In light of recent events in Gaza, I’d like to share a Tom Waits tune with you. The track is called “Road To Peace” and was first released on his 2006 triple-disc collection “Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards.” It’s a real masterpiece, both musically and lyrically, in which he doesn’t take sides or judges either of them. Instead, he points the finger at “bystanders” like the U.S. government. One line that struck me in particular is “They fill their children full of hate to fight an old man’s war and die upon the road to peace.”
Tom Waits – Road To Peace from “Orphans” (2006)
Lyrics
Young Abdel Madi Shabneh was only 18 years old
The youngest of 9 children, he’d never spent a nite away from home
And his mother held his photograph, up in the New York Times
You see the killing has intensified, along the road to peaceA tall thin boy with a whispy moustache, disguised as an Orthodox Jew
On a crowded bus in Jerusalem, some had survived World War II
And the thunderous explosion blew out windows 200 yards away
More retribution and 17 dead, along the road to peaceNow at King George Ave and Jaffa Road, passengers boarded bus 14A
In the aisle next to the driver Abdel Madi Shabneh
And the last thing that he said on earth was “God is great and god is good”
And he blew them all to kingdom come, upon the road to peaceNow in response to this, another kiss of death was visited upon
Yashir Tehah, Israel said is an Hamas Senior militant
Israel sent 4 choppers in, flames engulfed his white Opel
And it killed his wife and his 3-year-old child, leaving only blackened skeletonsThey found a toddler’s bottle and a pair of small shoes,
and they waved them in front of the cameras
But Israel said they did not know that his wife and child were in the car
There are roadblocks everywhere and only suffering on TV
Neither side will ever give up their smallest right, along the road to peaceIsrael launched its latest campaign against Hamas on Tuesday
And two days later Hamas shot back and killed five Israeli soldiers
Though thousands dead and wounded on both sides, most of them Middle Eastern civilians
They fill their children full of hate, to fight an old man’s war and die, upon the road to peace“And this is our land we will fight with all our force”, say the Palastinians and the Jews
And each side will cut off the hand of anyone who tries to stop the Resistance
If the right eye offends thee, then you must pluck it out
And Machoud Abbas and Sharon had been lost, out along the road to peaceOnce Kissinger said: “We have no friends, America only has interests”
And now our president wants to be seen as a hero and he’s hungry for re-election
But Bush is reluctant to risk his future, with the fear of his political failures
So he plays chess at his desk and poses for the press, ten thousand miles from the road to peaceIn a video that they found at the home of Abdel Madi Shabneh
He held a Kalashnikov rifle, and he spoke with the voice like a boy
He was an excellent student, he studied so hard, it was as if he had a future
He told his mother he had a test that day, out along the road to peaceThe fundamentalist killing on both sides is standing in the path of peace
And tell me, why are we arming the Israeli army with guns and tanks and bullets?
And if god is great and god is good, why can’t he change the hearts of men?
Well, maybe god himself is lost and needs help
Maybe god himself he needs all of our help
Maybe god himself is lost and needs help
He’s out upon the road to peaceMaybe god himself is lost and needs help
Maybe god himself he needs all of our help
And he’s lost upon the road to peace
And he’s lost upon the road to peace
Out upon the road to peace.(via Tom Waits Library. Check out the site for more info on the song’s genesis.)
For more Arab-related music, have a go at Joe Namy’s (aka El-Iqaa) two-hour radio show for New York University’s station WNYU, “Electric Kahraba.” You can download individual shows or even subscribe to the whole series as a podcast. Of special interest should be the Middle Eastern Hip-Hop Special and the Gaza Tribute Special.
Also, The Narcicyst put out a tribute song a couple weeks back, “Hamdulilah (Gaza Remix) feat. Shadia Mansour.” Stream, download, lyrics, and a nice write-up for that can be had from my mans 9@home. And don’t forget to check out Narcy’s blog for up-to-date, thought-provoking material about the ongoing crisis in Gaza. He digs up some brilliant stuff.
**********
And now for those whose appetite for Tom Waits was whetted by the song above, I give you the entire three-disc album with high-res cover. I don’t want to talk too much about the ins and outs of this full-length, but rather direct you to its Wikipedia page. There’s some interesting background info there.
A few of my favorite tracks are 1.5 “Bottom Of The World;” 1.6 “Lucinda;” 1.10 “Road To Peace;” 2.14 “Goodnight Irene;” 3.20 “Missing My Son,” among some others. The last one’s a nice little tall tale; very refreshing to hear.
Altogether, this is a fantastic album and, for those who are yet unfamiliar with Tom Waits, also a great gateway into his work. By the way, he’s the guy in the segment with Iggy Pop in Jim Jarmusch’s “Coffee And Cigarettes.”
Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006; Label: ANTI-) @ 192 kbps (ca. 263 MB)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
(You’ll need all parts to extract the files. They can be downloaded simultaneously.)
Disc 1: “Brawlers”
1. Lie To Me
2. Lowdown
3. 2:19
4. Fish In The Jailhouse
5. Bottom Of The World
6. Lucinda
7. Ain’t Goin’ Down To The Well
8. Lord I’ve Been Changed
9. Puttin’ On The Dog
10. Road To Peace
11. All The Time
12. The Return Of Jackie And Judy
13. Walk Away
14. Sea Of Love
15. Buzz Fledderjohn
16. Rains On Me
Disc 2: “Bawlers”
1. Bend Down The Branches
2. You Can Never Hold Back Spring
3. Long Way Home
4. Widow’s Grove
5. Little Drop Of Poison
6. Shiny Things
7. World Keeps Turning
8. Tell It To Me
9. Never Let Go
10. Fannin Street
11. Little Man
12. It’s Over
13. If I Have To Go
14. Goodnight Irene
15. The Fall Of Troy
16. Take Care Of All My Children
17. Down There By The Train
18. Danny Says
19. Jayne’s Blue Wish
20. Young At Heart
Disc 3: “Bastards”
1. What Keeps Mankind Alive
2. Children’s Story
3. Heigh Ho
4. Army Ants
5. Books Of Moses
6. Bone Chain
7. Two Sisters
8. First Kiss
9. Dog Door
10. Redrum
11. Nirvana
12. Home I’ll Never Be
13. Poor Little Lamb
14. Altar Boy
15. The Pontiac
16. Spidey’s Wild Ride
17. King Kong
18. On The Road
19. Dog Treat
20. Missing My Son
Enjoy and As-Salāmu `Alaykum for real,
eardrummer
Here’s a special treat for all you instrumental freaks out there. I came across this about a month ago through 
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