Tim Walz didn't need a Warren Zevon lyric to look cool.
So much to do, there's plenty on the farm
I'll sleep when I'm dead
Saturday night I like to raise a little harm
I'll sleep when I'm dead
It was sometime in the early to mid-1970s. I was taking an honors course in American Indian Philosophy at The University of Oklahoma. It may sound like I’m showing off about that ‘honors’ thing, but in reality, I took the class because I liked the professor. He had classes at his home and the rumor was he served food and alcohol.
During one session, I was presenting a paper about a topic long forgotten, and in the middle, I tossed in a lyric from a Loggins and Messina song—the song also long forgotten. As I was saying it, I realized the lyrics had nothing to do with whatever I was talking about. It went over most of the class’s heads but a few caught it. Some were laughing, some snickered.
Fifty years later I realize that I was trying to be cool by doing this. Who am I kidding, I realized that the minute I wrote that paper. It didn’t work then—it usually doesn’t work now.
I'm drinking heartbreak motor oil and Bombay gin
I'll sleep when I'm dead
Straight from the bottle, twisted again
I'll sleep when I'm dead
People still like to insert rock song lyrics into their work. You especially see it with politicians. They do it during speeches and their opening'/closing music. By doing this, they think it makes them look cooler, hipper and younger. And like my presentation of fifty years ago, it rarely works. It only means they’re trying too hard.
Well, I take this medicine as prescribed
I'll sleep when I'm dead
It don't matter if I get a little tired
I'll sleep when I'm dead
We saw the latest example of this on Tuesday night, in Philadelphia. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gave his first speech after being selected by Kamala Harris to run as her Vice-President. It was powerful and high energy from the start. He had the crowd on his side and even had the audience at home excited. At one point he was talking about how hard they were going to work through the election and then said “We’ll sleep when we’re dead.” The line got a huge reaction from the crowd.
I've got a .38 special up on the shelf
I'll sleep when I'm dead
If I start acting stupid
I'll shoot myself
I'll sleep when I'm dead
When I heard the line my first thought was ‘Wow! He likes Warren Zevon. I never would have thought that.’
Zevon is kind of an acquired taste. It takes a lot of work to get deep into his lyrics. Walz either did the work or found a line from the song that he thought would fit into the speech. More likely he figured it would make him hipper/cooler—pretty much what that dude in Oklahoma did five decades ago.
I admit I didn’t know anything about Tim Walz until a few weeks ago. He wasn’t on my radar—not even after the George Floyd situation in 2020. But, I’ve seen him make numerous television appearances recently. He comes off as bright, funny and clever. I didn’t need a song lyric to tell me that.
Oh yeah, one final thing. there’s also a song with the same title by Bon Jovi. If that’s the one he’s quoting, you can delete this entire diatribe and I take back that bright, clever and funny thing I said about Tim.
Oh yeah, one more final thing. That professor from fifty years ago did serve alcohol at his home during class. He favored bourbon. Don’t tell anyone, okay? And, I did get an A in his class. I guess he liked Loggins and Messina.
So much to do, there's plenty on the farm
I'll sleep when I'm dead
Saturday night I like to raise a little harm
I'll sleep when I'm dead