Warren Zevon "Lawyers, Guns and Money"

Everyone loves a whacky tale, and "Lawyers, Guns and Money" -- as its name suggests -- has a few of them.

Part murder ballad, part straight rocker, it is one of those songs that did not get a lot of play when it was first released as a single. However, it's a staple of classic-rock radio, and its title has been used or referenced in many television dramas and movies.

"Lawyers, Guns and Money" isn't a particularly complex song. The most unusual thing about it is how often it has hard rests before a cymbal crash and the music kicks in again.

However, part of the song is more fact than fiction.

In a biography of Zevon by his widow, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Crystal Zevon recounts a story Warren told her about the song's title. While heading to a stranger's house in Hawaii, a person Zevon and his manager were riding with nonchalantly said the house may be empty and locked. In succession, Warren and his manager said, "Send lawyers," "Send guns," and "Send money."

In 2022, I wore my "Send lawyers guns & money" T-shirt to bars and honkytonks along Broadway in Nashville. Three bands made mention of my shirt between songs; two others pointed to it during or between songs. The singer of the first band to mention it yelled, "Warren!" then turned to his bandmates and said, "We need to learn some Warren Zevon, man!" The guitarist noticed the shirt and said, "I would play that in a heartbeat." He noodled on his guitar for a few seconds, clearly trying to get the right notes and riffs, but after a few attempts, his bandmates mumbled a couple things and killed it.

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