Sentient Cement Coverpile - Warren Zevon - Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner

Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner - Warren Zevon

4-3- 5-5- 7-7- | --6- ---5 -787 -775 G D A D5 A Bm
/F# Bm                 D                      D     D9      D   D/F# G
      Roland was a warrior from the land of the midnight sun
           G                          D    D        /C#/B A
With a Thompson gun for hire . . . fighting to be done
        Bm                 A D                      D      D9 D D/F# 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

/F#         Bm        A   D                   D        D9 D D/F# G
Through sixty-six and seven . . they fought the Congo war
                G                      D             D            /C# /B A
With their fingers on their triggers . . knee-deep in the gore
       Bm                  A     D                     D D9 D D/F# 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
4-3- 5-5- 7-7- | --6- ---5 -787           D              (0--003)-Bm
                                          Roland the Thompson gunner
/B/A G               D                        (0--003)-Bm
        Roland the Thompson gunner

       Bm                    A D                      D D9 D D/F# G
His comrades fought beside him . . Van Owen and the rest
           G                        D                D        /C# /B A
But of all the Thompson gunners . . . Roland was the best
           Bm   A D                D   D9 D D/F# G
So the CIA decided . they wanted Roland dead
        G       /F#    /E   D             A                       Bm
That sonofabitch Van Owen . . blew off Roland's head

D               A4         A              020000 0 G    /A /B
Roland the headless Thompson gunner Time time time for another peaceful war
D             /C# /B A
Norway's bravest son But time stands still for Roland til he evens up the score

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

Bm                     A   D                          D     D9      D    D/F# G
Roland searched the continent . for the man who'd done him in
      G                         D                  D            /C# /B    A
He found him in Mombassa . . in a barroom drinking gin
Bm                 A   D                            D   D9 D D/F# 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

4-3- 5-5- 7-7- | --6- ---5 -787            D                              (0--003)-Bm
                                          Roland the headless Thompson gunner
/B/A G               /F# /E    D                         (0--003)-Bm
         Roland the headless Thompson gunner
/B/A G              /F#   /E    D                         (0--003)-Bm
        Roland the headless Thompson gunner

/F#   Bm                A   D                   D        D9 D      D/F# G
The eternal Thompson gunner . . still wandering through the night
G                         D                    D            /C#/B A
Now it's decades later . . but he still keeps up the fight
    Bm     A D           D D9 D    D/F# G
In Libya in Persia . in Turkey and Pyongyang
        G(stac.)                G(stac)               G(stac)          G        A
Kim Jong the 1st might hear the burst of Roland's Thompson gun . .
         Bm
And buy it . . . . . . .

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Written by Warren Zevon and David Lindell.

JC&Timmy || JC Version || JC Setlist || Tunelist

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Original last verse

       Bm                       D               D                               G
The eternal Thompson gunner, still wandering through the night
G                        D                D                       A4
Now it's ten years later but he still keeps up the fight
    Bm       A D              D D9 D D/F# G
In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley
G      G        G             G         G                             A
Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland's Thompson gun
A     Bm
And bought it