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Cover art for Basket Case lyrics by Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon

Basket Case

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Basket Case Lyrics

My baby is a basket case
A bipolar mama in leather and lace
Face like an angel--she's a perfect waste
My baby is a basket case

Dracula's daughter, Calamity Jane
Smoke on the water, water on the brain
She's pretty as a picture--and totally crazed
My baby is a basket case

She's gonna make a madman outta me
She's gonna make a madman outta me

She's manic-depressive and schizoid, too
The friskiest psycho that I ever knew
We're paranoid lovers lost in space
My baby is a basket case

My baby's gonna celebrate
I'm being dragged through the nuthouse gates
Got my straitjacket on and I'm taking her place
My baby is a basket case

She finally made a madman outta me
She finally made a madman outta me
My baby made a madman outta me
She finally made a madman outta me

Submitted by

elixir808 On Feb 19, 2007

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elixir808

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2007-02-19 02:22:11

2 Meanings

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Cover art for Basket Case lyrics by Warren Zevon

by bauble

18y ago

Great song! IIRC, it was written for Carl Hiaasen for his book, Basket Case. Hiaasen had written the first line or two and asked Zevon to kind of jot off a quick set of lyrics. Zevon, instead, composed a complete song and surprised Hiaasen with it.

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Cover art for Basket Case lyrics by Warren Zevon

by TheThornBirds

17y ago

Of all his songs, this is Zevon's most lyrically superior The first few phrases, like "bi-polar mama in leather and lace" Are just killer examples of his extreme writing ability Truly one of the must underappreciated personalities/writers/performers in late 20th century rock. Incredibly innovative and individualistic A true transcendentalist.

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