In which Tom Waits and his wife/writing partner Kathleen Brennan provide the darkest cut off Bad As Me with an equally jarring official video. There’s been discussion among fans about “Hell Broke Luce” perhaps being inspired by the tragic story of Marine Lance Cpl. Jeff Lucey, and Waits’ caption for the clip today suggests we’re on the right track:
Matt Mahurin has created an apocalyptic war dream to accompany the song HELL BROKE LUCE. Kathleen and I envisioned it as an enlightened drill sergeant yelling the hard truths of war to a brand new batch of recruits. The video grew from the gnawing image of a soldier pulling his home, through a battlefield, at the end of a rope.
Waits & Co.’s appropriately unnerving visuals are above.