16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six explained

16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six
Cover:	Tom Waits - 16 Shells From a Thirty Ought Six.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Tom Waits
Album:	Big Time
B-Side:	Big Black Mariah
Recorded:	at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA
Length:	4:10
Label:	Island
Producer:	Tom Waits
Prev Title:	Hang On St. Christopher
Prev Year:	1987
Next Title:	Goin' Out West
Next Year:	1992

"16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" is a song by Tom Waits appearing on his 1983 album Swordfishtrombones. In 1988, it was released as a single in support of his live performance album Big Time.^[1] The title refers to the .30-06 Springfield caliber.

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Article	Rank
2000	Vanity Fair	United Kingdom	Costello's 500^[2]
2010	Rolling Stone	Germany	The 50 Best Songs of the 1980s^[3]
2011	1001 Songs^[4]	Australia

(*) designates unordered lists.

Formats and track listing

All songs written by Tom Waits.

UK 7" single (IS 370)

1. "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" – 4:10
2. "Big Black Mariah" – 2:41

UK 12" single (12 IS 370)

1. "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" – 4:10
2. "Big Black Mariah" – 2:41
3. "Ruby's Arms" – 4:44

Personnel

Adapted from the 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six liner notes.^[5]

• Tom Waits – vocals, production

Musicians

• Victor Feldman – brake drum, bell plate, snare
• Stephen Hodges – drums
• Larry Taylor – acoustic bass
• Fred Tackett – electric guitar
• Joe Romano – trombone

Production and additional personnel

• Biff Dawes – recording, mixing
• Daniel Hainey – photography

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tom . Maginnis . [{{Allmusic|class=song|id=mt0008644704|pure_url=yes}} Tom Waits: ''16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six'' > Overview ]. Allmusic . October 1, 2015.
2. Costello's 500 . . November 1, 2000 . October 1, 2015.
3. The 50 Best Songs of the 1980s . . 2010 . October 1, 2015.
4. Book: Creswell, Toby . 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them . Hardie Grant . 2005 . 1742731481 . October 1, 2015.
5. 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six . . 1988 . sleeve . . London, United Kingdom.