Favourite songs/bands lyrically

[OhJohnNo]

Pretty sure there hasn't already been a thread on this, which honestly surprises me.

Anyway: What are your favourite lyrics from a song? Also, what is your favourite band overall when it comes to lyrics?

My answer to the first question has to be the one verse from Muse's Knights of Cydonia.

Come ride with me, through the veins of history

I'll show you a God who falls asleep on the job

And how can we win when fools can be kings

Don't waste your time or time will... waste... you...

Muse are also pretty good generally, but actually, my favourite band lyrically overall is the Kaiser Chiefs. Examples:

Due to lack of interest

Tomorrow is cancelled

Let the clocks be reset

And the pendulums held (Ruby)


I can't do it any quicker

I don't want it any slicker

As far as the eye can see

Is miles and miles of icy sea.

So try your best

Think about it later

Or you will never know (Try your Best)


I can tell you now

There ain't a problem can't be solved

With a good old fashioned row

So grit your teeth and stand your ground (Learnt My Lesson Well)

...And others. So, forumites, what are your choices? Please provide examples.

[Tiresias]

The Smiths and by extention Morrissey every time

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the sacred wunderkind
You took me behind a dis-used railway line
And said "I know a place where we can go
Where we are not known"
And then you gave me something that I won't forget too soon
But I can't believe that you'd ever care
And this is why you will never care
But these things take time
I know that I'm
The most inept
That ever stepped

I'm spellbound, oh ... but a woman divides
And the hills are alive with celibate cries
But you know where you came from, you know where
You're going and you know where you belong
You said I was ill, and you were not wrong
But I can't believe that you'd ever care
And so, you will never care
But these things take time
And I know that I'm
The most inept
That ever stepped


Oh, the alcoholic afternoons
When we sat in your rooms
They meant more to me
Than any, than any living thing on earth
They had more worth
Than any living thing on earth
On earth, on earth, oh ...


Vivid and in your prime
You will leave me behind
You will leave me behind

[Open Blue]

Melody walks through the door
and memory flies out the window
and nobody knows what they want
'til they finally let it all go

But don't cut your losses too soon
'cause you'll only be cutting your throat
And answer a call while you still hear at all
'cause nobody will if you won't

This is an exert from 6:00 by Dream Theatre. Out of everything I listen to, this, for whatever reason, speaks to me the most.

[Harmanoff]

This is my usual stance on lyrics: i don't listen to them. It's not that i mind lyrics, it's just the words are not entering my brain like speech would. Tones played over a chord progression may invoke strong feelings but they do not tell a very specific story.. when people sing their voice turn into music for me and thus i react to how they say something but not what. I can listen to a song a 100 times and not know the lyrics.. i'm not exaggerating.

That said when i actually try to learn the lyrics for a song i find it adds to my experience. It gives me some of that emotional impact alot of people describe.. if i see them written out in front of me however i always think it looks utterly crappy, likely because i derive so much from a singers expression.

Since i'm a Velvet Underground freak Lou Reed is the person who's lyrics i know best.. i'll go for Pale Blue Eyes for this thread:


Sometimes I feel so happy,
Sometimes I feel so sad.
Sometimes I feel so happy,
But mostly you just make me mad.
Baby, you just make me mad.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.

Thought of you as my mountain top,
Thought of you as my peak.
Thought of you as everything,
I've had but couldn't keep.
I've had but couldn't keep.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.

If I could make the world as pure and strange as what I see,
I'd put you in the mirror,
I put in front of me.
I put in front of me.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.

Skip a life completely.
Stuff it in a cup.
She said, Money is like us in time,
It lies, but can't stand up.
Down for you is up."
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.

It was good what we did yesterday.
And I'd do it once again.
The fact that you are married,
Only proves, you're my best friend.
But it's truly, truly a sin.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.

[Infidelicious]

I'll fake it through the day
With some help from Johnny Walker Red.
Send the poison rain down the drain
To put bad thoughts in my head.
Two tickets torn in half
And a lot of nothing to do.
Do you miss me, Miss Misery
Like you say you do?

A man in the park
Read the lines in my hand,
Told me I'm strong
Hardly ever wrong I said "man you mean you"

I had plans for both of us
That involved a trip out of town
To a place I've seen in a magazine
That you left lying around.
I don't have you with me but
I keep a good attitude.
Do you miss me, Miss Misery
Like you say you do?

I know you'd rather see me gone
Than to see me the way that I am,
But I am in the life anyway.

Next door the TVs flashing
Blue frames on the wall.
It's a comedy of errors, you see.
It's about taking a fall.
To vanish into oblivion
Is easy to do.
And I try to be but you know me
I come back when you want me to.
Do you miss me, Miss Misery
Like you say you do?

Elliot Smith is amazing.

[QuixotesGhost]

This is my usual stance on lyrics: i don't listen to them. It's not that i mind lyrics, it's just the words are not entering my brain like speech would.
Totally the opposite, it's all about the lyrics for me, and I'll listen to a song over and over again just trying to figure out thier meaning. I like trying to solve them like a puzzle.

Personally, it's a really close call between Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Leonard Cohen. But I'll go with Nick Cave since I've listened to more of his stuff. I hate posting just one, since I'm thinking to myself, "Ahh! What about John Finn's Wife? And The Mercy Seat? And The Curse of Milhaven? And Till the End of the World? And Lay Me Low? And Tupelo? And Red Right Hand?" Going to go with A Box for Black Paul, though.

Who'll build a box for Black Paul?
Ah'm enquirin on behalf of his soul
Ah'd be beholdin to ya all
For a lil information, yes some kinda information
Just who'll dig the hole?
When ya done ransackin his room
grabbin anything that shines,
throw the scrap down on the street
Like all his books and his notes.
All the junk that he wrote
the whole f_cken lot right up in smoke
Aint there nuthin sacred anymore
Someone will build a box for Black Paul?
And there shootin off his guns
and there shootin off their mouths
saying 'F_ck with us ... and die!'
(Let's see that rat of fear go scuttle in their skulls)
'Cover that eye! Cover that frozen eye!'
Black-puppet, in a heap up against the stoning-wall
Blud-puppet, go to sleep, ma-ma won't scold ya anymore
Armies of ants, wade up the lil red streams
they're headin for the mother-pool
O lord, it's cruel, O man it's hot!
And some of them ants they yes ilot to the spot
Who threw the first stone at Black Paul?
'Don't ack us', say the critics and the hacks
The pen-pushers and the quacks
'We jes cum to git dah facks!'
'We jes cum to git dah facks!'
Hey,hey,hey,hey...
Here is the hammer, that build the scaffold,
and built the box...
Here is the shovel, that dug the hole,
in this ground of rocks...
And here is the pile of stones!
and for each one planted, God only knows,
a blud-rose grown...
These are the true Demon-Flowers!
These are the true Demon-Flowers!
Stand back everyone! Blud-black everyone!
Who'll build a box for Black Paul?
Who'll carry it up the hill?
Not I', said the widow, adjusting his veil
'Ah will not drive the nail
Or cart his puppet-body home,
For ah done that one hundred times before,
Yeah! ah done that one hundred times or more,
And why should ah dress his wounds?
When he has wounded my dress, nighty,
Right across the floor'
Who'll build a box for Black Paul?
Who'll carry it up the hill?
Who'll bury it in the black-soil?
And from the words and the thickets
Come the ghosts of his victims
'We love you!'
'Ah love you!'
'and this will not hurt a bit,
we'll go up,up,up,up,up into Death
up,up,up,up, inhale its breath
O yeah, Death favours those that favor Death'
Here is the stone, and this is the inscription at bare
'Below Lies Black Paul, Under The Upper...
But Above and Beyond The Surface-Flat-Fall There.'
And all the angels come on down,
And all you men and women crowd around
And all the widows weeping into their skirts
And all the lil gals and the lil Boys
And the scribes with mein-pens parsed
All the hullaballoo, all the norse
All the hullaballoo, all the noise
All the hullaballoo, all of the noise
clears his throat of black blut
singin Black Paul like a lonely boy...
We-e-e-ll, ah have cryed one thousand tears
Ah've cryed a thousand tears, its true
And the next stormy night ya know,
That ah'm still cryin them for you
Well, ah had a gal she was so sweet,
Red dress, and long red hair hangin down
And heaven yes ain't heaven
Without that lil gal hangin around
Well, ya know ah've loin a bad-man
and Lord knows ah dun some good things too
But ah confess, my soul will never rest
Until you, until you build
Until ya build a box for my gal, too.

[Tiresias]

Lyrics are kinda adornments to songs to me in a way, good lyrics can be helpful and nice, but it's often very much less important than the tune. Bad lyrics can drag songs down a lot though, and I greatly appreciate songs well written where the sound of the words is musically important...if that doesn't sound too pretentious.

There aren't really many lyricists good enough to stand up written down for me to be honest, plenty who can make a good song, but 90% of bands are just spouting bad sixth form poetry on one level.

Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen are brilliant songwriters, I do find however they suffer for it in a way that I never find them that musically rewarding often (hence why Jeff Buckley's is the best Hallelujah :| :|) and I like a lot of Nick Cave but have failed to take him to heart...but he can be a great lyricist. Love Palaces of Montezuma off Grinderman 2 for one.

Other top quality lyricists, Bob Dylan too obviously really, but Tangled Up In Blue is absolutely beautifully written start to end. In conversation apparently (and I'm probably misquoting) Leonard Cohen explained to Dylan it took him 10 years to write Hallelujah, Dylan responded it took him 15 minutes to write Tangled up in Blue.

Less obviously, Jarvis Cocker is brilliant, check out Wickerman, his long mostly spoken word evokation of a river running under Sheffield, pretty much perfect. Guy Garvey of Elbow can write a soppy love song like no other, check Great Expectations, an absolutely hearbreaking love song. Ian Curtis knew his way around desolation like no other, slightly cliched to say I know but check out Digital, clinical, repetitious post punk song writing at it's best.


Michael Stipe and Neil Young are masters of the totally left field odd lyric, not psychedelic, they just seem to come at things from an odd angle. They pioneered almost non lyrics as lyrics, with Stipe mumbling lots of songs because there weren't really any proper lyrics in the early days. Still on Country Feedback he somehow manages to distill great beauty from a handfull of fragmented images.

Morrissey is the great romanticist, trying to channel great poets before him. Incredibly heart on sleeve love songs, often fairly teenage. Enigmatic, witty, often obnoxious and almost flippant he is a genius, if one who you often want to punch for being a twat in an interview or something. He sang completely truly on Rubber Ring "A sad fact widely known / the most impassionate song / to a lonely soul / is so easily outgrown"

Another two are Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse who specialises in quick wordplays and often screamed out lyrics, but can write brilliant stories about angry loners or lonely losers. Check out Cowboy Dan and Trailer Trash for his best efforts. Matt Berninger of The National of late has been my favorite lyricist, dry, witty almost enjoying melancholy, undercutting the miserableness with warm humour. He writes lyrics like late night drinks alone in a bar, sad, but something romantic about it. I'll finish with the lyrics to Baby We'll Be Fine by the National that I think are brilliant.


All night I lay on my pillow and pray
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
Son, I've been hearing good things

I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
And say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind

I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I don't know how to do this
I'm so sorry for everything
[repeat]

Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I had a stilted, pretending day
Lay me down and say something pretty
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
Say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we've gotta do is be brave and be kind

I pull off your jeans, and you spill jack and coke in my collar
I melt like a witch and scream
I'm so sorry for everything

[Tiresias]

Lyrics are kinda adornments to songs to me in a way, good lyrics can be helpful and nice, but it's often very much less important than the tune. Bad lyrics can drag songs down a lot though, and I greatly appreciate songs well written where the sound of the words is musically important...if that doesn't sound too pretentious.

There aren't really many lyricists good enough to stand up written down for me to be honest, plenty who can make a good song, but 90% of bands are just spouting bad sixth form poetry on one level.

Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen are brilliant songwriters, I do find however they suffer for it in a way that I never find them that musically rewarding often (hence why Jeff Buckley's is the best Hallelujah :| :|) and I like a lot of Nick Cave but have failed to take him to heart...but he can be a great lyricist. Love Palaces of Montezuma off Grinderman 2 for one.

Other top quality lyricists, Bob Dylan too obviously really, but Tangled Up In Blue is absolutely beautifully written start to end. In conversation apparently (and I'm probably misquoting) Leonard Cohen explained to Dylan it took him 10 years to write Hallelujah, Dylan responded it took him 15 minutes to write Tangled up in Blue.

Less obviously, Jarvis Cocker is brilliant, check out Wickerman, his long mostly spoken word evokation of a river running under Sheffield, pretty much perfect. Guy Garvey of Elbow can write a soppy love song like no other, check Great Expectations, an absolutely hearbreaking love song. Ian Curtis knew his way around desolation like no other, slightly cliched to say I know but check out Digital, clinical, repetitious post punk song writing at it's best.


Michael Stipe and Neil Young are masters of the totally left field odd lyric, not psychedelic, they just seem to come at things from an odd angle. They pioneered almost non lyrics as lyrics, with Stipe mumbling lots of songs because there weren't really any proper lyrics in the early days. Still on Country Feedback he somehow manages to distill great beauty from a handfull of fragmented images.

Morrissey is the great romanticist, trying to channel great poets before him. Incredibly heart on sleeve love songs, often fairly teenage. Enigmatic, witty, often obnoxious and almost flippant he is a genius, if one who you often want to punch for being a twat in an interview or something. He sang completely truly on Rubber Ring "A sad fact widely known / the most impassionate song / to a lonely soul / is so easily outgrown"

Another two are Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse who specialises in quick wordplays and often screamed out lyrics, but can write brilliant stories about angry loners or lonely losers. Check out Cowboy Dan and Trailer Trash for his best efforts. Matt Berninger of The National of late has been my favorite lyricist, dry, witty almost enjoying melancholy, undercutting the miserableness with warm humour. He writes lyrics like late night drinks alone in a bar, sad, but something romantic about it. I'll finish with the lyrics to Baby We'll Be Fine by the National that I think are brilliant.


All night I lay on my pillow and pray
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
Son, I've been hearing good things

I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
And say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind

I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I don't know how to do this
I'm so sorry for everything
[repeat]

Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I had a stilted, pretending day
Lay me down and say something pretty
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
Say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we've gotta do is be brave and be kind

I pull off your jeans, and you spill jack and coke in my collar
I melt like a witch and scream
I'm so sorry for everything

[Killer_Zero]

I was raised up believing
I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes
Unique in each way you can see

And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery
Serving something beyond me

But I don't, I don't know what that will be
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see

What's my name, what's my station
Oh just tell me what I should do
I don't need to be kind to the armies of night
That would do such injustice to you

Or bow down and be grateful
And say "Sure take all that you see"
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls
And determine my future for me

And I don't, I don't know who to believe
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see

If I know only one thing
It's that every thing that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable
Often I barely can speak

Yeah I'm tongue tied and dizzy
And I can't keep it to myself
What good is it to sing helplessness blues?
Why should I wait for anyone else?

And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf
I'll come back to you someday soon myself

Fleet Foxes are an amazing band, that's all

[QuixotesGhost]

Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen are brilliant songwriters, I do find however they suffer for it in a way that I never find them that musically rewarding often (hence why Jeff Buckley's is the best Hallelujah ) and I like a lot of Nick Cave but have failed to take him to heart...but he can be a great lyricist. Love Palaces of Montezuma off Grinderman 2 for one.


Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that I'm practically tone-deaf and hence can't really appreciate music the way most other people can. My focus for appreciating music is almost exclusively on lyrics and delivery - most instrumentals bore me to tears. I favor ballads over any other type of song since I want characters, and narrative, and climaxes, and reversals, and ect. So when I'm thinking about music it's don't really say to myself, "Well, that was some interesting guitar work there." It's more "Jesus - that delivery of 'and I planted my bolo knife in the neck of Mayor John Finn!' from John Finn's Wife I've never heard a more pure expression of blood-curdling blood-lust - puts shivers up my spine. And the way Cave builds to that cresendo in preceding lines..."

[Tiresias]

Wasn't meaning to be too critical heh I own several albums. He can sound absolutely crazy in a great way