Once Upon a Town/Empty Packets

Song Meaning

Tom Waits, that gravel-voiced poet of the downtrodden, conjures a world-weary lament in "Once Upon a Town/Empty Packets." It's less a song and more a late-night confession whispered in a dimly lit bar, thick with cigarette smoke and regret. The opening lines immediately establish a tone of rueful self-awareness. The narrator, presumably a woman hardened by experience, tallies the cost of past romantic misadventures – each 'two-bit Romeo' a bad bet, each encounter a counterfeit of genuine connection. The dollar she wishes she had represents not just financial loss, but emotional depletion, a draining of hope with every failed attempt at love. It’s a sentiment that resonates with anyone who's ever felt like they've been sold a bill of goods in the romance department. The title "Empty Packets" might refer to empty cigarette packets or something else, and reinforces the feeling of emptiness and absence in the song. The lyrics hint at a recurring pattern, a cyclical nature to the narrator's disappointments. There's a sense of resignation in the line, 'Somehow always thinking / Of the last time I fell down.' This isn't just about remembering a single heartbreak; it's about the cumulative weight of repeated failures, the nagging feeling that history is destined to repeat itself. The 'last time I fell down' is a phantom limb, a constant reminder of vulnerability and the potential for future pain. There's a clear implication of low self-esteem involved in repeatedly choosing the wrong people, perhaps believing that she can't get better. The most poignant line, 'Knowing that you fall in love / Once upon a town,' carries multiple layers of meaning. On one level, it suggests that love, in its purest, most transformative form, is a rare and precious occurrence, confined to a specific time and place – a 'once upon a time' event. But it also hints at the limitations of small-town life, where romantic options are often limited, and the same mistakes are made again and again. The phrase "Once Upon a Town" suggests that the narrator associates the town itself with love and all its pain. It is a story that has ended, and can't be repeated. Ultimately, "Once Upon a Town/Empty Packets" is a melancholic meditation on love, loss, and the enduring power of memory, delivered with Waits' signature blend of grit and grace. It's the sound of heartbreak seasoned with a lifetime of hard-won wisdom.