In case you didn't know, that guy up there is the sadly deceased rock legend, Warren Zevon, famous for, if nothing else, composing a song with the line "Sorta like a Waring Blender" in one of his songs.

Warren passed away a few years ago and has still not been inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.  No, that's not all that paintballish, so here's the connection:

My team - The Werewolves of NJ/PA Competition Paintball Team* - adopted several of Warren's songs as inspirational theme music for the team, three songs in fact - Lawyers, Guns and Money, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner and, of course, Werewolves of London.

That song ends with the lyric "Draw Blood!", which we would always yell very loudly when singing along at a tournament, right before we took the field and preferably, right in front of our up-coming opponents.  (I've linked to the full lyrics below.)

I don't know how intimidating it was for other teams hearing it, but it sure did fire us up.

Coincidentally, Warren did a concert a few years before the team was formed and, since he was appearing in Paramus, NJ (go there some time, it will be an eye-opener), he altered the title of that song during his intro to "There's only one Werewolves of New Jersey!"  And I get a big kick out of it every time I hear it, which isn't that infrequently because it was my team's anthem.

We had another go to artist for the simple fact that many of his songs resonated with paintball.  I refer to the equally legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  His "Won't Back Down" (lyrics also below) seems to have been written for paintball teams, especially underdog  ones.  In fact, during the writing of The Complete Guide to Paintball (Hatherleigh Press, 1999) that song was aired on the radio during a discussion of music and paintball and I was able to say "Hear that?  That right there is a paintball song!"  (There's hardly a player out there who hasn't faced insurmountable odds on the field and who hasn't taken that stand.  You all know what I'm talking about.  "Not today, kids.  I'm winning this one." 

Those  songs and lyrics obviously date me - I'm hearing a fair amount of Rap, Hip Hop, Country & Western at the fields these days in addition to rock, both old school and new - but the type of music doesn't really matter - it's the feelings that a particular song invokes for a team, regardless of its musical genre. 

I always thought it would be pretty cool if paintball had gotten big enough to be televised regularly and each team took the field like they do at footballs games, their team's theme song blaring throughout the stadium.  I know Thunderstruck would have thought it pretty cool to stride onto the field while AC/DC was playing that song with the same name, the one popularized in the Ironman films.

A pretty good bet that at some point, the Ironmen would have been introduced with that Black Sabbath song...

These days at events, most teams seem to bring their music with them and I'm curious whether or not the old somewhat tradition of picking a song to inspire your team is still going on.  If you have a theme song, how about letting us know what it is, how you chose it and what about that song inspires you and your players?

I know why Werewolves of London did it for us;  naturally it started because our team name is in the title, but its the lyrics that truly grabbed us, as we felt that it captured both the humorous aspects of the team as well as the fierceness we could bring to a game.

Let us know what your team's theme song is in the comments!

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*We added the "Competition" part to the name because back in the day, you needed to distinguish the fact that you weren't just a "team", but were in fact, competing in tournaments.

Werewolves of London Lyrics, by Warren Zevon  (video here)

I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks
For to get a big dish of beef chow mein

Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo

You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again

Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo, huh

He's the hairy handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him, he'll rip your lungs out Jim
Huh, I'd like to meet his tailor

Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo

Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doin' the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney Jr. walking with the Queen, uh
Doin' the werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinkin' a piña colada at Trader Vic's
His hair was perfect

Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Hey draw blood
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London

Won't Back Down lyrics by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Well, I won't back down
No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down

No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down

Hey baby
There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down)
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Well, I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down

Hey baby
There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down)
Hey I will stand my ground (I won't back down)
And I won't back down

Hey baby
There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down)
Hey I won't back down

Hey baby
There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down)
Hey I will stand my ground (I won't back down)
And I won't back down (I won't back down)
No I won't back down

Lawyers, Guns and Money lyrics, by Warren Zevon

I went home with the waitress, the way I always do
How was I to know, she was with the Russians, too?

I was gambling in Havana, I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money, dad, get me out of this, ha

I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck between the rock and a hard place
And I'm down on my luck, yes I'm down on my luck
Well, I'm down on my luck

And I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns, and money
The shit has hit the fan

Alright, send lawyers, guns, and money
Huh, yeah
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Uh
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Hey
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Oo, yeah
Yeah
Yeah

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner lyrics by Warren Zevon

Roland was a warrior from the Land of the Midnight Sun
With a Thompson gun for hire, fighting to be done
The deal was made in Denmark on a dark and stormy day
So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray

Through sixty-six and seven they fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers, knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled the Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living and to help out the Congolese

Roland the Thompson gunner
Roland the Thompson gunner

His comrades fought beside him - Van Owen and the rest
But of all the Thompson gunners, Roland was the best
So the CIA decided they wanted Roland dead
That son-of-a-bitch Van Owen blew off Roland's head

Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Norway's bravest son (to even up the score)
They can still see his headless body stalking through the night
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun

Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in
He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin
Roland aimed his Thompson gun - he didn't say a word
But he blew Van Owen's body from there to Johannesburg

Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Roland the headless Thompson gunner
Talkin' about the man
Roland the headless Thompson gunner

The eternal Thompson gunner
Still wandering through the night
Now it's ten years later but he still keeps up the fight
In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley
Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland's Thompson gun and bought it