Tom Waits has released a new spoken word piece titled “The Fly,” which serves as the B-side to his recent collaboration with Massive Attack, according to Rolling Stone.
The four-and-a-half-minute track features Waits’ signature growl as he addresses a fly, while an animated lyric video accompanying the song was illustrated by his son, Casey Waits.
Waits said in a statement that the song reflects “mankind’s yesterdays” and described it as a fitting song for a world full of folly and failure. He also referred to the piece as his “appreciation for the winged nuisance.”
“The Fly” was co-written by Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan, and follows “Boots on the Ground,” the protest song he recorded with Massive Attack. Both songs will appear on an “EcoSonic” 180g 12-inch vinyl single that is available for preorder through Waits’ webstore, with proceeds going to civil rights and community advocacy organizations.
