Tom Waits Lends His Voice to Powerful Documentary on American Homelessness

Tom Waits has brought his unmistakable voice and poetic sensibility to Ultima Fermata (The Last Ride), the final episode of the Italian documentary series Il Fattore Umano (The Human Factor). This eight-part series, produced by RAI3, investigates global human rights violations across different political systems, including authoritarian, autocratic, and democratic regimes. The concluding episode turns its lens on the stark realities of homelessness and poverty in the United States, particularly in the southern states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Filmmakers Angelo Loy, Martino Mazzonis, and Luigi Montebello embark on a poignant journey through these regions, traveling by public buses to explore the lives of those who have been displaced or abandoned by systemic failures. The documentary highlights the resilience, dignity, and solidarity of individuals living under extreme hardship, shedding light on communities often overlooked by mainstream narratives.

Waits enhances the emotional weight of the episode with performances on acoustic guitar and piano, while also reciting his poem Seeds on Hard Ground. His evocative voice serves as a powerful companion to the real-life stories featured in the documentary. The trailer for The Last Ride is underscored by Waits’ rendition of The Fall of Troy, a song originally featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 film Dead Man Walking.

In a statement about his involvement, Waits expressed both his deep concern for social inequities and his personal limitations in addressing them directly.

“I am an individual who is deeply concerned with the inequities as we all are, but ill-equipped to solve any of them,” he said. “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.”

Il Fattore Umano provides a raw and compassionate look at some of the most pressing humanitarian crises in the modern world, with The Last Ride serving as a compelling examination of economic disparity and the struggle for survival in one of the wealthiest nations on earth.

The episode will be available for global streaming on Wednesday, February 26, via RAI’s RaiPlay streaming platform.