Tom Waits - The Day After Tomorrow

     Tom Waits was born in Pomona, California on December 7, 1949. Tom Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits’ gritty voice has put a dissimilar sound on jazz, blues, and rock music around the world. His songs tell the tales of “seedy” and sometimes “grotesque” characters and places. Although his music is not particularly liked by everyone, Waits still has a loyal band of followers to support his every move. Earlier this year, Waits was put at the top of the list for Rolling Stone’s “Top 25 Underappreciated Artists.” Tom Waits wrote one of his most influential albums “Real Gone” in 2004. The album’s focus was a collection of anti-war songs.



     In the song “Day After Tomorrow” I think that Waits is singing about the point of view of a soldier in battle. The soldier is writing a letter back home with big hopes of getting to come within’ the next few weeks. While the soldier is at war, he turns twenty-one. During this point in his life and time that he has served for his country, he has become very humble. The soldier is really starting to miss the little things from back home that he took for granted in his home town of Rockford, Illinois. Deployed soldiers begin to have many mental issues once they go overseas because, they suffer from so much trauma, fatigue, and homesickness. These issues return home with many of the men and affect their everyday lives tremendously. I strongly believe that this is what is happening to this particular man that is writing back to his family. This soldier seems very broken by the war and aches for Rockford, Illinois.

     The Government tells soldiers that they are fighting for our country, and the civilians “freedom” but according to “Day After Tomorrow,” this soldier is just “fighting for his life.” I could definitely agree with this soldier writing the letter because as much as I love my country, the only thoughts that would be going through my mind would be if I was coming home alive, or in a wooden box. Fighting for my life would definitely be a huge factor in fighting in any war.

     This song that Tom Waits has written is describing a soldiers experience at war and the heavy thoughts he has to carry around with him on a daily basis. Throughout the song, Waits sings about the soldier’s letter and put it into evident detail how much the soldier longs for his family and hometown. The soldier states how much he misses the “little things in life” the most, “shoveling snow” and “raking leaves.” The soldier is writing to his family about how he is really “fighting for his life” and nothing else while he is deployed. The man in Tom Waits’ song is really struggling mentally with everything he has to go through overseas and how much Rockford, Illinois is calling him back home.