I have always professed that Warren Zevon is the greatest rhymer in rock, and this song proves it.
He flawlessly rhymes Quantrill with kill, banks with thanks, etc, etc.
Kind of reminds me of Billy Joel's song Billy The Kid, except that Billy was genuinely an angst-filled celebration of the outlaw/anti-hero, whereas this one, as RoxorFuxor stated, is more a sarcastic parody on the antihero theme.
Anyway you look at it though, classic Zevon classic bluesy-rock. Just remarkable.
I don't know about Zevon being the best rhymer. I'd say Don McLean is a pretty darn good rhymer. Listen to a few of McLean's songs like American Pie and Vincent and you'll know what I mean. I think McLean and Zevon both have fantastic storytelling ability and Frank And Jesse James is one of many that prove the point.
I don't know about Zevon being the best rhymer. I'd say Don McLean is a pretty darn good rhymer. Listen to a few of McLean's songs like American Pie and Vincent and you'll know what I mean. I think McLean and Zevon both have fantastic storytelling ability and Frank And Jesse James is one of many that prove the point.
The great thing about Zevon is the variety of music he has lyrics-wise. The topics he writes about is just amazing. From Frank And Jesse James' history lesson to Excitable Boy's sociopath story, it's amazing.
The great thing about Zevon is the variety of music he has lyrics-wise. The topics he writes about is just amazing. From Frank And Jesse James' history lesson to Excitable Boy's sociopath story, it's amazing.
I have always professed that Warren Zevon is the greatest rhymer in rock, and this song proves it. He flawlessly rhymes Quantrill with kill, banks with thanks, etc, etc. Kind of reminds me of Billy Joel's song Billy The Kid, except that Billy was genuinely an angst-filled celebration of the outlaw/anti-hero, whereas this one, as RoxorFuxor stated, is more a sarcastic parody on the antihero theme. Anyway you look at it though, classic Zevon classic bluesy-rock. Just remarkable.
I don't know about Zevon being the best rhymer. I'd say Don McLean is a pretty darn good rhymer. Listen to a few of McLean's songs like American Pie and Vincent and you'll know what I mean. I think McLean and Zevon both have fantastic storytelling ability and Frank And Jesse James is one of many that prove the point.
I don't know about Zevon being the best rhymer. I'd say Don McLean is a pretty darn good rhymer. Listen to a few of McLean's songs like American Pie and Vincent and you'll know what I mean. I think McLean and Zevon both have fantastic storytelling ability and Frank And Jesse James is one of many that prove the point.
The great thing about Zevon is the variety of music he has lyrics-wise. The topics he writes about is just amazing. From Frank And Jesse James' history lesson to Excitable Boy's sociopath story, it's amazing.
The great thing about Zevon is the variety of music he has lyrics-wise. The topics he writes about is just amazing. From Frank And Jesse James' history lesson to Excitable Boy's sociopath story, it's amazing.