"Hang On St. Christopher" is a song by Tom Waits appearing on his 1987 album Franks Wild Years. It was released as a single in 1987 by Island Records. The song centers around Frank O'Brien, a character who Waits concocted during the making of Swordfishtrombones in 1983. A series of road oriented imagery is evoked in the lyrics, which are sung from the perspective of O'Brien, a downtrodden individual who leaves behind his family and hometown in hopes of attaining a more prosperous future. During his journey, the protagonist carries a medallion dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travel. Greg Cohen developed the North-African influenced horn arrangement in the recording studio and also played an alto horn on the song. A set of Leslie bass pedals were placed on a kitchen table and operated by William Schimmel using his fists. These musicians were augmented by Ralph Carney on tenor saxophone, Marc Ribot on guitar, and Michael Blair on drums.

Accolades

(*) designates unordered lists.

Formats and track listing

All songs written by Tom Waits.

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes.

Release history

Cover versions

The song was covered by BulletBoys on their second album, 1991's Freakshow, and a video was made to promote the release. The song was also covered by Rod Stewart on his 1995 album A Spanner in the Works.