Tom Waits - "Hell Broke Luce" (Reaction) 

One of my favourite songs against war and dealing with how soldiers are just treated like cannon fodder, and when they make it home alive but broken, they just get dropped, because a broken soldier doesn't fit the narrative. At least that's what I'm hearing.... While I was over there I never got to vote. I left my arm in my coat.

I think the song is inspired by a marine named Jeff Luce who killed himself after coming home from Iraq

You just watched an audio representation of PTSD. It's emotional. Jeff Luce was a war vet that committed suicide due to lingering mental health effects of war and isolation from family and friends...

The reason he spelled it Luce and not loose is becassue this song was kind of a tribute to Jeff Luce who (I think was a marine), a cool and sad fact about this song is that all if not most of the lyrics were straight from Jeff Luce's suicide poem

To the USMC’s own Lance Corporal Jeffrey Lucey. Know that you are gone but never forgotten. Semper Fidelis and may God’s love be with you.

His versatility is amazing. He writes great piano/romance tunes then cranks out things like this. Going out West is another staple favorite of mine.

A song about coming home from the wars..and the effect on soldiers..what a talent..seen this cat live about ten times...amazing song writer...

Tom waits is always amazing. Always delivers exactly what he tries to convey. It's beautiful always.

Jeff Luce grew up/ lived a couple towns over from me. Tragic story & Waits does him justice.

Waits is a trip for sure! Some earlier tunes, "Step Right Up" and "The Piano Has Been Drinking" will show a very different side.

Apparently "Hoist That Rag," a song that (IMHO) belongs on the deck of a pirate ship, is also an anti-war song. Also shout out to Flea for the bass in this song

This mans age finally caught up with his voice. He was also the gold panner in Ballad of Buster Scruggs. So in a way he finally did go out west like he said he would.

Listen, man, your patrons are putting you through the paces. There's much more accessible tunes, some intense in a refined way, some even more experimental than this. Truly a varied and brilliant artist.

This is Specialistic theater and a brilliant voice.

Certainly one of the best anti-war songs ever.

You can't fall down the Tom Waits rabbit hole without reacting to Chocolate Jesus

"The day after tomorrow" is another unforgettable "soldier song" by TW. Real GONE is the c.d. And completely a favorite...hear😁

Tom Waits is the MAN. Check out his songs MAKE IT RAIN and HOIST THAT RAG.

I like this song by Tom Waits. This song is about the horrors of war. Waits took the title from graffiti that he read had been scribbled on the walls of Alcatraz, which was a notorious prison located on an island off San Francisco, and is now a popular tourist attraction. It finds Waits towing a house in an aquatic war zone. "Matt Mahurin has created an apocalyptic war dream to accompany the song 'Hell Broke Luce,'" explained Wait. "Kathleen [Brennan] and I envisioned it as an enlightened drill sergeant yelling the hard truths of war to a brand new batch of recruits. The video grew from the gnawing image of a soldier pulling his home, through a battlefield, at the end of a rope." A musician never knows if they're going to end up on a Tom Waits record. Percussionist Gino Robair recalled to Uncut: "I spent three days on 'Hell Broke Luce.' He (Waits) sent me a 20-second drum sample from this record from the 1920s, he wanted to loop it and for me to play a drum part,.We tried everything on all these old snare drums - out in the yard, inside, wherever. When the record came out, he'd replaced everything we'd done. He decided the song had to go in a different direction, and it's one of the best tracks. So you never really know. He's an improviser. You just have to go in there and have fun."

From Tom Waits i would check out also : Going out west, gun street girl, gods away on business and i dont wanna grow up!

"His music is really more than just music." Yup.

There's so much great Tom Waits to explore.

Y’all I ain’t gonna edit my other comment, I’m gonna make another: RIP Jeff Lucy and Sir; thank you for your service. We love you brother.

Tommi Brem below, explains it perfectly. Tom Waits is one of my favourite singer/songwriter/storyteller.

Tom is the best American songwriter

dude, much love for the smooth shit

Tom Waits is also in a bunch of movies. Most just cameos however he is one of the main actors in Down By Law. An excellent film.

Tom has been making music since 1972 he is a musical geniu brother.

luce is a guy that committed suicide and the song is based off the note. Its like life was hell for luce and it broke him.

Truth unabolished ....Truth

The perfect protest against the insanity of war.

wasnt ready lolol!

I have never seen this video of Tom. Its fantastic. Thank You!

I'm always glad to see any reaction to Tom Waits. He has two main phases to his career. When he started out, he was a sort of lounge lizard / smoky piano bar type of performer. After Kathleen Brennan (his future wife and co-writer) got him to listen to Captain Beefheart, he became a Much More experimental sort of artist. Both phases of his career are simply spectacular. His early works like "Ol' 55" "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Jersey Girl" were covered by Eagles, Bette Midler, and Bruce Springsteen. Rod Stewart had a hit with a cover of the Waits song "Downtown Train." Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Richard Thompson are among my all-time favorite artists. Thanks for reacting to Tom!

OMG YES!! This song is so TRUE, sad and dark, but the instrumental is kinda upbeat and has that hip hop influence with some industrial and blues. Only Tom Waits can mix genres with that level of genius. Pure fire🔥 His lyrics are always amazing, mostly little urban stories about common, broken people and his sound is always super eclectic: sometimes layered and wild, other times just a piano or a guitar. I loved what you said about him: "It's almost like going into a book" that sounds about right! Please check "Goin Out West", "Blue Valentines", "Hoist That Rag", his live 1988 version of "Rain Dogs" and the live 1978 version of "Romeo Is Bleeding"

Chocolate Jesus or any song of his album Mule Variations. Another good one is Telephone Call from Istanbul.

That's Flea from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Bass, and Keith Richards from you know what on Guitar.

You got it right the 1st time when you said genius.

Thanks 😊

Tom makes me happy...as I mentioned on your previous reaction love that your getting it with Mr Waits his voice can put some off but he is easily one of the great artists and a personal friend and companion for me over the last nearly 30 years. He is the artist that truly opened my ears to the limitless possibility of what great music can be. Some other under appreciated artists I hold on a similar pedestal I think you would dig would include the sublime Scott Walker, Micheal Gira of the Swans, Nick Cave and the bad seeds/birthday party(the members of the bad seeds are worth a deep dive as well being unique brilliant artists e.g the coolest mofo in rock Blixa Bargeld of the truly unique einstruzende neubauten as a prime example)Tim Smith of Cardiacs truly insane tunes, Mark E Smith of the fall, PJ Harvey, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, the tindersticks, Mark Sandman of Morphine, Todd A of cop shot cop/firewater, Iain Mackaye of minor threat/fugazi in and the arch druid Julian Cope all worthy of laudation.

Tom is a genius, no one else like him!

Waits' catalog is a deep well, that's nearly 50 yrs deep. Some tracks worth checking out, 'Fish in the Jailhouse', 'Clap Hands'( live version here; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3f_geZmhvJE.html) 'Cold Cold Ground', 'Hold On', or something completely different, his duet with Bette Midler, 'I Never Talk to Strangers'.

Serious shit! War may be coming our way and this says it all. Wake up everybody! I think Luce was a friend he lost in a war!

i dont know what the hell we just watched...lmao my 1st reaction as well love it

His voice was sweeter in the early years, then he started to sound like Captain Beefheart, which you should check out. Something less experimental like Tarot Plane or Plastic Factory, because Capt. Beefheart was pretty out there at times.

Others have probably mentioned... but this song was written as a response to Tom hearing about a soldier committing suicide upon returning home following his service. Jeffrey “Luce” Lucey. “What was your name? It was Jeff”. Waits rarely delved into politics/protest songs etc... but this was one such occasion. And when he does do something like this, its usually on a personal (singular) level - meaning its about an individual rather than an ethos. At any rate - loved the reaction... peace

Blue valentine!!! By tommy

Now I know wy they used this song in the punisher

In his reaction to "Singapore" by Tom Waits, at one point he states that Tom is "kinda rapping." Well, if you want to hear a track by him that is even more in the style of delivering lyrics like a emcee, then take a listen to "Pasties and a G-String". ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HH51fbzXg_E.html

I don't know what the hell we just watched either, but it was dope AF! ❤️

RIP Jeff Lucy y’all

'Kentucky Avenue' and 'Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Mathilda)' are a couple more to check out from this American treasure.

It's based on a suicide note from a soldier named Luce who got back from Iraq and went crazy.

Great guitar work by Keith Richards from the Stones on this track..

Waits is a genius. One of the best anti-war songs there is.

I know this was written later, but I always hear the Vietnam War in this song. Soldiers going over there, giving their all, then they come home mentally damaged and the Government and Society just throw them away.

I think we have at least one more coming 😉

It was a protest song against war

tom moves me like no other..except maybe zappa but in a another kind of way

You should search the Cookie Monster Tom Waits mash-up "God's Away On Business"

dude, great reaction.

The horrors of war.

It's Luce as in Lucifer broke out of hell ❤️

Dog Door is a great tune from Waits. I can never listen to it once, has to be listened to at least twice!

dude! I like your reactions. I just subscribed tonight. You really need to listen to 'Bone Machine'' (a Tom Waits album) and do some reactions! Tellin you...

It's about a US soldier in Iraq whose life was ruined by the war, I believe.

Subscribed! Good channel. The tom waits song got me here. Thanks so much. Tom is also an accomplished actor.Check out"Ironweed". He's just wonderful in that.

Cast iron masterpiece. The greatest anti-war song of our times.

Dude you need to listed to 'On the Road', 'Goin Out West', 'Lucinda', 'Shoreleave' and the entirety of the Orphans Albums. If you do a video reacting to Orphans I'll buy you a bottle of Scotch. It's necessary. You'll understand if you do it. Keep on listening to Tom Waits. When you want something equally bizarre but completely different try some Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Rock on!

Try Tom Waits - Blue Valentine

I would like to suggest Ruby's Arms, Shore leave, Invitation to the Blues, anything off Bone Machine....I should stop now :D

My man... Try react to ONE DAY AS A LION

That's how you do an anti-war song.

you should check out god's away on business by him...he is such a unique experience. please please also do frenzy by screamin jay hawkins!!!! please

Poetically, Luce/Lucifer.

Keith Richards doing guitar work...

Makes me wanna pick up a hammer

The boogey man checks under the bed for Tom Waits..

I first heard this song from the Netflix series The Punisher and after REALLY listening to it.... I thought RIGHT of the Vietnam War. Which is why I HATED First Blood. The first Rambo movie. B/c in said movie he was treated like SHIT for fighting. After being drafted, killing ppl, captured, tortured and having severe PTSD, he's treated like a Leper.