"A Bullet for Ramona" is a song from Warren Zevon's first album, Wanted Dead or Alive.
About the Song[]
The song is about, ostensibly, a man shooting his lover in a fit of rage after discovering that she had been cheating on him with a drifter. The song itself is sung as a letter to the man's mother, explaining why he shot Ramona and why he now has to flee across the Rio Grande. In many ways this song foreshadow Zevon's preoccupations with romantic loss and noir-ish violence that appear in many of his later works. The song first appeared on Zevon's 1969 album, and a demo take was released as part of The First Sessions in 2003. This song was written with Paul Evans, who was the man who shot Ramona, and went to jail for it. It's a true story. Warren did the music, Paul wrote the lyrics.
Song Lyrics[]
Note: the text of this song's lyrics is not under the same copyright license as the wiki's encyclopedic text, it is used under fair use/dealing.
Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma
She ain't gonna cheat on me
Two years, I've been searchin' for her
Two years, she's been free
Well, I found her in a dance hall in Laredo
And she told me that she wanted only me
And I held her in my arms the way I used to
But when morning came she begged me to set her free
Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma
She ain't gonna cheat on me
Two years, I've been searchin' for her
Two years, she's been free
Well. I tried and tried to ride away and leave her
With my head hung low, teardrops filled my eye
I rode back to town and found her with a drifter
And I knew right then Ramona had to die
Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma
She ain't gonna cheat on me
Two years, I've been searchin' for her
Two years, she's been free
Well, I'm writing you this letter from Laredo
And tonight I'll ride across the Rio Grande
If I never live to see another sunrise
You know, I loved her
Ma, I hope you understand
Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma
She ain't gonna cheat on me
Two years, I've been searchin' for her
Two years, she's been free
Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma
She ain't gonna cheat on me
Two years, I've been searchin' for her
Two years, she's been free
