''Hang Down Your Head'' is a song by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

appearing on his 1985 album ''

Rain Dogs ''Rain Dogs'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, ''Rain Dogs'' is generally considered the middle ...

''. It released as a single in 1985 by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. The song is in the same vein as Tom Waits' earlier work, featuring a more conventional melodic structure in comparison to other songs on his ''

'' album albeit featuring an idiosyncratic arrangement.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Stewart Mason called the song "among the most direct and effective things Waits has ever written."

Cover versions

Vocalist Lucinda Williams recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack of the crime/drama series '' Crossing Jordan'', released in 2003. It was later appended as a bonus track to her 2003 album ''

World Without Tears ''World Without Tears'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on April 8, 2003, by Lost Highway Records. The album debuted at No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. ...

''.

Gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...

ensemble

Human Drama Human Drama is an American alternative rock band led by singer/songwriter Johnny Indovina, formed in 1985.Raggett, Ned "Human Drama Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved March 24, 2016 The band released six studio albums before splitting in 2005. They ref ...

recorded the song for their covers album '' Pinups'', which was intended as a tribute to the various artists that had influenced them. Country artist Jack Ingram has played the song at live concerts, and his version was recorded for his live debut ''Live at Adair's'' in 1995.

Formats and track listing

;UK 7" single (107 761-100) # "Hang Down Your Head" – 2:32 # "Tango Till They're Sore" – 2:49

Personnel

Adapted from the ''Hang Down Your Head'' liner notes. *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, pump organ,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

;Musicians *Michael Blair –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

* Larry Taylor –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

* Marc Ribot –

;Production and additional personnel * Dennis Ferrante – recording * Tom Gonzales – recording *

Robert Musso The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

–

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing * Howie Weinberg – mastering

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hang Down Your Head 1985 songs 1985 singles Tom Waits songs Songs written by Tom Waits Island Records singles Songs written by Kathleen Brennan