The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him
He'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doing the Werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen
Doing the Werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's
And his hair was perfect
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Draw blood
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him
He'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doing the Werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen
Doing the Werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's
And his hair was perfect
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Draw blood
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Lyrics submitted by Champmathieu
Werewolves of London Lyrics as written by Leroy P. Marinell Warren Zevon
Lyrics © MUSIC & MEDIA INT'L, INC., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sentric Music
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I've seen bits and pieces here and there that get it straight, but let me combine it all...
This is one of the few songs he wrote that Warren was very up front about where the meaning was concerned- the meaning being, it has none. It starts in 1974 long before he had even begun his first album. Phil Everly was working on a solo album after he and Don broke up their band. Warren, their former band leader and a close friend, was talking with him one evening after Don had been watching a old B-movie called Werewolf of London and mentioned the movie. They started joking about how it sounded like a good song title. Phil, probably in jest said, "Fine, make it a dance song 'The Werewolves of London,' and I'll put it on the album." In much the same fashion of Bruce Springsteen and "Jeanie Needs a Shooter," Warren took him at his word. Shortly after that Warren was song writing with his friend Roy Marinell and decided to take a crack at Werewolves. Marinell, a bassist, said he had just the riff for a dance song, and in turn played the famous bass line. It's not clear if this was a rip off Sweet Home Alabama which was released around the same time (Spring 1974) but if it is, that's Roy's look out. Waddy Wachetl happened to walk in and ask, "What are you to doing?" Warren said, "We doing the Werewolves of London," and Waddy replied, "Ah, you mean like- Awhooooooo?" And it went from there. They just started rattling off lyrics that they thought sounded funny and that fit together. Warren's wife, Crystal was there and started writing down the lyrics as they went. A few days later she and Warren went to visit Jackson Browne and he asked if Warren was working on anything new. Crystal said, "Do the new one," and Warren asked, "what new one?" She pulled out her notepad and read out the lyrics. Jackson loved it and asked if he use it in his set. Warren said he didn't care, and Jackson ended up getting bootlegged doing the song in concert. His producers asked when we was going to record it, and he said he didn't want to but he could put them in touch with the guy who wrote it. When they did the "Warren Zevon" album, Jackson urged that it be left off in favor of the deeper songs like "The French Inhaler" or "Hasten Down the Wind". He said those were too important to be left off in place of a normal pop song. Once the album established Warren with the critics though, he said it would be perfect for the second album, "Excitable Boy". In turn, it was chosen as the single from that LP, much to the chagrin of Warren and Waddy who felt jilted that a song they wrote in 15 minutes for kicks was being paid attention when deeper stuff like "Veracruz" or "Accidentally Like A Martyr" was overlooked. Of course, it was kind of insult to injury when the song became the only popular hit Warren ever had. Once he was established in his fanbase during the 90s he was asked in an interview if he ever thought about dropping it from his set list to add some of his more personal material. His response was, "Well, not really. I suppose it just wouldn't feel right without the obligatory 3 minutes of howling every night."
Also, as for individual references in the song:<br /> <br /> Lee Ho Fook is (or was, I think it's closed now) a popular Chinese restaurant in SoHo. They needed the name of a place that would match "Chinese Menu" and beef chow mein was chosen just because it fit the rhyming scheme with "rain" from line 2.<br /> <br /> Lon Chaney Jr., of course, portrayed the original Wolfman. His father, Lon Chaney Sr., also worked on an unfinished silent horror film called "London After Midnight", an early Vampire/Werewolf thriller.<br /> <br /> The Trader Vic's line is just a nod to 70s style. Trader Vic's was the kind of place where the elite gathered and where you saw the "in" people- the beautiful people. Saying "I saw a werewolf drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's and his hair was perfect" is akin to saying, "I saw David Geffin drinking a Mai Tai at Trader Vic, and his suit was perfect". <br /> <br /> "Jim" is not a name of anyone in particular- it's simply a term used to describe a random person, like saying "man". It's more common in British slang, but Warren used it frequently, such as in My Rides Here "You said, I believe this Seraphim will gather up my pinto, and carry me away, Jim, across the San Jacinto."<br /> <br /> "Tailor" would most likely be a reference to the fact that in the movies when a werewolf transforms they always end up shredding their clothing. Obviously, the werewolves Warren is singing about are high, so logically they would have a regular tailor to patch up their Armani suits after each full moon.<br /> <br /> And of course, the lyrics changed with almost every performance, with Warren rewriting them on the fly to suit the situation or venue. <br /> Re: "and he's lookin' for James Taylor!"<br /> "I saw Jackson Browne walkin' slow down the boulevard,<br /> You know his heart is perfect"<br /> And any number of general location changes-<br /> Werewolves of Los Angeles,<br /> Jersey<br /> Toronto<br /> Etc.
@FloydianWholigan thanks for the history/music lesson. this is the type of stuff I come onto this link to find...