Starving in the Belly of a Whale
Tom Waits * Track #9 On Blood Money
Download "Starving in the Belly of a Whale"
Album Blood Money
- #1Misery Is the River of the World
Tom Waits
- #2Everything Goes to Hell
Tom Waits
- #3Coney Island Baby
Tom Waits
- #4All the World is Green
Tom Waits
- #5God’s Away on Business
Tom Waits
- #6Another Man’s Vine
Tom Waits
- #7Knife Chase
Tom Waits
- #8Lullaby
Tom Waits
- #9Starving in the Belly of a Whale
Tom Waits
- #10The Part You Throw Away
Tom Waits
- #11Woe
Tom Waits
- #12Calliope
Tom Waits
- #13A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Tom Waits
Starving in the Belly of a Whale by Tom Waits
Release Date
Performed by
Tom WaitsAbout
This song speaks of the deterministic and uncontrollable future. It uses imagery from the Jonah story in the Bible, in which Jonah was swallowed by a big whale. Whereas Jonah was eventually spit back up and “saved”, Tom imagines what it would have been like if “God’s Away on Business” (song 5 of thi...
Starving in the Belly of a Whale Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Life is whittled, life's a riddle
Man's a fiddle that life plays on
When the day breaks and the earth quakes
Life's a mistake all day long
[Pre-Chorus]
You tell me who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In the crooked old world
[Chorus]
Starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh, you're starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
[Verse 2]
Don't take my word, just look skyward
They that dance must pay the fiddler
Sky is darkening, dogs are barking
But the caravan moves on
[Pre-Chorus]
You tell me who gives a good goddamn
You'll never get get out alive
Don't go dreaming
Don't go scheming
A man must test his mettle
In the crooked old world
[Chorus]
Starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh, we're starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale, ha
[Verse 3]
As the crow flies, it's there the truth lies
At the bottom of the well
E-O-eleven goes to Heaven
Bless the dead here as the rain falls
Don't trust a bull's horn, a Doberman's tooth
A runaway horse or me
Don't be greedy
Don't be needy
If you live in hope, you're dancing
To a terrible tune
[Chorus]
Starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Oh, starving in the belly, starving in the belly
Starving in the belly of a whale
Starving in the Belly of a Whale Q&A
Who wrote Starving in the Belly of a Whale's ?
Starving in the Belly of a Whale was written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan.
Who produced Starving in the Belly of a Whale's ?
Starving in the Belly of a Whale was produced by Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits.
When did Tom Waits release Starving in the Belly of a Whale?
Tom Waits released Starving in the Belly of a Whale on Tue May 07 2002.