Waits taps his inner animal (or two) as Martin Seagull-perches and Sam Puppy-scampers through this penultimate track from The Early Years. And, as a bonus, we take the space to listen to a trio of intervals speaking directly from an animal’s perspective. Spoilers; we go a bit long talking about the Virtute cycle, so make sure you give those songs a listen.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: [email protected]

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: So It Goes, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)Plea from a Cat Named Virtute, Reconstruction Site, The Weakerthans (2003) Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure, Reunion Tour, The Weakerthans (2007) Virtute at Rest, Winter Wheat, John K. Samson (2016)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.