. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
On a small Missouri farm
Back when the west was young
Two boys learned to rope and ride
And be handy with a gun
War broke out between the states
And they joined up with Quantrill
And it was over in Clay county
That Frank and Jesse finally learned to kill
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Frank and Jesse James
Keep on riding, riding, riding
'Til you clear your names
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Across the rivers and the range
Keep on riding, riding, riding Frank and Jesse James
After Appomattox they were on the loosing side
So no amnesty was granted
And as outlaws they did ride
They rode against the railroads,
And they rode against the banks
And they rode against the governor
Never did they ask for a word of thanks
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Frank and Jesse James
Keep on riding, riding, riding
'Til you clear your names
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Across the prairies and the plains
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Frank and Jesse James
Robert Ford, a gunman
Did exchange for his parole
Took the life of James the outlaw
Which he snuck up on and stole
No one knows just where they came to be misunderstood
But the poor Missouri farmers knew
Frank and Jesse do the best they could
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Frank and Jesse James
Keep on riding, riding, riding
'Til you clear your names
Keep on riding, riding, riding
Across the rivers and the range
Keep on riding, riding, riding
. . .
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Written by Warren Zevon
She tells him she thinks she needs to be free
He tells her he doesn't understand
She takes his hand
She tells him nothing's working out the way they planned
She's so many women
He can't find the one who was his friend
So he's hanging on to half her heart
He can't have the restless part
So he tells her to hasten down the wind
Then he agrees he thinks she needs to be free
Then she says she'd rather be with him
But it's just a whim
By which she hopes to keep him on the limb
She's so many women
He can't find the one who was his friend
So he's hanging on to half her heart
He can't have the restless part
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
I'd lay my head on the railroad tracks
And wait for the Double "E"
But the railroad don't run no more
Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe is me
Well, I met a girl in West Hollywood
I ain't naming names
She really worked me over good
She was just like Jesse James
She really worked me over good
She was a credit to her gender
She put me through some changes, Lord
Sort of like a Waring blender
Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe is me
Well, I met a girl at the Rainbow bar
She asked me if I'd beat her
She took me back to the Hyatt House
I don't want to talk about it
Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe is me
(Well, I met a girl from the Vieux Carre`
Down in Yokahama
She picked me up and she throwed me down
. . .
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written by Tillman Franks and Johnny Horton
If you told me that you loved me
I would feel so proud
You let me hold you honey
I would holler out loud
I'll never love another
Even if I can
Oh, come to me, baby
I'm a one woman man
Won't you let me, baby,
Just a kinda' hang around
I'll always love you honey
And I'll never let you down
I'll never love another
Even if I can
Oh, come to me, baby
I'm a one woman man
I'd climb the highest mountain
If it reached up to the sky
To prove that I loved you
I would jump off and fly
I'd even swim the ocean
From shore to shore
To prove that I love you
Just a little bit more
Won't you let me, baby,
Just a kinda' hang around
I'll always love you honey
And I"ll never let you down
I'll never love another
Even if I can
Oh, come to me, baby
I'm a one woman man
If you told me that you loved me
I would feel so proud
If you'd let me hold you honey
I would holler out loud
I'll never love another
Even if I can
Oh, come to me, baby
I'm a one woman man
I'll never love another
Even if I can
Oh, come to me, baby
I'm a one woman man
Come to me, baby,
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
I hear Mariachi static on my radio
And the tubes they glow in the dark
And I'm there with her in Ensenada
And I'm here in Echo Park
Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town
Well, I'm sittin' here playing solitaire
With my pearl-handled deck
The county won't give me no more methadone
And they cut off your welfare check
Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town
Well, I pawned my Smith Corona
And I went to meet my man
He hangs out down on Alvarado Street
By the Pioneer chicken stand
Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town
Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was staring in my empty coffee cup
I was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'
All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles
I'm gonna drink 'em up
And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill
Don't the sun look angry through the trees
Don't the trees look like crucified thieves
Don't you feel like Desperados under the eaves
Heaven help the one who leaves
Still waking up in the mornings with shaking hands
And I'm trying to find a girl who understands me
But except in dreams you're never really free
Don't the sun look angry at me
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was listening to the air conditioner hum
It went mmmmmm..
........................... Look away..........................................
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
Dry your eyes my little friend
Let me take you by the hand
Freddie get ready Rock steady
When Johnny strikes up the band
They'll be rocking in the projects
Walking down along the strand
Freddie get ready Rock steady
When Johnny strikes up the band
Johnny strikes up the band
When Johnny strikes up the ...
When Johnny strikes up the ...
When Johnny strikes up the band
And Johnny is my main man
He's the keeper of the keys
He'll put your mind at ease
He's guaranteed to please
Back by popular demand
Look around, my little friend
Jubilation in the land
Freddie get ready Rock steady
When Johnny strikes up the band
Johnny strikes up the band
When Johnny strikes up the ...
When Johnny strikes up the ...
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon & David Lindell
Roland was a warrior from the Land of the Midnight Sun
With a Thompson gun for hire, fighting to be done
The deal was made in Denmark on a dark and stormy day
So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray
Through sixty-six and seven they fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers, knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled the Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living and to help out the Congolese
Roland the Thompson gunner...
His comrades fought beside him - Van Owen and the rest
But of all the Thompson gunners, Roland was the best
So the CIA decided they wanted Roland dead
That son-of-a-bitch Van Owen blew off Roland's head
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Norway's bravest son
Time, time, time
For another peaceful war
But time stands still for Roland
'Til he evens up the score
They can still see his headless body stalking through the night
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun
Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in
He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin
Roland aimed his Thompson gun - he didn't say a word
But he blew Van Owen's body from there to Johannesburg
Roland the headless Thompson gunner...
The eternal Thompson gunner
still wandering through the night
Now it's ten years later but he still keeps up the fight
In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon & LeRoy P. Marinell
Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best
Excitable boy, they all said
And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest
Excitable boy, they all said
He took in the four a.m. show at the Clark
Excitable boy, they all said
And he bit the usherette's leg in the dark
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy
He took little Suzie to the Junior Prom
Excitable boy, they all said
And he raped her and killed her, then he took her home
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy
After ten long years they let him out of the home
Excitable boy, they all said
And he dug up her grave and built a cage with her bones
Excitable boy, they all said
. . .
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Written By LeRoy P. Marinell, Waddy Wachtel and Warren Zevon
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein
Werewolves of London
If you hear him howling around your kitchen door
Better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
Werewolves of London
He's the hairy handed gent who ran amuck in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
Better stay away from him
He'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor
Werewolves of London
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's
His hair was perfect
Werewolves of London again
. . .
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By Warren Zevon
The phone don't ring
And the sun refused to shine
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly
For what was already mine
For such a long, long time
We made mad love
Shadow love
Random love
And abandoned love
Accidentally like a martyr
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
The days slide by
Should have done, should have done, we all sigh
Never thought I'd ever be so lonely
After such a long, long time
Time out of mind
We made mad love
Shadow love
Random love
And abandoned love
Accidentally like a martyr
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
Well, I went home with the waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know
She was with the Russians, too
I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this
I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Softly falls the morning rain
Loneliness comes around again
And I sit and sing my song
'Though it never seems to matter
And it never fills the emptiness inside
Frozen notes hang suspended in the autumn air
While someone waits for someone to come somewhere
No one waits for me
'Cause I thought I wanted to be free
Now I'm wondering why I said goodbye
Looking through my window
At the dark and troubled sky
I think I see the ship of the brokenhearted passing by
And I turn away
From today
To where we used to lie
And I cry
Yes, I cry
And I cry
While softly falls the morning rain
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
Bad luck streak in dancing school
Down on my knees in pain
Bad luck streak in dancing school
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Pauline, don't make me beg
Bad luck streak in dancing school
Down on my knees in pain
I've been acting like a fool
Pauline I swear I'll change
Down on my knees in pain
Down on my knees in pain
Down on my knees in pain
Down on my knees in pain
Bad luck streak in dancing school
Down on my knees in pain
I've been breaking all the rules
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Swear to God I'll change
Down on my knees in pain
Down on my knees in pain
Down on my knees in pain
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Big gorilla at the L.A. Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
Left me here to take his place
I wish the ape a lot of success
I'm sorry my apartment's a mess
Most of all I'm sorry if I made you blue
I'm betting the gorilla will, too
They say Jesus will find you wherever you go
But when He'll come looking for you, they don't know
In the mean time, keep your profile low
Gorilla, you're a desperado
He built a house on an acre of land
He called it Villa Gorilla Now
I hear he's getting divorced
Laying low at L'Ermitage, of course
Then the ape grew very depressed
Went through Transactional Analysis
He plays racquetball and runs in the rain
Still he's shackled to a platinum chain
Big gorilla at the L.A. Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Grandpa pissed his pants again
He don't give a damn
Brother Billy has both guns drawn
He ain't been right since Vietnam
"Sweet home Alabama"
Play that dead band's song
Turn those speakers up full blast
Play it all night long
Daddy's doing Sister Sally
Grandma's dying of cancer now
The cattle all have brucellosis
We'll get through somehow
"Sweet home Alabama"
Play that dead band's song
Turn those speakers up full blast
Play it all night long
I'm going down to the Dew Drop Inn
See if I can drink enough
There ain't much to country living
Sweat, piss, jizz and blood
"Sweet home Alabama"
Play that dead band's song
Turn those speakers up full blast
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Everybody's restless and they've got no place to go
Someone's always trying to tell them
Something they already know
So their anger and resentment flow
But don't it make you want to rock and roll
All night long
Mohammed's Radio
I heard somebody singing sweet and soulful
On the radio, Mohammed's Radio
You know, the Sheriff's got his problems too
He will surely take them out on you
In walked the village idiot and his face was all aglow
He's been up all night listening to Mohammed's Radio
Don't it make you want to rock and roll
All night long
Mohammed's Radio
I heard somebody singing sweet and soulful
On the radio, Mohammed's Radio
Everybody's desperate trying to make ends meet
Work all day, still can't pay the price of gasoline and meat
Alas, their lives are incomplete
Don't it make you want to rock and roll
All night long Mohammed's Radio
I heard somebody singing sweet and soulful
On the radio, Mohammed's Radio
You've been up all night listening for his drum
Hoping that the righteous might just might just might just come
I heard the General whisper to his aide-de-camp
"Be watchful for Mohammed's lamp"
Don't it make you want to rock and roll
. . .
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written by Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon
I was born down by the river where the dirty water flows
And the cold wind cut through me, it cut right through my clothes
And the anger and the yearning, like fever in my veins
Set the fire burning
She came down from Knightstown with her hands hard from the line
From the first time I laid eyes on her
I knew that she'd be mine
Her father was a lawman, he swore he'd shoot me dead
'Cause he knew I wanted Jeannie and I'd have her like I said
Jeannie needs a shooter
Shooter like me
Jeannie needs a shooter
Shooter on her side
Jeannie needs a shooter
We met down by the river, on the final day in May
And when I leaned down to kiss her, she did not turn away
I drew out all my money and together we did vow
To leave that very evening and get away somehow
Jeannie needs a shooter
Shooter like me
Jeannie needs a shooter
Shooter on her side
Jeannie needs a shooter
The night was cold and rainy down by the riverside
I was riding hard to meet her when a shot rang out behind
As I lay there in the darkness with a pistol by my side
Jeannie and her father rode off into the night
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Nuclear arms in the Middle East
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad does whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Things got hot in El Salvador
CIA got caught and couldn't do no more
He's got diplomatic immunity
He's got a lethal weapon that nobody sees
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy
Send the envoy
Whenever there's a crisis
The President sends his envoy in
Guns in Damascus
Oh, Jerusalem
Nuclear arms in the Middle East
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad do whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy . . .
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
I saw her leave the luau
With the one who parked the cars
And the fat one from the swimming pool
They were swaying arm in arm
I could hear the ukuleles playing
Down by the sea
She's gone with the hula hula boys
She don't care about me
She's gone with the hula hula boys
She don't care about me
They're singing,
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana (everybody sing the chorus together now!) or
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana (get to the point...cut to the chase)
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Yesterday she went to see
The Polynesian band
But she came home with her hair all wet
And her clothes all filled with sand
I didn't have to come to Maui
To be treated like a jerk
How do you think I feel
When I see the bellboys smirk?
And I can hear the ukuleles playing
Down by the sea
She's gone with the hula hula boys
She don't care about me
They're signing,
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
When my Mama met my girl, she took me aside
She's a soft-spoken woman but she speaks her mind
She said "De de de de de de de de de de"
Let nothing come between you
De de de de de de de de de de
Don't let nothing come between you"
I went to see my friend to ask his advice
He just smiled and, "She's good around the eyes."
But I'd already made up my mind
Let nothing come between us
There are frustrated people in town
Who might envy us and try to bring us down
We know they don't really mean any harm
That doesn't mean we've gotta let 'em hang around
Got the license--got the ring
Got back the blood tests and everything
Putting on my boutonniere--It's her favorite flower
Then I'm walking down the altar and I'm gonna take the vow
De de de de de de de de de de
Don't let nothing come between us
De de de de de de de de de de
Don't let nothing come between us
There are frustrated people in town
Who might envy us and try to bring us down
We know they don't really mean any harm
That doesn't mean we've gotta let 'em hang around
I have advice for the young and old
If I may be so bold
When you find someone to have and hold
Don't let nothing come between you
De de de de de de de de de de
Get together and let nothing come between us
De de de de de de de de de de
. . .
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written by Kenny Edwards, LeRoy P. Marinell, and Warren Zevon
I worked hard, but not for the money
Did my best to please
I used to think it was funny
'Til I realized it was just a tease
Don Quixote had his windmills
Ponce de Leon took his cruise
Took Sinbad seven voyages
To see that it was all a ruse
(That's why I'm) Looking for the next best thing
Looking for the next best thing
I appreciate the best
But I'm settling for less
'Cause I'm looking for the next best thing
Looking for the next best thing
All alone on the road to perfection
At the inspection booth they tried to discourage me
You can believe what you want--that'll never change it
You'll have to come around eventually
(And you'll be) Looking for the next best thing
Looking for the next best thing
I appreciate the best
But I'm settling for less
'Cause I'm looking for the next best thing
Looking for the next best thing
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Every day I get up in the morning and go to work
And do my job--whatever
I need some
Sentimental Hygiene
Everybody's at war these days
Let's have a mini-surrender
I need some Sentimental hygiene
Everybody's had to hurt about it
No one wants to live without it
It's so hard to find it
Sentimental hygiene
Every night I come home exhausted
From trying to get along
I need some
Sentimental hygiene
Some nights I drive my car
Up and down the boulevard
It's so hard to find it
Sentimental hygiene
Everybody's had to hurt about it
No one wants to live without it
It's so hard to find it
Sentimental hygiene
Some nights I drive my car
Up and down the boulevard
It's so hard to find it
Sentimental hygiene
Sentimental hygiene
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
From Youngstown, Ohio, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
A lightweight contender, like father like son
He fought for the title with Frias in Vegas
And he put him away in round number one
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
When Alexis Arguello gave Boom Boom a beating
Seven weeks later he was back in the ring
Some have the speed and the right combinations
If you can't take the punches it don't mean a thing
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
When they asked him who was responsible
For the death of Du Koo Kim
He said, "Someone should have stopped the fight, and told me it was him."
They made hypocrite judgments after the fact
But the name of the game is be hit and hit back
Hurry home early - hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early - hurry on home
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon
Well, I'm gone to Detox Mansion
Way down on Last Breath Farm
I've been rakin' leaves with Liza
Me and Liz clean up the yard
Left my home in Music City
In the back of a limousine
Now I'm doin' my own laundry
And I'm getting those clothes clean
Growin' fond of Detox Mansion
And this quiet life I lead
But I'm dying to tell my story
For all my friends to read
Well, it's tough to be somebody
And it's hard not to fall apart
Up here on Rehab Mountain
We gonna learn these things by heart
Well, I'm gone to Detox Mansion
Way down on Last Breath Farm
I've been rakin' leaves with Liza
Me and Liz clean up the yard
What goes on in Detox Mansion
Outside the rubber room
We get therapy and lectures
We play golf in the afternoon
Well, it's tough to be somebody
And it's hard not to fall apart
Up here on Rehab Mountain
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Was it something I did
In another life?
I try and try
But nothing comes out right
Bad Karma
Killing me by degrees
I took a wrong turn
On the astral plane
Now I keep on thinkin'
My luck is gonna change
Someday
Bad Karma
It's uphill all the way
I can't run, Can't hide
Can't get away
It must be my destiny
The same thing happens to me every day
Bad Karma
Coming after me
Bad Karma
Killing me by degrees
Bad Karma
Bad Karma
It's a dog's life
And it's not my fault
Ought to hang my picture
In the All Time Losers' Hall of Fame
Bad Karma
It's a low down dirty shame
I can't run,
Can't hide
Can't get away
It must be my destiny
The same thing happens to me every day
Bad Karma
Coming after me
Bad Karma
Killing me by degrees
Bad Karma
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
If you're all alone
And you need someone
Call me up
And I'll come running
Reconsider me
Reconsider me
If it's still the past
That makes you doubt
Darlin', that was then
And this is now
Reconsider me
Reconsider me
And I'll never make you sad again
Cause I swear that I've changed since then
And I promise that I'll never make you cry
Let's let bygones
Be forgotten
Reconsider me
Reconsider me
You can go and be
What you want to be
And it'll be alright
If we disagree
I'm the one who cares
And I hope you'll see
That I'm the one who loves you
Reconsider me
Let's let bygones
Be forgotten
Reconsider me
Reconsider me
And I'll never make you sad again
'Cause I swear I've changed since then
And I'll never make you sorry if you'll try
And I'll never make you sad again
'Cause I swear that I've changed since then
. . .
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by Warren Zevon
(4-Aminobiphenyl, hexachlorobenzene
Dimethyl sulfate, chloromethyl methylether
2, 3, 7, 8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-
para-dioxin, carbon disulfide)
(Dibromochloropane, chlorinated
benzenes, 2-Nitropropane, pentachlorophenol,
Benzotrichloride, strontium chromate
1, 2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane)
I went walking in the wasted city
Started thinking about entropy
Smelled the wind from the ruined river
Went home to watch TV
And it's worse when I try to remember
When I think about then and now
I'd rather see it on the news at eleven
Sit back, and watch it run straight down
Run straight down
Run straight down
I can see it with my eyes closed
Run straight down
We've been living in the shadows all our lives
Where it's stand in line and don't look back and don't look left and don't look
right
So we hide our eyes and wonder who'll survive
Waiting for the night...
Fluorocarbons in the ozone layer
First the water and the wildlife go
Pretty soon there's not a creature stirring
'Cept the robots at the dynamo
And it's worse when I try to remember
When I think about then and now
I'd rather see it on the news at eleven
Sit back, and watch it run straight down
Run straight down
Run straight down
I can see it with my eyes closed
. . .
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by Warren Zevon
When I was young, times were hard
When I got older it was worse
First words I ever heard:
"Nobody move, nobody get hurt"
It's the long arm, it's the strong arm
It's the long arm of the law
It's the long arm, it's the strong arm
It's the long arm of the law
After the war in Paraguay
Back in 1999
I was laying low in Lima
Working both sides of the borderline
It's the long arm, it's the strong arm
It's the long arm of the law
You can run, but you can't hide...
Well, I have to live like a fugitive
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Someone's coming after me
And I'm running, running, yeah
Now, don't protest your innocence
Only the dead get off scot free
And when the judge says, "Whodunit?"
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
I want to live alone in the desert
I want to be like Georgia O'Keefe
I want to live on the Upper East Side
And never go down in the street
Splendid Isolation
I don't need no one
Splendid Isolation
Michael Jackson in Disneyland
Don't have to share it with nobody else
Lock the gates, Goofy, take my hand
And lead me through the World of Self
Splendid Isolation
I don't need no one
Splendid Isolation
Don't want to wake up with no one beside me
Don't want to take up with nobody new
Don't want nobody coming by without calling first
Don't want nothing to do with you
I'm putting tinfoil up on the windows
Lying down in the dark to dream
I don't want to see their faces
I don't want to hear them scream
Splendid Isolation
I don't need no one
Splendid Isolation
Splendid Isolation
I don't need no one
. . .
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written by Don Raye and Gene DePaul
You don't know what love is
Until you've learned the meaning of the Blues
Until you've loved a love you had to lose
You don't know what love is
You don't know how lips hurt
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
She only sleeps on planes
She's tired of going nowhere
She's in Yugoslavia
Working in a miniseries
Suzie Lightning
I built a world for her
Suzie lightning
I need a girl from earth
She's in Hungary
She sends post cards home
Does she think of me?
I'm in Hollywood
Suzie Lightning
Takes no prisoners
Suzie Lightning
No use crying about it
No use trying to hold on
She lights up the sky
Then she's gone
She don't have time for love
She don't need me now
Can't she see I'm burning up
Burning down, burning out
Suzie Lightning
I built a world for her
Suzie Lightning
. . .
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Written By LeRoy P. Marinell, Waddy Wachtel and Warren Zevon
I called up my friend LeRoy on the phone
I said, Buddy, I'm afraid to be alone
'Cause I got some weird ideas in my head
About things to do in Denver when you're dead
I was working on a steak the other day
And I saw Waddy in the Rattlesnake Cafe
Dressed in black, tossing back a shot of rye
Finding things to do in Denver when you die
You won't need a cab to find a priest
Maybe you should find a place to stay
Some place where they never change the sheets
And you just roll around Denver all day
LeRoy says there's something you should know
Not everybody has a place to go
And home is just a place to hang your head
And dream of things to do in Denver when you're dead
You won't need a cab to find a priest
Maybe you should find a place to stay
Some place where they never change the sheets
And you just roll around Denver all day
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Darkness in the morning
Shadows on the land
Certain individuals
Aren't sticking with the plan
And I'm searching for a heart
Searching everyone
They say love conquers all
You can't start it like a car
You can't stop it with a gun
Leaving in the evening
Traveling at night
Staying inconspicuous
I'm staying out of sight
And I'm searching for a heart
Searching everyone
They say love conquers all
You can't start it like a car
You can't stop it with a gun
They tell me love requires a little standing in line
And I've been waiting for you, lover, for a long, long time
I've been pacing the floor
I've been watching the door
Meanwhile I'll keep searching for a heart
Searching high and low for you
Trying to track you down
Certain individuals
Have finally come around
And I'm searching for a heart
Searching everyone
They say love conquers all
You can't start it like a car
You can't stop it with a gun
They tell me love requires a little standing in line
And I've been waiting for you, lover, for a long, long time
I've been pacing the floor I've been watching the door
Meanwhile I'll keep searching for a heart
Searching everyone
They say love conquers all
. . .
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Written By Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon
I started as an alter boy, working at the church
Learning all my holy moves, doing some research
Which led me to a cash box, labeled "Children's Fund"
I'd leave the change, and tuck the bills inside my cummerbund
I got a part-time job at my father's carpet store
Laying tackless stripping, and housewives by the score
I loaded up their furniture, and took it to Spokane
And auctioned off every last naugahyde divan
I'm very well aquainted with the seven deadly sins
I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in
I'm proud to be a glutton, and I don't have time for sloth
I'm greedy, and I'm angry, and I don't care who I cross
I'm Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don't care who gets hurt
I'm Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I'll live to be a hundred, and go down in infamy
Of course I went to law school and took a law degree
And counseled all my clients to plead insanity
Then worked in hair replacement, swindling the bald
Where very few are chosen, and fewer still are called
Then on to Monte Carlo to play chemin de fer
I threw away the fortune I made transplanting hair
I put my last few francs down on a prostitute
Who took me up to her room to perform the flag salute
Whereupon I stole her passport and her wig
And headed for the airport and the midnight flight, you dig?
And fourteen hours later I was down in Adelaide
Looking through the want ads sipping Fosters in the shade
I opened up an agency somewhere down the line
To hire aboriginals to work the opal mines
But I attached their wages and took a whopping cut
And whisked away their workman's comp and pauperized the lot
I'm Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don't care who gets hurt
I'm Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I'll live to be a hundred and go down in infamy
I bought a first class ticket on Malaysian Air
And landed in Sri Lanka none the worse for wear
I'm thinking of retiring from all my dirty deals
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Johnny never knew what hit him
When he first met Julia
He used to be so wild and free
Time treats everybody like a fool
You gotta roll with the punches
The sun is sinkin' low
You gotta roll with the punches
Honey, we ain't never goin' home
Johnny had a '57 Chevy
With four-on-the-floor and a 429
We used to take it out to Wild Horse Pike
Run it out to the end of the line
You gotta roll with the punches
The sun is sinkin' low
You gotta roll with the punches
. . .
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Written by Warren Zevon
How're you going to make your way in the world
When you weren't cut out for working
When your fingers are slender and frail
How're you going to get around
In this sleazy bedroom town
If you don't put yourself up for sale
Where will you go with your scarves and your miracles
Who's gonna know who you are
Drugs and wine and flattering light
You must try it again till you get it right
Maybe you'll end up with someone different every night
All these people with no home to go home to
They'd all like to spend the night with you
Maybe I would, too
But tell me
How're you going to make your way in the world, woman
When you weren't cut out for working
And you just can't concentrate
And you always show up late
You said you were an actress
Yes, I believe you are
I thought you'd be a star
So I drank up all the money,
Yes, I drank up all the money,
With these phonies in this Hollywood bar,
These friends of mine in this Hollywood bar
Loneliness and frustration
We both came down with an acute case
And when the lights came up at two
I caught a glimpse of you
And your face looked like something
Death brought with him in his suitcase
Your pretty face
It looked so wasted
Another pretty face
Devastated
The French Inhaler
He stamped and mailed her
"So long, Norman"
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
Time marches on
Time stands still
Time on my hands
Time to kill
Blood on my hands
And my hands in the till
Down at the 7-11
Gentle rain
Falls on me
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven
The past seems realer than the present to me now
I've got memories to last me
When the sky is gray
The way it is today
I remember the times when I was happy
Same old sun
Same old moon
It's the same old story
Same old tune
They all say
Someday soon
My sins will all be forgiven
Gentle rain
Falls on me
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven
They say "Everything's all right"
They say "Better days are near"
They tell us "These are the good times"
But they don't live around here
Billy and Christie don't--
Bruce and Patti don't--
They don't live around here
I had a girl
Now she's gone
She left town
Town burned down
Nothing left
But the sound
Of the front door closing forever
Gentle rain
Falls on me
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
. . .
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The sky is gray
The day is turning
Dark begins to fall
At night I cannot help but think about you
Though I'm lonely
It is only
Love and that is all
So I will come and go my way without you
Though I'm feeling sad I know
There'll be another sunrise
Now I'm lonely; I'm resigned
To live my life in loneliness
Who was I to bring you down
I didn't have the right
Now you're gone but I'll go on
And I will be all right
Close your eyes
Don't look back
Just turn and walk away
Hey, hey, hey
The sky is gray
The day is turning
Dark begins to fall
At night I cannot help but think about you
Though I'm lonely
It is only
Love and that is all
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon
They say the devil's in the details
I know what they mean
I'm walking in the wasteland
With the Ghost in the Machine
There's a simulated sunset
Starlight in my eyes
The skies are filled with miracles
And half of them are lies
Are you real or not?
It's a fine line
Are you ready or not
For the light of day
Are you real or not?
These are strange times
And I don't want to live this way
When you wake up from a nightmare
And it's worse when you're awake
And there's no one you can turn to
And there's nothing you can take
Are you real or not?
It's a fine line
Are you ready or not
For the light of day ?
Are you real or not?
These are strange times
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon and Carl Hiaasen
I'm a junk bond king
And I'm on the run
Me and a friend of mine
We were headed for the sunshine
I got my hands on the wheel
I got gas in the tank
I got a suitcase full of money
From a Luxembourg bank
We didn't stop 'til we got to Big Cypress
Wandered in to the Legion Hall
The sign outside said "Seminole Bingo"
Fell in love with the ping pong balls
And the SEC is far behind
Down in the swamp with the gators and flamingos
A long way from Liechtenstein
I'm a junk bond king playing Seminole Bingo
And my Wall Street wiles
Don't help me even slightly
'Cause I never have the numbers
And I'm losing nightly
I cashed in the last of my Triple B bonds
Bought a double-wide on the Tamiami Trail
I parked it right outside the reservation
Fifteen minutes from the Collier County Jail
And the SEC is far behind
Down in the swamp with the gators and flamingos
A long way from Liechtenstein
I'm a junk bond king playing Seminole Bingo
Well, the SEC is far behind
Down in the swamp with the gators and flamingos
A long way from Liechtenstein
. . .
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written by Warren Zevon and Duncan Aldrich
Hell is only half full
Room for you and me
Looking for a new fool
Who's it gonna be?
It's the Dance of Shiva
It's the Debutantes ball
And everyone will be there
Who's anyone at all
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Going to a party in the center of the earth
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Honey, don't you want to go?
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Going to a party in the center of the earth
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Honey, don't you want to go?
Left eye, right eye
Take a look around
Everybody's heading
For a hole in the ground
And it's the Dance of Shiva
It's the Twilight of the Gods
Thunder and lightning
'Til the break of dawn
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Going to a party in the center of the earth
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Honey, don't you want to go?
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Going to a party in the center of the earth
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Honey, don't you want to go?
Monkey wash donkey rinse
Going to a party in the center of the earth
Monkey wash donkey rinse
. . .
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By Warren Zevon
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Hoist the mainsail - here I come
Ain't no room on board for the insincere
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
. . .
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