Kommienezuspadt (2002) – Tom Waits

Today’s featured track Kommienezuspadt from Tom Waits is a lot of fun. I can’t wipe the big grin off my face when I hear it. It came on my collection yesterday and, such was my enjoyment, I assumed I must have written about it before. I thought, “I sure as hell better have – and if not, it’ll be what I write about tomorrow.” So here we are.

Like I did yesterday (and the times before), I thought what Tom was splattering out here was just pure “gobbledygook” – made-up words. But looking into it, I can confirm the song weaves between pretend German, actual German, and English. There you go – I didn’t even pick up on his English, and I suspect some Germans might struggle with his German too. That could very well be the point.

So, the title Kommienezuspadt seems to be a playful distortion of “Komme nie zu spät,” which roughly means “don’t ever be late” in German. Why it’s spelled this way isn’t clear, but it fits perfectly with the mock-German he fires off throughout the song, alongside the repeated English line “Don’t be late.” “Sei pünktlich” means “be punctual,” reinforcing the same idea.

It brings to mind the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, constantly panicking about time as if his life depends on it – which, in his mind, it probably does.

The song appears on Alice (2002), which grew out of a stage work Waits created with Kathleen Brennan years earlier. That production was loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, so the connection to the White Rabbit’s obsession with punctuality feels deliberate rather than accidental.

As for the music itself, I enjoy it as much for its comedic effect as anything else. But Tom’s wild, theatrical vocals wouldn’t land nearly as well without the restless pacing and sharp musicianship underneath. It feels like a chaotic, cabaret-style jazz piece – almost like a slightly unhinged European theatre band – where it sounds loose and free, yet never actually falls apart.

Tom slips back into that manic minstrel role, and you feel like you’re watching the oddest sideshow at a travelling fair, fronted by a group of brilliant misfits. It’s messy, playful, and there’s plenty to enjoy.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for reading.

(Pretend German)
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt

Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich

Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late

(Pretend German)
And we can’t be late
Kommiene, Kommiene
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt

(Pretend German)
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt

Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich

Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt

Ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha
Kommienezuspadt

(Pretend German)
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late
And we can’t be late
Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich
Kommienezuspadt
Kommiene, kommiene, kommiene, kommiene
Kommienezuspadt

References:
1. Alice (Tom Waits Album) – Wikipedia
2. Kommienezuspadt – SongMeanings