Tom Waits Says "Hold On"

Over the years I've thought a lot about the power of music to lift our spirits and to comfort us. 

I've been on a Tom Waits kick lately and planned to share this tune as my "Song of the Day" on Facebook. But when I read the comments people left in response to this song it seemed needful to share more than the song.

I remember reading an interview with Jim Morrison of The Doors in which he acknowledged that people don't read poetry any more. This is why he became a rock star, to share his poetry with a wider audience.

How many of us would know Bob Dylan if he had only published his lyrics (poetry) in literary journals like the Antioch Review, Tin House or the New England Review? 

"Hold On" is a song by Tom Waits, featured on his 1999 album Mule Variations. I have been intending to share a couple Tom Waits songs here, but this one jumped to the head of the line when I read all the comments.

The song seems to be an ode to resilience or endurance, with Waits emphasizing the importance of holding onto something meaningful in life. It's both optimistic and reflective, capturing the essence of human struggle and hope. The song is like a hand reaching out to down-and-outers, though it also speaks to stressed out overachievers. Hold on. You'll get through.

Here are a few comments that show the power of this Tom Waits jewel:

>>>Tom. You saved my life 7 and a half years ago. My oldest daughter died and for 6 months I listened to you. It helped more than I can ever say. Thank you!

>>>Tom Waits is the reason I am still here. I only had 2 albums in 1998, one Richie Sambora, one Tom Waits. Both cost half my monthly income. I had no equipment to listen to these as I was homeless. Went to joint in old town, put the CD on and asked permission to wash my hair in that huge metal sink at the back. Then did the dishes for beer and some food. Survived the harsh winters.

>>>My husband Jim was in the hospital almost 2 months fighting Covid. Tom Waits accompanied me on my hour long car drives to see him every day. Praying to God I would not lose him, Tom helped me to hold on and gave me hope. I am forever grateful to this talented artist that helped give me the strength to keep going.

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I give credit to Amy Grillo for nudgng me to explore more of  Tom Waits' music. (She didn't really nudge me. Rather, she spoke with such enthusiasm for his work that I felt impelled to become more acquainted with his catalog. Amy herself is an accomplished singer/songwriter/performer. She self-describes as a dreamer who lives in a little house in the woods. 

Here's Amy's description of Tom.

Tom Waits is a perfect example of Life as Art. It oozes out of him. He transports. Transcends. So many lessons gleaned from his work. Saw him live a while back--dust rising from the floorboards, glitter tossed from his pockets. Songs that connect with a place inside that you maybe didn’t even know existed. “I’d buy me a used car lot and I wouldn’t sell any of them. I'd just drive a different car every day depending on how I feel”. Tom’s advice: “pay attention to what is happening outside of the frame.” This expansive awareness has been a trusted beacon in my own life and creative endeavors. 

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The lyrics paint a picture of a journey, both literal and metaphorical, involving characters who leave small towns for bigger dreams, the complexities of love, and the passage of time.

Life is not easy. Between our external challenges and internal battles, however,--anxiety, fear, loneliness, misunderstandings--music can carry us through.          

Here's Tom Waits:

HOLD ON

They hung a sign up in our town

"If you live it up, you won't live it down"

So she left Monte Rio, son

Just like a bullet leaves a gun

With her charcoal eyes and Monroe hips

She went and took that California trip

Oh, the moon was gold, her hair like wind

Said, "don't look back, just come on, Jim"

Oh, you got to hold on, hold on

You gotta hold on

Take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on

Well, he gave her a dimestore watch

And a ring made from a spoon

Everyone's looking for someone to blame

When you share my bed, you share my name

Well, go ahead and call the cops

You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops

She said, "baby, I still love you"

Sometimes there's nothin' left to do

Oh, but you got to hold on, hold on

Babe, you gotta hold on and take my hand

I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on

Down by the Riverside motel

It's ten below and falling

By a ninety-nine cent store

She closed her eyes and started swaying

But it's so hard to dance that way

When it's cold and there's no music

Oh, your old hometown's so far away

But inside your head there's a record that's playing

A song called "Hold On", hold on

Babe, you gotta hold on

Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on

You gotta hold on, hold on

Babe, you gotta hold on

Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on.

* * * 

Does the road wind uphill all the way?

Yes, to the very end. 

Will the day's journey take the whole long day?

From morn till night, my friend.

--Chrisina Rosetti

You Never Know Where Bob Dylan Will Show Up Next

The other night I was looking through the arts mag Acne Paper, seeking treatment ideas for a painting I was working on. A friend had loaned me several copies of the chic pulp rag and I liked the large format imagery, paging through this and that when all of a sudden, lo and behold...  Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself.

I can't recall the year but there was a story in the newspaper here in Duluth in which it was suspected that Bob Dylan, wearing a hoodie, went into Bullseye on East Superior Street and purchased a “Duluth Does Dylan” T-shirt, with a design by artist Chris Monroe. Unverified, but possible.

The late John Bushey, 26-year host of Highway 61 Revisited, the KUMD radio hour devoted to Dylan tunes, used to say Dylan was like a phantom that could blend in anywhere, like an invisible man, and you'd never know he was there. So every once in a while I'd wonder if maybe he might be here at our annual Duluth Dylan Fest celebration, like a complete unknown, shrouded in that hoodie, a nowhere man. Or maybe your Dylan birthday party? Stranger things have happened. 

Which brings to mind the time Dylan was stopped by police in New Jersey. I'm from Jersey myself, and can tell you a few unpleasant experiences I myself had with police. But then that's another story. He was walking late one night, strolling a dark street like Guy Noir, when he was stopped and asked for identification. Hmmm.

Laura Leivick, who seems to specialize in unearthing places and spaces where Dylan shows up, sent this link featuring the art of Jef Aerosol. Like I say, with a cat like Aerosol around you never do really know where Dylan will next appear, I'm sure. We'd love to have him surprise us with a Dylan uprising here in Duluth where the man was born. Just sayin'.

OK, it's the "Happy Grandpa" look...
with 3rd Gen Dylan fan, Wally.

This winter I became a grandfather and this spring when I saw my grandson Wally for the first time... lo and behold! Another Dylan sighting. I mean, I already knew he was a Dylan fan, even before I met him. (Seriously, when he's crying and won't get settled, his mom and dad calm him down by playing Johnny Cash, Tom Waits or Bob Dylan. I watched it first hand. Must be something about the gravelly voice.) My daughter and her husband are carrying on what is now becoming a family tradition.

Wally. Just bein' cool.

Last week I was reading a graphic novel by Howard Shapiro called The Queen of Kenosha, and what do I find? It's got several Dylan references. Never mind that the story is about a young female singer/songwriter from the Midwest who traipses of to the Big Apple to make a name for herself.
It was a fun read, especially when seasoned by those unexpected Dylan echoes.

A few days later I stumble upon people showing off their tattoos and guess what? Yet another unexpected Dylan sighting. (To be honest, I can't remember where I stumbled on that one, but when it jumped out at me and captured it.)

It's not surprising to find Dylan music woven into countless Hollywood films, but frequently it does show up in unanticipated places. I know of no other singer/songwriter who has been inserted into as many films as he, other than the Hollywood regulars like Randy Newman others who seem to be soundtrack fixtures there.

So yesterday I was watching the very powerful video about James Baldwin titled "I Am Not Your Negro." I strongly recommend it if you've never seen it. (Available on Netflix)

About halfway through there is a section on the shooting of Medgar Evers, and you already know where this is going...

"The day Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught,
they lowered him down as a king..."

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Actually, it isn't entirely true that you "never know" where Dylan will show up next. You can always go to Boblinks.com and see his upcoming touring schedule, among many other treats. 

Photo courtesy Nelson French. 

On the other hand, I don't know too many people who expected to see Dylan sign off on a line of whiskeys. I mean, did you really? I didn't. I still love the name: Heaven's Door. 

Finally, the real trigger for this blog post. As I was saying up there at the beginning... while leafing through the pages of these large format art mags I suddenly came across yet another unexpected Dylan sighting.

Naturally it seemed like something that had to be shared.

Proof once again that you never know where Bob Dylan is going to next appear.

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Do you have a story? 

Feel free to share it in the comments.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Get into it.