"Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a song by

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

, and the closing track on his 1978 album ''

Excitable Boy ''Excitable Boy'' is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 4 ...

''.

Versions

An edited version of the song was released as a single and this edited version is on the ''A Quiet Normal Life'' best of compilation on the physical CD and LP, although the lyrics on the rear cover are the full un-edited version. The digital download and streaming version of the compilation use the album version.

Covers

The song was first covered by

Rick Derringer Rick Derringer (born Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947) is an American guitarist, vocalist, producer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the 1960s as founding member of his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy", was ...

on the 1978 album '' If I Weren't So Romantic, I'd Shoot You'' and was released as a single.

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

covered the song on his 1999 live album ''VH1 Storytellers''. It was later covered by

The Wallflowers The Wallflowers is an American rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. The band ...

on the album '' Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon'' in 2004. It was also a hit for

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

in 1983 (from his album '' Five-O'', and as a B-side of his single " I'm for Love") and is regularly played live by

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

Uses in popular culture

The song lent its title to a light-hearted radio program on the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

community radio station,

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institut ...

, which looked at the legal fraternity in the city. The program started in 1985 and ran for several years hosted by the pseudonymous duo " Donoghue & Stevenson"—Dennis Connell and Ross Stevenson. The song was used as both intro and exit music for the program. The song was used for the opening of the show ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

,'' with

Victor Garber Victor Joseph Garber (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian-American actor and singer. Known for his work in film, television, and theatre, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also ...

, in 2006. There is a blog called ''Lawyers Guns and Money''. The third episode of HBO's 2022 series, ''The Staircase'', featured the song for its end credits. The song was also used in the third episode of Season 10 of "Strapped" - a YouTube series created by No Laying Up - when Neil "The Kid" Schuster and Phil "Big Randy" Landis broke bad, blew through the budget, and told the C-Suite to shove it, respectfully.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawyers, Guns And Money Warren Zevon songs 1978 songs Songs written by Warren Zevon Hank Williams Jr. songs American hard rock songs