o que tem mais piada nesta velha canção de tom waits é o modo como ele retrata a dificuldade em resistir às tentações e esse (sempre subjacente) dilema entre o bem e o mal. confessa: também já te perguntaste por que razão os maus têm tanta força, por que é que os anjos vão dormir quando o diabo deixa acesa a luz da entrada.

I spent all my money in a Mexican whorehouse


Across the street from a catholic church


And then I wiped off my revolver


And I buttoned up my burgundy shirt

I shot the morning in the back
with my red wings on


I told the sun he'd better go back down


And if I can find a book of matches


I'm goin' to burn this hotel down

You got to tell me brave captain


Why are the wicked so strong?


How do the Angels get to sleep


When the Devil leaves the porch light on?

Well, I dropped thirty grand on the Nugget slots


I had to sell my ass on Fremont Street


And the drummer said there's sanctuary


Over at the Baghdad room

And now it's one for the money


Two for the show


Three to get ready, and go man go


I said, "Tell me Mr. Siegal, 
how do I get out of here?"

Well, Willard's knocked out on a bottle of heat


Drivin' dangerous curves across the dirty sheets


He said, "Man you ought to see her
 when her parents are gone


Man you ought to hear her when the siren's on"

I said, tell me brave captain


Why are the wicked so strong?


How do the Angels get to sleep


When the Devil leaves the porch light on?

Don't you know that ain't no broken bottle


That I picked up in my headlights
 on the other side of the Nevada line


Where they live hard die young


And have a good lookin' corpse every time

Well, you know the pit-boss 
said I should keep movin'


This is where you go when you die


And so I shot a black beauty


And I kissed her right between the eyes

Well, Willard's knocked out on a bottle of heat


Drivin' dangerous curves across the dirty sheets


He said, "When the bitches wound up 
when her parents are gone


Man you ought to hear her when the siren's on"

I said, tell me brave captain:

Why are the wicked so strong?


How do the Angels get to sleep


When the Devil leaves the porch light on?