My Ride's Here

 I don't know if Zevon knew he was going to die when he wrote this, but he was always known for his dry wit and his penchant towards death and the macabre.  He may not have gotten his "death sentence" from the doctor (his lung cancer diagnosis), but his body could have been telling him something wasn't right.  Or maybe it was Zevon being in his "spit in the eye of the reaper" mentality.
 As for the song, I believe it's about his last ride on this earth to heaven.  The religious and romantic allusions are there.  

We'll start there. Of course there's Jesus. The song refers to the movie (possibly book) "3:10 to Yuma" about a hero's journey to help transfer an outlaw to a train to the courthouse. The outlaw kept offering more money than the hero was going to get for the transfer. "I'll take the mazuma" (money) could mean Jesus was going to let him off the death train.
Charleton Heston (not dead at the time the song was written) was best known for playing Moses in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" ... before he was the NRA spokesman. I think Heston was a symbol for Moses in this song, a man who led his people to the land of milk and honey. In the song, he's slowing Zevon down to hear the "story" but Zevon is already on his way to glory and doesn't have time to listen. As for the Romantic poets : Shelley, Keats, and Lord Byron... the romantics were known for living life to the fullest and trying to feel all that is good. And these three all died much younger than normal for that time period. Yes, they were the "class of 27." *Class of 27 refers to the rockers like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin who died early due to their excesses at the age of 27. Shelley, Keats, and Byron all had short, brilliant careers followed with death. Byron, for instance, died of either flu or drowning in Greece. I don't think Zevon's reference towards them was ignorant of this fact. Plus they were known to enjoy their drink and their opium.
Other religious symbols such as wrestling with an angel (like Job, I believe) and the seraphim (thanks to Kevin Smith's Dogma, I know this means a member of the highest choir of angels) are also prevalent in the song.
Now I'm not Zevon, who is the only person who truly knows what the song means, but to me it sounds like he has heard his impending doom and is about to ride out to the sunset of heaven.

i can't believe there is no comment for this track.

i can not say enough about the merits of these lyrics. the kinetics involved are as astoundingly beautiful as they are steeped in research and literature. one of John Milton's assertions was that there is no such thing as a perfect state for any duration of time, the process of freedom is one that must involve constant change in order to be successful (hence why monarchy does not work). It seems Zevon subscribed to this credo, as this song is about perpetually moving, finding onesself, and the irritation involved in remaining static for too long, as evidenced by the changeless Houston sky. There is a kind of static electricity inherent in those clouds, lighting a fire under Zevon and Jim's respective asses, making them drive on. Milton's call to arms in this song and the end result of getting the hell out of Texas is a reflection of that, as is the fantasy that angels will carry them away to a new location, keeping the changes coming.

His reference to the Romantic heroes is not random, as they too must have shared these philosophies, not to mention the fact that Zevon's poetry relies heavily on their influences.

Charlton Heston, as a representation of religion, is static (the ultimate evil) while even Jesus has that dusty trail mentality. I wonder if WZ was trying to assert that religion has been mutated into something more sinister in the modern age, and this song is less about physically moving than about his own struggle with spirituality, his moving on while retaining Christ. but that's just one overanalyzation.

ps. check out Springstein's cover of this song. i am not one of Bruce's biggest fans, but man did he have an accurate reading of this tune.

Um, from what I understand this and "My Shit's Fucked Up" were both written after he found out he was dying.

"My Ride's Here" refers to the last ride, the one that takes us to the other side. There's no warning, no big production, just the fact that it happens to all of us.

There's a notion of acceptance and a certain submissive attitude that goes along with this tune. Accepting death isn't all that hard when you look at it with the somber romance in this song.

Well, according to what he said on his last Letterman visit, Warren didn't actually know that he was dying when he recorded "My Ride's Here," but that something was telling him that things weren't right. After Dave asked about this, and mentioned the title "My Ride's Here," Warren said "Hello!"

Also, to me, some of the story just seems to be he's telling it straight, with no intention of hidden meanings implied. Obviously, he's staying at some hotels, and the Marriot is just the Marriot. I Googled "mazuma;" it's money, but also it's one of the two main types of wasabi. I think Warren, Jesus, and John Wayne (who Jesus called by his Christian name, Marion) were in the Marriot bar, and Warren was ordering sushi.

So I gotta say that I am not familiar with everything in Warren's song book. I loved his big hits but never really dug deeper into his other songs. Then about six months ago I heard a cover of this song that Bruce Springsteen did after Warren passed on. After hearing this the first time - it has stuck with me for the past six months. I've listened to at least a few times each week since then. I think it's one of the most poetic songs I've really listened to - and about a subject that's nearly impossible to speak eloquently about.

It just goes to show what a unique talent Warren was. I hope when my time comes I can show half of the class that Warren had and that I can catch my last ride with the dignity he had,.

Verse 1: Jesus is the lawman taking the tithe (mazuma) from John Wayne and riding west (to Yuma) , while the singer ( Zevon )rides east to Houston (note: he is waiting for a Chariot) Jesus and JW are taking the train); Verse 2: Zevon takes the guise of Jacob and wrestles with an angel ( Is he dreaming?)It is "Jim" (representing Zevon's music career) who takes this symbolic ride into the sunset on a pinto. Verse 2: The Poetic muses are leaving here with Milton trying to take a boat ( or must swim )across the River Styx ? ( san Jacinto) . Verse 4: The singer is Gambling against death, when Heston (Ben Hur and Moses) comes in on a Chariot. The Old Law meets Jesus in one. The singer has folded his hand and is taking the chariot that just came in while leaving them both behind?

I'll try to organize some thoughts here (mis-guided though they may be):

Mariott is/was Mormon (as was Zevon's mother), a religion that requires a 10% tithe from it's members.
'Mazuma' is a Yiddish word meaning 'money.' I think the implication is that Jesus was there to collect Mariott's tithe, perhaps because Mariott had died, though I'm not sure that Mariott's status is important at all.

The Battle of San Jacinto was the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution; I think this might refer to Zevon's revolt from Mormonism, and possibly from organized religion, as, in the last verse, he's no longer at the Mariott, he's moved to a more secular hotel, the Weston, and is gambling; and he avoids Heston, whom I agree is a representation of religion here.

No, I think you're wrong, Kinghorse. He didn't know he was going to die yet when he wrote MY SHIT'S FUCKED UP. The song was on his album LIFE'LL KILL YA, which he recorded in 1999 and released in 2000. "MY SHIT'S FUCKED UP" is a mournful lament on aging, and of the inevitable decay that accompanies it. Zevon wasn't diagnosed with mesothelioma (which killed him a year later) until 2002. But MY RIDE'S HERE is a track from his 2002 album of the same name, so it is possible that he knew he had mesothelioma when he wrote MY RIDE'S HERE, but not MY SHIT'S FUCKED UP.

 I forgot to mention Milton, who was a pretty devout Christian.  He wrote "Paradise Lost" about Lucifer getting cast out of heaven.  Also Milton is rumored to be a Calvinist, who's doctrine believed in predestination.  Predestination means that heaven is similar to a nightclub.  The bouncer will let you in if you're on the list.  It doesn't matter what you did outside the club (on earth), but if you are predestined to get into the club (heaven) then you'll be let in.  
 Milton, like the Romantic poets and artists, tried to bring a new feeling into religion, and to integrate religion in his art.
 Sorry to take up so much room on this forum, but I just wanted my views known.

Someday you will find out there was a man who played a part in unity and connecive conciousness. A man who looked part cat, and reptile, as our star ancestors made us. Remeber PEI, Canadee IO and a Gallant show. Heres my take I was standing at the marriot with Jesus and John Wayne this may relate to a man who will soon be deceased or (the Gallant man?) I was waiting for a chariot they were waiting on a train, 2 parties involved in a giant conspiracy will be waiting on a train, the man who is "I" was waiting for the chariot, Warren is also referring to himself and future unveiled looking glass technology. The sky was full of carrion, dead flesh of beings unseen to ourselves, or the death of someone or something, ill take the mazuma, ill take the hush money, or regarding those involved in said conspiracy, ill take the cash. We galloped through blue bonnets, a baby in the future for someone is my take. The Houston sky was changeless meaning the sky wasnt clear from the proof of said future conspiracy. Milton was holding his sides referring to a head guy in charge of a black site on pei, or wherever. The ending, He said its still the greatest stort, man id like to say, thats someone coming back to check in with a woman he referred to as man, or a unknown character, that someone whos gone, stopped in to say hello and goodbye to someone. Dont believe me keep your ears and eyes peeled in the future for PEI Canada.