Way Down in the Hole

I know I blogged about this song before, but that was almost three years ago. And I know I often blog about The Wire (last time I mentioned was not even a week ago), but it is such a great show and its music is haunting me. So I have decided to upload on Vraie Fiction Way Down in the Hole by Tom Waits, because I keep listening to it. And well, Lent is nearly over, soon it will be Good Friday and Easter and this song mentions Jesus plenty and Satan, although in a sarcastic, even cynical tone. I am wondering a lot about the meaning of the song. I don't know much about Tom Waits as an artist, know zilch about his beliefs or disbeliefs, but I think Way Down in the Hole is about the human condition, about the threats we face and the precarious nature of our situation. Life is a constant struggle against unknown, terrible menaces, often against our own demons.