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Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Warren Zevon
[Bm]Roland was a [D]warrior from the Land of the Midnight [G]Sun
G D A
With a Thompson gun for hire, fighting to be done
The [Bm]deal was made in [D]Denmark on a dark and stormy [G]day
[G]So he set out for [D]Biafra to j[A]oin the bloody [Bm]fray
[Bm]Through sixty-six and [D]seven they fought the Congo [G]war
[G]Fingers on their [D]triggers, knee-deep in [A]gore
For [Bm]days and nights they [D]battled the Bantu to their [G]knees
[G]They killed to earn their [D]living and to h[A]elp out the C[Bm]ongolese
[G]Roland the [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
His [Bm]comrades fought b[D]eside him - Van Owen and the [G]rest
[G]But of all the Thompson g[D]unners Roland was the b[A]est
So the [Bm]CIA dec[D]ided they wanted Roland [G]dead
[G]That son-of-a-bch Van [D]Owen [A]blew off Roland's [Bm]head
Chorus: Harmony:
[D]Roland the [A]headless Thompson [G]gunner [Bm] (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]They can [Bm]still s[A]ee his [D]headless b[A]ody s[G]talking through the n[Bm]ight
In the [D]muzzle flash of [A]Roland's Thompson [Bm]gun
In the [D]muzzle flash of [A]Roland's Thompson [G]gun[Bm]
[Bm]Roland searched the [D]continent for the man who'd done him i[G]n
[G]He found him in [D]Mombassa in a barroom drinking [A]gin
[Bm]Roland aimed his [D]Thompson gun - he didn't say a [G]word
[G]But he blew Van Owen's [D]body from [A]there to [Bm]Johannesburg
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[Bm]The eternal Thompson [D]gunner, still wandering through the [G]night
[G]Now it's ten years [D]later but he still keeps up the [A]fight
In [Bm]Ireland, in [D]Lebanon, in Palestine and [G]Berkeley
[G]Patty Hearst [G]heard the burst of [G]Roland's Thompson [D]gun
[A]And [Bm]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)
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Warren Zevon
[Bm]Roland was a [D]warrior from the Land of the Midnight [G]Sun
G D A
With a Thompson gun for hire, fighting to be done
The [Bm]deal was made in [D]Denmark on a dark and stormy [G]day
[G]So he set out for [D]Biafra to j[A]oin the bloody [Bm]fray
[Bm]Through sixty-six and [D]seven they fought the Congo [G]war
[G]Fingers on their [D]triggers, knee-deep in [A]gore
For [Bm]days and nights they [D]battled the Bantu to their [G]knees
[G]They killed to earn their [D]living and to h[A]elp out the C[Bm]ongolese
[G]Roland the [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
His [Bm]comrades fought b[D]eside him - Van Owen and the [G]rest
[G]But of all the Thompson g[D]unners Roland was the b[A]est
So the [Bm]CIA dec[D]ided they wanted Roland [G]dead
[G]That son-of-a-bch Van [D]Owen [A]blew off Roland's [Bm]head
Chorus: Harmony:
[D]Roland the [A]headless Thompson [G]gunner [Bm] (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]They can [Bm]still s[A]ee his [D]headless b[A]ody s[G]talking through the n[Bm]ight
In the [D]muzzle flash of [A]Roland's Thompson [Bm]gun
In the [D]muzzle flash of [A]Roland's Thompson [G]gun[Bm]
[Bm]Roland searched the [D]continent for the man who'd done him i[G]n
[G]He found him in [D]Mombassa in a barroom drinking [A]gin
[Bm]Roland aimed his [D]Thompson gun - he didn't say a [G]word
[G]But he blew Van Owen's [D]body from [A]there to [Bm]Johannesburg
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[G]Roland the headless [D]Thompson gunner...[A][Bm]
[Bm]The eternal Thompson [D]gunner, still wandering through the [G]night
[G]Now it's ten years [D]later but he still keeps up the [A]fight
In [Bm]Ireland, in [D]Lebanon, in Palestine and [G]Berkeley
[G]Patty Hearst [G]heard the burst of [G]Roland's Thompson [D]gun
[A]And [Bm]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)
