The eighth episode of the Italian documentary series The Human Factor is titled “Ultima Fermata”—or “The Last Ride”—and focuses on US citizens experiencing homelessness. The doc looks at victims of a system without safety nets, forced to live in extremely marginalized conditions. In this episode, their stories are accompanied by Tom Waits, who offers up performances on acoustic guitar and piano, in addition to reading from his poem “Seeds on Hard Ground.”
“I am an individual who is deeply concerned with the inequities as we all are, but ill equipped to solve any of them,” Waits shared of the episode, which airs today in Italiy. “I tell the world in the only way I know how: through my music. I don’t deal with politics or laws, and I don’t have answers to the big questions that concern us all. All I can do is try—through songs and poems—to inspire someone. I’m here to open up the window and open up our eyes. I guess a little bit, if I can.”
The episode will be available tomorrow for international viewers. Check it out here, and find a preview of Waits’ performance below.
