Song 84 ( Warren Zevon - Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner )

I decided on picking Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner by the late, great Warren Zevon today. This is another song with a story in the lyrics: Roland, is a mercenary fighting in the Congolese Conflict in the late 60's. He ends up getting his head blown off by one of his compatriots who was paid to kill him, however he does not die. He searches and finds the man who killed him and evens the score, he doesn't find peace and wanders the world and is present in every conflict since.
From what I can understand this story was co-written between Zevon and a man named David Lindell. This Lindell fought in some African conflicts and was running a bar in Spain where he told Warren Zevon of his travels, which inspired this song they wrote together.
I find a lot of Zevon's work to be a bit macabre and dark, this song is no different. What is really neat is that the song changes with every step of the story. It starts with the lyrics "Roland the Thompson Gunner," and then adds "Headless" after that part in the story. Then in the last verse it calls him "The Eternal Thompson Gunner," as in he cannot rest in peace.

Hear Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner on YouTube.
Here is a live performance of the song.

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