According to several people, the ''new song'' played in Atlanta and Asheville - previously labelled Lie to Me, Baby - is actually Who's Been Talkin' by Howlin' Wolf, interspersed with the line Lie to me baby, which comes from another song. I'm changing the set lists accordingly, until someone convinces me of something else.
14 comments:
Nerdspotting...The piece is actually called 'Who's Been Talkin' (available on the brilliant 'The Genuine Article' - Howlin' Wolf, Chess Records)It seems Tom also quoted a few lines from Spoonful another great Howlin' Wolf tune (which he stole from charly patton)
The song is called "Who's Been Talking", one of the few Wolf originals on his 1957 Chess debut album (that is, one of the few tunes not written by Willie Dixon). I promise. I love this song.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:mvex97r7krst
The above CD, by the way, is super-highly recommended, especially for Tom Waits fans. It's the Wolf's first two albums, and it's about as good as it gets.
It appears as though later cheapo repackagings of the Wolf's material titled it "The Cause of It All" for some reason (yes, it contains the lyric "I was the causin' of it all").
The "Lie To Me" section is from some other song; sort of a quasi-medley.
Dugan
I should add that I was there in Atlanta and am not just speculating. I and others I was with recognized the song immediately, and the "Lie To Me" section is not part of the Howling Wolf song.
Dugan
I also recognized it as Who's been Talking but from an early Robert Cray album. Never heard the Wolf version.
ps:
If Robert Cray = real blues
McRib = real bar-b-que
At the Asheville show, Tom began 'Till the Money Runs Out by singing the following lyrics:
"My baby caught the train, left me all alone
My baby caught the train, left me all alone
She knows I love her, she doin' me wrong
My baby bought the ticket, long as her right arm
My baby bought the ticket, long as my right arm
She says she's gonna ride, long as I been from home"
This is the beginninng of Who's Been Talin'. To my recollection, the "Lie To Me" song, was closer, lyrically, to Spoonful.
The setlist at soundboard in Asheville reads (musical notations left out):
Singapore
Make it Rain
Hoist That Rag
Shore Leave
November
God's Away
Cause of it all
All the World is Green
Piano
Clap Hands
Whistlin' past the g-yard
Heart attack and Vine
Lie to Me
9th and Hennepin
Trampled Rose
Get Behind the Mule
Murder in the Red Barn
Goin' out West
(encores TBD)
Obviously changes were made after it was written, but that's how Tom & Co. were referring to the songs. Hope that helps.
That's pretty interesting that it just says "Piano" between All the World is Green and Clap Hands. Does that mean he decides on the spot which songs to do (in this case, Tango 'Till They're Sore, Invitation To the Blues, and You Can Never Hold Back Spring), or is it just unimportant for the guys at the soundboard?
"ps:
If Robert Cray = real blues
McRib = real bar-b-que"
You're now my favorite poster on here, sorry eyeballkid
Interesting. Tom, or whoever, must have picked the song up from one of those retitled reissues.
As for Lie To Me - maybe that was a whole different song. He sang something not from Who's Been Talking during Who's Been Talking (Cause of it All) - it was obviously a snippet of another song - but maybe it was not the Lie To Me bit. Later I had to step away for a minute (wife's feet were killing her after the wait) and I thought I heard something I completely didn't recognize, but sort of assumed it was a mutated familiar number. Perhaps that was this Lie To Me business.
DDD
I can back up it's "Who's Been Talking." I dug out my Chess Box of Howlin' Wolf, and gave the song a spin and it was instantly recognizable. Tom's version was a bit faster and had a bit more stomp to it, but it was definitely his version of the tune.
I immediately recognized the Howling Wolf tune, but then it morphed into something else, and not being as knowledgeable in the Waits canon as I maybe should be, I didn't recognize it.
But yeah, I am familiar with the Wolf canon, and that was Who's Been Talkin'
I love that line,
My baby bought a ticket,
Long as my right arm
because it gives you a glimpse of a detail of train travel in the late 40's. The longer the ticket, the farther away your destination.
What a great line.
What a great show.
To further muddy the conversation, the song is also titled "Who's Been Talking?" on Howlin' Wolf's London Sessions album. This recording was also pulled into the pointless compilation album Muddy & The Wolf. So there is an example at least until the mid-'70s of Chess Records/RCA labelling it by its original title.
On another note, does anybody know what song the "Lie to Me" lyric fragment came from and where Tom placed it? And what song was the "Spoonful" fragment placed in?
Just to add, for those interested. The band Clutch recently covered "Who's Been Talkin'" on their latest album Robot Hive/Exodus. Neil Fallon sounds quite Waits-esque on it as well. Great song, can't wait to hear Tom's version
Re: what song was the "Spoonful" fragment placed in?
He's been doing it at the end of "Heart Attack & Vine": usually starting w/ the chorus & then maybe one verse.
- Jollymon
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