Favorite Lyrics

[jerryskid]

PRobb thought we should have a favorite lyrics thread and I agree, so I'll start with one of my favorite Elvis Costello songs:


Satellite

She looked like she learned to dance from a
series of still pictures
She's madly excited now, she throws her hands
up like a tulip
She looks like an illustration of a cocktail party
Where cartoon bubbles burst in the air,
champagne rolls off her tongue
Like a second language
And it should have been her biggest night
The satellite looks down on her as she begins
to cry

All over the world at the very same time people
sharing the same sorrow
As the satellite looks down her darkest hour is
somebody's bright tomorrow

He pulled on a cigarette, in the crook of his
first finger
Felt the static electric charge of her perfect
hour-glass figure
As he undressed her with his eyes her weakness
was his talent
How could she know as she stepped through
the lights, that her dress would become
transparent
And with his face pressed to the screen, he
muttered words he'd never dare to say if she
could see him

All over the world at the very same time
People sharing the same cheap sensation the
thrill of watching somebody watching those
forbidden things we never mention

The satellite looks down right now and forever
What it has pulled apart let no man tether his
own body to his dream,
His dream to someone else
Oh no, oh no.

She went back to a pitiful compromise
He'd go back to his family
But for the matter of a thousand miles that
separated them entirely
In the hot unloving spotlight, with secrets
it arouses
Now they both know what it's like inside a
pornographer's trousers
And in a funny way it's anonymous, the satellite
it blesses us and makes these dreams come
true... All over the world

The satellite looks down right now and forever
What it has pulled apart let no man tether his
own body to his dream,
His dream to someone else
Oh no, oh no.



From "Spike"

[Droolbucket]

A song that kills me every time we do it:

Helplessly Hoping by CSNY. A serious work of songcraft. I'm not gonna post the lyrics here, because if you can't remember them, you need to dig out the vinyl.

And, of course, just about any Eagles song is a mini college course in songwriting and arrangement.

For absolutely profound lyrics, I humbly submit:

Oooey Gooey rich and chewy inside!
Golden flakey tender cakey outside!
Put the inside in the outside, is it good, Darn Tootin!
It's a BIG
FIG
NEWTONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charles Nelson Reilly was a true artist....:Uh oh:

Droolbucket

[gabby garcia]

dude...

save it for the jingles thread!!!!

:lol:

[jerryskid]

hey drool, yer age is showin.....:lol:

[Fulcrum]

One note timeless came out of nowhere
It wailed like the wind and night
It sought no glory, it added no meaning
Not even a reason why

No thought-- no need to say something
No message to sell
It played without a buzz or a showing
Out of the great nothing it came without fail

One man with his mind full trying to get somewhere
He thought, "Man this thing could fly!"
He had good intentions, even some feeling
He thought, "Lord, I've got to try ..."

No thought-- he had to say something
His message would sell
He got a buzz without knowing
Into the great nothing the boy slipped and fell

Come up breathing
Up from the water
Man, he was so submerged
Where's the feeling?

It must be way under
Far from the spoken word

No, no - no corporate ladder
No hometown parade
The fat cats just keep getting fatter
What does it matter, the thing must be played .....

One note timeless .......

Don't let the buzz get you down
Don't lose your memory or you'll sink fast and drown
But you can't seem to sleep for the thoughts in your mind
Since you can't stand to think you have one hell of a time
Hanging with submergers you drink yourself blind
You think it's fine
You've got time ......


The boy has got potential
But he's never had commercial success
There's flies in his ointment
There's Stuyvesants and liquor on his breath
We'll have him charge the gate
We'll have to set him straight
We'll have him seal his future fate
Before it's too late

I worked with him closely
It must have been ten years ago
Of all the pains in the asses
He's the worst I've had the bad taste to know
He's undirectable
Completely uncoachable
But perhaps we can put him
In an altered state
Before it's too late


See the writing on the wall
Once the man who had it all
You threw it all away, look around and nothing's left
You've got nothing to forget
No golden yesterday

'Cause you missed your calling
You could have lived up in the sky
You missed your calling every time

Watch the lady throw the rune
Have her come up to your room
She comes from Montreal
There's no limelight only line
And Tequila's made you blind
It's time to lose it all

'Cause you missed your calling
You could have lived up in the sky
You missed your calling one more time

The boy has got potential
But he'll never have commercial success
We gave him good direction
But he always thought that he knew what's best
We tried to set him straight
His calls will have to wait
We tried to change his future fate
But now it's too late

Something keeps telling quiet now, quiet now - quiet now
Mother says quiet down, quiet down - quiet down .........



One note timeless came out of nowhere
Just when all hope was gone
And nothing matters but that it's breathing
It ends as it has begun

No thought-- no need to say something
No message to run
From the ashes
Out of the great nothing, without a buzz or a showing
Out of the great nothing, with nobody knowing
It plays on and on ...


--Spock's Beard, The Great Nothing

[PRobb]

OK- now I'm on a total Elvis jag. I can't choose between this
One day you're going to have to face
A deep dark truthful mirror
And it's going to tell you things that I still love you too much to say
The sky was just a purple bruise, the ground was iron
And you fell all around the town until you looked the same

Chorus:

The same eyes, the same lips, the same lie from
your tongue trips
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror

Now the flagstone streets where the newspaper shouts ring to the boots of roustabouts
But you're never in any doubt, there's something happening somewhere

You chase down the road 'til your fingers bleed
On a fiberglass tumbleweed

You can blow around the town, but it all shuts down the same

Chorus
And this
Some of my friends sit around every evening
and they worry about the times ahead
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
and the promise of an early bed
You either shut up or get cut out;
they don't wanna hear about it.
It's only inches on the reel-to-reel.
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
tryin' to anaesthetise the way that you feel


Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you any choice
'cause they think that it's treason.
So you had better do as you are told.
You better listen to the radio.



I don't know if anybody ever sneered a venomous lyric better than EC.

[lebouche]

Shit I missed this thread an was thinking along the same lines of we should have a fav lyrics thread...
can you delete my other one pretty please MR moderator.

My favorite

All of Astral weeks...

" And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
hey, its me, Im dynamite
And I dont know why"
.....thats the whole feel of the album, completely inspired.

And that Dylan song on Desire (well most of Desire as well)
One more cup of coffee then I'll go...

[lebouche]

Yes Droolbucket!
"Its a girl my lord in a flat bed Ford slowing down to take a look at me"
It has nothing to do with age....check my Noel Coward
.................................................. ..............................................
Then theres Vincent....
Colors changing hue
morning fields of amber grain

weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artist's
loving hand.
.................................................. .....................................
Mad about the boy...Noel Coward

"Will it ever cloy?
This odd diversity of misery and joy".

[blackieC]

If PRob and I have anything to say about it, this is going to be the "all Elvis all the time" thread.

My favorite anti-war song.


Shipbuilding

Is it worth it?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding.......
Well I ask you
The boy said "Dad they're going to take me to task, but I'll be back by Christmas"
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding........
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls.

[PRobb]

Seems we have parallel threads going here. But there are so many threads about things that suck, I guess we can have two for good stuff.
One that has always knocked me out for sheer craftsmanship is "Boy in the Bubble" by Paul Simon. Not to get too English Lit analytical, but check out how the pace of the alliterations drive the verse into the chorus
It was a slow day
And the sun was beating
On the soldiers by the side of the road
There was a bright light
A shattering of shop windows
The bomb in the baby carriage
Was wired to the radio and

These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

[jimmyjazz]

The Replacements "Skyway"

You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way
In my stupid hat and gloves, at night I lie awake
Wonderin' if I'll sleep
Wonderin' if we'll meet out in the street

But you take the skyway
It don't move at all like a subway
It's got bums when it's cold like any other place
It's warm up inside
Sittin' down and waitin' for a ride
Beneath the skyway

Oh, then one day, I saw you walkin' down that little one-way
Where, the place I'd catch my ride most everyday
There wasn't a damn thing I could do or say
Up in the skyway

[blackieC]

The Replacements "Pleased To Meet Me" seemed to register in my recognition about the same time as SA's "Hang Time".

Both are fucking brilliant. "I.O.U." stil floors me.

But the Replacements song that always comes back to me is "Color Me Impressed".


Everybody at your party
They all look depressed
Everybody dressin' funny
Color me impressed

Stayin' out late tonight
Won't be gettin' any sleep
Givin' out their word
Cuz that's all that they won't keep

Put the party on the mirror
Oh shit, pass the bill to Chris
Intoxicated lover ending our french kiss

Can you stand me on my feet? (2x)

(Everybody) (many x)

Everybody at your party
They don't look depressed
And everybody's dressin' funny
Color me impressed

Color me impressed (4x)
I call it out (?)

[jerryskid]

This one always puts chills on my arms....Marc Cohn:



Walking In Memphis

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy -- won't you look down over me
Yeah I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

(Chorus)

They've got catfish on the table
They've got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven't got a prayer
But boy you've got a prayer in Memphis

Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would --
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma'am I am tonight"

(Chorus)

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain

[Fulcrum]

Joytown

Fathers they have big hands and they pat gently on your head
Mothers always make sure everyone is happy and well fed
And everything is instant, no one has to wait to long
And Lennon never has to sing a Paul McCartney song
We're living here in Joytown, the City of the Sun
And everyone loves everyone, loves every single one

No one sells his roommate's stuff so he can get a fix
And no one fears the darkness, no one fears the number six
Everyone talks openly of great things they have read
And no one ever says the things that are better left unsaid
And everyone has someone they can share their sadness with
No one leaves the slightest doubt, no one takes the fifth
We're living here in Joytown, the City of the Sun
And everyone loves everyone, loves every single one

Jesus and Muhammed and Buddha live in town
Zoraster and Ba'h'aula and Moses hangs around
And when they get together they are quite a noisy crew
They laugh about their legacies over cigarettes and brew
We're living here in Joytown, the City of the Sun
And everyone loves everyone, loves every single one

Senator McCarthy enjoys a book by Marx
And people tear down parking lotsso they can build more parks
And Jimi plays the perfect note that never seems to end
and Martin Luther King has got a blond white girlfriend
We're singing here in Joytown, won't you come and sing along?
We'll never tell you that you ain't singing the right notes, never criticize your song

-- Kevin Gilbert

[Johnny]

Seasonal:

1. Down in yon forest there standeth a hall:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
It's covered all over with purple and pall
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

2 In that hall there standeth a bed:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
It's covered all over with scarlet so red:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

3 At the bed-side there lieth a stone:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Which the sweet Virgin Mary knelt down upon:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

4 Under that bed there runneth a flood:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
The one half runs water, the other runs blood:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

5 And at the bed's foot there groweth a thorn:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Which ever blows blossom since He was born:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

6 Over that bed the moon shineth bright:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Denoting our Saviour was born on this night:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

7. And by that bedside there standeth a stone:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
"Corpus Christi" written thereon:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

[PRobb]

Seasonal+Joni Mitchell =
Its coming on christmas
Theyre cutting down trees
Theyre putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it dont snow here
It stays pretty green
Im going to make a lot of money
Then Im going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Im so hard to handle
Im selfish and Im sad
Now Ive gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye

Its coming on christmas
Theyre cutting down trees
Theyre putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on

[Grapestomper]

What the hell, might as well give these threads equal time...

(Besides, while the lyrics which follow are favorites of mine, I'm not sure they'll 'never be matched', so I guess this is the right thread.)


Here's one from a relative unknown. He's not all that consistant, but James McMurtry has written a few really good songs.


No More Buffalo

I guess we knew the cards were stacked,
Started out the best of friends.
And we beat that highway till it quit beatin back,
Didn't mean much in the end.
Some you win, some you loose, and some you throw away.
We headed south across those Colorado plains,
Just as empty as the day.
We looked around at all we saw.
At all we'd hoped to see.
Looking out through the bugs on the windshield,
Sombody said to me,

No more buffalo,
Blue skys, or open roads.
No more rodeo, no more noise.
Take this Cadillac, park it out in back,
Momma's callin', put away the toys.

Don't chase that carrot till it makes you sick,
What you think you're gonna prove?
Just let it dangle till it falls off that stick,
That's when you make your move.
And don't go chasin' after shooting stars,
Trying to make yourself a name.
You can joust at windmills with that old Fender guitar,
Probably do about the same.

No more buffalo,
Blue skys, or open road.
No more rodeos, for these old boys
Take my Cadillac, park it out in back,
Momma's callin', put away the toys.

I never thought they'd ever doubt my words,
I guess they were just too tired to care.
I'd point to the horizon, to the dust of the heards,
Still hovering in the air.
Sombody said "it aint any such,
Man, you wish so hard you're scaring me.
Those are combines, kicking up that dust,
But you can see what you want to see.
Go on chasin after what used to be there,
Top that rise and face the pain"
"But man, they were here,
They were here, I swear.
Not just these bleaching bones,
Stretching across the plain."

No more buffalo,
Blue skys, or open roads.
No more rock n roll as we all know it.
Take my Cadillac, park it out in back,
Momma's callin', put away the toys.

[blackieC]

Another Elvis tune that always gets me.


Almost Blue

Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying

Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be

Almost blue
It's almost touching it will almost do
There's a part of me that's always true...always
Not all good things come to an end now it is only a chosen few
I've seen such an unhappy couple

Almost me
Almost you
Almost blue

[Droolbucket]

I've always thought this was the perfect first verse:

Some people live their dreams
Some people close their eyes
Some people's destiny
Passes by.

There are no guarantees
There are no alibis
That's how our love must be
Don't ask why.

"I'll be over you".... Toto.

Okay, that's two verses, not one. Sorry.:Coolio:

Droolbucket

[maccool]

Another vote for James McMurtry....

Strap them kids in
Give 'em a little bit of vodka in a cherry coke
We're going to Oklahoma to the family reunion for the first time in years
It's up at uncle Slayton's cause he's getting on in years
You know he no longer travels but he's still pretty spry
He's not much on talking he's just too mean to die
And they'll be comin' down from Kansas
and from west Arkansas
It'll be one great big old party like you never saw

Uncle Slayton's got his Texan pride
Back in the thickets with his Asian bride
He's got a Airstream trailer and a Holstein cow
He still makes whiskey 'cause he still knows how
He plays that Choctaw bingo every Friday night
You know he had to leave Texas but he won't say why
He owns a quarter section up by Lake Eufala
Caught a great big ol' blue cat on a driftin' jug line
Sells his hardwood timber to the shipping mill
Cooks that crystal meth because the shine don't sell
He cooks that crystal meth because the shine don't sell
You know he likes that money he don't mind the smell

My cousin Roscoe, Slayton's oldest boy from his second marriage up in Illinois,
raised in East St. Louis by his momma's people
Where they do things different,
Thought he'd just come on down.
He was going to Dallas Texas in a semi truck called from that big McDonald's
You know the one that's built up on that great big ol' bridge
Across the Will Rogers Turnpike
Took the Big Cabin exit stopped and bought a carton of cigarettes
At that Indian Smoke Shop with the big neon smoke rings
In the Cherokee Nation hit Muskogee late that night
Somebody ran a stoplight at the Shawnee Bypass
Roscoe tried to miss 'em but he didn't quite

Bob and Mae come up from some little town
Way down by lake Texoma where he coaches football
They were 2A champions now for two years running
But he says they won't be this year no they won't be this year
And he stopped off in Tushka at that "Pop's Knife and Gun" place
Bought a SKS rifle and a couple full of cases of that steel core ammo
With the berdan primers from some East bloc nation that no longer needs 'em
And a Desert Eagle that's one great big ol' pistol
I mean .50 caliber made by badass Hebrews
And some surplus tracers for that old BAR of Slayton's
Soon as it gets dark we're gonna have us a time
We're gonna have us a time

Ruth-Ann and Lynn come down from Baxter Springs
'n' that's one hell raisin' town way up in Southeastern Kansas
Got a biker bar next to the lingerie store
That's got them Rolling Stones lips up there in bright pink neon and they're right downtown where everyone can see 'em
And they burn all night you know they burn all night you know they burn all night

Ruth-Ann and Lynn they wear them cut off britches and those skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man I don't care I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard on like a old bodark fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gate from
Do some sister twisters 'til the cows come home
And we'll be havin' us a time

Uncle Slayton's got his Texan pride
Back in the thickets with his Asian bride
He's cut that corner pasture into acre lots
He sells 'em owner financed
Strictly to them that's got no kind of credit 'cause he knows they're slackers
When they miss that payment
Then he takes it back
He plays that Choctaw Bingo every Friday night
He drinks his Johnny Walker at that Club 69
We're gonna strap them kids in give 'em a little bit o' Benadryl
And a cherry coke we're goin' to Oklahoma
Gonna have us a time.
Gonna have us a time.

[bunnerabb]

I used to slow dance with boobunchkins at her flat in Columbus near short North, to this.. in her living room.. snowing outside.. and we'd dance.

I wore this tape to clear mylar, that winter.



Take the way home that leads back to sullivan street
Past the shadows that fall down wherever we meet
Pretty soon now I wont come around

Im almost drowning in her sea
Shes nearly fallen to her knees

Take the way home
Take the way home that leads back to sullivan street
Where all the bodies hang on the air
If she remembers, she hides it whenever we meet
Either way now, I dont really care
Cause Im gone from there

Im almost drowning in her seas
Shes nearly crawling on her knees
Shes down on her knees

Take the way home that leads back to sullivan street
Where Im just another rider burned to the ground
Come tumbling down

Im almost drowning in her sea
Shes nearly crawling on her knees
Its almost everything I need
Im down on my knees
Im down on my knees

[sqkychair]

I always thought this was a pretty clever verse:

From Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land"

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that sign was made for you and me!

[rockdart]

This album had so many... but these were probably my favorite:

My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
And I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
And I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark

I dont know when I noticed life was life at my expense
The words of my heart lined up like prisoners on a fence
The dreams came in like needy children tugging at my sleeve
I said I have no way of feeding you, so leave
But there was a time I asked my father for a dollar
And he gave it a ten dollar raise
And when I needed my mother and I called her
She stayed with me for days
Now someones on the telephone, desperate in his pain
Someones on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someones got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we arent gluttons for our doom
But I tried to make this place my place
I asked for providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
Yeah but Ill tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
And I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(by grace, my sight grows stronger)
And I do not feel the romance I will not be
(and I will not be a pawn for the prince of darkness any longer)

Maybe theres no haven in this world for tender age
My heart beat like the wings of wild birds in a cage
My greatest hope my greatest cause to grieve
And my heart flew from its cage and it bled upon my sleeve
Oh the cries of passion were like wounds that needed healing
I couldnt hear them for the thunder
I was half the naked distance between hell and heavens ceiling
And he almost pulled me under
Now someones on the telephone, desperate in his pain
Someones on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someones got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we arent gluttons for our doom
But I tried to make this place my place
I asked for providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But Ill tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
And I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(by grace, my sight grows stronger)
And I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
(grows stronger)
By grace
(my place is of the sun)
My sight
(and this place is of the dark)
Is growing stronger
(I do not feel the romance)
I will not be a pawn
(I will not be)
For the prince of darkness any longer

[lebouche]

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

[Fulcrum]

Oh are we doing this again? Cool. OK. How about some Graham Parker:

She wants so many things you can't give to her
She wants so many things, you don't have much
She wants so many things you can't deliver to her
She wants so many things all at once

Like a brick wall that'll keep her from crumbling
And a camouflage jacket to hide from herself in
And a system of worship like a powerful magnet
That'll draw in the heathens pick them up in a dragnet
And pull them underwater till they all go stagnant

She wants so many things beamed in on a satellite
Served up on a silver tray, a wasp and parasite

She wants so many things, where you gonna find them all
She wants so many things, get up and run
She wants so many things, you're at her beck and call
You're the puppet, she pulls the strings just for fun

Like a blue ocean that's devoid of fishes
Cause they're all on her table prepared into dishes
Like an army of lieutenants all standing to attention
And a book about you where you don't get a mention
With her hand on a Bible she's right in your face
Shes a living example of God's bad taste
And with him for an ally she can't be a heretic
But her hearts from a laboratory spun from a synthetic

She wants so many things brought without question
The gardens of Babylon hanging and festooned
A ship in the desert, your soul on a plate
She cant wait any longer don't make her wait

She wants so many things you cant negotiate
She wants so many things, you feel the crunch
She wants so many things, don't make her reiterate
She wants so many things all at once

A collection of clowns who were dragged up in public school
Who dream up the rhythms that she dances in the disco to
They all surround her and yes her to death
With their hands on their mouths to hide their bad breath
And she lives in a fortress at the back of a project
And she'll let you in soon, but not now and not yet
And she likes to see you immersed in greed
Confusing what you want with what you need

She wants so many things split up into atoms
She owns the crown jewels, but you can't get at 'em

She wants so many things, you cant keep up with her
She wants so many things at the same time
She wants so many things, you cant keep it up her
She wants so many things you'll never find

Like three million shoes and a closet full of whips
And two dozen hats and then everyone fits
And the kind of acceptance that needs a lobotomy
That'll help you accept every single contradictory
Statement that hits you like a force nine gale
And makes you go pale every time that you fail
To bring home the bacon and bring in the goods
Get the musk from the deer and the shell from the turtle
And the gold from the fools and the shells from the sea
She says load them in a caravan, bring them to me

She wants so many things brought to her feet
Cover every inch of the world in concrete
You better do it, its only your fate
She cant wait any longer, don't make her wait

She wants so many things you can't give to her
She wants so many things, you don't have much
She wants so many things you can't deliver to her
Everything's attached to strings you can't touch

[robmacki]

This one always puts chills on my arms....Marc Cohn:



Walking In Memphis

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy -- won't you look down over me
Yeah I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

(Chorus)

They've got catfish on the table
They've got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven't got a prayer
But boy you've got a prayer in Memphis

Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would --
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma'am I am tonight"

(Chorus)

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain

word

[PRobb]

A little Bruce appreciation. He's our Woody Guthrie.

Youngstown
Here in north east Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' yellow creek
They built a blast furnace
Here along the shore
And they made the cannon balls
That helped the union win the war

Chorus
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

Well my daddy worked the furnaces
Kept 'em hotter than hell
I come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarfer
A job that'd suit the devil as well
Taconite, coke and limestone
Fed my children and made my pay
Then smokestacks reachin' like the arms of god
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay

Chorus

Well my daddy come on the 0hio works
When he come home from world war two
Now the yards just scrap and rubble
He said, "Them big boys did what Hitler couldn't do"
These mills they built the tanks and bombs
That won this country's wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam
Now we're wondering what they were dyin' for

chorus

From the Monongaleh valley
To the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalacchia
The story's always the same
Seven-hundred tons of metal a day
Now sir you tell me the world's changed
Once I made you rich enough
Rich enough to forget my name

chorus

When I die I don't want no part of heaven
I would not do heavens work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me
To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell

[PRobb]

And speaking of Woody- from the "the more things change the more they stay the same" file.

Deportee
Woody Guthrie (1948)

The crops are all in and the peaches are rott'ning,
The oranges piled in their creosote dumps
They're flying 'em back to the Mexican border
To pay all their money to wade back again

CHORUS:
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane,
All they will call you will be "deportees"

My father's own father, he waded that river,
They took all the money he made in his life;
My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees,
And they rode the truck till they took down and died.
Some of us are illegal, and some are not wanted,
Our work contract's out and we have to move on;
Six hundred miles to that Mexican border,
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves.

We died in your hills, we died in your deserts,
We died in your valleys and died on your plains.
We died 'neath your trees and we died in your bushes,
Both sides of the river, we died just the same.

The sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon,
A fireball of lightning, and shook all our hills,
Who are all these friends, all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says, "They are just deportees"


Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards?
Is this the best way we can grow our good fruit?
To fall like dry leaves to rot on my topsoil
And be called by no name except "deportees"?

[Grapestomper]

And speaking of Woody- from the "the more things change the more they stay the same" file.

Deportee
Woody Guthrie (1948)



Wow, PRobb,

Thanks for that.

M

[bobzilla77]

2 short ones:

Neil Young - Barstool Blues - especially love the last 4 lines of verse 2. I first heard that in the midst of a bad, unending breakup & was like, "this guy knows some things."

If I could hold on to just one thought
For long enough to know
Why my mind is movin' so fast
When the conversation is slow
Burn off all the fog and let
The sun through to the snow
Let me see your face again before I have to go

I have seen you in the movies
And in those magazines at night
I saw you on the barstool
When you held that glass so tight
And I saw you in my nightmares
But I'll see you in my dreams
And I might live a thousand years
before I know what that means

Once there was a friend of mine
Who died a thousand deaths
His life was filled with parasites
And countless idle threats
He trusted in a woman
And on her he made his bets
Once there was a friend of mine
Who died a thousand deaths

and, from The Minutemen, "The Punch Line"

I believe when they found the body of Gen. George A. Custer
Quilled like a porcupine with Indian arrows
He died without any honor
Dignity
Or any valor

I believe when they found the body of Gen. George A. Custer
An American general
Patriot
Indian fighter
He died with shit in his pants.

[JMP2204]

This one always puts chills on my arms....Marc Cohn:



Walking In Memphis

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy -- won't you look down over me
Yeah I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

(Chorus)

They've got catfish on the table
They've got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven't got a prayer
But boy you've got a prayer in Memphis

Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would --
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma'am I am tonight"

(Chorus)

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain


That whole album is incredible. I think my favs are Ghost Train, and Silver Thunderbird.


Chris Rea is also an amazing songwriter. Too many great lyrics to mention. He paints vivid pictures with his lyrics... I like On the Beach, and Windy Town:

Drivin' down from the Highland line
We done some gigs on the Clyde and the Tyne
They flew us in from the Hamburg strip
The taste of Dusseldorf still on our lips

And on the bus there's a friend of mine
We go way back to the scene of the crime
We sit up front and share a cigarette
And try to remember what we tried to forget
He said "Do you remember?"
He said "Do you recall?"
I said "Yeah, I remember
Oh I remember it all"

Every time the cold wind blows
Every time I hear the sound
Late night train shunting down by the river
I remember windy town
.
.
.

[bunnerabb]

Cuyahoga - REM

Let's put our heads together and start a new country up
Our father's father's father tried, erased the parts he didn't like
Let's try to fill it in, bank the quarry river, swim
We knee-skinned it you and me, we knee-skinned that river red

This is where we walked, this is where we swam
Take a picture here, take a souvenir

This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it
We knee-skinned it you and me, we knee-skinned that river red
And we gathered up our friends, bank the quarry river, swim
We knee-skinned it you and me, underneath the river bed

Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga, gone

Let's put our heads together, start a new country up,
Underneath the river bed we burned the river down
This is where they walked, swam, hunted, danced and sang,
Take a picture here, take a souvenir

Rewrite the book and rule the pages, saving face, secured in faith
Bury, burn the waste behind you

This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it
We are not your allies, we can not defend

[emtou2u]

so i should have been born 30 years ago....but....i love these lyrics...and they pretty much mirror my life...every day.

a little Frank:

My Way

and now the end is near
so i face the final curtain
my friend, i'll say it clear
i'll state my case of which i'm certain
i've lived a life that's full
i've travelled each and every highway
and more....much more than this
i did it my........ way


regrets, i've had a few
but then again, too few to mention
i did...what i had to do
and saw it through... without exemption
i planned each charted course
each careful step along the byway
and more, much more than this
i did it my.... way


yes, there were times, i'm sure you knew
when i bit off more than i could chew
but through it all...... when there was doubt....
i ate it up! and spit it out!
i faced it all! and i stood tall!
and did it my..................................... way

i've loved, i've laughed and cried
i've had my fill, my share of losing
and now as tears subside
i find it all... so amusing
to think i did all that
and may i say, not in a shy way
oh, no, no not me
i did it my... way

for what is a man, what has he got
if not himself, then he has not
to say the things he truly feels
and not the words of one who kneels
the record shows.... i took the blows
and did it my...... way

yes....it was....my....................way......

[mousdrvr]

If I needed you would you come to me,
Would you come to me, and ease my pain?
If you needed me
I would come to you
I'd swim the seas for to ease your pain

In the night forlorn the morning's born
And the morning shines with the lights of love
You will miss sunrise if you close your eyes
That would break my heart in two

The lady's with me now since I showed her how
To lay her lily hand in mine
Loop and Lil agree she's a sight to see
And a treasure for the poor to find

-Townes Van Zandt

[PRobb]

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin’ for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There’s one thing I wanna know:
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

’Cause each time I feel it slippin’ away, just makes me wanna cry.
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

’Cause each time I feel it slippin’ away, just makes me wanna cry.
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?

-Nick Lowe

[badboymusic]

I gotta hard-on honey, it hurts like hell,
If I don't ask you, somebody else will.

(Bonus points if you can name the artist)

[bunnerabb]

Just when every ray of hope was gone
I should have known that you would come along
I can’t believe I ever doubted you
My old friend the blues

Another lonely night, a nameless town
If sleep don’t take me first, you’ll come around
’cause I know I can always count on you
My old friend the blues

Lovers leave and friends will let you down
But you’re the only sure thing that I’ve found
No matter what I do I’ll never lose
My old friend the blues

Just let me hide my weary heart in you
My old friend the blues

[jerryskid]

I gotta hard-on honey, it hurts like hell,
If I don't ask you, somebody else will.

(Bonus points if you can name the artist)

Why that's Rod Stewart's "Little Queenie" I'll be looking for my bonus points in the mail.......:Wink:

[TubaSolo]

Sorry guys this is probably a bit silly, but I heard this song for the first time the other day and I really like those lyrics:

I ran into her on computer camp
(Was it in '84?)
Not shore, I had my commodore
Sixty-four
Had to score
(Not with... a tramp!?)
She’s not a tramp,
Her name is Judy
(That’s a nice name)
Yeah she’s a nice girl...
(Big deal - did you get in her pants?)
She’s not that kind of a girl, booger!
(Why, does she have a penis?)
Sinner supremus! You better know she’s a genius
And a Venus!!
(Tell me more, was it love at first sight?)
That’s right, this was god giving grace
With a face
You could praise
(Tell me more did you put up a fight?)
I don’t think so, but before we tour the chorus stall let’s all explore amore (her more?)
etc, etc

The song is called "Computer Camp Love", the band's called Datarock
:grin: :D

[PRobb]

Here's a verse from an underrated lyricist- Chuck Berry. Say this out loud and you can hear the rhythm of the guitar in the rhythm of the words.


I saw her from the corner when she turned and doubled back
And started walkin' toward a coffee colored cadillac
Pushin' through the crowd to get to where she's at
Campaign shoutin like a southern diplomat

Nadine, honey is that you?
Oh, Nadine. Honey, is that you?
Seems like every time I see you Darling you got something else to do

[PRobb]

Against The Wind by Bob Seegar came on in a bar the other day. Sappy song, but I love the last line of this verse.

And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me oh so tight
Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then

[TubaSolo]

OK enough delicate lovey-dovey shit... here's something about... the other stuff:

You've got a personality
We'll throw you in the sea and watch you drown
Dumb it down
Your concentration span's too long
It's longer than this song, that's not allowed
Dumb it down
You don't need books to know what's what
We'll pile them up and burn them to the ground
Dumb it down
And if you say that we're corrupt
We'll round you up and run you out of town
Dumb it down

Down and down and down it goes
Where it stops nobody knows
And not a lot of people seem to care
Well it's so crazy, it's so great
We can all communicate
But no one's saying anything out there
Is there anybody out there?

Intelligence is dangerous
A virus of the brain you pass around
Dumb it down
We'll vaccinate each boy and girl
Lobotomise the world through sight and sound
Dumb it down
No one can tell you what to think
And if you think that's true then you're a clown
Dumb it down
'Cause freedom's wasted on the free
You just don't see the beauty all around
Dumb it down

Down and down and down we slide
It's too tricky to decide
Between channels one and sixty-three
'Cause everything is mindless fluff
Like this world's not dumb enough
Does anybody feel the same as me?
Is there anybody listening?

[Barish]

There were times that I thought Springsteen was talking about me in "Dancing In The Dark".

Also Frank Zappa's "Trouble Everyday" is one of the most brutally true lyrics I've heard to date:

"You know something people, I'm not black but there's a whole lot of times I wish I could say I'm not white..."

All of the observations in that song are still valid today in one form or another.

B.

[badboymusic]

Why that's Rod Stewart's "Little Queenie" I'll be looking for my bonus points in the mail.......:Wink:

I just sent them to your PayPal account, enjoy!
(I almost accidentally typed GayPal account)

[emtou2u]

well there was a time when you let me know
what's really going on below
but now you never show that to me do you
but remember when i moved in you
and the holy dove was moving too
and every breath we drew was hallelujah

well, maybe there's a god above
but all i've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah




*love this whole song....but these particular lyrics pull me...

[PRobb]

well there was a time when you let me know
what's really going on below
but now you never show that to me do you
but remember when i moved in you
and the holy dove was moving too
and every breath we drew was hallelujah

well, maybe there's a god above
but all i've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah




*love this whole song....but these particular lyrics pull me...
I'm not a huge Leonard Cohen fan, but that song absolutely sends chills down my spine. Lets' continue

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

[emtou2u]

I'm not a huge Leonard Cohen fan, but that song absolutely sends chills down my spine. Lets' continue

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah



thank you PRobb...i just drove back from Baker Lake (northern washington) to portland and i must have listened to this song 30 times during the drive...it is amazing.

[Dr. Bob]

One of many, many, many great lyrics...

I find it ever more poignant as time goes on.



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

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
In my life I love you more

[jerryskid]

One of my favorites by Phish:


There've been times when I wander
And times when I don't
Concepts I'll ponder
And concepts I won't ever see
God isn't one of these
Former or latter
Which did you think I meant
It doesn't matter to me

Bug, It doesn't matter

(Don't need it)

Bug, It doesn't matter

(Don't need it)

Bug, it doesn't matter

(Thoughts faded)

Bug, it doesn't matter

(Overrated)

Gold in my hand
In a country pool
Standing and waving
The rain, wind on the runway
Spending or saving
Credit or debt
Which did you think I meant
Nothing I see can be taken from me

[Fulcrum]

Today we signed the papers to put our house up on the market, I surrendered my key to the realtor, and I officially moved out of the home I shared with my soon to be ex-wife.

I thought about this lyric a lot on the drive away from town, apropos of the nine years I actually spent with her and the many, many hurtful things we said to one another over the last couple of years of struggling at every turn.


The Best Of My Love

Every night I’m lyin’ in bed
Holdin’ you close in my dreams
Thinkin’ about all the things that we said
And comin’ apart at the seams
We try to talk it over
But the words come out too rough
I know you were tryin’
To give me the best of your love

Beautiful faces and loud, empty places
Look at the way that we live
Wastin’ our time on cheap talk and wine
Left us so little to give
That same old crowd
Was like a cold dark cloud
That we could never rise above
But here in my heart I give you the best of my love

Oh sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love, oh
Sweet darlin’, you get the best of my love

I’m goin’ back in time
And it’s a sweet dream
It was a quiet night
And I would be all right
If I could go on sleepin’

But every mornin’
I wake up and worry
What’s gonna happen today
You see it your way
And I see it mine
But we both see it slippin’ away
You know we always had each other baby
I guess that wasn’t enough
Oh, but here in my heart
I give you the best of my love

Oh, sweet darlin’
You get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’
You get the best of my love
Every night and day,
You get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love.

[desire]

favorite line anyway
"It doesn't mean that much to me to mean that much to you"
Neil Young

selfish & shallow I know....

[CloseToTheEdge]

One of my favorites:

Subdivisions

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone

Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

Subdivisions ---
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions ---
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight

Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights...

Words by Neil Peart, music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson