artist Zevon Warren
tabname Roland The Headless
downloaded from www.tablatures.tk


#
From: mrubin@amanda.dorsai.org (mark rubin)

Ken Key uploaded this song originally but I think these cords are closer to
the recording on Excitable Boy.  I left Ken's lyric formatting and just
changed the cords . key@cs.utk.edu

Mark Rubin
----------------------------------------
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Warren Zevon


Bm           D                                     G
Roland was a warrior from the Land of the Midnight Sun
G                       D                    A*
With a Thompson gun for hire, fighting to be done
     Bm               D                            G
The deal was made in Denmark on a dark and stormy day
G                 D          A              Bm
So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray


Bm                    D                           G
Through sixty-six and seven they fought the Congo war
G                D                      A
Fingers on their triggers, knee-deep in gore
     Bm                   D                          G
For days and nights they battled the Bantu to their knees
G                         D              A            Bm
They killed to earn their living and to help out the Congolese

G          D                    A    Bm
Roland the Thompson gunner...
G          D                    A    Bm
Roland the Thompson gunner...


     Bm               D                            G
His comrades fought beside him - Van Owen and the rest
G                        D                      A
But of all the Thompson gunners Roland was the best
        Bm     D                       G
So the CIA decided they wanted Roland dead
G                       D    A                 Bm
That son-of-a-bitch Van Owen blew off Roland's head


Chorus:                                      Harmony:
D          A                 G        Bm
Roland the headless Thompson gunner         (Time, time, time
D                A                           For another peaceful war
Norway's bravest son                         But time stands still for
                                              Roland
                                              'Til he evens up the score)

A        Bm     A      D         A    G                    Bm
They can still see his headless body stalking through the night
        D               A                 Bm
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun
        D               A                 G        Bm
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun

Bm                  D                                     G
Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in
G               D                              A
He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin
Bm               D                              G
Roland aimed his Thompson gun - he didn't say a word
G                      D         A        Bm
But he blew Van Owen's body from there to Johannesburg

G                   D                    A    Bm
Roland the headless Thompson gunner...
G                   D                    A    Bm
Roland the headless Thompson gunner...
G                   D                    A    Bm
Roland the headless Thompson gunner...



Bm                   D                                   G
The eternal Thompson gunner, still wandering through the night
G                  D                               A
Now it's ten years later but he still keeps up the fight
    Bm          D                         G
In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley
G            G                  G                 D
Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland's Thompson gun
A   Bm
And bought it


All the A cords can be played as a regular A or  O O 2 2 O O,  [I forget
the name of this cord]