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Warren Zevon — Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Album: Warren Zevon
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 569









Released: 1976
Length: 2:58
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I lay my head on the railroad track
And wait for the double "E"
The railroad don't run no more
Poor, poor pitiful me

Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord, have mercy on me
Woe is me

Well, I met a girl in West Hollywood
I ain't naming names
Well, she really worked me over good
She was just like Jesse James

She really worked me over good
She was a credit to her gender
She put me through some changes, Lord
Sort of like a Waring blender

Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord, have mercy on me
Woe is me

Whoo

Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won't let me be
Lord, have mercy on me
Woe is me

I met a girl at the Rainbow Bar
She asked me if I'd beat her
She took me back to the Hyatt House
I don't want to talk about it

Poor, poor pitiful me
Whoo
Poor, poor pitiful me
What, never mind
Poor, poor pitiful me
Whoo-hoo, yeah
Poor, poor pitiful me
Comments (62)add comment
 kingart wrote:

What did he say?

 
Now I get it. Warren didn't want to talk about it. Never mind 
 kingart wrote:
I don't want to talk about it. 
 

 
What did he say?
Great set this arvo thanks Bill
I don't want to talk about it. 
 
 idiot_wind wrote:
Two WZ songs in the same day. Cool. 

 
Name checks out. Let's move on.
Warren Zevon has been prominent in my personal playlist for the last few months, again. Excitable Boy especially.  Every so often I just have to dive into his catalog and soak it up.

Zevon inhabits a space between beloved fringe artist and superstar.  An artist's artist, underrated song writer covered by many big names, dynamic performer who never played the stadiums.  I'd guess that's just the way he liked it.

The eternal rock and roller wandering through the night..... miss you, Warren.
 idiot_wind wrote:
This guy (who ever he is) could take some song writing lessons from today's bands...like the Foo Fighters. Now that's a band that writes songs with catchy lyrics and a heck of guitar player and piano player, too.      

 
You might want to check out his song list and see how many artists have covered his songs, or recorded songs he outright wrote for them.  Linda Rondstadt, Jackson Browne, just to name a couple. 

Having said that, music evolves over time.  Today's artists build upon those who came before, including Zevon.  I'm pretty sure David Grohl would agree.

Interesting factoid for you:  David Letterman's favorite two artists by far were Warren Zevon and Foo Fighters.  Look it up. 
 melzabutch wrote:

Ditto for July 10th.

 
hallogallo wrote:
Holy cow.  Nice set there!

... Ry Cooder, CCR, Warren Zevon ...

Sincere music from the heart.

 

 
Ditto for MAY 20th.
Two WZ songs in the same day. Cool. 
 idiot_wind wrote:
Oh and please Google the phrase "Idiot Wind". Geez. 
 
I Googled it.  It didn't change the impression you consistently convey.
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:

I like the Foo Fighters too and rate them highly but you cannot compare apples and pears.  I think you are making a joke that I somehow don't get. Maybe the first word of your name gives the game away...

 
You may not compare apples and pears, but you can compare bands and songs; That why human beings have brains and opinions. There are good bands and bad bands.
.
Warren Zevon is good. Foo Fighters are bad.  It's just an opinion.

Oh and please Google the phrase "Idiot Wind". Geez. 

 
What else! 10, What a credit to his gender. 
 idiot_wind wrote:
This guy (who ever he is) could take some song writing lessons from today's bands...like the Foo Fighters. Now that's a band that writes songs with catchy lyrics and a heck of guitar player and piano player, too.      

 
I like the Foo Fighters too and rate them highly but you cannot compare apples and pears.  I think you are making a joke that I somehow don't get. Maybe the first word of your name gives the game away...
This guy (who ever he is) could take some song writing lessons from today's bands...like the Foo Fighters. Now that's a band that writes songs with catchy lyrics and a heck of guitar player and piano player, too.      
Long Live Warren
 hallogallo wrote:
Holy cow.  Nice set there!

... Ry Cooder, CCR, Warren Zevon ...

Sincere music from the heart.

 

 
Ditto for July 10th.
Just what we need to hear on a Friday morning. yeah baby. 
Holy cow.  Nice set there!

... Ry Cooder, CCR, Warren Zevon ...

Sincere music from the heart.

 
 skooba wrote:
RP is playing a lot of W.Z. lately.  Never enough Zevon!

 

Two Zevon tracks in the last six (?) hours... I'll take it!! 
RP is playing a lot of W.Z. lately.  Never enough Zevon!
 Rick_V wrote:
Any Zevon is a very good thing.

Indeed.  As with many artists, his early work is best, or at least best known, but he wrote for 40 years with his last album having a few wonderful gems as well.  Too young gone, and his ironic sense has him fulfilling a line he wrote -- "I'll sleep when I'm dead".


 hencini wrote:

Looooooooooooooooooooooolz...  

And I'm not sure to which Emmylou you're referring (I presume Harris), but is it possible you're thinking of Linda Ronstadt (who, for the record, recorded the song *after* Zevon— who wrote it— put it on his major-label debut album)?   

 
and...hencini has the ayes...the measure passes....
Any Zevon is a very good thing.
Amusing followup to "Fortunate Son"
Spooky Album title      Brave Man   Imagine playing music with Igor Stravinsky
 Cynaera wrote:

He wrote the line "He rubbed a pot roast all over his chest" as a tribute to his mother. He was there for dinner, and the pot roast his mom made was so good that he actually DID rub it all over his chest. Excitable? Probably. And damn. Death is the enemy. Let's stop fighting against other countries or against one another, and fight death instead. It's winning far too many battles, and I'm not good with that. 

I miss you, Warren. Thank goodness you have Jordan, who has apparently inherited your wicked humor.  (To those who don't know to what I'm referring, Google Jordan Zevon and buy whatever music of his that you can get.)

 

Miss you so much, Cynaera...
 
Warren was so politically correct, not....This was a great album. Guitar playing is strong and songwriting is varied and thoughtfully and even funny. Yahoo 
GOD like
 Jodo901 wrote:
 It's the kind of 70's song that makes me glad I was a teenager in the 80's. There is plenty of great music from the 70's, but this ain't it.
 
I love this comment!  I agree 100%, not much of a Warren Zevon fan generally.  I suppose I can see the appeal, but it just doesn't jive with my earholes.

 
Saw Warren about 15 years ago at the Hampton Beach Casino up in NH. 
As short but great little show. Very fun and true to his music. 
 kurtster wrote:
Its a shame it only became cool to know who and what he was after he died.


 


Not for me and my gang. Many years of appreciation.
 Phlegmaticman wrote:

And Linda censored the lyrics a bit.
 
Linda sang this a lot after she and Jerry Moonbeam Brown were quits and she blew up like the Hindenberg.
 
RIP Warren, and thanks Warren and RP.
Long Live Warren  
She was a credit to her gender!
Sorry, I have to agree with Raechel and dogpound on this one. It's the kind of 70's song that makes me glad I was a teenager in the 80's. There is plenty of great music from the 70's, but this ain't it.


 kurtster wrote:
Its a shame it only became cool to know who and what he was after he died.
 

Perhaps in your neck of the woods, or perhaps your time. Well known and much played as I remember.
 hencini wrote:

Looooooooooooooooooooooolz...  

And I'm not sure to which Emmylou you're referring (I presume Harris), but is it possible you're thinking of Linda Ronstadt (who, for the record, recorded the song *after* Zevon— who wrote it— put it on his major-label debut album)?   
 
And Linda censored the lyrics a bit.
Its a shame it only became cool to know who and what he was after he died.


 gatorade wrote:
Emmylou does a way better version. This is a poor poor pitiful cover.
 
Looooooooooooooooooooooolz...  

And I'm not sure to which Emmylou you're referring (I presume Harris), but is it possible you're thinking of Linda Ronstadt (who, for the record, recorded the song *after* Zevon— who wrote it— put it on his major-label debut album)?   
9+  RIP Warren...
 gatorade wrote:
Emmylou does a way better version. This is a poor poor pitiful cover.
 
"Cover"? {#Rolleyes}
Emmylou does a way better version. This is a poor poor pitiful cover.
 ThePoose wrote:

It is a big deal when an influential songwriter and/or musican passes. Sometimes they are famous; sometimes they are relatively obscure—among the general public. Among smart musicians, however, these influential ones are always well-known and usually well-connected. Warren was one of these. His stuff was covered by all kinds of talented singers + players—The Bob included. Warren had a deliciously dark sense of humor and pathos and gore. He truly was an Excitable Boy.

 
He wrote the line "He rubbed a pot roast all over his chest" as a tribute to his mother. He was there for dinner, and the pot roast his mom made was so good that he actually DID rub it all over his chest. Excitable? Probably. And damn. Death is the enemy. Let's stop fighting against other countries or against one another, and fight death instead. It's winning far too many battles, and I'm not good with that. 

I miss you, Warren. Thank goodness you have Jordan, who has apparently inherited your wicked humor.  (To those who don't know to what I'm referring, Google Jordan Zevon and buy whatever music of his that you can get.)

In his own words— genius.  Zevon never gets old. 
yuck
I have no words... Warren Zevon was as good as it gets, and this song was just such a riot - I miss him terribly. I'm just grateful that I was smart enough to embrace genius. I don't have all his music, but I have enough to make me pretty damned happy.  And yeah - "She took me back to the Hyatt House............I don't wanna talk about it....   HOYT!"  (Jackson Browne once commented in Rolling Stone about how when he first saw Zevon perform, he did this incredible sound that startled the audience like a shout - I wish I could find that article, because it was probably the beginning of my education in Zevonism.)

ANY Zevon is good Zevon.
 ThePoose wrote:

It is a big deal when an influential songwriter and/or musican passes. Sometimes they are famous; sometimes they are relatively obscure—among the general public. Among smart musicians, however, these influential ones are always well-known and usually well-connected. Warren was one of these. His stuff was covered by all kinds of talented singers + players—The Bob included. Warren had a deliciously dark sense of humor and pathos and gore. He truly was an Excitable Boy.

 
And on that note, one of my favorite and probably most obscure songs by him, was Basket Case, pinned by Carl Hiassen for a book by the same name :) But yep, Warren put it to music and its absolutely hilarious, in that dark sort of way to which they both subscribe(d). 

Nice ,,,{#Guitarist}
no shit........................why does the music industry get the right to ruin art?  Because of our tasteless society i guess.........glad I'm not one.
kyleminor wrote:
God this song is great... Warren, buddy, we sure do miss you. I'm just glad you're not around to hear what Kid Rock has done to your great piano riff from Werewolves of London.
 


yep, pitiful is certainly a fitting description of this
Love the live version on his album "Stand In The Fire", it morphs into "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".
 ch83575 wrote:
I didn't know much about Zevon when he died, but the DJ on the local classic rock station made a pretty big deal out of it.  All I could think at the time was "what is the big deal... his only hits were Lawyers Guns and Money and Warewolves of London right?".  I know better now.  I own a good number of his albums now and I just cant watch the video for Keep me in your Heart for Awhile without sheading a tear.  RIP Warren, you are missed.
 
It is a big deal when an influential songwriter and/or musican passes. Sometimes they are famous; sometimes they are relatively obscure—among the general public. Among smart musicians, however, these influential ones are always well-known and usually well-connected. Warren was one of these. His stuff was covered by all kinds of talented singers + players—The Bob included. Warren had a deliciously dark sense of humor and pathos and gore. He truly was an Excitable Boy.

Huzzah!
{#Puke}

Now, this (original)  puts an entirely different spin on the song than the Linda Ronstadt version that became a hit.  Classic Warren.  

She took me back to the Hyatt House . . . I don't want to talk about it.


I didn't know much about Zevon when he died, but the DJ on the local classic rock station made a pretty big deal out of it.  All I could think at the time was "what is the big deal... his only hits were Lawyers Guns and Money and Warewolves of London right?".  I know better now.  I own a good number of his albums now and I just cant watch the video for Keep me in your Heart for Awhile without sheading a tear.  RIP Warren, you are missed.
God this song is great... Warren, buddy, we sure do miss you. I'm just glad you're not around to hear what Kid Rock has done to your great piano riff from Werewolves of London.
Both versions are good. Love Warren Zevon. The lyrics to alot of his songs, well...I can relate.
{#Stop}
Linda Ronstadt does this song, but is this Zevon's originally? It would be nice to hear it.