Tom Waits' songwriting and opinions are just as gritty and rough as his cigarette-stained voice. Hence, when he discovered the great American poet, Charles Bukowski, he knew a song would be birthed. Bukowski, who is often regarded as one of the greatest American writers of all time, has a body of work that rivals Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, and Robert Frost. His poems are pessimistically liberating and open one's eyes to the delightful sorrow of American existence. Sounds right up Waits' alley, doesn't it?

Well, it was and still is, as Tom Waits has praised the poet ever since he discovered Bukowski. Waits, who has partially adopted Bukowski's literary voice over the years has one song that stems directly from the poet's work. The song in question is Waits' viscerally tragic tune "Frank's Wild Years." If you're well-read on Bukowski, the parallels are overt yet appropriate and paint a picture Waits could only paint with the help of the barfly bard himself.

In the book, Tom Waits Interviews and Encounters, Waits spoke about Bukowski's influence on the song. Stating, "Charles Bukowski had a story that essentially was saying that it's the little things that drive men mad" and "It's not the big things. It's not World War II. It's the broken shoelace when there is no time left that sends men completely out of their minds."

"Frank's Wild Years" embodies that very notion in Waits' two-minute spoken word jazz piece. In its most elementary form, the song tells the story of a man at the end of the rope. How he got there is through small yet enormous inconveniences that prove the world, fate, and destiny are all pitted against him. Like Bukowski's work, Waits' lyrics are violent, crass, and darkly hilarious. In essence, this song very well could be one of Bukowski's own poems.

In addition to the song, he also created an album of the same name and character in his tenth album. He attested to that fact by saying, "Yeah, that's the same, Frank" and "Basically, it's about an accordion player from a small town who goes out into the world to make his mark and ends up destitute and penniless."

If you're someone who enjoys light, fluffy, and heart-felt music, do not, I repeat, do not listen to any of these pieces. They might burn your optimism to the ground and stab your ears with their unorthodox sounds and lyrics. Though, if you like this type of stuff, then give them a go. Also, if you're unfamiliar with Charles Bukowski, read his poems "An Almost Made Up Poem" and "Are You Drinking."