Warren Zevon — Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner TSP

[Verse 1] Roland was a warrior From the Land of the Midnight Sun With a Thompson gun for hire And 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 [Verse 2] 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 [Chorus] Roland the Thompson gunner Roland the Thompson gunner [Verse 3] 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 And that son-of-a-bitch Van Owen Blew off Roland's head [Chorus] Roland the headless Thompson gunner Norway's bravest son 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 [Verse 4] Roland searched the continent For the man who'd done him in He found him in Mombasa 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 [Chorus] Roland the headless Thompson gunner Roland the headless Thompson gunner Roland the headless Thompson gunner I'm talkin' about the man Roland the headless Thompson gunner [Instrumental Break] [Verse 5] 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 Patty Hearst heard the burst Of Roland's Thompson gun and bought it [Outro] Thank you. I'm gonna play a new song for you now. I'm working on eh, working on a new album for more or less exactly next April, and I've been writing some songs with eh, my best friend and fishing buddy. He's eh, his name is Carl Hiaasen and he's eh, got some very fine novels out you can find down at the supermarket and everywhere else. I suggest you check 'em out. Carl and I have been writing some tunes together and this is one of them