Over The Rhine
Lyric guide

Don't Wait For Tom

Read Don't Wait For Tom lyrics by Over The Rhine on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Over The Rhine visibility2 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Over The Rhine Canonical path: /over-the-rhine/don-t-wait-for-tom Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Don't Wait For Tom

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

He's got the hands of a blind piano player

He's got a feel for the dark like a soothsayer

He takes a little bow and tips his fedora

Shouts like he's gonna save Sodom and Gomorrah

Workin' for the circus X railroad bum

Carnival barker for kingdom dot come

Dusty ol' Gibson, opposable thumb

Bangs out the rhythm on a 50-gallon drum

Don't wait for Tom

Tom's long gone, he's already moved on

Don't wait for Tom

I saw an ol' '55 Buick just before dawn

I said, Hey, hey Tom

The sun's comin' up, you got your wipers on

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

Is it rainin' just around your bend?

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

Sittin' in a corner with his pet muskrat

Tossin' his cards into an old man's hat

He grins at the girls, and they always grin back

He bets an old waltz he could get 'em in the sack

He makes his own music from the bell of a 'bone

A waitress's falsie and a railroad phone

Bobs on his knees to an old tarantella

South of the border, he stole it from a fella

Don't wait for Tom

Tom's long gone, he's already moved on

Don't wait for Tom

I saw an ol' '55 Buick just before dawn

I said, Hey, hey Tom

The sun's comin' up, you got your wipers on

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

Is it rainin' just around your bend?

Are you tryin' to make it rain again?

His triple-jointed juke fingers splay like a scarecrow

He kneels down and whistles to a fallen sparrow

His eyes light up when they wheel in a piano

He reads a dirty joke out of an old Baptist hymnal

He wears a tuxedo made of sackcloth and ashes

Has a tattoo of a girl who can bat her eyelashes

Down on the river, he was fishin' with a sword

He knocked off John the Baptist for a word from the Lord

He takes his coffee with the blood of a turnip

Blushes his cheeks with an Amsterdam tulip

Choppin' up a rooster for a pullet surprise

If the gravy don't getcha, he'll getcha with his eyes

Don't wait

Hey Tom

Sun's comin' up, you got your wipers on

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Don't Wait For Tom"?

Over The Rhine performs "Don't Wait For Tom", and this lyric page sits inside the Over The Rhine catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Don't Wait For Tom"?

Yes. The related section below points to A Gospel Number and Changes Come with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Over The Rhine?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Over The Rhine's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Don't Wait For Tom yet.