CATEGORIES » MEANING OF THE SONG

The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Diamonds on My Windshield" by the artist "Tom Waits"

Contents

"Diamonds on My Windshield" is a song about a journey and, more importantly, about the feelings it evokes. The lyrics are full of cinematic imagery that conveys loneliness, longing for home, and the transience of life on the road.

"Diamonds on my windshield" is a metaphor for raindrops that resemble precious stones under the city lights. This creates a sense of melancholic beauty, contrasting with the harsh reality of driving at night. The lyrical hero is driving on the Interstate – a symbol of an endless journey and freedom.

The encounter with the "Duster" is an encounter with another lonely soul rushing through the night. The image of the hitchhiker from Wisconsin, dreaming of warmth but stuck far from home, intensifies the feeling of longing for comfort and stability.

The sea in San Clemente is a metaphor for the end of the journey, for reaching a goal. The "land sharks," illegal immigrants, symbolize the pursuit of a better life, the risks and hardships people face in search of their place.

The big city is chaos, vanity, a place ruled by money and connections. The neon lights and crowds of people emphasize the hero's alienation and loneliness. The "out-of-state plates" indicate that he is a stranger here, just passing through.

At the end of the song, the hero returns to the initial image of diamonds on the windshield, but now it is accompanied by a feeling of fatigue and a desire to return home. The repetition of the phrase "Whispering 'Home is where you lay your head'" emphasizes the longing for the peace and warmth of hearth and home.

Well, these diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well, I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

And it's these late nights and this freeway flying

It always makes me sing

There's a Duster trying to change my tune

He's pulling up fast on the right

Rolling restlessly by a twenty-four hour moon

And a Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head

He's wishing he was home in a Wisconsin bed

But there's fifteen feet of snow in the east

Colder than a welldigger's ass

And it's colder than a welldigger's ass

Oceanside, it ends the ride with San Clemente coming up

Those Sunday desperadoes slip by and cruise with a dry back

And the orange drive-in, the neon billin'

And the theatre's fillin' to the brim

With slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin

Metropolitan area

With interchange and connections

Fly-by-nights from Riverside

And out of state plates running a little late

But the sailors jockey for the fast lane

So 101 don't miss it

There's rolling hills and concrete fields

And the broken line's on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north

And the merging nexus back and forth

You see your sign, cross the line, signaling with a blink

And the radio's gone off the air

Gives you time to think

And you hear the rumble

As you fumble for a cigarette

And blazing through this midnight jungle

Remember someone that you met

And one more block, the engine talks

Whispers 'home at last'

It whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

Whispers 'home at last'

And the diamonds on my windshield

And these tears from heaven

Well I'm pulling into town on the Interstate

I got me a steel train in the rain

And the wind bites my cheek through the wing

Late nights and freeway flying

Always makes me sing

It always makes me sing

Hey, look here, Jack

Okay

More Articles
In Tom Waits' song "Depot," a poignant picture of longing, uncertainty, and stagnation unfolds. The lyrical protagonist finds himself at a bus depot not for a greeting or farewell but in a state of turmoil and emotional pain
In "Chocolate Jesus," Tom Waits uses irony and sarcasm to critique superficiality in religion and a consumerist approach to faith. The lyrical protagonist rejects traditional forms of worship – he doesn't attend church, pray, or study the Bible
"Cemetery Polka" by Tom Waits is pure black humor, a grotesque depiction of a family whose family tree reads more like a list of diagnoses and vices. The title itself hints at a funeral, and the song's upbeat polka melody only adds to the effect of dark humor
In Tom Waits' "Blue Valentines," the blue valentines sent from Philadelphia represent a painful past that the lyrical protagonist tries to escape.Received annually, they serve as a stark reminder of a past love and broken promises
explanationThis Tom Waits song paints a picture of despair and lost dreams against the backdrop of a rainy Los Angeles.The lyrics tell a story of a young woman, likely a runaway or aspiring starlet, stuck on Hollywood and Vine, a place known for its broken dreams
Tom Waits' "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a darkly humorous meditation on loneliness, despair, and the fleeting nature of life, disguised as an ironic confession. The recurring refrain "A good man is hard to find, / All the faces in my bed are private" suggests a cynical attitude towards love and relationships
Feedback: mail@wikimeaning.com
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
About Wikimeaning