themusic

Tom Waits - Jersey Girl

Has there ever been a more sweet and tender song about choosing your girlfriend over an 8th Avenue hooker?

This song sometimes gets credited to New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen (who performed it live throughout the ’80s), but it’s pure Waits. This alternate version—just Waits with a guitar and bass—appeared on the 1981 sort-of best-of collection Bounced Checks. It’s not substantially different from the version on 1980’s Heartattack and Vine, but is an interesting peek at the skeleton of the song.