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16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six Lyrics by Tom Waits

Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years

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I plugged sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
And the black crow snuck through a hole in the sky
So I spent all my buttons on an old pack mule
Oh, and I made me a ladder from a pawn shop marimba
I leaned it up against a dandelion tree
Leaned it up against a dandelion tree
Leaned it up against a dandelion tree
I'm gonna cook them feathers on a tire iron spit
And I filled me a satchel full of old pig corn
And I beat me a billy from an old French horn
Oh, and I kicked that mule to the top of the tree
Kicked that mule to the top of the tree
And I blew me a hole about the size of a kick drum
I cut me a switch from a long branch elbow
I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Well, I slept in the holler of a dry creek bed
And I tore out the bucket from a red Corvette
Tore out the bucket from a red Corvette
Lionel and Dave and the Butcher made three
Oh, you got to meet me by the knuckles of the skinnybone tree
With the strings of a Washburn stretched like a clothesline
Oh, you know me and that mule scrambled right through the hole
Me and that mule scrambled right through the hole
I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Now I hold him prisoner in a Washburn jail
That I strapped on the back of my old kick mule
Strapped it on the back of my old kick mule
Bang on the strings just to drive him crazy
Oh, I strum it aloud to rattle his cage
I strum it aloud just to rattle his cage
Strum it aloud just to rattle his cage
Strum it aloud just to rattle his cage
Oh, I'm gonna whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Whittle you into kindlin'
Black crow, sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six
Credits
Tom Waits

Tom Waits

About “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six” by Tom Waits

Read the complete lyrics to "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six" by Tom Waits from the album "Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Blues Rock, Electric Blues, Blues.

"16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six" is performed by Tom Waits. from the album "Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six", explore more songs by Tom Waits using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six" is credited to Tom Waits. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six" appears on "Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years".

Visit the Tom Waits artist page at /artist/tom-waits for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.