I Don't Wanna Grow Up

Tom Waits · Beautiful Maladies / Island Years [1993]

When I'm lyin' in my bed at night

I don't wanna grow up

nothin' ever seems to turn out right

I don't wanna grow up

how do you move in a world of fog

that's always changing things

makes me wish that I could be a dog

when I see the price that you pay

I don't wanna grow up

I don't ever wanna be that way

I don't wanna grow up



Seems like folks turn into things that they'd never want

the only thing to live for is today...

I'm gonna put a hole in my T.V. set

I don't wanna grow up

open up the medicine chest

and I don't wanna grow up

I don't wanna have to shout it out

I don't wanna my hair to fall out

I don't wanna be filled with doubt

I don't wanna be a good boy scout

I don't wannt have to learn to count

I don't wanna have the biggest amount

I don't wanna grow up



Well when I see my parents fight

I don't wanna grow up

they all go out and drinking all night

and I don't wanna grow up

I'd rather stay here in my room

nothin' out there but sad and gloom

I don't wanna live in a big old tomb

on Grand Street



When I see the 5 o'clock news

I don't wanna grow up

comb their hair and shine their shoes

I don't wanna grow up

stay around in my old hometown

I don't wanna put no money down

I don't wanna get me a big old loan

work them fingers to the bone

I don't wanna float a broom

fall in love and get married then boom

how the hell did it get here so soon

I don't wanna grow up

About I Don't Wanna Grow Up

Tom Waits' "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" stands as a haunting centerpiece on the 1993 compilation *Beautiful Maladies / Island Years*, capturing the restless energy of his later career. The track exemplifies Waits' signature blend of noir storytelling and ragtime-inflected rhythms, often featuring his distinctive vocal delivery that oscillates between weary resignation and manic urgency. Released alongside other seminal works from this era, the song reflects themes of stagnation and the desire to remain perpetually youthful, a motif frequently explored in Waits' catalog throughout the 1990s. Its inclusion on this retrospective collection highlights its enduring appeal, serving as a sonic snapshot of the artist's evolution from his early bluesy roots to his more complex, theatrical soundscapes of the mid-to-late period. The recording remains a staple for fans seeking the raw, atmospheric depth characteristic of Waits' best-known performances.