Lawyers, Guns and Money

"Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a song by Warren Zevon, and the closing track on his 1978 album Excitable Boy.

"Lawyers, Guns and Money"
Single by Warren Zevon
from the album Excitable Boy
Released	July 1978
Recorded	1977
Length	3:29
Label	Asylum
Songwriter(s)	Warren Zevon
Producer(s)	Jackson Browne, Waddy Wachtel

Record World called it "rock 'n' roll at its angriest."^[1]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Covers

The song was first covered by Rick Derringer on the 1978 album If I Weren't So Romantic, I'd Shoot You and was released as a single. It was also covered by Hank Williams Jr. in 1983 for his album Five-O and released as the B-side of his single "I'm for Love". Meat Loaf covered the song on his 1999 live album VH1 Storytellers. It was later covered by The Wallflowers on the album Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon in 2004. It has also been covered by Micky & The Motorcars, with a recording of it on their 2009 album "Live at Billy Bob's Texas", and is regularly played live by Widespread Panic. In April 2025, Zach Bryan covered the song at Stagecoach Festival.

Uses in popular culture

The song lent its title to a light-hearted radio program on the Melbourne community radio station 3RRR, 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.^[2]

In the movie Grand Canyon, Kevin Kline is listening to this song in his car when a gang approaches to menace him.

The song was used for the opening of the show Justice, with Victor Garber, in 2006. The third episode of the HBO series The Staircase featured the song for its end credits.