Lyrics for Hoist That Rag as interpreted by deliriumtrigger

Hoist That Rag Lyrics
Well I learned the trade
From Piggy Knowles
Sing Sing Tommy Shay Boys
god used me as hammer boys
To beat his weary drum today

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

The sun is up the world is flat
Damn good address for a rat
The smell of blood
The Drone of flies
You know what to do if
The baby cries

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

Well we stick our fingers in
The ground, heave and
Turn the world around
Smoke is blacking out the sun
At night I pray and clean my gun
The cracked bell rings as
The ghost bird sings and the gods
Go beggin here
So just open fire
As you hit the shore
All is fair in love
And war

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

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epignosis567
04-16-2009

Rated +1 
i was about to explain this song but i see tipkin already did. see his comments. the song has very definite meanings and the people and phrases are specific.

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graviton
03-16-2009

Rated 0 
Great explanation stogie! I'll just add this:

"Well we stick our fingers in
The ground, heave and
Turn the world around"
"Smoke is blacking out the sun

To me this seems evocative of the burning oil rigs of the early days of the first Gulf War.

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jcassidy
09-03-2008

Rated 0 
This song is about nationalism, I think, and more precisely about the use of patriotism to excuse atrocities. Telling lines include the allusion "all is fair in love and war" and the other war imagery around the second and third verses. Most interesting, however, is the religious references, which seem to relate directly for leaders to refer to themselves as 'tools of God' -- "God used me as a hammer..." and even "the world is flat" seem to smakc of fundamentalist theocracy.

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tipkin
05-09-2008

Rated +1 
From tomwaitslibrary.com:

- Tom Waits (2004): "Well, "Sins Of My Father" is political. "Hoist That Rag" is. There's a bunch of soldier songs. (Source: "Magnet Interview With Tom Waits", by Jonathan Valania. Magnet magazine (UK). October 5, 2004)

Piggy Knowles and Sing Sing Tommy Shay
- "It seems that Tom Waits was reading Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York while writing Real Gone. Piggy Noles (misspelled "Knowles" in the Real Gone lyrics) and Bum Mahoney both appear on page 73 as being part of the river pirate gangs of Manhattan's lower east side in mid 19th century New York. They reappear together with Tommy Shay as part of the "Hook gang" on page 76 and 77: "Another member of the Hookers was Piggy Noles, who stole a rowboat, repainted it and then sold it to its original owner". (Source: Submitted by Mikael Borg as sent to Tom Waits Yahoo Groups discussionlist. November 2, 2004)
- Hook Gang: "The Hook Gang was a New York street gang and later river pirates during the late nineteenth century. The Hook Gang was formed during the mid-1860s following the American Civil War. Based from New York's Corlears' Hook waterfront of the East River, the Hookers numbered between 50 to 100 members including many of the notorious sneak thieves and other criminals of the period including James Coffee, Terry Le Strange, Suds Merrick, and Tommy Shay. The gang quickly became known for attacking and hijacking shipping almost always outnumbered. An early robbery took place when James Coffee and Tommy Shay forced a local eight-man rowing club at gunpoint to row the boat to the Brooklyn shore. Within 50 yards the men ordered the rowing team to jump out and swim to the beach while the men escaped with the boat later sailing the boat to a canal boat at the Hudson River dockyards. One gang member however, Slipsey Ward, was arrested and imprisoned at Auburn Prison after attempting to hijack a schooner sailing past Pike Street killing three of the six man crew before he was detained by the remaining crew members." (Source: "Encyclopedia of World Crime Vol. II. Robert Jay Nash. Crimebooks Inc., 1990)

The gods go begging: Could be taken from Alfredo Véa's novel "The Gods Go Begging" (NY Dutton, 1999). A gripping novel which starts with the brutal murders of two women in San Francisco, a murder which has its roots in the war in Vietnam. One review called this 'a novel filled with magic realism, searing descriptions and stunning eloquence." "Alfredo Véa, author of "La Maravilla," "The Gods Go Begging," and "The Silver Cloud Café," is a practicing criminal defense attorney. His most recent book, "The Gods Go Begging," was named one of the Best Books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times and was the winner of the 1999 Bay Area Book Reviewers' Award for Fiction. Véa was born in Arizona and lived the life of a migrant worker before being sent to Vietnam. After his discharge, he worked as anything from a truck driver to carnival mechanic to put himself through law school. He currently lives in San Francisco." (Source: "Novelist Alfredo Véa to Read at UA Nov. 12" By Julieta Gonzalez. Yniversity Of Arizona news: November 05, 2003)

All is fair in love and war: attributed to Francis Edward Smedley (1818-1864), in "Frank Fairleigh" [1850]

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myrrtinwilt
04-06-2008

Rated 0 
I tend to agree with stogie and taal for the most part on this. Quick FIY though... he's obviously comparing Iraq to Vietnam with the line "gods go begging," because that is the name of a book written by Alfredo Vea in either 2000 or 2001 about the war in Vietnam. It's an amazing book.

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taal_19
01-05-2008

Rated 0 
I agree with stogie.

This song is basically a commentary on the US and its ideology.

To try and add to his comments.

The first verse introduces the violent history of America. 'I learned my trade from Piggy Knowles and Tommy Shay Boys'. As Zoltan above mentioned these are violent American characters, shaping early American cities and culture.

The second verse is self-explanatory, America's military involvement in other countries. '...know what to do if the baby cries.' The baby is the American public/interests. When these are threatened, US policy and history suggests they 'Hoist that rag'. By rag he means the American flag. Insightful when one considers the fact that in the Iraq War US troops draped the US flag over Saddam's statue before the Iraqi flag.

The third and fourth verse just refer to the loss of liberty (cracked bell - ie liberty bell), and lack of justice (ghost bird - ie American bald eagle is a ghost, a phantom) as American's 'stick their fingers in the ground and... turn the world around' ie become the world's 'dictators'.

In essence its about America's tendency to hoist a rag (by rag Waits suggests the triviality and over zealous patriotism of Americans) when US interests are threatened.

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Zoltan Pandemonium
09-30-2007

Rated +1 
The first verse: Piggy Knowles (correctly Piggy Noles) and Tommy Shay were members of New Yorks 'Hook Gang'. The Hook Gang were at times a street gang, and for a while, river pirates. Sing Sing, of course, is a New York prison.

This verse doesn't really share the same apocalyptic hysteria that the 2nd and 3rd possess, and I think it's a bit much to read a big tale about Iraq out of that, although I'd certainly agree with the final verses final line being D-Day inspired, or something similar.

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QuickBree
08-27-2007

Rated 0 
You got it right, Stogie. Hit the nail right on the head. Nice job.
Love those lyrics...

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stogie
06-20-2007

Rated +1 
I think this song is an accusation of imperialism directed toward the people who sold America the invasion of Iraq. "Hoist that rag"= raise the flag over the conquered territory. "Rag" is sometimes used as a derogatory term for flag, but I don't think Tom is calling the American flag a rag, as much as implying that it's been stained and abused by the use it's been put to lately.

"Well I learned the trade
From Piggy Knowles
Sing Sing Tommy Shay Boys"

Great names for shady characters. Piggy Knowles = Karl Rove? It's a name that describes him well.

"god used me as hammer boys
To beat his weary drum today"

George Bush used a religious imagery, such as crusades, in his public speeches before the invasion of Iraq. He even told Ha'aretz, an Israeli newspaper, that God had told him to go to war!

"The sun is up the world is flat"


As good a description of Iraq as any. It's a country of flat plains and desert.

"Damn good address for a rat"

Saddam was certainly vermin.

"The smell of blood
The Drone of flies"

Dead bodies all around, check. Fits Iraq.

Here's the payoff:
"Well we stick our fingers in
The ground, heave and
Turn the world around"

Remember the grandiose promises before the invasion? It was supposed to be effortless, and it would change the world (turn the world around). But the plan was really as crazy as thinking you could do what the lyrics say.

"Smoke is blacking out the sun
At night I pray and clean my gun"

Remember 1991, when the Iraqis set fire to all the oil wells in Kuwait as they retreated? Smoke did indeed black out the sun. Praying and cleaning a gun in the disastrous night = the paranoia and delusion that enabled the Gulf War's repeat.

"The cracked bell rings as
The ghost bird sings and the gods
Go beggin here"

Postwar Iraq, the promised beacon of freedom (the liberty bell and bald eagles) is in reality a land where all of the virtues (gods) are oppressed by evil, and can be sustained only by losing all semblance of their former pride.

"So just open fire
As you hit the shore
All is fair in love
And war"

As a former US Marine, this verse echoes in my head. Take no prisoners, and take that beach!

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UnForGiven
05-09-2007

Rated 0 
I always thought that "Hoist that rag" referred to like old Baptist preachers who would hoist up a rag while singing/preaching
Who knows...either way the song is incredible

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elmedio
05-06-2007

Rated 0 
I always thought "Hoist that Rag", considering the music, meant to shake the skirt as in the dancefloor. Hoist that rag translates directly into spanish as "Sacude ese trapo" to mean a skirt. In latin/caribbean music it is extremely popular to call out dancers with expressions like "Sacude" o "Agita", and using the skirt as a part of the dance is culturally established in these traditions. But, it could also be a flag at the same time. Either way the meaning for me is ironic, as to say amidst an apocalyptic backdrop we just dance and have a goodtime.

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memorybabe
02-05-2007

Rated 0 
I mean rag

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memorybabe
02-05-2007

Rated +1 
well not that every song has to be pinned down to one granite meaning but this to me is all about war, the rag is obviously a flag and the guttural bark of 'hoist that rag' sums up superbly the horrific vomiting bark of jingoism.

Getting even more specific it could not have been written when it was without alluding however indirectly to foreign policy of the good old us of a. Hoist that Ring!

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prodigal_sunscreen
01-02-2007

Rated 0 
I hope Tom Waits goes to hell, and plays music like this down there, because i'd totally commit every sin on earth to just listen to him for eternity.

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gweeps
12-02-2006

Rated 0 
Can't get this song out of my head.

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darnhoodlums
12-02-2006

Rated 0 
"If the packed theater houses of the Bowery (whose audiences would yell 'H'ist dat rag!' when the curtain failed to rise promptly at the scheduled time)..." Borges, "The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan." That's the only other place I've seen the term hoist that rag, but I guess flags and sails make sense too. The story is about Billy the Kid, who is born in New York when the street gangs were everywhere, and he learns how to kill without caring. He moves west and starts shooting people. Kind of works with that, I guess, except the shore bit.

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MardyAss
11-21-2006

Rated 0 
I always think of the american civil war for some reason...

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suburban
05-31-2006

Rated 0 
"So just open fire As you hit the shore"
D-Day?

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Ishmal
04-19-2006

Rated 0 
My impression is its about WW1. The lines 'So just open fire As you hit the shore' sort of describes what happened during the war between Australian and Turkish soldiers at Galipoli (for example) one army would be deployed on the shore line and open fire on the enemy that would be waiting for them. Also 'hoist that rag' may be a reference to waving or hoisting a white flag, which means surrender in military terms.

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proboscis
04-08-2006

Rated 0 
Y'know, personally I think that by "hoist that rag" he doesn't mean a flag of any sort. What else do you hoist? Sails. Hoist them sails, 'cept this's a pirate ship, me scum-eyed beauties so ye'll be hoistin' a rag t'day.

Never really bothered to digest in hidden meaning in this one, though.

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elmer
02-12-2006

Rated 0 
GUITAR SOLO GENIUS. What a great song. I'd add what a great vocal too, but that's somewhat obvious being Waits. But that guitar solo.... i've listened to this tune a thousand times and it hasn't lost an ounce of brilliance to my ears... I don't even know why,,,, sounds like he's holding back with every note, almost losing it, but not. This is something all the Vais and Van Halens in the wiorld could NEVER replicate. FACT. Rackety, shimmering genius, Mr. Ribot.

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HonkyFire
09-10-2005

Rated -2 
This is one of the greatest songs ever. Tom Waits looks like he's taking an unfriendly dump whenever he sings. Doesn't surprise. That mother fucker still owes me money for that carpet of mine he shat on. You should have seen it. It was a Heavy Domestic Woven Axminster Cornfield Springleaf carpet with intertwining ferns covering it's surface.....well there i go again bragging about my pretentious delicacies. Welp, I'm off to wash my scarves and LaCosta shirts because they reek of bad hipster sex. Suck my wingy slut bitch thundercunt!

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drunken_tantrum
08-22-2005

Rated 0 
Couldn´t the "hoisting of the rag" also refer to the image of the white flag, someone hoisting a tattered white rag to mediate a peace?

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raindog_mx
03-27-2005

Rated 0 
Yeah, of course, doubleoh. "So just open fire/As you hit the shore/All is fair in love/and war/Hoist that rag". Well it seems that cloth is no cloth anymore for Tom Waits, and a rag sure represents the glory of a flag whose glorious times are long gone. One truthful now ragged, powerful lyrics for a powerful song.

And adding to Imnotsure's this song is also played with Marc Ribot of the Cubanos Postisos and a long time Waits colaborator from Swordfishtrombomes (or before I'm not sure) and the music is alike to the "Son" music from Cuba.

Interesting indeed. And still one of Wait's Best.

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PiKuelo
03-17-2005

Rated 0 
I think that he's trying to represent a hopeless world and a man who stands alone (you know, that comic book stuff, in a rotten world), a very dark meaning. My favourite line, and maybe my favourite line in music history (yeah, i like this song xD) is: "At night I pray and clean my gun". I think I'll get it tattooed some time soon

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