Lyrics to Putnam County - Decade Lyrics

This version of Putnam County was released by Tom Waits in 1975.

Our Decade Lyrics Tom Waits profile has all of the Putnam County lyrics from 1975 and many more songs from the Tom Waits discography that we have on file.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Tom Waits or about the 1970s in general.

I guess things were always quiet around Putnam County
kind of shy and sleepy as it clung to the skirts
of the 2-lane, that was stretched out like an
asphalt dance floor where all the oldtimers would
hunker down in bib jeans and store bought boots
lyin’ about their lives and the places that they’d been
suckin’ on Coca Colas and be spittin’ Days Work
they’s be suckin’ on Coca Colas and be spittin’ Day’s Work
until the moon was a stray dog on the ridge and
the taverns would be swollen until the naked eye
of 2am, and the Stratocaster guitars slung over
Burgermeister beer guts, and the swizzle stick legs
jacknifed over naugahyde stools and the
witch hazel spread out over the linoleum floors,
the pedal pushers stretched out over midriff bulge
and the coiffed brunette curls over Maybelline eyes
wearing Prince Machiavelli, Estee Lauder, smells so sweet
I elbowed up at the counter with mixed feelings
over mixed drinks
and Bubba and the Roadmasters moaned in pool hall
concentration as they knit their brows to
cover the entire Hank Williams Song Book
and the old National register was singing to the tune of $57.57
until last call, one last game of 8 ball
and Berneice would be putting the chairs on the tables,
someone come in say “Hey man, anyone got
any Jumper Cables, is that a 6 or a 12 volt?”
and all the studs in town would toss ’em down
and claim to fame as they stomped their feet
boasting about being able to get more ass
than a toilet seat.
And the GMCs and the Straight 8 Fords
were coughing and wheezing and they
perculated as they tossed the gravel
underneath the fenders to weave home
a wet slick anaconda of a two lane
with tire irons and crowbars a rattlin’
with a tool box and a pony saddle
you’re grinding gears, shifting into first
yea and that goddam tranny’s just getting worse
with the melodies of “see ya later”
and screwdrivers on carburettors
talkin’ shop about money to loan
and palominos and strawberry roans
See ya tomorrow, hello to the Mrs.
money to borrow and goodnight kisses
the radio spittin’ out Charlie Rich
sure can sing that sonofabitch
and you weave home, weavin’ home
leaving the little joint winking in the
dark warm narcotic American night
beneath a pin cushion sky and it’s
home to toast and honey, start
up the Ford, your lunch money’s there on the
draining board, toilet’s runnin’ shake the
handle, telephone’s ringin’ it’s Mrs Randal
where the hell are my goddam sandals
and the porcelain poodles and the glass swans
staring down from the knick knack shelf
with the parent permission slips for the kids’ field trips
pair of Muckalucks scraping across
the shag carpet
and the impending squint of
first light, that lurked behind
a weeping marquee in downtown Putnam
and would be pullin’ up any minute now
just like a bastard amber
Velveeta yellow cab on a rainy corner
and be blowin’ its horn, in every window
in town.

About Lyrics and Putnam County by Tom Waits

The lyrics to Putnam County are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Tom Waits in 1975. Elements of the lyrics to Putnam County are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Tom Waits and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for Putnam County back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to Putnam County by Tom Waits in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Putnam County" means the words set to the music of Putnam County, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Tom Waits. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Putnam County and the lyrics to Putnam County are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Tom Waits who came here looking just for the lyrics to Putnam County, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.