"Kentucky Avenue" is a song written and performed 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 ...

, and released on Side Two of his 1978 album, '' Blue Valentine.''''Blue Valentine'' track listing
- Tom Waits Official Website - accessed June 1, 2010 The song was also included on the 1986

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Asylum Years ''Asylum Years'' is the second "best of" compilation covering Tom Waits' Asylum Records years. The album retreads more than half of the track-listing of ''Anthology of Tom Waits''. While never officially released in the US during its initial ru ...

.''

Lyrics

"Kentucky Avenue" contains autobiographical elements. Tom Waits grew up on a street called Kentucky Avenue in Whittier, California."Kentucky Avenue" lyrics
- Tom Waits Library - accessed June 1, 2010 In a 1979 interview, Waits recounted:

I used to walk down Kentucky Avenue collecting cigarette butts. And I finally got me a paper route. I used to get up at 1 o' clock in the morning so I could deliver my papers and still have time to break the law ...

Many of the song's lyrics relate to real people in Waits' childhood. "Mrs. Storm" was a neighbour who would sit with a twelve-gauge shotgun protruding from her kitchen window. Perhaps the strongest autobiographical influence was Waits' childhood friend, a boy named Kipper, who suffered from

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and used a wheelchair. In 1981, Waits elaborated on these memories:

I didn't understand what polio was. I just knew it took him longer to get to the bus stop than me ... Sometimes I think kids know more than anybody. I rode a train once to Santa Barbara with this kid and it almost seemed like he lived a life somewhere before he was born and he brought what he knew with him into this world and so ... it's what you don't know that's usually more interesting. Things you wonder about, things you have yet to make up your mind about. There's more to deal with than just your fundamental street wisdom. Dreams. Nightmares.

The song's closing moments include the line "we'll hop that freight train in the hall." This refers to one of Waits' earliest childhood memories, in which he would imagine that, every night, a freight train would run through the centre of his house.

Reception

Music critic Adrian Denning described "Kentucky Avenue" as "a welcome piano ballad on an album very short on piano."''Blue Valentine'' review
- Adrian Denning's album reviews - accessed June 1, 2010 ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'' listed Waits' vocal performance in the song as one of the 100 greatest voices in the world.

References

{{authority control Songs written by Tom Waits 1978 songs Songs about California Tom Waits songs Song recordings produced by Bones Howe