Basket Case
Love's Lunacy: Warren Zevon's Tale of a Wild Ride
Lyrics
My baby is a basket case
Describing the speaker's partner as emotionally unstable or disturbed.
A bipolar mama in leather and lace
Characterizing the partner as having bipolar disorder, combining toughness (leather) and femininity (lace).
Face like an angel, she's a perfect waste
Highlighting the partner's attractive appearance despite her troubled nature.
My baby is a basket case
Reiteration of the partner's mental instability, reinforcing the theme.
Dracula's daughter, Calamity Jane
Using famous fictional characters (Dracula's daughter, Calamity Jane) to emphasize the partner's diverse and erratic qualities.
Smoke on the water, water on the brain
Suggesting a chaotic mix of elements, possibly reflecting the partner's confused state of mind.
She's pretty as a picture, and totally crazed
Contrasting the partner's external beauty with her internal turmoil.
My baby is a basket case
Reaffirming the partner's mental instability and its impact on the speaker.
She's gonna make a madman outta me
Expressing the idea that the partner's behavior will drive the speaker to madness.
She's gonna make a madman outta me
-She's manic-depressive and schizoid, too
Listing various mental health disorders (manic-depressive, schizoid) to convey the severity of the partner's condition.
The friskiest psycho that I ever knew
Describing the partner as the most lively and unpredictable person the speaker has encountered.
We're paranoid lovers lost in space
Depicting the speaker and the partner as lovers dealing with paranoia and feeling lost in their relationship.
My baby is a basket case
Reiterating the partner's status as a "basket case," emphasizing the central theme.
My baby's gonna celebrate
Anticipating a celebration, possibly sarcastically referring to the partner's unpredictable nature.
I'm being dragged through the nuthouse gates
Describing a situation where the speaker feels mentally overwhelmed, dragged into chaos by the partner.
Got my straitjacket on and I'm taking her place
Symbolizing the speaker's submission to the partner's chaotic world, wearing a metaphorical straitjacket.
My baby is a basket case
Reaffirming the partner's status as a "basket case" and the speaker taking her place in the madness.
She finally made a madman outta me
Confirming that the partner has succeeded in driving the speaker to madness, emphasizing the impact on the speaker.
She finally made a madman outta me
-My baby made a madman outta me
-She finally made a madman outta me
Reiteration of the partner's influence in making the speaker a "madman."
Comment