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Well, they call me William the Pleaser
I sold opium, fireworks and lead
Now I'm telling my troubles to strangers
when the shadows get long I'll be dead
Now, her hair was as black as a bucket of tar
her skin as white as a cuttlefish bone
I left Texas to follow Lucinda
Now I'll never see heaven or home
I made a wish on a sliver of moonlight
A sly grin and a bowl full of stars
Like a kid who captures a firefly
and leaves it only to die in the jar
As I kick at the clouds at my hanging
As I swing out over the crowd
I will search every face for Lucinda's
And she will go off with me down to hell
I thought I'd broke loose of Lucinda
The rain returned and so did the wind
I cast this burden on the god that's within me
and I'll leave this old world and go free
The devil dances inside empty pockets
but she never wanted money or pearls
No, that wasn't enough for Lucinda
She wasn't that kind of girl
Now I've fallen from grace for Lucinda
Whoever thought that hell be'd so low
I did well for an old tin can sailor
but she wanted the bell in my soul
I've spoken the god on the mountain
And I've swam in the Irish sea
I ate fire and drank from the Ganges
and I'll beg there for mercy for me
I thought I'd broke loose from Lucinda
the rain returned and so did the wind
I was standing outside the Whitehorse
Oh but I was afraid to go in
I heard someone pull the trigger
her breasts heaved in the moonlight again
There was a smear of gold in the window
and then I was the jewel of her sin
They call me William the Pleaser
I sold opium, fireworks and lead
Now I'm telling my troubles to strangers
when the shadows get long I'll be dead
Now her hair was a black as a bucket of tar
skin as white as a cuttlefish bone
I left Texas to follow Lucinda
I know I'll never see heaven or home
I know I'll never see heaven or home
I know I'll never see heaven or home
I sold opium, fireworks and lead
Now I'm telling my troubles to strangers
when the shadows get long I'll be dead
Now, her hair was as black as a bucket of tar
her skin as white as a cuttlefish bone
I left Texas to follow Lucinda
Now I'll never see heaven or home
I made a wish on a sliver of moonlight
A sly grin and a bowl full of stars
Like a kid who captures a firefly
and leaves it only to die in the jar
As I kick at the clouds at my hanging
As I swing out over the crowd
I will search every face for Lucinda's
And she will go off with me down to hell
I thought I'd broke loose of Lucinda
The rain returned and so did the wind
I cast this burden on the god that's within me
and I'll leave this old world and go free
The devil dances inside empty pockets
but she never wanted money or pearls
No, that wasn't enough for Lucinda
She wasn't that kind of girl
Now I've fallen from grace for Lucinda
Whoever thought that hell be'd so low
I did well for an old tin can sailor
but she wanted the bell in my soul
I've spoken the god on the mountain
And I've swam in the Irish sea
I ate fire and drank from the Ganges
and I'll beg there for mercy for me
I thought I'd broke loose from Lucinda
the rain returned and so did the wind
I was standing outside the Whitehorse
Oh but I was afraid to go in
I heard someone pull the trigger
her breasts heaved in the moonlight again
There was a smear of gold in the window
and then I was the jewel of her sin
They call me William the Pleaser
I sold opium, fireworks and lead
Now I'm telling my troubles to strangers
when the shadows get long I'll be dead
Now her hair was a black as a bucket of tar
skin as white as a cuttlefish bone
I left Texas to follow Lucinda
I know I'll never see heaven or home
I know I'll never see heaven or home
I know I'll never see heaven or home
Lyrics submitted by xdvr
Track duration: 05:37
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William "the Pleaser" clearly shows that he cared greatly for Lucinda. His knowing her--whether it's intimate or stalkerish is something to note, but not relevent--is likened to a child's secret and a secret "wish in the moonlight" He even associates his connection to her with children's story prop "bowl full of stars". He's childish enough to kill something beautiful by neglect (3.3-4). And at her death scene he doesn't ascribe any passionate or murderous descriptions. It focuses on the stormy night and is nothing more than snippets of the scene. There's a gunshot -- a golden glint -- her body -- and his guilt on the backdrop of the storm. It's hardly murderous!
What I can't account for is why he'd say "and she will go off with me down to hell" (4.4) or why "she wanted the bell in [William's] soul" (7.4). That leads me to think of iwalkwithzombie's suggestion. For all we know, he watched Lucinda be murdered (hence the reflection in the window: a gold glint) and blames himself. Mixing anger and guilt with the memory of her death? And, hells' bells, it may be that Lucinda was the one who committed suicide and he witnessed it-- after all, William isn't saying he saw or heard someone run out of the house. It's only him and her corpse. Besides, this woman is an exception to the ascribed notion that "the devil dances in empty pockets" -- that the poor are thieves, beggars and cunts, or that "poverty tempts one to do evil".*. If she DID ANYTHING she'd be a saint. As it is, Lucinda ("light", as Google & the Latin language tells me, so that's another pretty reference for her) is a romantic doll for all she does in this romantic song.
All that I can say for her "wanting the bell in his soul" is that maybe I don't know what it means. Really, did she demand this pretty little thing from him literally, or is it a little death knell her death set a-ringing in him? Whatever it is, he's singing this forlorn tale to us when he'll be soon be dead.
*Courtesy of the Tom Waits Library. Mr. Waits also says that it's just "an American backwoods a cappella about a hanging." Just that. Very formal. Very official and brusk.
And the footnotes: I suspect William is quite poor, hence why Lucinda isn't described by image the upper class would coo for. It's tar and cuttlefish bone for the poor, it is. He's also a small-time peddler who's strangely familiar with worshipful practices in India. Where the hell did he follow Lucinda to, from Texas? India? The joy of this song is that we have a departure location and not the bloody arrival destination.
Perhaps he killed Lucinda, which might explain why he would see her in the crowd
perhaps becoming the jewel in her sin might mean killing her in retribution for some sin she committed
By Jewel of her sin, he means that he does her bidding, I think.
I love this song. And I love Tom Waits, and this song was amazing on Conan.
Who was Lucinda?
any way, this song. my favourite lyrics in the album, together with Road to peace (also in Brawlers)
Tom and Steve Wynn play the blues like no one else