16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six

"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.

"16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six"
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Big Time
B-side	"Big Black Mariah"
Released	1988 (1988)
Recorded	August 1982 (1982-08) at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Experimental rock blues rock
Length	4:10
Label	Island
Songwriter	Tom Waits
Producer	Tom Waits
Tom Waits singles chronology
"Hang On St. Christopher" (1987) "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" (1988) "Goin' Out West" (1992)

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

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United Kingdom	1988	Island	LP	IS 370