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.
Traveling in the Lightning
Warren Zevon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was born down in Corpus Christi
With a dram glass in my hand
When I was just 15, I got a job playing rhythm
With a Nashville Shaketown band
I've been playing the blues so long
I've been paying my dues so long
Traveling in the lightning
Traveling in the wind and the rain
I've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again . . . yeah
Now the last time I saw my sweet old mama,
Her eyesight was looking dim
And the last I saw of my dear old daddy,
His horse was aridin' him . . . yes he was
They've been singing the blues so long
They've been singing such a sad, sad song
They've been traveling in the lightning
Traveling in the lightning
Traveling in the wind and rain
They've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again . . . yeah
I've been traveling in the lightning
I've been traveling in the lightning
Traveling in the lightning
Traveling in the wind and the rain
I've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again. . . yeah
In Warren Zevon's song "Traveling In The Lightnin'", the lyrics speak of the journey of a musician who has been "playing the blues" for so long that he has paid his dues multiple times. He grows weary and seeks to find his place again. The song's opening line, "I was born down in Corpus Christi with a dram glass in my hand," sets a tone of wildness and a lack of control. The mention of being just 15 years old and already working with a Nashville Shaketown band adds to this sense of recklessness.
The singer's parents also make an appearance in the song. The mention of his mother's "dim" eyesight and his father's horse carrying him is a reference to their difficult lives, likely emphasizing the struggles that come with playing the blues. However, despite their hardships, they kept moving forward and never stopped trying to find their place in the world.
Overall, the song speaks to the difficult journey of being a musician, but also to perseverance and the drive to keep trying to find one's place in the world, despite the challenges that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born down in Corpus Christi
My birthplace was Corpus Christi
With a dram glass in my hand
I was born into a culture of drinking
When I was just 15, I got a job playing rhythm
I started playing music professionally at the young age of 15
With a Nashville Shaketown band
I played with a band called Nashville Shaketown
I've been playing the blues so long
I've been playing blues music for an extended period of time
I've been paying my dues so long
I've been working hard and doing what is necessary to succeed
I've been traveling in the lightning
I've been moving through life quickly and without caution
Traveling in the wind and the rain
I've experienced many hardships and challenges
I've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again . . . yeah
I've been searching for a place of peace and contentment in my life
Now the last time I saw my sweet old mama,
The most recent encounter I had with my mother was bittersweet
Her eyesight was looking dim
Her eyesight was failing and she was struggling
And the last I saw of my dear old daddy,
The last time I saw my father
His horse was aridin' him . . . yes he was
He was being taken away on a stretcher
They've been singing the blues so long
My parents have been through a lot of tough times
They've been singing such a sad, sad song
Their lives have been filled with hardship and loss
I've been traveling in the lightning
I've been moving through life quickly and without caution
I've been traveling in the wind and rain
I've experienced many hardships and challenges
I've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again . . . yeah
I've been searching for a place of peace and contentment in my life
I've been traveling in the lightning
I've been moving through life quickly and without caution
I've been traveling in the lightning
I've been moving through life quickly and without caution
Traveling in the lightning
Moving through life quickly and without caution
Traveling in the wind and the rain
Experiencing many hardships and challenges
I've been tryin' and tryin' to find the right place again. . . yeah
I've been searching for a place of peace and contentment in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WARREN ZEVON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind