Friday Song: “Rain Dogs”

The term “rain dogs” refers to dogs leaving home, then getting lost when it rains because the rain washes away the scent markers they left to guide them back. Whether this actually occurs isn’t clear, but it’s a beautiful and clear metaphor for lost human beings, people in pain with no sense of direction.

Tom Waits was born in Pomona, California, and gravitated to the folk music scene when he was 15. Describing himself as a “rebel against rebels,” he eschewed the hippie culture of the 1960s, and blazed his own trail, becoming a fan of shows like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and teaching himself a variety of instruments. He was a firefighter for three years, and served briefly with the Coast Guard.

Waits’ life only became more interesting — touring with Frank Zappa, dating Bette Midler, being stalked by a female fan just released from a mental institution, writing a soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola, becoming an actor, and more.

Rain Dogs — the album for which this served as title track — was Waits’ 9th studio album, and is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy with Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years. It spawned a hit for Rod Stewart, who covered “Downtown Train,” and the album’s reputation has only improved with time. In 1989, it was ranked #21 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.” In 2012, the album was ranked #399 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” moving up to #357 in 2020.

“The Rose of Tralee” mentioned in the lyric refers to an 19th century Irish ballad about a girl named “Mary, the Rose of Tralee.”

I love this song, and am always thrilled to revisit Tom Waits’ material. There’s really nothing quite like it.

Enjoy!