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Post by BlueMonday on Dec 28, 2015 19:05:55 GMT -5
Let's talk about song lyrics... Many song writers have come up with great lines. As one of the best (and most underrated) lyricists in rock history, Ronnie has come up with plenty. I love the one I use as my tagline. There are others. So what are some of your favourite lines from songs? They can be Skynyrd songs, of course, but they don't have to. I'll start with one of my own favourites. It's a line from the Doors song "Texas Radio and the Big Beat" (from the album "LA Woman"): "Out here in the perimeter there are no stars Out here we are stoned, immaculate." I'm not even sure why I love this line so much, I only know that I do. So let us know what some of your favourite song lyrics are
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2015 19:58:12 GMT -5
Oh, my my. There are so many great lines from songs the list for me is endless.
One of my all time favorites comes from the Beatles: 'I Am the Walrus'...
"Don't you think the joker laughs at you?"
From the first time I heard the song that line just jumped out. Classic John Lennon and I'm not even a Beatles fan.
Another, right off the top of my head, comes from Fleetwood Mac...'Sentimental Lady' written by Bob Welch.
"That's why I travel far 'cause I come so together where you are."
I could listen to Bob Welch sing that line all day...and I have.
As far as The Doors...I never did understand anything Jim Morrison wrote. I think I am the only one. There was a line in some Doors song that a friend once told me she loved..."the fragile eggshells of your mind" or something like that. She also told me that it reminded her of me. Not too sure if that was good or bad. We haven't talked in years.
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bkrnc03
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Post by bkrnc03 on Dec 28, 2015 20:38:58 GMT -5
"And the worms ate into his brains" has got to be one of my favorite lyrics.
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Post by BlueMonday on Dec 28, 2015 21:57:22 GMT -5
John Lennon's lyrics alone could fill this thread. Some of my favourites are found in a little-known song called "Hey Bulldog": "Some kind of solitude is measuring out in years You don't know what it's like to listen to your fears" And a couple more: "They look just like two gurus in drag" -- The Ballad of John and Yoko "Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy working overtime" -- Happiness Is a Warm Gun As far as The Doors...I never did understand anything Jim Morrison wrote. I think I am the only one. There was a line in some Doors song that a friend once told me she loved..."the fragile eggshells of your mind" or something like that. She also told me that it reminded her of me. Not too sure if that was good or bad. We haven't talked in years. The actual lyrics are: "Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind". This is a reference to an event that happened when Jim was about 5 or 6 years old. The family was travelling by car when they came upon a truck that had overturned. Some of the occupants, all Aboriginals, were lying on the road and they appeared dead. The incident had a profound effect on Jim Morrison, and he never forgot it.
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steph
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Post by steph on Dec 29, 2015 1:25:04 GMT -5
Mine is a little bit obvious.... as you can see by my signature It is of course from "The Needle and the Spoon" "I've seen a lot of people who thought they were cool But then again, lord I've seen a lot of fools"
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gator
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Post by gator on Dec 29, 2015 10:56:31 GMT -5
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people Sharin' all the world
Imagine-John Lennon
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Post by rosscollinsgirl on Dec 29, 2015 14:38:23 GMT -5
“I'm a winner, I'm a sinner Do you want my autograph? I'm a loser, what a joker I'm playing my jokes upon you While there's nothing better to do”
( Breakfast In America, Supertramp )
Anything Lennon wrote ( sitting on a corn flake, waiting for the van to come ) I’m not sure why I find “ I Am the Walrus “ so amusing. Sounds like Ms. M likes it too.
“So often times it happens, That we live our lives in chains, And never even know we have the key”
( Already Gone, Eagles )
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heathinvader
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Post by heathinvader on Dec 29, 2015 15:33:34 GMT -5
Call me crazy, but I prefer the demo version of "I Am The Walrus" as opposed to the finished song. The demo, unlike the finished single, has no weird sound effects, no orchestra's, no bizarre background voices. It's just the four Beatles, nothing more. I first heard this version of the song on "The Beatles - Anthology Vol. #2" This is it:
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Post by BlueMonday on Dec 29, 2015 19:08:07 GMT -5
Anything Lennon wrote ( sitting on a corn flake, waiting for the van to come ) I’m not sure why I find “ I Am the Walrus “ so amusing. Sounds like Ms. M likes it too. That song is in my top 10 favourite Beatles songs. And it's probably closer to the top of that top 10 than it is to the bottom. All the lyrics are great, John Lennon at his irreverent best. Another unforgettable line from the song is this one: "Semolina Piltchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Boy you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe" "Semolina Pilchard" is a reference to the infamous Norman Pilcher, of the London Police Department, whose only goal in life seemed to be going after evil druggie rock musicians. His favourite target was Rolling Stone Brian Jones but after Brian finally wised up and moved out of London (and out of Pilcher's reach), Pilcher turned to John, among others. He was widely despised. The Hare Krishna reference is probably John expressing his irreverent opinion about Indian mysticism, which everyone seemed to be into at the time. Not sure what Edgar Allen Poe has to do with anything Call me crazy, but I prefer the demo version of "I Am The Walrus" as opposed to the finished song. The demo, unlike the finished single, has no weird sound effects, no orchestra's, no bizarre background voices. It's just the four Beatles, nothing more. I first heard this version of the song on "The Beatles - Anthology Vol. #2" I like it too, but not as much as the version that was officially released on "Magical Mystery Tour". That one seems richer and fuller to me, but both are excellent. I have other versions of this song, which are unreleased, but it's been a while since I played them.
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Forum Lord
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Post by Forum Lord on Dec 29, 2015 20:49:27 GMT -5
I think Bob Seger came up with one of the greatest lyric lines in rock history in his song Against The Wind when he sang this line:
"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then"
And back in context of the song:
"Against The Wind"
It seems like yesterday But it was long ago Janey was lovely, she was the queen of my nights There in the darkness with the radio playlng low And the secrets that we shared The mountains that we moved Caught like a wildfire out of control Till there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
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
Against the wind We were runnin' against the wind We were young and strong, we were runnin' Against the wind
And the years rolled slowly past And I found myself alone Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends I found myself further and further from my home And I guess I lost my way There were oh so many roads I was living to run and running to live Never worried about paying or even how much I owed Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time Breaking all of the rules that would bend I began to find myself searchin' Searchin' for shelter again and again Against the wind A little something against the wind I found myself seeking shelter against the wind
Well those drifters days are past me now I've got so much more to think about Deadlines and commitments What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind I'm still runnin' against the wind I'm older now but still running Against the wind Well I'm older now and still running Against the wind
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2015 21:38:25 GMT -5
Talking about Bob Segar...
One of my favorites...Turn The Page
Here I am on the road again... There I am up on the stage... Here I go playing the star again... There I go, turn the page...
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MorrisAutoParts
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Post by MorrisAutoParts on Dec 30, 2015 0:39:01 GMT -5
Turn the page has some vivid lyrics, you can feel being cold and every eye upon you.
I really don't like the Lennon stuff, I'm a minority here. Much of it was nonsense lyrics, I think he fell into the Dylan trap a lot of writers did. Springsteen even fell for it for a while. Sitting on a cornflake doesn't make me "feel" anything at all. It's just silly lyrics about his acid trip.
But the list truly is endless from other great artists. "two feets a come a creepin, like a black cat do" (that is great writing) to love songs which are normally the ones that affect me the most, such as this classic line-
"we'll throw I love you echoes down the canyon, then lie awake at night till they come back around..." Dave Loggins
Or Rick Springfields one hit had some of the best teenage angst lines ever written, this is pure rock n roll- "And she's watching him with those eyes And she's loving him with that body I just know it And he's holding her in his arms late late at night... I wish that I had Jessie's girl"
Reo also did a classic song about page turning with some lines that stop me every time,super song writing they never topped again- "If you're tired of the same old story, turn some pages..I will be here when you are ready, to roll with the changes."
I am just a sentimental fool for a catchy love song lyric.
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steph
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Post by steph on Dec 30, 2015 3:06:34 GMT -5
So.... another favourite is the song from Australian Group Powderfinger from their epic Album in 2000 "Odyessy #5"
"Up & Down & Back Again"
Come and rescue me From in the water deep Careful now don't lose your aim The road ahead is clear again I haven't found it yet
You drift away so slow In the ebb and flow So I landed on my feet The steadiness is bittersweet It feels the same when you're pushed Out and away and into the crush
In all the hidden pleasures you find In what you're looking for I hope that you remember that pride Comes before a fall
I can barely see up and own and back again Despite what you believe I keep away from trouble If who I am today's a sign of where I'm going I'm ready to embrace
Recreate the scene Of everywhere you've been Overcome the dreaded curse A symptom of the universe It feels the same when you're pushed Out and away and into the crush
I can barely see up and own and back again Despite what you believe I keep away from trouble If who I am today's a sign of where I'm going I'm ready to embrace
If everybody knows just who you are When your walk on role becomes a major part Have you ever attempted to be yourself When everybody wants you to be someone else Up and down and back again Going up and down and back again
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MorrisAutoParts
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Post by MorrisAutoParts on Dec 30, 2015 4:33:57 GMT -5
So.....?
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Post by BlueMonday on Dec 30, 2015 9:59:23 GMT -5
I really don't like the Lennon stuff, I'm a minority here. Much of it was nonsense lyrics, I think he fell into the Dylan trap a lot of writers did. Springsteen even fell for it for a while. Sitting on a cornflake doesn't make me "feel" anything at all. It's just silly lyrics about his acid trip. I love it when we have diverging opinions about things on this forum! That's what keeps it inteteresting That said, I think you're selling John Lennon short. He was no fool. He was a keen observer of his time and didn't suffer fools gladly. I don't know whether this is true or not, but I read somewhere that the nonsensical lyrics to "I Am the Walrus" were written because Beatles lyrics were being studied in schools. John thought that this was silly, so he wrote some lyrics that made zero sense just to keep them "occupied". LOL, typical Lennon.
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Post by rosscollinsgirl on Dec 30, 2015 10:30:38 GMT -5
"Semolina Piltchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Boy you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe" "Semolina Pilchard" is a reference to the infamous Norman Pilcher, of the London Police Department, whose only goal in life seemed to be going after evil druggie rock musicians. His favourite target was Rolling Stone Brian Jones but after Brian finally wised up and moved out of London (and out of Pilcher's reach), Pilcher turned to John, among others. He was widely despised. The Hare Krishna reference is probably John expressing his irreverent opinion about Indian mysticism, which everyone seemed to be into at the time. Not sure what Edgar Allen Poe has to do with anything Poe was supposedly a drunken, drug addicted, crazy man. He may be referring to Pilcher trying to keep up with someone like Poe.
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Post by rosscollinsgirl on Dec 30, 2015 10:40:48 GMT -5
I really don't like the Lennon stuff, I'm a minority here. Much of it was nonsense lyrics, I think he fell into the Dylan trap a lot of writers did. Springsteen even fell for it for a while. Sitting on a cornflake doesn't make me "feel" anything at all. It's just silly lyrics about his acid trip. I think Lennon was a genius ( as well as McCartney ). I was just referring to lyrics I " like " and called it " amusing ". I didn't say it made me feel anything. I mentioned the song because it was already mentioned in the thread. A lot of Lennon's lyrics I just " like " along with so many of the Beatles lyrics in general. Dylan wrote some great stuff too. I agree with you and Cagey both, that Segar wrote some deep, haunting songs which were genius as well. The line " Wish I didn't know now, what I didn't know then " is really a true statement, which sums up so much of life.
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MorrisAutoParts
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Post by MorrisAutoParts on Dec 30, 2015 11:04:29 GMT -5
Yes I did read the same Blue, which if true what does that say about the man that he would have his fans buy "work" that he knew was nursery rhyme nonsense? I used to love Lennon, had his picture on my wall before any of my friends did because my older siblings had all the albums. When I go back and listen now, so many of his songs do not hold up well with time. With Paul's stuff, Mr.Silly love song himself, his work Beatle years has held up real well. His Wings material held up alright.
John had a pretty awful solo career let's face it. He wrote Imagine, which was a Hey Jude type song in that it became an anthem, that got wrapped up in it's own hype, but it's not a great song IMO. If anyone else wrote it, it would be an "ok" song. But John wrote it so people lap it up. The same with his songs about beautiful Sean or ballad of J and Y, on and on, this is a lot mediocre material Lennon wrote, even during the closing of the Beatles. John took the easy way out and proclaimed for years he was done by his own choice. I don't think he could have done any better period. The writer was Paul. John added the sarcastic twist and arrangements, but we have enough evidence to show who was the lead beatle, it wasn't John Lennon. He was just the coolest beatle. I am the Walrus is garbage, whether it's for school children or being serious, it's rubbish to me. The best of Lennon's work, Come together, was also nonsense words, but at least it had some power behind it and a good beat. Most of his material falls so flat when listened to today without Beatlemania hype behind it, John lennon may be the most overhyped writer in the history of pop/rock.
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Post by BlueMonday on Dec 30, 2015 15:25:40 GMT -5
We'll just have to agree to disagree on John Lennon MAP. IMO lyrics don't always have to have some kind of Deep Meaning to be interesting. They can be whimsical, as John's often were, they can have some interesting imagery, like Jim Morrison's, etc.
Like most (all?) great bands, the Beatles were more than the sum of their parts. The post-Beatle career of each of them contains one great album, the rest a mixture ranging from very good to very bad. John's so-called "primal scream album" (real title is John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band) is so raw and intense that you actually feel the man's pain.
And since this is a thread about lyrics, how about the song "God"?
"God is a concept by which we measure our pain", followed by a bunch of things that John doesn't believe in. And then: "The dream is over, what can I say, the dream is over".
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MorrisAutoParts
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Post by MorrisAutoParts on Dec 30, 2015 16:35:27 GMT -5
I never heard the song "God". I will have to look that one up. The primal scream business few people liked so I am not alone, it didn't sell for solo Beatle work. But without googling it, trying to think of great lennon songs from 69 on I have difficulty. Even mediocre ones really. Whereas with Paul, there are many choices, from Band on the run, Uncle Albert,jet, maybe I'm amazed, even stuff that got panned like No more lonely nights is easy to listen to. And Paul had plenty of whimsical as well. But the words made since and the singing was in tune and the melody was good.
But I can see where some would not like it, some folks don't want easy to listen to. The Eagles got this same label and criticism. I don't really understand it, it's like saying it's a good sing along song, but it doesn't have enough weirdness in it, such as talking about Yellow custard coming out of a dead dogs eye. I have always liked simple easy to sing along songs even if they had no deep meaning. You are right not every song has to have the key of life lyrics, but the better ones do touch me a bit. Since this is about great lines, I cannot imagine a great line that doesn't make me feel something or bring up a vivid image of something real and personal "bubble headed bleach blond comes on at 5, she can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye, it's interesting when people die, give us dirty laundry" That's a great line AND has social and personal meaning! Not just words mixed together or screams.
But everyone is different, lennon has millions of followers that's for sure.
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