Russian Dance is one of 6 instrumentals from Tom Waits 12th studio album The Black Rider which is probably his most extreme album, not for its individual songs, but the contrasts between them. The Black Rider was a project born from a collaboration with playwright Robert Wilson and writer William S. Burroughs. The album was the soundtrack to a musical of the same name, an adaptation of the German folktale “Der Freischütz,” which tells the story of a man who makes a pact with the devil (Faustian Bargain) to prove his worth as a hunter in order to marry the huntsman’s daughter. (Read more here).
Waits’ composition for Russian Dance seems inspired by the musical traditions of Eastern Europe, particularly the frenetic energy and melancholic undertones of Russian and Balkan folk music. It captures the essence of a raucous celebration, and also a sense of urgency and madness where folklore and reality blur, reflecting the character’s descent into chaos as he grapples with his Faustian bargain.
At 2:08 Tom can be heard yelling the following which was detected as ‘Ukrainian’ on Google Translate. Both Ukrainian and Russian belong to the East Slavic language family. Ukraine and Russia share a significant amount of vocabulary, with estimates suggesting that they share around 62% of their vocabulary. Ukraine’s independence was recognized by the international community in December 1991:
Davai yestshio! Davai yestshio!
Odeen, dva, tree, cheteeri
Let’s tweet! Let’s tweet!
One, two, three, four
Reference:
1. The Black Rider (album) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I never knew Tom Waits did any instrumentals. Of course, I quickly need to add I hardly know anything about his music. The only song I can name is “Downtown Train.” In my case, his vocals are an acquired taste.
18 songs from Tom have appeared here including ‘Downtown Train’. I like him. Listen to one hour of his essential tracks while going somewhere and you’ll learn if you like him or not. Cheers Christian.
Great read. I saw a movie “Limonov” where Tom wait’s Russian Dance is used as a soundtrack and I now understand why because of your excellent blog. Many thanks
Thanks so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoyed the movie.