Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in. We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.
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Let’s talk song lyrics today!
Lyrics that speak to you. Lyrics that are poetry. Lyrics you love. Lyrics that are offensive! Lyrics that fit the music perfectly. Lyrics that do the opposite. Lyrics that capture a time in your life.
Don’t just tells us about them, paste the lyrics in the comments if you can. (But not if that’s a pain on mobile devices.)
It’s all things lyrics today, have fun!
Update:
Pro tip: If you want your lyrics to look like this:
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways
and not this
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways
Just hold the shift key down when you press return OR if you are pasting it in from elsewhere click the TEXT tab before you pasted it in.
Frankensteinbeck
Like a baby stillborn
Like a beast with its horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I’ll make it all up to thee
Misamericanthrope
My favorite stanza, from the Talking Heads “Cities” (on “Fear of Music”):
There are a lot of rich people in Birmingham
A lot of ghosts in a lot of houses
Look over there!…A dry ice factory
A good place to get some thinking done
Wonderfully absurd. A friend and I have joked about singing along to it in a future nursing home situation.
Brachiator
You tell me there’s an angel in your tree
Did he say he’d come to call on me
For things are getting desperate in our Home
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know
Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man Sleep
It’s time we put the flame torch to their keep
Burn down the Mission
If we’re gonna stay Alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky
Burn down the mission
Burn it down to stay Alive
It’s our only chance of Living
Take all you need to live inside
stinger
Lyrics for my tombstone:
Lighten up while you still can, don’t even try to understand, just find a place to make your stand
Or: We may lose, and we may win, but we will never be here again, so open up — I’m climbing in!
Or: And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
SpaceUnit
Love, exciting and new
Come aboard, we’re expecting you
The love boat is making another run
The love boat promises something for everyone
Theme to The Love Boat. The words always hit me like a punch to the gut. Whoever wrote that was channeling a lifetime of pain. I hope they found their peace.
NotMax
Clever scansion.
She remembers zip
She remembers fuzz
She remembers nothing
But an omnipresent buzz
Source
;)
Mr. Prosser
The chorus from “Everybody’s Talkin'” by Fred Neil (No Harry Nilsson didn’t write the song)
I’m goin’ where the sun keeps shinin’
Through the pourin’ rain.
Goin’ where the weather
Suits my clothes
Bankin’ off of the Northeast wind
Sailin’ on a summer breeze.
Skippin’ over the ocean
Like a stone.
Just looking for that one perfect place.
Mr. Prosser
@stinger: My tombstone lyrics:
He laid down the boogie
and played that funky music
’til he died
Scout211
[Trying again. First time had messed up formatting].
Every time I hear this song it brings tears to my eyes.
It a powerfully emotional song about trying to help someone you care about who is in despair. Isaac Slade has said he wrote it after working in a summer camp for troubled teens.
The song was used in an episode of Scrubs (an old favorite of mine) when one of the characters was deeply depressed.
“How To Save A Life”
by Isaac Slade and Joe King
Step one, you say we need to talk
He walks, you say, “Sit down, it’s just a talk”
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Let him know that you know best
‘Cause after all, you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you’ve told him all along
And pray to God He hears you
And I pray to God He hears you, and
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you’ve followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he’ll say he’s just not the same
And you’ll begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
How to save a life
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
How to save a life
Frankensteinbeck
@Mr. Prosser:
The lyrics of a life well lived.
glc
Rest here.
Or with more subtlety at several levels:
Rest here.
Kelly
John Prine, Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
You can gaze out the window, get mad and get madder
Throw your hands in the air, say, “What does it matter?”
But it don’t do no good to get angry
So help me, I know
For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter
You become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there
Wrapped up in a trap of your very own
Chain of sorrow
NotMax
Catchy and awful.
It’s about time
It’s about space
About two men
In the strangest place
Source
;)
Speaking of TV theme songs, worst ever?
cope
My nomination for best use of alliteration in a song: “…little old lady got mutilated late last night…”.
Phaedrusonbass
A lot of my favorite lyrics were written by DEVO. They were sharp observers and commentators on the human condition.
Top of the list for me is a song from “Freedom of Choice” called “Enough Said.” Here is a sample:
None of you would help me when I baked my bread
Now all of you would help me eat it
I can see that you are very well fed
This indicates that you don’t need it
Enough said
The next thing I say to you will be true
The last thing I said was false
Remember to do nothing when you don’t know what to do
I use that last bit all the time to confuse people:)
Brachiator
We were at the beach
Everybody had matching towels
Somebody went under a dock
And there they saw a rock
It wasn’t a rock
It was a rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
WaterGirl
Pro tip: If you want your lyrics to look like this:
and not this
Just hold the shift key down when you press return OR if you are pasting it in from elsewhere click the TEXT tab before you paste it in.
Phaedrusonbass
@Misamericanthrope: Excellent! One of my favorites too.
Splitting Image
Ah.
Pink Floyd, “A Saucerful of Secrets”
Nukular Biskits
The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty’s living in cheap hotels.
The desert’s quiet, Cleveland’s cold
And so the story ends we’re told.
Pancho needs your prayers it’s true,
But save a few for Lefty, too.
He only did what he had to do
And now he’s growing old …
oldster
I was driving across the burning desert
when I spotted six jet planes
leaving six white vapor trails
across the bleak terrain
it was the hexagram of the heavens
it was the strings of my guitar
Oh Amelia…it was just a false alarm.
“Amelia,” by Joni Mitchell from the album “Hejira”
ETA: thanks for the formatting tip, Water Girl!
Pajaro
And, in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.
Miki
Time is a Healer
I found a picture of your smiling face
Bringing old memories
That I had locked away
The burden of anger
From a heart filled with pain
Was finally lifted
And I smiled at you again
Oh, if time is a healer
And all hearts that break
Then all hearts that break
Are put back together again
‘Cause love heals the wound it makes
I spoke such harsh words before our goodbye
Well I wanted to hurt you
For the tears you made you made me cry
All my hopes and dreams
Well they started vanishing
Those tender hurt feelings
Became a dangerous thing
Oh, if time is a healer
If time is a healer
And all hearts that break
Then all hearts that break
Are put back together again
‘Cause love heals the wound it makes (makes)
All of those years we spent together (spent together)
Well they’re part of my life forever
I hold the joy with the pain
And the truth is
I miss you my friend
Well time is a healer
And all hearts that break
All hearts all hearts that break
Are put back together again
‘Cause love heals the wound, the wound
Love heals
Love heals the wound it makes
phein64
Almost anything by James McMurtry, but in particular:
Beer cans to the ceiling,
Ashtray on the floor,
Laundry on the sofa,
Need I say more?
Went out with my hair wet,
Caught one awful cold,
Shoulda been more careful,
Shoulda done like I was told.
I can’t believe it,
How could it be?
Just like you said could happen,
So it did to me.
Just when I might’ve,
Seen the light of day,
I crossed my eyes, and they
Stayed that way.
Peter Pan, off It Had to Happen
Nukular Biskits
@Nukular Biskits:
Getting close to retirement age, I’m really starting to identify with Pancho & Lefty.
Splitting Image
Hair is grey and the fires are burning
So many dreams on the shelf
You say I wanted you to be proud
I always wanted that myself
Tori Amos, “Winter”
Most of the Little Earthquakes, actually. Talk about an album that stands the test of time.
Kelly
I sing this to my wife and friends on beautiful river trips
Loggins and Messina
Watching the River Run
If you’ve been thinkin’ you were all that you’ve got
Then don’t feel alone anymore
‘Cause when we’re together then you’ve got a lot
‘Cause I am the river and you are the shore
And it goes on and on, watching the river run
Further and further from things that we’ve done
Leaving them one by one
And we have just begun, watching the river run
Listening and learning and yearning to run, river, run
Winding and swirling and dancing along
We passed by the old willow tree
Where lovers caress as we sing them our song,
Rejoicing together when we greet the sea
And it goes on and on, watching the river run
Further and further from things that we’ve done
Leaving them one by one
And we have just begun, watching the river run
Listening and learning and yearning to run, river, run
Villago Delenda Est
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolor in the rain
Don’t bother asking for explanations
She’ll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat
SpaceUnit
@Brachiator:
They were like the T.S. Eliot of bands.
Steeplejack
Please include the name of the song for the clueless.
Just yesterday I heard a song whose lyrics always crack me up: Bob Kuban and the In-Men, “The Cheater.” A regional hit from the dark ages.
Pure cheese redeemed by a crunchy guitar and a great horn section. Plus I’ve always liked “betrayin’/sayin’.” LOL.
Nukular Biskits
@Phaedrusonbass:
Speaking of Devo, did you see the Youtube video Watergirl posted the other night about the connection between them and Chi-Chi Rodríguez?
MagdaInBlack
@Kelly: Aw, I always loved that one ❤️
Villago Delenda Est
@Splitting Image: How can we dance when our earth is turnin’?
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin’?
How can we dance when our earth is turnin’?
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin’?
lowtechcyclist
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
’Neath her Panamanian moon
An’ I say, “Aw come on now
You must know about my debutante”
An’ she says, “Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Villago Delenda Est
Just a taste of my favorite Dylan tune:
She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
“I thought you’d never say hello, ” she said
“You look like the silent type”
Then she opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul, from me to you
Tangled up in blue
SpaceUnit
I sing my song of woe
Everywhere I go
Oh oh oh oh oh
Woe woe woe woe woe
Author unknown. I think it’s from an old cartoon.
MagdaInBlack
@Villago Delenda Est: My favorite too .
Villago Delenda Est
Panama Red, panama Red
He’ll steal your woman, then he’ll rob your head
Panama Red, panama Red
On his white horse, Mescalito
He come breezin’ through town
I’ll bet your woman’s up in bed with
Panama Red
The judge don’t know when Red’s in town
He keeps well hidden underground
But everybody’s acting lazy
Falling out and hangin’ ’round
My woman said, “hey pedro
You’re actin’ crazy like a clown”
Nobody feels like working
Panama Red is back in town
Everybody’s looking out for him
‘Cause they know Red satisfies
Little girls love to listen to him
Sing and tell sweet lies
But when things get too confusing, honey
You’re better off in bed
And I’ll be searching all the joints in town for
Panama Red
Miki
@Miki: Jeebus – tried to reformat it but it didn’t work in time.
Sincere apologies.
WaterGirl
@Miki: I fixed you!
lowtechcyclist
@Villago Delenda Est:
And the cover art is great!
Alison Rose
I mean, I have to start with my favorite Dead song, Black Muddy River:
When the last rose of summer pricks my fingers
And the hot sun chills me to the bone
When I can’t hear the song for the singer
And I can’t tell my pillow from a stone
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own
When the last bolt of sunshine hits the mountain
And the stars seem to splatter in the sky
When the moon splits the south west horizon
And scream of an eagle on the fly
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And listen to the ripples as they moan
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own
Black muddy river
Roll on forever
I don’t care how deep and wide
If you got another side
Roll muddy river
Roll muddy river
Black muddy river, roll
When it seems like the night will last forever
And there’s nothing left to do but count the years
When the strings of my heart start to sever
And stones fall from my eyes instead of tears
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And dream me a dream of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own
And sing me a song of my own
This song makes me weepy every time I hear it. The combo of Hunter’s lyrics and Jerry’s voice was always wonderful, but particularly impactful with this song.
Memory Pallas
I’m coming home, I’m coming home, now you can taste it in the wind, the war is over
And I listen to the clicking of the train-wheels as we roll across the border
And now they ask me of the time that I was caught behind their lines and taken prisoner
“They only held me for a day, a lucky break, ” I say they turn and listen closer
I’ll never know, I’ll never know why I was taken from the line and all the others
To board a special train and journey deep into the heart of holy Russia
And it’s cold and damp in the transit camp, and the air is still and sullen
And the pale sun of October whispers the snow will soon be coming
And I wonder when I’ll be home again and the morning answers “Never”
And the evening sighs, and the steely Russian skies go on forever
schrodingers_cat
Tom Petty:
You can stand me at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
Those text blocks look the same on my computer (Win11, Firefox).
ETA: The first one is single-spaced on my Android phone (Samsung browser).
ETA2: On my computer the first block is single-spaced in the original post above, but not in comment #17. Go figure.
Omnes Omnibus
No, don’t ask me to apologise.
I won’t ask you to forgive me.
If I’m gonna go down,
you’re gonna come with me
You say ‘Why don’t you be a man about it,
like they do in the grown-up movies?’
But when it comes to the other way around,
you say you just wanna use me. Oh,
you sit and you wonder whether
it’s gonna be syndicated.
You sit with your knees together.
All the time your breath is bated.
NotMax
Cracked. Iphigenia in Brooklyn.
Cute. Onomatopoeia.
Classic. Cole Porter.
Innately hummable. The Lambeth Walk.
Turning the tables.
1) Proud Mary
2) Sixteen Going On Seventeen
3) Hey Big Spender
:)
Salty Sam .
That’s a really good one. Beats my nomination: “He met a girl out there with a tattoo too…”
piratedan
Oh, I can’t stand another heartache
though you say you’re my friend
I’m at my wits end
and when I ask you
if your love is bonafide
it doesn’t coincide with
what you say and you do
and you say, you gotta be
cruel to be kind, in the right measure
cruel to be kind, its the very design
cruel to to be kind, means that I love you
you gotta be cruel, you gotta be cruel to be kind
Wyatt Salamanca
Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You by Bob Dylan
Throw my ticket out the window
Throw my suitcase out there, too
Throw my troubles out the door
I don’t need them any more
‘Cause tonight I’ll be staying here with you
I should have left this town this morning
But it was more than I could do
For, your love comes on so strong
And I’ve waited all day long
For tonight when I’ll be staying here with you
Is it really any wonder
The love that a stranger might receive?
You cast your spell and I went under
I find it so difficult to leave
I can hear that whistle blowin’
I see that stationmaster, too
If there’s a poor boy on the street
Then let him have my seat
‘Cause tonight I’ll be staying here with you
Tony Jay
There are a few, but what’s more personal are the lyrics I thought I heard that meant a lot to me… before I found out they were only my lyrics.
Frex
Cause you’re my fella, my guy Hand me your Stella and fries By that time I’m out the door And you’re ten men down like Roger Moore
Which I thought was a pretty poignant cri de coeur from a girl who just kept on going through men like a hungry shark completely insensate to the genuine love and respect she was actually looking for, as well as a brutal put down on the quality of Roger Moore’s Bond… except it wasn’t.
Then there was that Nirvana classic
Come as you are, as you were As I want you to be As a friend, as a friend As a known enemy
Which I thought for years was such a very Nirvana lyric, suggesting that in Cobain’s mind friends were just the enemies you know the names of and can watch out for, except it wasn’t.
Then, back to the sadly missed Whiny Alehouse, there was the concerning bit about
Upstairs in bed with my ex-boy He’s in a place where I can’t get joy Thinking on you in the final throes This is where my conscience goes
Which I always thought was a starkly self-judgemental confessional from a lady deliberately self-sabotaging herself out of the self-respect necessary to think that she deserved better than the crap she was putting herself through, except it wasn’t.
I swear, I’ve got loads of them. All these lyrics I thought I heard that it turns out I actually didn’t, but which nevertheless gave little old suburban me a vista onto a wide savannah of human experience I was too stuffy and scared to go and find out about for myself, some of them I still think were better than the actual lyrics it turned out I wasn’t singing along to.
I’m sure I’m not alone in that… hopefully.
lowtechcyclist
Outside of the gates the trucks were unloadin’
The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees
The man standin’ next to me, his head was exploding
Well, I was prayin’ the pieces wouldn’t fall on me
Yeah, the locusts sang off in the distance
Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody
Oh, the locusts sang off in the distance
And the locusts sang and they were singing for me
MagdaInBlack
This post has opened up the Youtube rabbit hole for me, and I’m enjoying it 🙂
eclare
Song title, lyrics are good too
“You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”
Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
piratedan
@Omnes Omnibus: Declan has a way with words don’t he?
I said that I’m so happy that I could die
she said “drop dead” and left with another guy…..
schrodingers_cat
@Tony Jay: OMG yes. I miss Amy Winehouse, so talented and so unhappy.
Brachiator
When I was a kid, I played The Coasters “Searchin” on a relative’s 78 rpm turntable. I was proud of myself for being able to figure out from the context that all of these people must be detectives. At the time, the only one I had heard of was Charlie Chan. It was a small thing, but it excited me to get the idea that song lyrics weren’t just pleasant rhymes.
Well Sherlock Holmes
Sam Spade got nothing
Child, on me
Seargent Friday
Charlie Chan
And Boston Blackie
No matter where she’s hiding
She’s gonna hear me coming
Gonna walk right down that street
Like Bulldog Drummond
‘Cause i’ve been searchin’
Oh Lord now, searchin’
Mmm child, searchin’ every which a’way yay-yay
But i’m like the Northwest mountie
You know i’ll bring her in some day
eclare
@Villago Delenda Est:
That is a great one, off of a great album.
Miki
@WaterGirl: Many thanks.
Villago Delenda Est
The most perfect song, EVER, according to Ego, The Living Planet:
There’s a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes
And there’s a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin’ whiskey down
They say, Brandy, fetch another round
She serves them whiskey and wine
The sailors say, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“Yeah, your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea”
Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of the man that Brandy loved
He came on a summer’s day
Bringin’ gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn’t stay
No harbor was his home
The sailors say, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea”
Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor stories
She could feel the ocean fall and rise
She saw its ragin’ glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand
At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who’s not around
She still can hear him say
She hears him say, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea”
It is, yes it is
He said, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea”
oldster
I get no kicks in a plane
flying up high
with some guy
in the sky
is my i-
dea of
nothing to do
but I get a kick
out of you
FelonyGovt
Neil Young, After The Gold Rush. Ol’ Neil was quite prescient:
Well I dreamed I saw the knights in armor coming
Sayin’ something about a queen
There were peasants singing and drummers drumming
And the archer split the tree
There was a fanfare blowing to the sun
That was floating on the breeze
Look at Mother Nature on the run
In the 1970’s
Look at Mother Nature on the run
In the 1970’s
I was lying in a burned out basement
With the full moon in my eyes
I was hoping for replacement
When the sun burst through the sky
There was a band playing in my head
And I felt like getting high
I was thinking about what a friend had said
I was hoping it was a lie
Thinking about what a friend had said
I was hoping it was a lie
I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying
In the yellow haze of the sun
There were children crying and colors flying
All around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream
The loading had begun
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed
To a new home in the sun
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed
To a new home
Tony Jay
@schrodingers_cat:
The only person with two legs who could ever make me think twice about hating Jazz.
Very sadly missed.
Villago Delenda Est
Because SOMEONE had to do it:
We’re no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I (do I)
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of
You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Omnes Omnibus
Standing waiting for a man to show
Wide eyed one eye fixed on the door
This waiting’s killing me, it’s wearing me down
Day in day out, my feet are burning holes in the ground
Darkness warmer than a bedroom floor
Want someone to hold me close forever more
I’m a sleeping dog, but you can’t tell
When I’m on the prowl you’d better run like hell
You know it makes sense, don’t even think about it
Life and death are just things you do when you’re bored
Say fear’s a man’s best friend
You add it up it brings you down
Home is living like a man on the run
Trails leading nowhere, where to my son?
We’re already dead, just not yet in the ground
Take my helping hand I’ll show you around
You know it makes sense, don’t even think about it
Life and death are just things you do when you’re bored
Say fear’s a man’s best friend
You add it up it brings you down
Ben Cisco
You got the nicest North America
This sailor ever saw
I’d like to feel your warm Brazil
And touch your Panama
But Your Tierra del Fuegos
Are nearly always froze
We gotta see saw
Until we unthaw those
Popsicle toes
Popsicle toes
Popsicle toes are always froze
Popsicle toes
You’re so brave to expose all those popsicle toes
Michael Franks, “Popsicle Toes”
zhena gogolia
@Villago Delenda Est: This is the second time I’ve been rickrolled today. Anyone do Paolo Pasco’s puzzle in WaPo?
Omnes Omnibus
@piratedan: Yes, he does.
HumboldtBlue
Chico, Chet and Elijah is what I thought Steve was singing instead of big ol’ jet airliner.
Alison Rose
And since I am me, I will also mention some Depeche Mode lines, but I’ll try to restrain myself a little.
You wear guilt
Like shackles on your feet
Like a halo in reverse
I can feel
The discomfort in your seat
And in your head it’s worse
There’s a pain
A famine in your heart
An aching to be free
Can’t you see
All love’s luxuries
Are here for you and me
–Halo
Overflowing senses
Heightened awareness
I hear my blood flow
I feel its caress
Whispering cosmos
Talking right to me
Unlimited endless
God breathing through me
See the microcosm
In macro vision
Our bodies moving
With pure precision
One universal celebration
One evolution
One creation
–Macro
Cry for you
Seen the tears
Roll down from my eyes for you
Heard my truth
Distorted to lies for you
Watched my love
Becoming a prize for you
–Rush
I would tell you about the things they put me through
The pain I’ve been subjected to
But the Lord himself would blush
The countless feasts laid at my feet
Forbidden fruits for me to eat
But I think your pulse would start to rush
Now I’m not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
–Walking In My Shoes
The way you move
Is meant to haunt me
The way you move
To tempt and taunt me
I know you knew on the day you were born
I know somehow I should have been warned
I know I walk every midnight till dawn
In chains
You’ve got me dying for you
It’s you that I’m living through
You’ve got me praying to you
Saying to you
Anything you want me to
You’ve got me reaching for you
My soul’s beseeching me to
You’ve got me singing to you
Bringing to you
Anything you ask me to
–In Chains
Paying debt to karma
You party for a living
What you take won’t kill you
But careful what you’re giving
There’s no time for hesitating
Pain is ready, pain is waiting
Primed to do it’s educating
Unwanted, uninvited kin
It creeps beneath your crawling skin
It lives without it lives within you
Feel the fever coming
You’re shaking and twitching
You can scratch all over
But that won’t stop you itching
–Dream On
I’ll stop. For now :P
zhena gogolia
I never heard of 99% of these songs, except the Dylan ones. I’m old.
Omnes Omnibus
Ow, we want the funk
Give up the funk
Ow, we need the funk
We gotta have that funk
SpaceUnit
Buddah bump, buddah bump, buddah bump bump bump
Buddah bump, buddah bump, buddah bump bump bump
Buddah bump, buddah bump, buddah bump bump bump
Buddah buuuuuuuuuuh, buddah bump bump bump!
Lyrics to the William Tell Overture
RSA
@cope: Nice. For related poetic qualities I’ll nominate the chorus in the Beths’ “Future Me Hates Me”.
Future heartbreak, future headaches
Wide-eyed nights late lying awake
With future cold shakes from stupid mistakes
Future me hates me for, hates me for
You give a bit of alliteration in “late lying”, internal rhymes in the first and third lines, and the assonance in “wide-eyed nights”. I think it’s impressive.
Another Scott
Too many.
The rhythm of this one:
Pete Townshend – I’ve had enough
My jacket’s gonna be cut and slim and checked
Maybe a touch of seersucker, with an open neck
I ride a G.S. scooter with my hair cut neat
I wear my wartime coat in the wind and sleet
The storytelling of this one:
Kate Bush – Babooshka
She sent him scented letters
And he received them with a strange delight
Just like
His wife
But how she was before the tears
And how she was before the years flew by
And how she was when she was beautiful
Just the fun of this one
Cheap Trick – Surrender
Father says your mother’s right
She’s really up on things
Before we married Mommy served
In the WACs in the Philippines
Now I had heard the WACs recruited
Old maids for the war
But Mommy isn’t one of those
I’ve known her all these years
Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don’t give yourself away
Lots and lots of great stuff out there.
Cheers,
Scott.
Omnes Omnibus
@zhena gogolia: Everything I have posted so far is from the ’70s.
Alison Rose
@Villago Delenda Est: Scroll down to the credits and see my mom’s name, Nadine (neé) Kaplan, under “Crew” :)
eclare
@Villago Delenda Est:
Hahaha…
HumboldtBlue
Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped
Best prepared troops refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it’s safe to say that they would rather switch
Than fight
1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hitting your heart ’cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you’re missing y’all
Swinging while I’m singing
Giving whatcha getting
Knowing what I know
While the Black bands sweating
And the rhythm rhymes rolling
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you’ve realized the pride’s arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
From the heart
It’s a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange
People, people we are the same
No we’re not the same
‘Cause we don’t know the game
What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Don’t rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
Elvis was a hero to most
Elvis was a hero to most
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant s- to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother f- him and John Wayne
‘Cause I’m Black and I’m proud
I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped
Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don’t worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c’mon
What we got to say?
Power to the people no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
Yo, check this out man
Ok talk to me ’bout the future of
Public Enemy
Future of Public Enemy gotta
Steeplejack
@zhena gogolia:
😹 I, too, got Rick-rolled by the crossword this morning. Couldn’t resist copying the URL to see where it went. D’oh!
Gin & Tonic
You’re sitting there yakkin’ right in my face
I guess I’m gonna have to put you in your place
Y’know if silence was golden
You couldn’t raise a dime
Because your mind is on vacation and your mouth is
Working overtime
You’re quoting figures, you’re dropping names
You’re telling stories about the dames
You’re always laughin’ when things ain’t funny
You try to sound like you’re big money
If talk was criminal, you’d lead a life of crime
Because your mind is on vacation and your mouth is
Working overtime
You know that life is short and talk is cheap
Don’t be making promises that you can’t keep
If you don’t like the song I’m singing, just grin and
Bear it
All I can say is if the shoe fits wear it
If you must keep talking please try to make it rhyme
‘Cause your mind is on vacation and your mouth is working
Overtime
Viva BrisVegas
Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys
God save the King!
Villago Delenda Est
@Alison Rose: Woohoo! Thanks mom!
Alison Rose
And for one single line that is so simple but so perfectly beautiful, I have to mention She had eyes so blue, they looked like weather from It’ll All Work Out by Tom Petty.
MagdaInBlack
@Villago Delenda Est: You can Rick roll me anytime with the live version of that with Foo Fighters.
NotMax
Tom Lehrer, The Elements.
And another from him
<em.When the air becomes uranious
We will all go simultaneous
Source
:)
NotMax
Coding fix.
Tom Lehrer, The Elements.
And another from him
When the air becomes uranious
We will all go simultaneous
Source
:)
Villago Delenda Est
@MagdaInBlack: That was an EPIC performance.
Matt McIrvin
@Tony Jay:
Wait, is that some kind of clean-lyrics edit? I always heard it as the gloriously obscene
and I always have to sing along with that bit super loud.
SteveinPHX
96 Tears — ? and the Mysterians
Too many teardrops for one heart to be cryingToo many teardrops for one heart to carry onYou’re way on top now since you left meYou’re always laughing way down at meBut watch out now, I’m gonna get thereWe’ll be together for just a little whileAnd then I’m gonna put you way down hereAnd you’ll start crying ninety-six tearsCry, cryAnd when the sun comes up, I’ll be on topYou’ll be right down there, looking upAnd I might wave, come up hereBut I don’t see you waving nowI’m way down here, wondering howI’m gonna get you but I know nowI’ll just cry, cry, I’ll just cryToo many teardrops for one heart to be cryingToo many teardrops for one heart to carry onYou’re gonna cry ninety-six tearsYou’re gonna cry ninety-six tearsYou’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry nowYou’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cryNinety-six tears
SpaceUnit
tequila
tequila
tequila
Lyrics to the 1958 hit song Tequila by The Champs
Old Dan and Little Ann
Ten years ago, on a cold dark night
There was someone killed ‘neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me
The judge said, “Son what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else then you won’t have to die”
I spoke not a word though it meant my life
For I had been in the arms of my best friend’s wife
Brachiator
How many days has it been
Since I was born
How many days until I die
Do I know any ways
That I can make you laugh
Or do I only know how to make you cry
When the baby looks around him
It’s such a sight to see
He shares a simple secret
With the wise man
He’s a stranger in a strange land
Just a stranger in a strange land
Tell me why
He’s a stranger in a strange land
Just a stranger in a strange land
BSR
@NotMax: Had almost forgotten about PDQ – thanks for making me listen to that again – brought me to tears (laughing).
Craig
@Phaedrusonbass: going to see Devo tonight.
Ann Marie
Let Fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,
Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy,
Which come in the night-time of sorrow and care,
And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
Long, long be my heart with such memories fill’d,
Like the vase in which roses have once been distill’d.
You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang ’round it still.
Craig
All I want is 20-20 vision
A total portrait with no omissions
All I want is a vision of you, oh-oh
If you can picture this, a day in December
Picture this, freezing cold weather
You got clouds on your lids and you’d be on the skids
If it weren’t for your job at the garage
If you could only oh-oh
Picture this, a sky full of thunder
Picture this, my telephone number
One and one is what I’m telling you
Get a pocket computer
Try to do what you used to do yeah
Splitting Image
When you’re lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crime
But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight
Bruce Cockburn, “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”
Omnes Omnibus
I’m back in Liverpool and everything seems the same
But I worked something out last night
That changed this little boy’s brain
A small piece of advice that took twenty-two years in the make
And I will break it for you now; please learn from my mistakes
Please learn from my mistakes
Let’s dance to Joy Division and celebrate the irony
Everything is going wrong, but we’re so happy
Let’s dance to Joy Division and raise our glass to the ceiling
‘Cause this could all go so wrong, but we’re so happy
Yeah, we’re so happy
Matt McIrvin
I got rid of my jackets and coats, I threw out all of my pants
I got sick of my stinking clothes, I had to get rid of them
I’m not yet considering replacing them; I only had to get rid of them
and rest awhile
Rest awhile
I stayed out in the sun too long and burned off all of my skin
I felt so dizzy I got into the car and got into an accident
Out of the burning wreckage I fell, wanting only to lay where I fell
and rest awhile
Rest awhile
Rest awhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile
I became friendly with Ruy Lopez, the author of works on chess
“Ruy,” I said, “you’re incorrect”; he cut me off and acted mad
He won’t even talk to me now, but I don’t care, ’cause I’m sick of that guy and I need to
rest awhile
Rest awhile
Rest awhile, rest awhile!
–“Rest Awhile”, They Might Be Giants
Craig
Her green plastic watering can
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
In the fake plastic earth
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
And it wears him out
It wears him out
It wears him out
It wears
She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
But I can’t help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And it wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time
Fake Plastic Trees- Radiohead
Villago Delenda Est
And during the few moments that we have left
We want to talk right down to earth
In a language that everybody here can easily understand
Look in my eyes
What do you see?
The cult of personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I’ve been everything you want to be
Oh, I’m the cult of personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I’m the cult of personality
The cult of personality
The cult of personality
Neon lights, a Nobel prize
When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You won’t have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I’m the smiling face on your TV
Oh, I’m the cult of personality
I exploit you, still you love me
I tell you, one and one makes three
Oh, I’m the cult of personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
I’m the cult of personality
The cult of personality
The cult of personality
Neon lights, a Nobel prize
When a leader speaks, that leader dies
You won’t have to follow me
Only you can set you free
You gave me fortune, you gave me fame
You gave me power in your god’s name
I’m every person you need to be
Oh, I’m the cult of personality
I am the cult of, I am the cult of
I am the cult of, I am the cult of
I am the cult of, I am the cult of
I am the cult of, I am the cult of personality
Ask not what your country can do for you
The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself
Cult of Personality — Living Colour
HumboldtBlue
Baby shark, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Baby shark!
BSR
TMBG: Birdhouse in Your Soul
I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend
But I am
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It’s a simple message
And I’m leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is blue canary, one note spelled l-i-t-e
My story’s infinite
Like the Longines Symphonette, it doesn’t rest
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend
But I am
There’s a picture opposite me
Of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores
And kept the beaches shipwreck free
Though I respect that a lot
I’d be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts
Bluebird of friendliness
Like guardian angels, it’s always near
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
And while you’re at it
Keep the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you’re at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you’re at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
lowtechcyclist
@Steeplejack:
I wouldn’t have guessed that another human being still remembered that song! I had it running through my mind lately – there was a kid in my school once whose name, like our Speaker Pro Tempore, was a play on “Patrick Henry,” and one of the few distinctives I remember of this kid after all these years was that he was always calling someone a cheater, and he pronounced it the way the vocalist did in that song. (Though he’d be talking about cards, not romance.) Which was how the song got in my head lately.
Blast from the past!
gene108
HumboldtBlue
@SpaceUnit:
Did someone say tequila?
MagdaInBlack
@Villago Delenda Est: I have lost track of how many times I have watched that. I am happy to admit that is my current go to feel good video 🤗
Trivia Man
Uncle John’s Band, Grateful Dead:
Think this through with me,
Let me know your mind
Whoa, oh, what I want to know is,
Are you kind?
I think about this a lot, it helps me remember to be kind
p.a.
Sunday morning, brings the dawningIt’s just a restless feeling by my sideEarly dawning, Sunday morningIt’s just the wasted years so close behind
Watch out, the world’s behind youThere’s always someone around you who will callIt’s nothing at all
Sunday morning and I’m fallingI’ve got a feeling I don’t want to knowEarly dawning, Sunday morningIt’s all the streets you crossed, not so long ago
Watch out, the world’s behind youThere’s always someone around you who will callIt’s nothing at all
Watch out, the world’s behind youThere’s always someone around you who will callIt’s nothing at all
Sunday morningSunday morningSunday morningSunday morning
WendyBinFL
Mr. B and I just celebrated our 49th anniversary, so I’m inspired by the lyrics of a transcendently romantic song, available in an old YouTube by Kathy Mattea, “Asking Us to Dance.”
There’s a full moon up and rising,
And there’s a whisper of a breeze.
Blowing through the tangled silver,
Hanging from the cypress trees.
There’s a river made of moonlight,
Flowing clear across the lake.
And there’s a million stars just waiting,
To fall for any wish we make.
Darlin’ tonight I am reminded,
How much these two hearts need romance.
You know it isn’t all that often,
We get this kind of chance.
Why don’t we get caught in this moment?
Be victims of sweet circumstance?
Tonight I feel like all creation,
Is asking us to dance.
There’ll be time enough tomorrow,
To get back to our daily bread.
But there’s something ’bout this evening,
That’s put this notion in my head.
That heaven and the earth are meeting,
Tonight upon this very spot.
And all the things on earth worth having,
Are things that we’ve already got.
piratedan
be it blue jeans or lace
not a hair out of place
but what would look
the best on you…
is me
Omnes Omnibus
Wham ! Bam !
Mon chat Splash gît sur mon lit
A bouffé sa langue en buvant dans mon whisky
Quant à moi, peu dormi, vidé, brimé
J’ai dû dormir dans la gouttière
Où j’ai eu un flash
Ouh-ouh-ouh-ouh
En quatre couleurs
Central Planning
I’ve never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I’ve never seen you shine so bright
You were amazing
I’ve never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled
It took my breath away
And I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love
As I do tonight
SpaceUnit
@HumboldtBlue:
Ha. I hadn’t seen that before.
Trivia Man
@gene108: Performed by Bill Mumy, aka Will Robinson from Lost In Space
Steeplejack
@lowtechcyclist:
“The Cheater” is a running joke with my friend that I’ve known since we were at Mizzou together in the early ’70s. Bub Kuban was from St. Louis and played all over the area—a local big deal. I looked on Wikipedia and was surprised to see that the song got as high as #12 on the Billboard chart.
It shows up now and then on the SiriusXM channel Sixties Gold, which is where I heard it yesterday. Always perks me up.
p.a.
[ETA: Ugh: cut-and-paste formatting is shite.]
I been in the right placeBut it must have been the wrong timeI’d have said the right thingBut must have used the wrong lineI been on the right tripBut I must have used the wrong carHead is in a bad place and I wonder what it’s good for
I been in the right placeBut it must have been the wrong timeMy head is in a bad placeBut I’m having such a good timeI’ve been running trying to get hung up in my mindReally got to give myself a good talking to this time
Just need a little brain salad surgeryI got to que my insecurity
But I’ve been in the wrong placeBut it must have been the right timeI been in the right placeBut it must have been the wrong songI been in the right veinBut it seems like a wrong armI been in the right worldBut it seems like wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong
Slipping, dodging, sneaking, creeping, hiding out down the streetSee my life shaking with every who I meetRefried confusion is making itself clearWonder which way do I go to get on out of here
But I been in the right placeBut it must have been the wrong timeI’d have said the right thingBut I must have used the wrong lineI took the right roadBut I must have took a wrong turnI took a right moveBut I made it at the wrong time
I was in the right tripBut I made it in the wrong carHead is in a good place, and I wonder what it’s bad for
BretH
@Memory Pallas: wow, was playing that this afternoon on the guitar. It was the song I turned my son onto Al Stewart with.
lowtechcyclist
My sweet summer is gone
And on my mirror, she made it clear
Her lipstick can’t be wrong
My summer, summer, my sweet summer is gone
My sweet summer is gone
Yeah, she left in the morning, gone without warning
Fun while it lasted, lost in the moment
She played me real good, took me for a ride
Now she’s off on an airplane, back to real life
Yeah, she dipped out
Smoked all my weed then she flipped out
Left in my slumber, waited ’til I passed out
And on my dresser was a paper and her number
I filled it up with grass and I burned it, for summer
-Dirty Heads, “My Sweet Summer”
Central Planning
I wanted to do a karaoke version of You’re 16 for my wife, except change 16 to 60. Of course I realized that after she turned 60 :/
Woo
You come on like a dream
Peaches and cream
Lips like strawberry wine
You’re sixty, you’re beautiful and you’re mine (ooh, mine all mine)
You’re all ribbons and curls (ooh)
Ooh, what a girl (ooh)
Eyes that sparkle and shine (ooh)
You’re sixty, you’re beautiful and you’re mine (ooh)
Mine all mine, mine, mine, mine
zhena gogolia
@Steeplejack: Methinks you’re getting visions of gold slacks.
Villago Delenda Est
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von 99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Denkst du vielleicht grad an mich?
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von 99 Luftballons
Und, dass sowas von sowas kommt
99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Hielt man für Ufos aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General
‘ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu geben, wenn’s so wär
Dabei war’n dort am Horizont
Nur 99 Luftballons
99 Düsenflieger
Jeder war ein großer Krieger
Hielten sich für Captain Kirk
Es gab ein großes Feuerwerk
Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft
Und fühlten sich gleich angemacht
Dabei schoss man am Horizont
Auf 99 Luftballons
99 Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich für schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen: „Krieg!“, und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht?
Dass es einmal so weit kommt
Wegen 99 Luftballons
Wegen 99 Luftballons
99 Luftballons
99 Jahre Krieg
Ließen keinen Platz für Sieger
Kriegsminister gibt’s nicht mehr
Und auch keine Düsenflieger
Heute zieh’ ich meine Runden
Seh’ die Welt in Trümmern liegen
Hab’ ‘n Luftballon gefunden
Denk’ an dich und lass’ ihn fliegen
zhena gogolia
@Villago Delenda Est:
Okay, if we’re playing that game:
Выхожу один я на дорогу.
Сквозь туман кремнистый путь блестит.
Ночь тиха; пустыня внемлет Богу,
И звезда с звездою говорит.
eclare
@MagdaInBlack:
He also does a kickass version of “Highway to Hell” playing drums
https://youtu.be/sorJihkCARk?si=r2cujwrXygF5JlKi
Steeplejack
@zhena gogolia:
Ah, good times! The “Psychotic Reaction” remix.
And the Pop Gear original. A memorable night on Balloon Juice.
Ben Cisco
@Omnes Omnibus: Well done!
stinger
@Villago Delenda Est:
Excellent choice! Brandy is a succinct saga — tells us so much about a woman, a man, a town, a career — in so few but well-chosen words. And with minimal repeats, except at the end.
eclare
@WendyBinFL:
That is beautiful. Congrats on the anniversary!
Nukular Biskits
@Villago Delenda Est:
@zhena gogolia:
“Come on, boys. We don’t want any trouble in here, not in any language.”
Craig
Did you ever wake up to find
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time
It’s just that demon life has got you in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got you in its sway
Ain’t flinging tears out on the dusty ground
For all my friends out on the burial ground
Can’t stand the feeling getting so brought down
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
There must be ways to find out
Love is the way they say is really strutting out
Hey, hey, hey now
One day I woke up to find
Right in the bed next to mine
Someone that broke me up with a corner of her smile, yeah
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me
It’s just that demon life has got me
Sway- Rolling Stones
lowtechcyclist
“Here’s a song that is guaranteed to bring you right down.
“It’s called, ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down.’
“It sort of starts off real slow, then fizzles out altogether.”
-Neil Young’s intro to this song on Four-Way Street
Old man sitting by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky
Cold wind ripping down the alley at dawn
And the morning paper flies
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes
Don’t let it bring you down
It’s only castles burning
Find someone who’s turning
And you will come around
Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain
Can you hear the sirens moan?
White cane lying in a gutter in the lane
If you’re walking home alone
Don’t let it bring you down
It’s only castles burning
Find someone who’s turning
And you will come around
Don’t let it bring you down
It’s only castles burning
Just find someone who’s turning
And you will come around
My sister and I agreed many years ago that this is the most October of songs.
Matt McIrvin
Protons, neutrons
I ate a rock from the moon
Got shocked once, shocked twice
Let’s see what it can do
Man in the moon
Moon in the man
I got a rock in my throat
Upside
Upside down
My tummy start to talk (what it say?)
[…]
IIIIII got wild imagination, talking transsubstantiation
Any version will do
I got mass communication, I’m the human corporation
I ate a rock from the moon
Rock in the moon, moon in the rock
I got a moon in my throat
You might think I’m wasting time, you might laugh but not for long
Hey! I’m workin’ it out! (Work it out!)
–“Moon Rocks”, Talking Heads
phein64
@lowtechcyclist: I met Bob Kuban on more than one occasion as a teenager growing up in Florissant, a second-ring suburb of St. Louis. He used to perform while a friend’s dad played keyboards out in front of a head shop at Grandview Plaza. Ah, those were the days when you could purchase a water pipe and have the lady behind the counter say, “You’re buying this for your father, right?”
like a metaphor
The Magnetic Fields have so many good ones, it’s hard to choose. So I’ll just go with When My Boy Walks Down The Street:
Grand pianos crash together when my boy walks down the street There are whole new kinds of weather when he walks with his new beat Everyone sings hallelujah when my boy walks down the street Life just kind of dances through ya from your smile down to your feet
Amazing he’s a whole new form of life Blue eyes blazing and he’s going to be my wife The world does the hula-hula when my boy walks down the street Everyone thinks he’s Petula so big and yet so petite
Butterflies turn into people when my boy walks down the street Maybe he should be illegal he just makes life too complete…Amazing he’s a whole new form of life Blue eyes blazing and he’s going to be my wife
Oh, shadows of echoes of memories Oh, things that he brings that he found in the sea Oh, shadows of echoes of memories of songs Oh, how could he know that it won’t be long…
Grand pianos crash together when my boy walks down the street There are whole new kinds of weather when he walks with his new beat Everyone sings hallelujah when my boy walks down the street Life just kind of dances through ya from your smile down to your feet
RSA
I’m a fan of the lyrics of Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. Probably his most famous couplet is in “Mr. Jones and Me”:
I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
To me it comes across as honest and funny. There are other lyrics, like the last two lines here, from “John Appleseed’s Lament”. Vivid, novel metaphors, even for alt rock.
Well, I say a prayer, I say a prayer
I say a prayer to Pocahontas
I pray to John Appleseed
Oh, I cigarette the winter air
And then I Fred Astaire my way down 7th Street
One more, from “St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream”, mainly the first two lines, again with the vivid imagery.
Carrie’s down in her basement all toe shoes and twinned
With the girl in the mirror who spins when she spins
From where you think you’ll end up to the state that you’re in
Your reflection approaches and then recedes again
I could add a bit more from “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” or “Cover Up the Sun,” but that’s enough. Duritz really was serious about wanting to be Dylan, even if no one can be Dylan. Taking a shot can be worthwhile, though.
stinger
You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye, your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner
You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive
You said that we made such a pretty pair and that you’d never leave
But you gave away the things you loved, and one of them was me
I hear you went up to Saratoga, and your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun
You’re where you should be all the time, and when you’re not,
You’re with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend
You’re so vain, I’ll bet you think this song is about you, don’t you?
Craig
Well, I’ll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that’s not unusual
It’s just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I’d known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall
As I remember your eyes
Were bluer than robin’s eggs
My poetry was lousy you said
Where are you calling from?
A booth in the midwest
Ten years ago
I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust
Well, you burst on the scene
Already a legend
The unwashed phenomenon
The original vagabond
You strayed into my arms
And there you stayed
Temporarily lost at sea
The Madonna was yours for free
Yes, the girl on the half-shell
Could keep you unharmed
Now I see you standing
With brown leaves falling all around
And snow in your hair
Now you’re smiling out the window
Of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there
Now you’re telling me
You’re not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
‘Cause I need some of that vagueness now
It’s all come back too clearly
Yes, I loved you dearly
And if you’re offering me diamonds and rust
I’ve already paid
Diamonds and Rust- Joan Baez with an assist from Judas Priest.
DesertFriar
1)
It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won’t see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
2)
… Oh, darling why d’you talk so fast?
Another evening just flew past tonight
And now the daybreak’s coming in
And I can’t win and it ain’t right
You tell me all you’ve done and seen
And all the places you have been without me
Well, I don’t really want to know
But I’ll stay quiet and then I’ll go
And you won’t have no cause to think about me
… There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
Just like you swore to me that you’d be true
There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
But he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you
… Oh, darling you’re so popular
You were the best thing new in Hicksville
With your mohair suits and foreign shoes
Lou says you changed your pickup for a Seville
And now I’m lying here alone’
Cause you’re out there on the phone to some star in New York
I can hear you laughing now
And I can’t help feeling that somehow
You don’t mean anything you say at all
… There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
Just like you swore to me that you’d be true
There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
But he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you, ow!
… There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
Just like you swore to me that you’d be true
There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis
But he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you
I said he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you
I said he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you
I said he’s a liar and I’m not sure about you
zhena gogolia
@Steeplejack: Thanks! Have to watch that again.
FelonyGovt
@Craig: OMG that’s one of my favorite Stones songs! Love that guitar solo.
Comrade Scrutinizer
From Things That Scare Me by Neko Case:
Percysowner
@stinger:
You picked my first choice.
Phaedrusonbass
@Nukular Biskits: That was the best 20 minutes I’ve spent in a long, long time.
stinger
@Percysowner:
It should be emblazoned… everywhere!
frosty fred
Oh, so many of these are great, but seriously, no one?
There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more
kalakal
The cleverest rhyme I’ve ever heard is by
Noel Coward in Mad dogs and Englishmen
And when the sun gets sultry
You must beware those ultry
violet rays
The lyrics to the whole thing are a hoot
kalakal
@frosty fred: One of my favourite songs ever
Tehanu
And I’m leavin’ my family
Leavin’ all my friends
My body’s at home
But my heart’s in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
Upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
‘Cause I’m a-sailin’ away
Groucho48
Lyrics
I was born in the path of the winter wind
And raised where the mountains are old
Their springtime waters came dancing down
And I remember the tales they told
The whistling ways of my younger days
Too quickly have faded on by
But all of their memories linger on
Like the light in a fading sky
River, take me along
In your sunshine, sing me your song
Ever moving and winding and free
You rolling old river
You changing old river
Let’s you and me, river
Run down to the sea
I’ve been to the city and back again
I’ve been moved by some things that I’ve learned
Met a lot of good people and I’ve called them friends
Felt the change when the seasons turned
I’ve heard all the songs that the children sing
And listened to love’s melodies
I’ve felt my own music within me rise
Like the wind in the autumn trees
River, take me along
In your sunshine, sing me your song
Ever moving and winding and free
You rolling old river
You changing old river
Let’s you and me, river
Run down to the sea
Someday when the flowers are blooming still
Someday when the grass is still green
My rolling waters will round the bend
And flow into the open sea
So here’s to the rainbow that’s followed me here
And here’s to the friends that I know
And here’s to the song that’s within me now
I will sing it where’er I go
River, take me along
In your sunshine, sing me your song
Ever moving and winding and free
You rolling old river
You changing old river
Let’s you and me, river
Run down to the sea
River, take me along
In your sunshine, sing me your song
Ever moving and winding and free
You rolling old river
You changing old river
Let’s you and me, river
Run down to the sea
Songwriters: Bill Staines
dm
Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don’t do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Talking Heads, Crosseyed and painless
dm
While out sailing on the ocean
While out sailing on the sea
Bumped into the Saviour
He said, “Pardon me”
I said, “Jesus you look tired”
He said, “Jesus so do you
Oh, sit down son
‘Cause I got some fat to chew”
You see, everybody needs somebody
That they can talk to
Someone to open up their ears
And let that trouble through
Now you don’t have to sympathize
Or care what they may do
But everybody needs somebody that they can talk to
Well, he spoke to me of morality
Starvation, pain, and sin
Matter of fact, the whole dang time
I only got few words in
But I won’t squawk
Let ‘im talk
Hell, it’s been a long long time
Any friend that’s been turned down
Is bound to be a friend of mine
‘Cause everybody needs somebody
That they can talk to
Someone to open up their ears
And let that trouble through
Now you don’t have to sympathize
Or care what they may do
But everybody needs somebody that they can talk to
Pick it
Now we sat there for an hour or two
Just a-eatin’ that Gospel pie
When around the bend come a terrible wind
And lightning lit the sky
He said, “So long son, I gotta run
I appreciate you listening to me”
And I believe I heard him sing these words
As he skipped out across the sea
“Everybody needs somebody
That they can talk to
Someone to open up their ears
And let that trouble through
Now you don’t have to sympathize
Or care what they may do
But everybody needs somebody that they can talk to
Everybody needs somebody that they can talk to”
John Prine, Everybody
BretH
The Neko Case reference reminded me of the time she was brought to tears by a song.
The boys were playing “Shing-a-Ling” on that summer night we met. You were tan and seventeen, oh how could I forget.
And every star from near and far was watching from above Watching two teenagers fall in love.
Jesse Winchester, Shama-ling-dong-ding
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bGabTMx8mOM&si=EeTbU6X5AuNgCTut
Timill
@kalakal: In praise of hy-
phenation
When you attend a funeral
It is sad to think that sooner or l-
-ater those you love will do the same for you
And you may have thought it tragic
(Not to mention other adjec-
-tives) to think of all the weeping they will do
But don’t you worry
No more ashes, no more sackcloth
And an armband made of black cloth
Will some day nevermore adorn a sleeve
For if the bomb that drops on you
Gets your friends and neighbors too
There’ll be nobody left behind to grieve
Craig
Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today
Madam
Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today
She is sorry to be delayed
But last evening down in Lover’s Lane she strayed
Madam
Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today
When she woke up and found that her dream of love was gone
Madam
She ran to the man who had led her so far astray
And from under her velvet gown
She drew a gun and shot her love down
Madam
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to lunch today
When the mob came and got her and dragged her from the jail
Madam
They strung her upon the old willow across the way
And the moment before she died
She lifted up her lovely head and cried
Madam
Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today
Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to lunch today
-Cole Porter
Such genius. I could just list the whole Cole Porter songbook.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Craig:
Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition is great.
Mr. Bemused Senior
I’m a bit late to the party, let me contribute a bit of Randy Newman, the World Isn’t Fair
stinger
At the Turning of the Year
When the Hunter and the Bull are chasing down the setting Sun
Dissolving in an icy blue beyond the grey horizon
We turn to feed the fading fire, dream deeply through the night
And cherish songs that carry us from darkness into light
[Chorus]
And we will sing, we will sing
At the turning of the year
Knowing, knowing we are a short time here
And so we’ll sing, yes, we’ll sing
At the turning of the year
At the dancing, spinning, turning of the year
When the Greater and the Lesser Bear sleep soundly in the sky
And the Seven Dancing Iroquois across the heavens fly
We turn our backs against the wind that drives the bitter cold
And celebrate the wonders that a new year will unfold
(Chorus)
When the evergreen stands silently against the broken land
And the icicle like Spring’s cocoon is spun by WInter’s hand
We turn to friends and family and mourn the loved ones gone
And gather them around us as we raise our voice in song
(Chorus)
Now the Solstice moon is like a pearl suspended in the lake
Frozen underneath a spell no human hand can break
We turn to ask forgiveness and with gratefulness of heart
Turn once again to welcome in the new year as it starts
(Chorus)
Nukular Biskits
@Phaedrusonbass:
Same here!
Villago Delenda Est
More Al Stewart, this from 24 Carrots:
And I think of you now
As a dream that I had long ago
In a kingdom lost in time
In a forest of evening
The archer is bending a bow
And I see you bring him bread and wine
Down the legions of years
The invaders have taken this land
And bent you to their will
And the memories fade of the ancients
And all that they had
Though the magic lingers round you still
Oh, who would walk the stony roads
Of Merlin’s time?
And keep the watch along the borderline
And who would hear the legends passed
In song and rhyme?
Upon the shepherd pipes of Merlin’s time
Craig
@Mr. Bemused Senior: I do like that one a lot, but I’ve always preferred this Francis Faye version on Capital, it really bops.
Craig
We’re gonna kill
The California girls
We’re gonna fire the exploding load in the milkmaid maiden head
We’re gonna find the meaning
Of feeling good
And we’re gonna stay there as long as we think we should
Mystery train
Three way plane
Expressway
To your skull
Mystery train
Three way plane
Expressway
To your skull
Mystery train
Three way plane
Expressway
To your skull
Expressway To Your Skull- Sonic Youth.
Another Scott
Since ChatGPT and self-driving are going to take all the jobs, it’s probably good to go through our Dead Kennedy’s collections again…
We’re sorry, but you’re no longer needed
Or wanted or even cared about here
Machines can do a better job than you
And this is what you get for asking questions
The unions agree
Sacrifices must be made
Computers never go on strike
To save the working man you’ve got to put him out to pasture
Looks like we’ll have to let you go
Doesn’t it feel fulfilling to know
That you the human being are now obsolete
And there’s nothing in hell we’ll let you do about it
Soup is good food (we don’t need you any more)
You made a good meal (we don’t need you any more)
Now how does it feel (we don’t need you any more)
To be shit out our ass
And thrown in the cold like a piece of trash
[…]
Remember – we make the future every day.
Forward on Tuesday!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Steve Finlay
Anything by John Prine, but also this:
Ring the bell that still can ring
And forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how light gets in.
thruppence
Well, trying to do this on my phone is not working. Oh well
mrmoshpotato
Somebody slap me I said somebody slap me
Can’t be this happy I said somebody slap me
John Anderson – Somebody Slap Me
PIGL
@NotMax: lord, love a duck. I haven’t thought of that. Stupid song is many decades. Yes
frosty
Linda Rondstadt covered this one which has followed me all my life:
Now my memory cannot speak, and oh Lord I know I’m weak
But I blame it on the fact that I was young
And I know it may sound strange, but there’s no way I can change
What my fate has laid our for me now is done.
She walked into my life with her cold evil eyes
And with the length of her mind, she darked the sun
billcinsd
@RSA: Many of The Beths lyrics are like this. I saw them in Denver in August
billcinsd
@Omnes Omnibus: Love The Wombats
billcinsd
To fully kil a mostly dead thread
The Empty Bottle was half empty, tide was low, and I was thirsty
Saw her sitting at the bar, you know how some girls are
Always making eyes, well she wasn’t making eyes
So I sidled up beside her, settled down and shouted, “Hi there.”
“My name’s Stewart Ransom Miller, I’m a serial lady-killer.”
She said, “I’m already dead,” that’s exactly what she said
So we tripped the lights fantastic, we was both made of elastic
Midnight came and midnight went, and I thought I was the President
What’s so great about the Barrier Reef?
What’s so fine about art?
What’s so good about a Good Times Van
When you’re working on a broken
Working on a broken
Working on a broken man?
My heart wasn’t in it, not for one single minute
I went through the motions with her. Her on top, and me on liquor
Didn’t do no good, well I didn’t think it would
SFBayAreaGal
I took my love, I took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills ‘Til the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky What is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin”Cause I’ve built my life around youBut time makes you bolderEven children get olderAnd I’m getting older too
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin”Cause I’ve built my life around youBut time makes you bolderEven children get olderAnd I’m getting older tooOh! I’m getting older too
Oh-oh, take my love, take it downOh-oh, climb a mountain and you turn aroundAnd if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hillsWell, the landslide bring it downAnd if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hillsWell, the landslide bring it downOh-ohh, the landslide bring it down
lol chikinburd
Tony Jay
@Matt McIrvin:
No, no, your are the correct lyrics, my ones are the ones I misheard. I really thought she was singing about having miserable anal sex with an ex-boyfriend and feeling terrible about it.
There go two miscreants
I don’t go to therapy
To find out if I’m a freak.
I go and I find
The one-and-only answer, every week.
Dar Williams, What Do You Hear In These Sounds?
Uncle Cosmo
Late as always to a thread, but if anyone’s still looking in…
A notable feature of English is the paucity of pure rhymes. IMO that’s one reason for the prevalence of near- or slant-rhymes in song lyrics** – they’re so much easier to find.
What about song lyrics that don’t rhyme? Off the top of my head I can only think of two notable songs that dispensed with rhyme entirely: the Blackburn/Suessdorf 1944 classic “Moonlight in Vermont”, and Paul Simon’s “America” off the 1968 album Bookends.***
If anyone’s still visiting this thread and has any others to add, I’d be all ears…so to speak…:^D
** And FTR song lyrics, since they’re meant to be heard rather than read, almost always use assonantal rhymes (same vowels but different consonants) whereas poetry (for the last century or so, as it became more likely to be read on the page than aloud) is much more likely to employ consonantal rhyming (same ending consonant, different vowel)
*** ETA: One might sortakinda include “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, Pete Seeger’s turn ;^D on Ecclesiastes, but the version I’m familiar with by the Byrds cheats with a rhyme in the last verse, and I’m not sure that’s in Seeger’s original. (In fact it cheats in the first verse as well as the last. FWIW the song is also notable for the refrain showing up before each of the verses._