♫ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, History, Humour, music

I am stepping out of my comfort zone tonight … WAYYYYYY out of it!  In fact, I’m so far out of my usual that I can almost hear Stevie Wonder saying, “What the Sam Heck are you doin’, woman?”  Well, I have our friend Clive over at Take It Easy to thank for planting this one in my brain!  He mentioned it, I went and listened, and … lo and behold, I smiled!  And at the last line, I … laughed!!!  I thought I had forgotten how!  So, thank you, Clive, for expanding my horizons and giving me a bit of humour at the end of a long day.

Say the folk over at SongFacts …

A macabre and rather amusing work of historical fiction, “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” tells the story of a Norwegian fighter pilot in the Congo War. He is assassinated, but that doesn’t stop him: His headless body continues to fight and gets revenge on the man who blew his head off.
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Zevon wrote this in Spain when he was playing at The Dubliner in Sitges, a bar owned by former mercenary David Lindell. Zevon and Lindell wrote the song together. In the booklet to Zevon’s Anthology album, he had this to say about the song: “In 1974 I ran off to Spain and got a job in an Irish bar called the Dubliner, in Sitges, on the Costa Brava. The proprietor was a piratical ex-merc named David Lindell. He and I wrote this song at the bar one afternoon, over many jars.”
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This was the last song Zevon played live in front of an audience before he died. He performed it on The David Letterman Show; he intended on closing with “Mutineer,” but Letterman wanted “Roland” to close the show, so Zevon sang “Mutineer” first, “Genius” and then closed with “Roland.” Later, after Zevon died, Letterman did a tribute and re-ran the “Mutineer” segment, so Zevon did, indeed, play Mutineer last.
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Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Warren Zevon
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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
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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
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Roland the Thompson gunner
Roland the Thompson gunner
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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
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Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Norway’s bravest son (to even 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
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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
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Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Talkin’ about the man
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
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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
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Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Warren William Zevon / David Lindell
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner (2007 Remaster) lyrics © Zevon Music, Songs Of Universal Inc.

16 thoughts on “♫ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner ♫”

    • I hadn’t heard it until Clive mentioned it a day or two ago, either! A strange song, but fun, yes? And now, my friend, the weekend is upon us again and I hope you have a great one! Catch up on your pillow-hugging! xx

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  3. Many thanks for playing this. Warren Zevon was one of the finest singer-songwriters I’ve known, and this is one of his best. Now, who can I introduce you to next….?

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  4. Ah, Warren Zevon. Yes. I’d forgotten this song. He’s another act I miss, another gone too quickly. I used to listen to the album “Excitable Boy” at work and many people hearing it would ask, “WTH is that?” LOL. Thanks for the memory and laugh. Hugs and cheers, M

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