When you're writing, you're conjuring. It's a ritual, and you need to be brave and respectful and sometimes get out of the way of whatever it is that you're inviting into the room.
Tom WaitsRead
You got to tell me the brave captain Why are the wicked so strong? How do the angels get to sleep When the devil leaves the porch light on?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the struggle between good and evil, questioning the strength of wickedness and the nature of morality.
Tom Waits' quote encapsulates the inner turmoil of grappling with the existence of evil in the world and its pervasive strength. It poses deep philosophical questions about why wickedness appears dominant and challenges the integrity of goodness, while also exploring the discomfort that comes from understanding the balance between light and darkness, and the moral implications involved in such a struggle.
Themes
GoodEvilMoralityWickednessAngelsDarkness
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion about the nature of good and evil.
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Now its raining its pouring the old man is snoring now I lay me down to sleep I hear the sirens in the street all my dreams are made of chrome I have no way to get back home Iβd rather die before I wake like Marilyn Monroe and throw my dreams out in the street and the rain make βem grow
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