Uncle Salty Lyrics
Uncle Salty told me stories of a lonely
Baby with a lonely kind of life to lead
Her mammy was lusted, Daddy he was busted
They left her to be trusted 'til the orphan bleeds
[Chorus]
But when she cried at night, no one came
And when she cried at night, went insane
[Verse 2]
Uncle Salty told me when she was just a baby
That she'd get by and maybe someday she'd see
But soon she found her mother's love for all the others
The pushers and the shovers was the life to lead
[Chorus]
But when she cried at night, no one came
And when she cried at night, went insane, ow!
[Bridge]
Ooh, it's a sunny day outside my window
Ooh, it's a sunny day outside my window
Ooh, oh yeah
Ooh, oh yeah, yeah yeah
[Verse 3]
Now she's doing any for money and a penny
A sailor with a penny or two or three
Hers is the cunning for men who come a-running
They all come for fun and it seems to me
[Chorus]
That when she cried at night, no one came
And when she cried at night, went insane
[Outro]
Ooh, it's a sunny day outside my window
About
The second track on Aerosmith’s 1975 album Toys in the Attic. Written by vocalist Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, “Uncle Salty” tells the story of a woman who leads a lonely life of child abuse and eventually prostitution.
The theme of child abuse would eventually be revisited in Janie’s Got a Gun, except in a more condemning nature than this song.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Steven Tyler said a few things about this song in the Aerosmith biography Walk This Way:
…It was just a fantasy I had of being a madame, the boss of a bordello: work with the girls, hire and fire, keep things running. Salty worked in a home for lost children and had his way with this little girl. That’s what it’s about. I’m the little girl, the orphaned boy. I put myself in that place. I’m Uncle Salty too.
Meanwhile, a woman named Susie from Riverside, CA posted a comment on the Songfacts page for this song claiming that the woman referred to in the song was her and said this about it:
It’s about a chick (me) in the mid 70’s. She was telling Steven one afternoon about her abusive childhood and how she came to be living in La Jolla with a drug dealer, who Steven was visiting at the time, after she had been a dancer in San Diego. She told Steven her story and he wrote it down that very day. “It’s a Sunny Day outside My Window” is a direct quote by me about the fact we never went outside, despite the glorious California weather. It was written down during Aerosmith’s first California tour where they played the Whiskey A Go Go as well as San Diego. It is one of Steven’s very best songs.
- 2.Uncle Salty
- 3.Adam’s Apple
