man. I was stranded in Arizona on the Route 66. It was freezing cold and I slept in a ditch. I pulled all these leaves all over on top of me and dug a hole and shoved my feet in this hole. It was about 20 below and no cars going by. Everything was closed. When I woke up in the morning there was a Pentecostal church right over the road. I walked over there with leaves in my hair and sand on the side of my face. This woman named Mrs. Anderson came. It was like New Year’s Eve... Yeah, it was New Year’s Eve. She said, ‘We’re having services here and you are welcome to join us.’ So I sat at the back pew in this tiny little church. And this mutant rock’n’roll band got up and started playing these old hymns in such a broken sort of way. They were preaching, and everytime they said something about the Devil or evil or going down the wrong path she gestured in the back of the church to me. And everyone would turn around and look and shake their heads and then turn back to the preacher. It gave me a complex that I grew up with. On Sunday evening they have these religious programs where the preachers are all bankers. They get on with these firering glasses and $700 suits. Shake their finger at America. So this is kind of my own little opportunity at the lectern.’