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Lyrics that matter

 
 
autopilot disengaged
23:56 / 13.09.02
probably starting his thread at slightly inadvisable time, being befuddled by bee-yoo-tee-ful booooooze - but anyway:

here's the plan: each entry, suits suggest one person/group whose lyrics they love. for whatever reason. in whatever way. include representative sample, and if posible, a link.

i'm gonna start with something fun, rather than an all-time fave:

"I want to be different, like everybody else I want to be like
I want to be just like all the different people
I have no further interest in being the same,
because I have seen difference all around,
and now I know that that's what I want
I don't want to blend in and be indistinguishable,
I want to be a part of the different crowd,
and assert my individuality along with the others
who are different like me...

- King Missile, 'It's Saturday'


this makes up the intro to myself and driver's promo self-mixed ceedee, 'double bluff'. more here:

king missile!
 
 
remorse
03:56 / 14.09.02
'King and Chief probably had a big beef,
because of that now I'm gritting my teeth'

"Can' Truss It"
Public Enemy


I like this line from Chuck D. It reminds me that history does affect everything.
 
 
autopilot disengaged
15:44 / 14.09.02
School wouldn't give
Him a job that he needed
Assistant to the assistant coach
They didn't need it
The he resorted to a
Stick up kid - ski mask & gatt
But this game he wasn't good at
And the drugs on the side
Police ambushed his ride
Bang it was
Another homicide
He was ghost you know
Hometown hero
But now he's zero
To those hypocrites
Who ripped him blind
For his skills
Without the will to develop his mind
Forever in the news
The community views
Him only as air hoodlum


- from narrative ('air hoodlum') to the finest public address lyricist since, what, dylan? -

A gun iz a gun iz
A muther fuckin gun
But an organized side
Keep a sellout niga on the run

What you gonna do to get paid
Step on the rest of the hood
Till the drug raid

See you runnin like roaches
Black gangstas need track coaches

The white law set you up raw
When you have his trust in killin us...


('so whatcha gone do now?')

...i knew Chuck D would turn up sooner or later.

more from public enemy
 
 
Spatula Clarke
22:59 / 14.09.02
Is there any chance you could provide us with reasons why these lyrics are important to you? Those reasons may be blindingly obvious to you, but it'd be a good idea to give them some context so that others can understand them. Without explanation, this becomes just another list thread.
 
 
doglikesparky
23:47 / 14.09.02
Walk in shadow, Walk in dread,
Loosefish walk as like one dead.
One drop in a winter sea, no more to rise forever.

Cardiacs, 'The Alphabet Business Concern (Home of Fadless Splendour)'


Reminds me not to worry about standing out from the crowd. Quite the opposite, in fact.
 
 
De Selby
01:03 / 16.09.02
Choosing to be here in
this body
this body holding me
be my reminder here that I am not alone in
this body
this body holding me
feeling eternal
all this pain is an illusion.


Tool - Parabola.

Because sometimes the petty shit gets in the way, and I need to remember to "slide"
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
08:36 / 16.09.02
You leave in the morning
Wi0th everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face

Mother will never understand
Why you had to leave
But the answers you seek
Will never be found at home
The love that you need
Will never be found at home

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they'd talk about around town
As they put you down

And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them
Just to your soul
No you never cried to them
Just to your soul

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Cry , boy, cry...

You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.



Bronski Beat 'Smalltown boy'. For one of the best depictions of escaping from restrictions and following your heart *ever*. An inspiration And for the specific 'coming out/leaving home' theme.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
13:51 / 16.09.02
Smashed glass against the wall
Curse the music on the radio that the neighbours play
Door slams, you turn you head
Watching through the window as she pulls away
Funny how your racing brain drives you so mad
When all the while you feel so numb
Too old to be clean, far too young to be broken
Like an army we come...


Cut back, left behind
I watch you self-destructing oh so many times
Shot dead once again
Sitting in a chair crying "what am I gonna do with my life?"
Just learn to fight the way that you really feel
And never let them know that you're scared
Just understand that you're nothing special- only one-
Watch us now, watch us real close

How we all dance with this fire
'Cos it's all that we knoe
As the spotlight turns towards us we all try our best to show
We are lost, we are freaks,
We are crippled, we are weak
We are the heirs to all the world...

Let's go build a fire
Down on the empty beach when the waves are crashing high
White heat, purify
As the sparks fly up into the great black sky
Let's sacrifice these crutches to the crackling flames
And stand as silhouettes against the dawn
It's far too late to try to sleep now-
Seems I'm never tired anymore

I wanna dance with this fire 'cos it's all that I know
As the spotlight turns towards me I just try my best to show
We are lost, we are freaks,
We are crippled, we are weak...

We are lost... we are freaks, and we try our best to show...
We are lost... ha ha.

(Ballad of Bodmin Pill- New Model Army). I love it cos I always listen to it when I'm at my most self-pitying. Somewhere about half-way through it makes me defiant. That has to be an improvement.
 
 
rizla mission
14:44 / 16.09.02
here's the plan: each entry, suits suggest one person/group whose lyrics they love. for whatever reason. in whatever way. include representative sample, and if posible, a link.

ooh.. there's no way I can cut things down to one group..

Lyrics are such a big, big part of why I like music..

shortlist:

Jesus & Mary Chain
Urusei Yatsura
Patti Smith
Dead Kennedys
Pavement / Malkmus
McLusky
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
15:27 / 16.09.02
But why those ones, lists dont' tell us anything about why you've picked them out specifically....
 
 
Domestiques
15:34 / 16.09.02
Post one for me. So hi initially.

Although really now I wouldnt say that I am still an ardent fan, over the years Billy Braggs lyrics havent failed to make me laugh, make me cry, make me smile and make me think.

The lyrics below are from one of his first songs, The saturday boy, a tale of unrequited love.

I'll never forget the first day I met her
That September morning was clear and fresh
The way she spoke and laughed at my jokes
And the way she rubbed herself
Against the edge of my desk
She became a magic mystery to me
And we'd sit together in double
History twice a week
And some days we'd walk the same way home
And it's surprising how quick
A little rain can clear the streets
We dreamed of her and compared our dreams
But that was all that I ever tasted
She lied to me with her body you see
I lied to myself 'bout the chances I'd wasted


The times we were close
Were far and few between
In the darkness at the dances in the school canteen
Did she close her eyes like I did
As we held each other tight
And la la la la la la la la means I love you


She danced with me and I still hold that memory
Soft and sweet
And I stare up at her window
As I walk down her street
But I never made the first team,
I just made the first team laugh
And she never came to the phone
She was always in the bath
I had to look in the dictionary
To find out the meaning of unrequited
While she was giving herself for free
At a party to which I was never invited


I never understood my failings then
And I hide my humble hopes now
Thinking back she made us want her
A girl not old enough to shave her legs


www.billybragg.com
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
16:40 / 16.09.02
who's responsible? you fucking are

Because we fucking are.
 
 
that
20:18 / 16.09.02
Tori Amos. All her lyrics are here. I chose a song to post here, but my choice was too revealing, so I dropped it, sorry...

I love her lyrics because some of them tap into a lot of anger I have, particularly about one relationship, and help me experience it more fully and more honestly... kind of like Stoatie says, with a defiance there, you know? And because, though a lot of them are extremely personal and very opaque, they seem completely honest. And they're all beautiful, especially when she sings them, and I know I may be in a minority of one here on the 'lith, but I think Tori Amos is very, very cool.
 
 
that
20:26 / 16.09.02
Just to mention...that thing about being too revealing. I said it completely without a hint of irony, and only just now realised how fucking ludicrous it is for me, of all people, to worry about revealing too much on barbelith... The words barn door, horse and bolted spring to mind. Oh dear. (insert blushing smiley here).
 
 
grant
14:36 / 17.09.02
My right hand holds a vial of tranquilizers.
My left hand holds a loaded .38....


Rev. Horton Heat, "Loaded Gun."
Because that's a vivid, two-line description of a bad, bad situation. With the menace in the music, it's a nearly perfect song moment. It's cool as hell.

=========
You won't be happy with me.
But give me one more chance.
You won't be happy anyway.


Magnetic Fields, "100,000 Fireflies"
Which is possibly the best pop song ever, and definitely the most beautiful breakup song. Because, again, there's stark despair in the lyrics, but they're sung with sweetness, innocence and beauty.

===========

Randy Newman. Almost anything from his early career, and everything off the Sail Away album. OK, the dancing bear song bugs me, but all the rest....

Asia's crowded, Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot, and Canada's too cold
South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one - there'll be no one left to blame us.

"Let's drop the big one" = political commentary.

Won't be no God to comfort you
You taught me not to believe that lie
You don't need anybody
Nobody needs you
Don't cry, old man, don't cry
Everybody dies.

"Old Man" = a weird twist at the end of a solemn, wistful meditation on age and death... contrasted later in the album with:

The Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree
The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
They picked their four greatest priests
And they began to speak
They said "Lord the plague is on the world
Lord no man is free
The temples that we built to you
Have tumbled into the sea
Lord, if you won't take care of us
Won't you please please let us be?"

And the Lord said
And the Lord said

"I burn down your cities--how blind you must be
I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
You must all be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why I love mankind
You really need me
That's why I love mankind"

"God's Song."

For someone like me who regards himself as fairly spiritual/religious, there's a big paradox in loving these lyrics as much as I do.

===========

Several songs by Billy Bragg. The one closest to my heart is "St. Swithin's Day" - the bit about polaroids fading away like love is true, true - but the first thing by him I ever heard is also the one that stays longest:

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.


From "A New England." Anything that uses high tech to comment on eternal human conditions I find really, really moving. And the way his voice speeds up and goes all high and nearly breaks when he talks about realizing they were only satellites... mmm. Pretty. And true.

==========

I realize that I'm violating the rules here. I don't care.
Oh, and Don Henley is a strong runner up. So is Tom Lehrer.
 
 
suds
15:14 / 17.09.02
i think that the riot grrrl movement was really important because feminist and pro-girl lyrics were used in rock music with real passion as well as humour.
i still love listening to riot grrrl music. the song that i like the lyrics to best is by bikini kill, who wrote some of the best riot grrrl stuff ever.
it's called "don't need you" and it's on "the c.d version of the first two records".
there are a million others i like but i think this one had the most impact on me growing up girl.


don't need you to say we're cute
don't need you to say we're alright
don't need your atti-fuckin-tude boy
don't need your kiss goodnight

we don't need you, we don't need you
us girls don't need you

don't need you to tell us we're good
don't need you to say we suck
don't need your protection
don't need your dick to fuck

we don't need you, we don't need you
us whores don't need you

does it scare you that we don't need you?
does it scare you boy that we don't need you?
we don't need you, we don't need you
us girls we don't need you

(kathleen hanna OWNS!)
 
 
suds
15:27 / 17.09.02
ps cholister, i love tori too. i know what you mean about some of her lyrics being too revealing about you because i feel similar about her songs too. i don't often like to play tori unless i'm on my own. so i totally got what you meant.
 
 
Domestiques
15:57 / 17.09.02
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.

Grant I have stated on another discussion board that that snippet of lyrics is my favourite lyric of all time. Stunning to see it wrote down again.
 
 
jUne, a sunshiny month
07:25 / 20.09.02
"From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins
(...)
I'm catching ulcers from the child proof lighters
And all these fine tooth biters that keep the wires in my head tighter
I tired out by the distances achieved walking in my sleep
Thorns got ????????? got it tagged too deep
Ask dad to keep cool, I'll call him back as soon as I resume normal
And get out of this bathroom
And call management to seek some reimbursement
For the nerve ending that burnt from the first hits
(...)
So fuck needles, fuck smoke
Fuck lines that make the sinus choke
Fuck chasers, trails, fuck waves and rails
Fuck hang-overs, fuck hallucinations
Regurgitations, mandatory sentences and UA tracing
Blind my insight and dull the common sense
Give me inner vision, kill the superstition and the confidence
Built the tolerance, now it's more that I consume it
When it boards up my room, the world's whores will croon in unison
Unify the eulogy, autopsy pages read euthanasia, I.E., irony
But here I be within a pool of my drool
Sedated, windows dilated, comatose, life overdose
Tell Jacob Miles to keep it wild style
I promise I'll smile
And check the floor, God's got nice tile
Tell Jacob Mile to keep that shit wild style
And I'll smile
And check the floor, God's got nice tile"

well, it's simply cool. i dunno why THIS one and not another from the migthy Minneapolis's own Slug, one of my faves of the moment. the guy feels sensible and i love the construction of his text. plus, he's got an impressive flow, and strong ideas about how make words play together.
well, of course, i had to check the lyrics somewhere before understanding everything that he said (my english < his !).
 
 
reddog
17:44 / 20.09.02
The whole of 'Tricks of the Shade' by the Goats on the album Tricks of the shade.
Why?

It's awesome poetry combined with pared down powerful rapping. And pollically so brillant in so few words, a great summery.

Will restrain myself from typing the entire track, so here are some of the bits that make me shiver:
(try saying it out loud)

"...the trades of the trickest The stickiest motherfucker in the history of hypocrites Columbus destroyed more Indians than Hitler killed Jews but on his birthday you get sales on shoes And this is all old news, but I'm afraid ya can't find it if ya snooze ya lose, so I choose to rewind it He offered guns for gold but behold the real scam Using shady treaties, tradin' trinkets for land They should've scalped his ass before he even touched sand Everything grand until 1609..."

It ends with "...Men never died for flags, they died for politicians The shadiest breeds of the mental magicians."

The way this last line is delivered brings the big shiver for me.

Have enjoyed reading everyone's stuff, good idea.
 
 
jUne, a sunshiny month
07:09 / 23.09.02
bex, 200% with you. the goats were briliants, and this lp was huge.
 
 
remorse
20:37 / 27.09.02
To defy the laws of tradition, is a crusade only of the brave

Les Claypool of Primus
 
 
remorse
20:50 / 27.09.02
Oh yeah, a reason.

I like to see artisits change the attiutde of radio friendly music. I want to hear something that makes me say "This should not be playing on the radio right now, and I like it!"

Break some traditions, fuck with the song stucture if you have to. Release a song without a, *gasp, chorus or a hook. Make fart noises through a grilled cheese effects pedal. Let's all create a new genre. Something to progress music further from this stagnant arena of pop.

Another Primus lyric that insinuates all music is borrowed: If you take a Zeplin riff, and you alter it a bit. Teaching the parrot to sing.
 
  
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