![]() The story is written in the form of a script and, in its entirety, is approximately the length of a half-hour South Park episode. It is based on the song " Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" by Warren Zevon. Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland’s Thompson gun and bought it.Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner (also called Taylor Swift Must Die) is an episode of Threadbare South Park. In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley. Now it’s ten years later but he still keeps up the fight The eternal Thompson gunner, still wandering through the night – Roland the headless Thompson gunner… (talkin’ about the man) Roland aimed his Thompson gun – he didn’t say a word –īut he blew Van Owen’s body from there to Johannesburg. He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin. Roland searched the continent for the man who’d done him in. In the muzzle flash of Roland’s Thompson gun. In the muzzle flash of Roland’s Thompson gun… They can still see his headless body stalking through the night, (time, time, time for another peaceful war, but time stands still for Roland ’til he evens up the score) Roland the headless Thompson gunner, Norway’s bravest son! That son-of-a-bitch Van Owen blew off Roland’s head. So the CIA decided they wanted Roland dead His comrades fought beside him – Van Owen and the rest –īut of all the Thompson gunners, Roland was the best. They killed to earn their living and to help out the Congolese. With their fingers on their triggers, knee-deep in gore.įor days and nights they battled the Bantu to their knees. Through ’66 and ‘7, they fought the Congo war, So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray. The deal was made in Denmark on a dark and stormy day, ![]() With a Thompson gun for hire and fighting to be done. Roland was a warrior from the land of the midnight sun, So, Zevon fans, where should I turn after Excitable Boy? I was fortunate enough to catch it that night, though this was, of course, before it was his last performance. Incidentally this was the last song Warren ever performed, on the Late Show, at David Letterman’s personal request. “dark & stormy day,” both conflicting images of brightness and darkness, but inverted by time of day and characteristic of that time – the dry bitter sarcasm in “to help out the Congolese” – the incompleteness of the government’s logic in killing Roland, and then the analogous incompleteness of Roland’s revenge, like just yanking a weed – the amusingly obvious yet still ominous “he didn’t say a word” hahaha – and I love how the chorus evolves – how the second chorus, after his murder, is such a fanfare – yet the third chorus, after his revenge, is unsettlingly sparse and somber, with that lone organ in the distance – and, of course, the maddening abstracted contradiction and bleak historical commentary of the last line, which I used to hate, actually, but now I appreciate that it MAKES the song. Inspiring.Īnd I could go on and on about the lyrics, so I guess I will! – from the first verse, “midnight sun” vs. And this man had a sexy voice, I will just go ahead and say that much, the way he lets out his breath after every line, like “gun-uh” “head-uh” etc. I mean, each and every line is delivered with just the right amount of dryness or passion or pride or contempt. Except every once in a while I gotta shut the fuck up so I can remember how it’s properly sung. Whenever I hear the piano intro, I drop everything and begin to make an ass of myself. I do, at least, feel qualified to say that this song is uncompromisingly bad-ass, and a great sing-along. This is just one of those many tunes that my dad often played for me when I was younger. Unfortunately, since the man has passed on, I only have smoking real pot with a guy who looks like him to look forward to (same goes for ole Mitch, too, come to think of it). If I was ever smoking fake pot with him on a movie set, I would have shit to say to him, and would be forced to quickly divert the conversation to safe and familiar ground such as toast and jam. I’ll just say right out, I am not thoroughly knowledgeable about Mr.
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