Emotional Weather Report (Live at the Shaboo Inn 1976)


Well, welcome to the eleven o’clock blues. Details at eleven
Shortly before noon Sunday, well, there was a heart that was broken
Yeah, a heart was broken and the alleged assailant...
The alleged assailant was last seen heading in the direction of Billings, Montana,
in a GMC pick-up truck and remains at large as we go to press
However, the victim, a 26-year old male caucasian, is considered in serious condition and not expected to make it through the weekend
He’s in intensive care and was last seen heading in the direction of the nearest bar
Yeah, it ain’t no hard feelings, baby
Go on, walk all over me, I don’t care
Yeah, I knew you when you were nothing and you haven’t changed a bit
In the first place, you got several chins
You gotta put a bookmark in your face to find out where your mouth is
And I don’t need you, baby
I met you in that cheap little bar
As I moved in nice and close you looked over me, you said
‘Take-a your-a hands-a off-a me, because it-a makes-a me feel so cheap!’

So I got a little emotional weather forecast for you here tonight
Since you left me, baby
Since you left me, baby
Well, we’ll be talking about late night and early morning low cloud
with a chance of fog, and a chance of showers into the afternoon
with variable high cloudiness and gusty winds
Gusty winds at times around the corner of Sunset and Alvorado
Oh yeah, it was a slow moving cold front
Well, there was no severe weather into the afternoon
except for a lone gust of wind in the bedroom
But baby, I got to tell you without fear of contradiction
When the thunder storms start increasing over the Southeast and South Central portions of my ability to deal rationally with a disconcerted precarious emotional situation, I get extremely upset
I start passing out wolf tickets on a regular basis
Yeah, but I don’t mind, baby
I don’t mind, go on and walk out
You know, since you left me it’s been getting cold out there
Oh yeah, it ain’t sports coat weather, baby
We’re talking about the hawk!
Yeah, it’s colder than a flat frog on the Philadelphia freeway in February, baby
Oh, but I’ll get by
Colder than a Jewish American princess on her honeymoon, but I’ll get by baby
Why don’t you go ahead and tell me how cold it’s been, Frank

Cold out there
Cold out there, baby
But you know, sweetheart
The extended outlook for an indefinite period of time
Until you go walking back to me
Is high tonight and low tomorrow and precipitation is expected
Late night and early morning low cloud
Late night and early morning low cloud
Late night and early morning low cloud
Cold!


Words and music by Tom Waits
©1975 Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP)



The Shaboo Inn, Willimantic, November 9, 1976