About Warren Zevon’s “My Shit’s Fucked Up”
Listen to the song by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon.
“My Shit’s Fucked Up” is a 2000 song by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. It appears on his album 1, a 12-track meditation on aging, physical decline and mortality. Mr. Zevon said to David Letterman at his final public appearance that the album “is all about my phobia of doctors.2”
Mr. Zevon’s style on the album, while unflinching in its seriousness, slyly turns the unfunny not just into the approachable and relatable, but the singable. This is a master songwriter at work.
“My Shit’s Fucked Up” is no exception. Carried by an acoustic guitar riff and backed up by only bass and drums, the lyrics grab your attention. The song is so structurally simple it has no repeatable chorus.
At first listen, it sounds like a joke. But with each pass it gets more relatable, even prophetic. It was, in a sense, for Mr. Zevon. Just over three years after this song was released, he died from mesothelioma.
As of this writing, Spotify reports it as #6 by plays among his songs3. It was covered by Kinky Friedman in 2015, who stayed true to the original while giving it additional depth.
Tagged: Warren Zevon | My Shit’s Fucked Up
Warren Zevon, Life’ll Kill Ya (Artemis Records, 2000).
“Warren Zevon’s Final Late Show Appearance,” YouTube.
Warren Zevon Top Songs on Spotify,” kworb.ne