I had the sense to be on my way

For too long, I had unfairly classified Warren Zevon as simply classic rock. I went through a very long anti-classic rock phase, mostly because of the fact that classic rock stations, even the better ones, were depressing me by only playing songs from the past. (Not to mention the fact that the epitome of "classic rock" somehow moved from Beatles to U2; perhaps I was just feeling old.) So when Warren Zevon was dying over the last few years, and he got his inevitable due from critics making up for lost time, I, like others, started paying attention. I wish I had started paying attention sooner, because when I bought Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon, I was astounded: Warren Zevon was one funny motherfucker. I had always liked songs like Lawyers, Guns and Money and Werewolves of London (the latter having been a jukebox staple at local bar Guido's in Cambridge until I moved to Minneapolis), they always sounded out of context. The best thing about Genius is that you can see how Zevon put his sarcasm to work over the years, and it's quite incredible. The fact that the man used humor and avoided novelty songs is a reflection of his skill. Anyway, I'm sure you've heard the big hits a million times. The song from Genius that struck me was

I Was In the House When the House Burned Down

Okay, so it's not that funny. It's very good, though. I like many things about it, like how he describes his near-immortal being as "I had the shit 'til it all got smoked", and I like how this song bears more than a passing resemblance to Summer of '69. I like that for a song with between-verse rock flourishes, he uses acoustic guitars.
I like Warren Zevon, and I was too late to see him. Like the man said, enjoy every sandwich.

This song comes from the album Life'll Kill Ya, which you can buy here, and is found on the compilation Genius, which you can buy here. You can also buy it on iTunes here.