Tom Waits and the Story Behind “I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You”

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 737 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom Waits has a voice and style that feel carved out of another world, yet many people first meet his work through other artists. One of his earliest songs, “I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You,” is a perfect example. It drifted from Waits’ small club beginnings to the radio through bands like 10,000 Maniacs, much like “Downtown Train,” “Ol’ 55,” and other Waits originals that became hits in someone else’s hands.

In this Story of a Song, we explore how a simple tune about a missed chance at love became one of Waits’ most quietly enduring pieces.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:14.4	This is our American stories, and now it's time for one of our favorite segments, the story of a song.
0:22.4	And today's comes from an artist whose songs are best known through cover versions by other
0:28.2	musicians. His jersey girl was performed by Bruce Springsteen. His old 55 was sung by the Eagles.
0:37.8	Down there by the train by Johnny Cash.
0:40.4	I hope that I don't fall in love with you by 10,000 maniacs.
0:44.2	The Long Way Home by Nora Jones.
0:47.4	I don't want to grow up by the Ramones and downtown train by Rod Stewart.
0:52.2	And by the way, just from the mix of those artists, you've got to say, wow, what range.
0:58.4	Today's song is about one man, one woman, and one tavern.
1:03.9	With no further ado, let's take a listen to find out more about this one-of-a-kind American singer-songwriter.
1:11.7	Our next guest is one of the most distinctive writers and performers working today.
1:15.7	He's kind of a combination poet, jazz singer, and vagrant.
1:19.6	He is a mixture of Satchmo Armstrong and Humphrey Bogot.
1:23.1	Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Tom Waits.
1:26.6	How are you, Tom?
1:28.3	I'm better than nothing.
1:30.3	Your songs are about waitresses and bartenders and mums.
1:35.3	Why do you celebrate these people in song?
1:39.3	For the same reason that a lawyer hangs out in a pool room,
1:43.3	or you find a lot of
	...

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