EMPTY HANDED HEART

I woke this morning with one of the Z’Man’s lyrics on my mind. It’s from a song called Empty Hearted Town…Nothing matters much but love and money. So, I had to locate the song amongst my Warren Zevon collection and make it a Z-fest today. Warren wasn’t recognized by many music lovers for his absolute genius. In fact, the ONLY song of his most people know is Werewolves of London, which immortalized him at least every Halloween. The funny thing about that song is how long he said it took him and a few others to write it. Something like 15 minutes. It was the silliest song he wrote, and his biggest hit. But he wrote a ton of great songs and each one tells a story. He also wrote the very popular song “Poor poor pitiful me,” one of Linda Ronstadt’s biggest hits, which you probably have heard. My personal favorites are French Inhaler, Carmelita, and Genius, and oh, there are so many!

Take a listen, if you haven’t. If you have heard of Warren Zevon, and are a fan, go to his website and sign a petition to help get him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: http://www.warrenzevon.com/index.htm

Check out Warren’s words to “Empty Hearted Town.”

Ain't life strange
Ain't it funny
Nothing matters much but love and money

Things don't work out the way you reckoned
Money comes first
And the love comes second

Cigarettes make the sun come up
Whiskey makes the sun go down
And in between
We do a lot of standing around
It's all I can do
To make it through the day
She wrapped it all in darkness
And I can't find my way, and

I'm walking down the sidewalks of LA
Wishing I had a warmer jacket
And the leaves are falling down
I'm just another man
With an empty handed heart
In an eee-mpty hearted town

It started out alright
Ended up all wrong
Shoulda done, shoulda done
That's my song

Now the night is falling hard and fast
All dressed up for the masquerade
And the lights of the city stretch as far as the eye can see
Look what wonders man has made
Look what wonders man has made

I'm walking down the sidewalks of LA
Wishing I had a warmer jacket
And the leaves are falling down
I'm just another man
With an empty handed heart
In an eee-mpty hearted town

I'm walking down the sidewalks of LA
Wishing I had a warmer jacket
And something more to say