Tom Waits - Cold Cold Ground Lyrics

Tom Waits
Miscellaneous
Cold Cold Ground
Crest fallen sidekick in an old cafe
never slept with a dream before he had to go away
there's a bell in the tower
Uncle Ray bought a round
don't worry about the army
in the cold cold ground
now don't be a cry baby
when there's wood in the shed
there's a bird in the chimmney
and a stone in my bed
when the road's washed out
they pass the bottle around
and wait in the arms
of the cold cold ground
cold cold ground
there's a ribbon in the willow
and a tire swing rope
and a briar patch of berries
takin over the slope
the cat'll sleep in the mailbox
and we'll never go to town
til we bury every dream in
the cold cold ground
cold cold ground
gimme a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
blow the roof off the goat barn
let it roll down the hill
the piano is firewood
times square is a dream
I find we'll lay down together in the cold cold ground
cold cold ground
cold cold ground
call the cops on the Breedloves
bring a bible and a rope
and a whole box of rebel
and a bar of soap
make a pile of trunk tires
and burn 'em all down
bring a dollar with you baby
in the cold cold ground
cold cold ground
take a weathervane rooster
throw rocks at his head
stop talking to the neighbors
til we all go dead
beware of my temper
and the dog that I've found
break all the windows in the
cold cold ground
cold cold ground

• Anonymous

  Sure, man, I'll give it a shot: The second two verses describe how he wants to live with his wife and family, and how he tries to reassure her (stone in my bed = a warming stone). But he alludes to trouble nearby ("when the road's washed out they pass the bottle around") and deteriorating conditions.
  I used to think the song was about the Civil war but that would preclude the lines "make a pile of trunk tires and burn 'em all down."
  " bring a bible and a rope, and a whole box of rebel and a bar of soap" are the most unsettling lines because they refer to a proposed lynching (as of blacks by whites in the late 1800s/ earlier 1900s, before American Civil Rights laws).
  Ultimately the song is about a human tendency towards violence and not appreciating life, and it tries to remind us to have a better appreciation of life because, of course, we all ulitimatly wind up in the "cold cold ground." At least that's been my take on it since I frst heard it 25 years ago-dar501

• Anonymous

  Hello, I'm a foreign language person and I would like to ask anybody, who would be so nice and briefly explain me what is this song about. It's very touching and beautiiful, but I can't understand many phrases...:(