Tom Waits presents Blood Money, etched in bold, dark lines with marimba, trumpet, and bass clarinet. This album contains some of Waits' most memorable melodies.
The songs on Blood Money are declarative, sardonic, and unforgiving musical dispatches from the bottom of the heap. According to Waits, "Blood Money is flesh and bone, earthbound." The songs are rooted in reality, exploring themes of jealousy, rage, and the human experience.
Waits describes the songs on this album as more carnal, stating, "I like a beautiful song that tells you terrible things. We all like bad news out of a pretty mouth. I like songs to sound as though they've been aging in a barrel and distressed."
