Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known musicians, including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. His best-known compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band," all of which are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978). Other well-known songs written by Zevon have been recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".
Along with his own compositions, Zevon recorded or performed occasional covers, including Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later performed guest vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.
He was born to a Russian Jewish father and a Mormon mother and soon moved to California. At the age of 12/13, Warren Zevon was a regular visitor to the home of Igor Stravinsky where he, along with Robert Craft, would study music.
He turned to a musical career early, including a stretch as part of a Sonny and Cher-type male/female duo called Lyme and Cybelle, and spent time as a session musician (notably as piano player for the Everly Brothers) and jingle composer. He wrote several songs for his White Whale label-mates the Turtles, though his participation in their recording is unknown. Another early composition ("She Quit Me") was included in the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969. His first attempt at a solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive (1969), did not fare well, and his second effort, Leaf in the Wind, was scrapped (though release was considered just prior to his death). In the early 70s he toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player and band leader/musical coordinator. His dissatisfaction with his career and the opportunities for a song-writer led him to move to Spain briefly, where he played in a small bar owned by a former mercenary. Together, they penned Zevon's classic "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
In the mid-70s he moved to Los Angeles, and became associated with the then-burgeoning West coast music scene, including collaborations with Jackson Browne, who would produce and promote Zevon's self-titled major-label debut in 1976, The Eagles, who appeared on that first album, and Linda Ronstadt, who would record several early Zevon songs including a hit version of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me". Zevon's first tour in 1977 included guest appearances in the middle of Jackson Browne concerts.
In 1978 Zevon released his breakthrough album, Excitable Boy, to critical acclaim and popular success. Several tracks from this album received heavy FM airplay and the single release "Werewolves of London", which featured a relatively lighthearted version of Zevon's signature macabre outlook, was a top-ten hit.
For the next 20 years Zevon would continue to record and release albums sporadically and with varying levels of success, while fighting personal demons including an acknowledged battle with alcoholism and drugs. (His fourth album, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School is dedicated to novelist Ross Macdonald, who crucially assisted Zevon during a particularly difficult episode in 1979.) Apparently success did not treat Zevon well, as evidenced by his movements (living on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, etc.), well-documented stints in rehab, and withdrawal from the spotlight. After the release of The Envoy in 1982, Zevon effectively quit his career as a full-time occupation, appearing rarely and usually solo, without a band. He also collaborated with several members of R.E.M. to record as the Hindu Love Gods in 1990, though initial collaboration occurred during his "lost period" in 1984.
In 1987 Zevon made a comeback with a modest hit album Sentimental Hygiene, which featured collaborations with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and members of R.E.M., among others including long-time collaborators Jorge Calderone and Waddy Wachtel. The follow-up album, Transverse City in 1989 also featured guests, including Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. The tradition of collaborations with more famous musical talents was consistent throughout his career, from the appearance of Jackson Browne and The Eagles on his first album, to Bruce Springsteen on his last.
Zevon toured the US regularly during the 90s, often alone, with minimal accompaniment. He did conduct a tour with Odds, a band from Vancouver, Canada. Many tours started in Colorado to allow Warren an opportunity to visit with his long-time friend, Hunter S. Thompson. Warren was close to several prominent writers who also collaborated on song-writing, including Carl Hiassen. He also served as musical coordinator for an ad-hoc group called the Rock Bottom Remainders, a collection of writers performing rock and roll standards at book fairs and other events. This group included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other popular writers.
In interviews, Zevon described a lifelong phobia of doctors and seldom received medical assessment. In 2002, after a long period of untreated illness and pain, Zevon was encouraged by his dentist to see a doctor; when he did so he was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos rather than smoking). He then began recording his final album, The Wind, with guest appearances from close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and others.
On October 30, 2002, Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. Zevon performed several songs and spoke at length about his illness. Zevon was a frequent guest and occasional substitute bandleader on Letterman's television shows since Late Night first aired in 1982. It was this show where Zevon offered his insight on facing death: "enjoy every sandwich."
Zevon previously stated that his illness was expected to be terminal within months after the diagnosis in the Fall of 2002; however he lived to see the birth of twin grandsons in June of 2003 and the release of The Wind on August 28, 2003. When his diagnosis became public, he told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he also accomplished. Appropriately, the film was called Die Another Day.
Zevon died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2003. The Wind was certified gold by the RIAA in December of 2003 and Zevon received 5 posthumous Grammy nominations, including Song Of The Year for "Keep Me In Your Heart".
A tribute album titled Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon was released October 19, 2004. His son, Jordan Zevon, did a large part of the work on the album and performed "Studebaker," a previously unreleased composition. A second tribute album, titled Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon (the lyrics "hurry home early" are from the song "Boom Boom Mancini," on Sentimental Hygiene) was released by Wampus Multimedia on July 8, 2005.
On February 14, 2006, VH1 Classic premiered a video from a new compilation, "Reconsider Me: The Love Songs of Warren Zevon." The video, titled "She's Too Good For Me," aired every hour on the hour throughout the day. The video was not well received among many of Zevon's fans, as evidenced by their responses on the official Bulletin Board.
Accidentally Like A Martyr
Warren Zevon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
In Warren Zevon's "Accidentally Like A Martyr," the singer reflects on the painful loss of a past love. The first stanza describes the desolation of the present moment, as the phone doesn't ring and the sun won't shine. Zevon ponders why he must pay such a high price for something that was already his (presumably, his previous relationship), and proceeds to lament on the fact that the pain of the breakup persists for such a long time.
The second stanza recalls the intensity of the relationship, referring to it as "mad love," "shadow love," "random love," and "abandoned love." However, despite the all-consuming nature of their romance, the relationship ultimately falls apart, leaving Zevon feeling like a martyr - someone who suffers for a cause or principle. The hurt of the loss only worsens with time, leading him to believe that his heart is becoming harder and less capable of loving again. The repetition of certain phrases, such as "For such a long, long time" and "The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder," emphasize the lasting emotional impact of this failed love.
Overall, "Accidentally Like A Martyr" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the pain that can linger long after a relationship ends. Zevon's lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man struggling to make sense of his broken heart and the loneliness that follows.
Line by Line Meaning
The phone don't ring
The absence of calls signifies the distance and loneliness felt by the singer in their state of isolation
And the sun refused to shine
The singer perceives their environment as bleak and unwelcoming, conjuring a sense of negativity
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly
The singer is coming to grips with the cost of their mistakes and how painful they were
For what was already mine
The artist recognizes they had a good thing and understood its value too late
For such a long, long time
The duration of the good times only increases the sense of regret for the artist
We made mad love
The singer recalls a time of passion in a relationship they once had
Shadow love
The singer remembers a relationship that was never fully in the light, a love that was hidden
Random love
The artist remembers a relationship with no defined direction or purpose
And abandoned love
The artist recalls a love that was left behind, abandoned to the past
Accidentally like a martyr
The artist's own flawed behavior caused their pain and inaction despite knowing the consequences, hence they were martyred by their own decisions
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
The pain only accrues over time and causes the singer's heart to close off to the point where they can no longer invest in a relationship again
The days slide by
The continual passage of time only highlights the futility of the artist's pain and they feel helpless to do anything about it
Should have done, should have done, we all sigh
The repetition of 'should have done' underlines the singer's sense of regret for their inaction in the past
Never thought I'd ever be so lonely
The singer can't believe the depths of isolation they feel now that they're out of the relationship
After such a long, long time
The duration of the relationship only fuels the sense of loss and loneliness felt by the singer
Time out of mind
The artist is struggling to come to terms with the fact that what was once familiar to them may never exist again in their life
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WARREN WILLIAM ZEVON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
Accidentally Like A Martyr
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
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
Written by: WARREN WILLIAM ZEVON
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
@candyslashthekiller7058
I've listened to you my whole life Warren. Your music means so much to me. I cried when you died and I still think about you all the time. You'll never be forgotten
@mcleodmichael1
I miss him too. Sometimes I sing and it feels like he's back for an instant or two.
@dalecrowe7757
Possibly one of the most touching, human songs ever written and he's mostly famous for a song about werewolves.
@klarazav377
Couldn't agree more!!
"accidently like a maryter" ❤❤❤
@WKRPinCINN
Not that there’s anything about that
@dawncain1712
The one song he does that I dislike is werewolves
@annettemoyle6051
Written when a friend suggested the topic, whilst in London uk
@agnesmakovec1018
Nice... always nice to hear these words
@murrayfamily8385
He still doesn't get enough credit.. this album is a masterpiece
@Michael_Dominic
Not everyone is meant to appreciate his brilliance, for some he may have been too bright and for the rest, too dark. We are the ones to give the credit, so don't you forget that.
I give him all the credit he deserved and more, as I play along on my guitar :)