The song, “Keep Me in Your Heart” from the album The Wind (winner of two Grammys), by Warren Zevon was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2004, according to Wikipedia. The fact it did not come away with the award does nothing to take away from the beauty of one of the most heartfelt compositions of this or any of Warren Zevon’s albums.
Unsung Hero in the Face of Mortality
According to Wikipedia, in the fall of 2002 after an incident at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and following a referral from a dentist to a physician, Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma and told that his condition was terminal. Instead of receiving treatment for his diagnosis Zevon finished recording his final album, The Wind. Facing death Zevon completed the album which includes his preconceived Swan Song, “Keep Me in Your Heart” (the only song on the album written after the news of his terminal illness).
Playing Truth
The song is unabashedly Zevon and it does not falter or stammer in the face of death. Rather, "Keep Me in Your Heart" begins with a droning strum and the line “Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath”. The song is heart wrenching and indulgent, reflective of Zevon himself. Zevon lived a rough life and repeatedly battled with compulsive drinking and drug abuse. Zevon witnessed first hand both the glory and the gutter more than one time, but no matter what he lived without regret always facing the truth, especially when it was ugly.
Simple and Effective: Brilliant
The striking simplicity of the song is compounded by the undertone of its emotional efficacy. Hearing Zevon’s voice grittily soar in time to the sparse chord progression and a heart-like droning rhythm create a mood and tone that tear at the emotions of the listener. The brilliance of the tune is the underscored by the lyrical irony of Zevon knowing his fate in a world where mortality is often so clouded by mystery. Zevon’s lyrics in "Keep Me in Your Heart" are fashioned minimalistically without fancy dressings or cryptic nuances:
If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile
When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for awhile
There's a train leaving nightly called “when all is said and done”
Keep me in your heart for awhile.
Unapologetically Selfless
Simultaneously Zevon addresses those who he is leaving behind and those whom he never knew, unapologetically and unrepentantly with a dash of wit. The repetition of the line “Keep me in your heart for awhile” may be criticized as slightly redundant, but nevertheless it remains true and entrancing. What more could a dying man wish for than for those whom he loved and whom loved him to “Keep me in your heart for awhile”? Not forever because it would be too selfish and thoughtless, but just “for awhile”.
A Toast to Zevon
Zevon states, “These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam”. Taking death head on, even metaphorically, is difficult for most people, unless one has already shaken its hand and lived to tell the story like Warren Zevon. If Inevitability is knocking on the door maybe the only place to hide is in plain view where you can light another cigarette, pour a neat glass of vodka, and toast, “To Life”…or “Death”. The song "Keep Me in Your Heart" by Warren Zevon is a heartfelt composition with a fearless perspective, called "a fitting coda to a remarkable legacy" by 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.
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