Best song lyric ever

[frankiegth]

What is it?

In my humble/honest opinion it is:-

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has not
To say the things he truely feels
And not the words of one who kneels.

Paul Anka: My way.

[Col ISIHAC.]

Officially adopted as my Thread Of The Week:

I'll wager that other contributions will cover a wide range of subjects:

"Meet the new boss; same as the old boss"

Yer starter for 10!

[ojiveojive]

I went and bought myself a ticket and I sat down in the very first row-oh-oh-oh-oh
They pulled the curtain up and then they turned the spotlight way down low-oh-oh-oh-oh
Little Egypt came out struttin' wearin' nuthin' but a button and a bow-oh-oh-oh-oh
Singin' yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah

She had a ruby on her tummy and a diamond big as Texas on her toe-oh-oh-oh-oh
She let her hair down and she did the hoochy-coochy real slow-oh-oh-oh-oh
And when she did a number on the zebra skin she really stopped the show-oh-oh-oh-oh
Singin' yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah

She did a triple somersault and when she hit the ground
She winked at the audience and then she turned around
She had a picture of a cowboy tatooed on her spine
Saying Phoenix Arizona nineteen forty-nine

Let me tell you people Little Egypt doesn't work there anymore-or-or-or-or
Cos she's too busy moppin' up and takin' care of shoppin' at the store-or-or-or-or
Cos we've got seven kids and all day long they crawl around the floor-or-or-or-or
Singin' yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah

Lieber & Stoller

[martello]

"You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy f*g**t" has to be up there for the level of unadulterated hatred between the two central characters (Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl) at that stage of the song. Plus the fact it's in one of the best-loved Christmas songs ever, heard in supermarkets and department stores from about October onwards - genius!

Speaking of Christmas, I actually really rate Bono's line (written by Geldof and Ure) in 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - "Tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you". In an otherwise lyrically bland (albeit quite good) song, that particular line has always struck me as quite brave and clever, given the theme.

My other personal favourites...

"I want you to notice, when I'm not around" (perfect expression of unrequited love, from Radiohead's 'Creep')

Most of 'Life On Mars' by David Bowie, for its sheer surrealism.

And, for its delightfully bizarre attempt at 'comedy rhyme in a serious song', Bacharach and David's 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' (Bobby Gentry, Cilla Black, Deacon Blue, among others)

"What do you get when you kiss a guy? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia // After you do, he'll never phone ya..." ;D

[DazaB_WCFC]

To either cut down on beer or the kids new gear, it's a big decision in a town called Malice

[ambersalamander]

martello said:

"You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy f*g**t" has to be up there for the level of unadulterated hatred between the two central characters (Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl) at that stage of the song. Plus the fact it's in one of the best-loved Christmas songs ever, heard in supermarkets and department stores from about October onwards - genius!

Git, git, git, git, git!

Yet again, you've posted what I wanted to post. Do you have some way of reading my mind?

[pies]

'Libraries gave us power, than work came and made us free, what price now? For a shallow piece of dignity' Design for life, by the Manic Street Preachers

'Down down, you bring me down I hear you knocking at my door and I cant sleep at night Your face, it has no place No room for you inside my house I need to be alone,
Dont waste your words I dont need anything from you
I dont care where youve been or what you plan to do

Turn turn, I wish you'd learn
Theres a time and place for everything Ive got to get it through
Cut loose, cos you're no use
I couldnt stand another second in your company

Dont waste your words I dont need anything from you
I dont care where you've been or what you plan to do

Stone me, why cant you see
Youre a no-one nowhere washed up baby who'd look better dead

Your tongue is far too long
I dont like the way it sucks and slurps upon my every word

Dont waste your words I dont need anything from you
I dont care where you've been or what you plan to do' from 'I am the Resurrection' by the Stone Roses

[votp]

martello said:

And, for its delightfully bizarre attempt at 'comedy rhyme in a serious song', Bacharach and David's 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' (Bobby Gentry, Cilla Black, Deacon Blue, among others)

Surely the champion here is Frankie Miller's:
"Darlin' I'm feeling pretty lonesome, I'd call you on the phone some,"

[bh]

So many songs so many great lyrics! How about,

Patriotic

'And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountain green' or
When Britain first, at heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main,
Arose, arose, arose from out the a-azure main,
This was the charter, the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:

Rule Britania!
Britannia rule the waves.
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.


Mad

Didn't know what time it was and the lights were low

I leaned back on my radio

Some cat was layin' down some rock 'n' roll 'lotta soul, he said

Then the loud sound did seem to fade

Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase

That weren't no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive

Enough for now!!

[ambersalamander]

It should be "Britannia waive the rules" ;D

[Col ISIHAC.]

This is probably supposed to be a one-shot-wonder, but what the heck!

I go to parties
Sometimes until four
It's hard to leave
When you can't find the door

It's tough to handle
This fortune and fame
Everybody's so different
I haven't changed

They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time
(Everybody sing) Oh yeah (Oh yeah)
I keep on going guess I'll never know why
Life's been good to me so far baby,
inside the Sad Cafe.


Joe Walsh.

Satire.

[DazaB_WCFC]

Some people may say that I should strive for more, but I'm so happy, I can't see the point

[martello]

dazab1wcfc said:

Some people may say that I should strive for more, but I'm so happy, I can't see the point

I get the distinct feeling you're a Paul Weller fan ;D

[ojiveojive]

I've seen the bright lights of Memphis and The Commodore Hotel
And underneath a street lamp I met a southern belle
Well she took me to the river where she cast her spell
And in that southern moonlight she sang this song so well

If you'll be my Dixie chicken I'll be your Tennessee lamb
And we can walk together down in Dixieland

Well we made all the hot spots, my money flowed like wine
And then that lowdown southern whiskey began to fog my mind
And I don't remember tastin' oh, the money I put down
On the white picket fence or coloured wall of the house at the edge of town
Oh but boy do I remember the strain of her refrain
And the nights we spent together and the way she called my name

If you'll be my Dixie chicken I'll be your Tennessee lamb
And we can walk together down in Dixieland

Well it's been a year since she ran away, guess that guitar player should complain
She always liked to sing along, she was always handy with a song
Then one night in the lobby of The Commodore Hotel
I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well
And as he had a beer with me he began to hum a song
And all the boys along the bar began to sing along

If you'll be my Dixie chicken I'll be your Tennessee lamb
And we can walk together down in Dixieland

George & Martin

[ambersalamander]

There are a lot of lyrics that I absolutely love but too many to list on here. The ones I will put here I won't claim to be the best lyrics ever written, but they are ones that I particularly like!

For some reason, this bit of "Sit Down" by James has always struck a peculiar chord in me:
"Now I’ve swung back down again
It’s worse than it was before
If I hadn’t seen such riches
I could live with being poor"

One artist whose lyrics I have always admired for their sharp wit is Kirsty MacColl. I know "A New England" was Billy Bragg's creation originally, but I think Ms MacColl added an extra edge to some of it when she adapted the words for a female singer:
"I loved you then as I love you still
Though I put you on a pedestal, you put me on the pill
I dont feel bad about letting you go
I just feel sad about letting you know"

and what about this bit:
"I saw two shooting stars last night
I wished on them, but they were only satellites
It's wrong to wish on space hardware
I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care"

I also think "Innocence" is a fabulous song, and I hope you'll forgive me if I quote it in its entirety, because I just love these lyrics!

"It wouldn't take a long time
To explain what lies between us
And it wouldn't take a genius
To work out what the scene is
It might just take a pilot
To give you a natural high
But you're sending off those bottletops
For your 'free piece of mind!'
And are you just waving or drowning?
It's so hard to tell when you're so far away

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
Your pornographic priestess left you for another guy
You frighten little children and you always wonder why
Always wonder why

The mercury is rising
And it's not all that surprising
In the land of milk and honey
Where you make 'Big Money'
And it always keeps the rain off
And it always keeps you dry
But back home the people hate you
And you never did know why
But I think I'm going to tell you
Just give me fifty thousand lire for my thoughts

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
The supermarket checkout girl
Once smacked you in the eye
When you eat no one else does
But you always wonder why
Always wonder why

It would take a gunshot
Just to clear your head awhile
And after all this time
How can you stand there
Look at me and smile?

Now are you just waving or drowning?
It's so hard to tell when you're so far away

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
Degeneration suits you, now I'm going home to cry
You won't be seeing me again
But you'll always wonder why
Always wonder why "

I won't do that to you again, but the other one I particularly like is "England 2 Colombia 0" and here is the chorus:
"You lied about your status
You lied about your life
You forgot you have three children
You forgot you have a wife
Now it's England 2 Colombia 0
And I know just how those Colombians feel"

I'm not a huge fan of Robbie Williams, but the lyrics to "Strong" make me chuckle.

First verse:
"My breath smells of a thousand fags
And when I'm drunk I dance like me Dad
I've started to dress a bit like him

Early morning when I wake up
I look like Kiss but without the make-up
And that's a good line to take it to the bridge"

and second:
"My bed's full of takeaways and fantasies of easy lays
The pause button's broken on my video
And is this real, cause I feel fake
Oprah Winfrey and Ricki Lake
Teach me things I don't need to know"

Finally, one line I like from "Big Yellow Taxi" and I don't really know why

"They took all the trees
Put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see em"