Whose song lyrics do you enjoy the most?

[Joe Fields]

Who "does it" for you? Who reaches your soul and makes you feel they are speaking directly to you?

[AllegroRondo]

1. Older Rush

Neal has a great way with words, finding unusual meanings, rhymes and rhythms in the language that just work.

[Joe Fields]

6. i like a lot of the allegories and metaphores that he uses in his lyrics.

[datasuspect]

2. david bowie

[idgiehkt]

3. Kat Bjelland, PJ Harvey, Courtney Love, Shakira

and John Popper and Blues Traveler

Here is a great one by Blues Traveler, Look Around
http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Blues-Traveler/Look-Ar...

[DS1]

4. Tool's messages to fan boys accusing them of selling out

"Hooker with a penis"

I met a boy wearing vans, 501s, and a
Dope beastie t, nipple rings, and
New tattoos that claimed that he
Was ogt,
From 92,
The first ep.

And in between
Sips of coke
He told me that
He thought
We were sellin out,
Layin down,
Suckin up
To the man.

Well now Ive got some
A-dvice for you, little buddy.
Before you point the finger
You should know that
Im the man,

And if Im the man,
Then youre the man, and
Hes the man as well so you can
Point that fuckin finger up your ass.

All you know about me is what Ive sold you,
Dumb fuck.
I sold out long before you ever heard my name.

I sold my soul to make a record,
Dip shit,
And you bought one.

So Ive got some
Advice for you, little buddy.
Before you point your finger
You should know that
Im the man,
If Im the fuckin man
Then youre the fuckin man as well
So you can
Point that fuckin finger up your ass.

All you know about me is what Ive sold you,
Dumb fuck.
I sold out long before you ever heard my name.

I sold my soul to make a record,
Dip shit,
And you bought one.

All you read and
Wear or see and
Hear on tv
Is a product
Begging for your
Fatass dirty
Dollar

So...shut up and

Buy my new record
Send more money
Fuck you, buddy.

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

8. What's "ogt"

mentioned in the first stanza?

[DS1]

12. Original Gangsta Tool

I would surmise

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

29. I'm gonna have to put that

on my list of least favorite abbreviations.

[DS1]

30. I'm not a fan of it either

and am hoping it's something else only people really close would know.

It does thoroughly suck

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

32. Given the context

it doesn't sound like the guys in Tool care for it much either, although I'm sure they appreciate their fans.

[Joe Fields]

9. Those are awesome lyrics. Pretty much nails it

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. The Tragically Hip.

I'm not sure why.

[rbnyc]

7. Kristin Hersh!

Some of my favorite lines;

"Find an empty promise and stick by it."
"I'm headed for the trees over there. If that's not a destination, I don't care."

[idgiehkt]

11. one of my best friends back home was crazy about her

thanks for sharing those lyrics.

[graywarrior]

10. I guess that would be my avatar.

[Joe Fields]

13. Hi, graywarrior! Yes, Dylan is definitely one of my two favorite

songwriter. My other top favorite is Joni Mitchell.

[graywarrior]

31. Billie Joe Armstrong is another of my favorites.

[hibbing]

84. whoops...I guess I should have read all the posts..hi Gray!

I should have checked, amazing how we two always find ourselves with a Dylan connection.

Peace

[hibbing]

86. hmmm

Gray
Nice, did you see them in concert on this last one? I saw them once at a packed house and it was sooooooooooo much fun and they looked like they were having fun, they were so good I had to go see them again.

What about the Foo Fighters? Always out there fighting the foo and making some pretty cool music along the way, not political though.

Peace

[Rabrrrrrr]

79. Tom Baker?

Interesting.

[wildhorses]

14. stir

n/t

[Joe Fields]

17. depends?

[wildhorses]

19. specifically the 2nd album

self-titled

[SteppingRazor]

15. Dylan, no question n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Roger Waters

No one else comes close.

[u4ic]

18. Joni Mitchell

Pete Seeger

[Joe Fields]

28. Joni.

Can't say enough about her as a songwriter. She's simply brilliant.

[triguy46]

55. Joni. A poet with fantastic music included.

[Tikki]

20. Elvis Costello and Dee Dee Ramone....

and Chuck Berry...


Tikki

[MissMillie]

21. Aimee Mann

I almost feel like she's living my life.

[Dr. Strange]

38. You know, it is strange, but now that I think about it...

I've never seen you and Aimee in the same room!

Hmmmmmm

[mitchum]

22. Mr Louis Alan Reed...

an even better lyricist than that guy from Minnesota

[Strawman]

27. yup

[Rhythm]

23. Most anything written by Jim Steinman... doesn't matter who sings it...

I see threads here and there where he gets bashed, but i have been in love wioth his work since i was 11 years old.

He is, perhaps, the one famous person that i would be reduced to *squeeing fangirl* status if i ever met him.

[jobycom]

88. I love his work. It's over the top, and at times a bit flawed--

(meaning sometimes his lyrics are inconsistant and his music seems unfinished)--but he's all about following passions and throwing everything into life.

Except, he can't sing. "Bad for Good" had some good lyrics, but the vocals are horrific! Meatloaf was supposed to record the album, but canceled at the last minute, so Steinman sang the songs himself. I'll forgive him, though, after Pandora's Box.

[Guava Jelly]

24. Dylan

of course

[cloudbase]

25. Emmylou Harris

and Lucinda Williams.

[taterguy]

26. Paul Westerberg, but not as much lately

Back in college I thought that Answering Machine and Unsatisfied could have been written about me. I also had a crush on the person he wrote Left of the Dial about.

[mitchum]

35. Westerberg really was a good lyricist back then...

strangely enough, I never really cared for the Replacements as an entity
Oh, and there's nothing strange about having a crush on Lynn

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

33. Leonard Cohen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLq7Aqd_H7g

Sort of like Dylan - good lyrics, voice not so much ...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. Cohen's great.

If I remember correctly, he was a poetry professor before ever getting into music.

[Forkboy]

34. Jello Biafra would come the closest,I guess.

[Orrex]

36. Ani Difranco

People talk about my image
like I come in two dimensions

and many, many more.

[unpossibles]

37. Bowie, Elvis Costello, Bryan Ferry, Marley, David Byrne, Jarvis Cocker, Dylan, Joe Jackson...

Joe Strummer, Andrew Bird, Tom Waits (although I've heard he doesn't write his own all the time), Todd A., Roger Waters, John Prine, John Hartford...

there are more. Hmm. I obviously prefer English writers, although not exclusively.

[riverdale]

39. Suicidal Tendencies and NIN

I guess my soul isn't in that great a shape.

[MysticalChicken]

41. Jeff Buckley, Cold War Kids, Elvis Costello, um...

... Sleater-Kinney, PJ Harvey, The Decemberists, and my favorite band, Arcade Fire.

[BOSSHOG]

42. Bernie Taupin, late 60's, early 70's

[Joe Fields]

44. Bernie wrote some great lyrics.

Those were the years for me, too. I thought that after Caribou, it (the magic) had left.

[BOSSHOG]

54. Yeah

Madman, Honkey Tonk, awesome stuff early. Indian Sunset still grips me. Levon. Even through Captain Fantastic. Wow. I'm glad I still got the the records. They never get old.

[HEyHEY]

43. The Sex Pistols....

[Ron Green]

45. Mitchell Parrish.

[Rising Phoenix]

46. Perry....he's my boy

[GOPisEvil]

47. Jay Farrar

[Joe Fields]

48. What? No Lennon/McCartney fans?

[lizziegrace]

49. Ellis Paul n/t

[hippywife]

50. Dave Carter

http://www.daveandtracy.com/

[stuntcat]

51. Mitchell, Cohen, Mann

and Neko Case
and Nina Simone
also Paul Simon
etc etc etc

and Feist

[applegrove]

52. I hardly ever listen to the lyrics. I just like the tunes.

[Alexander]

53. Paul Simon.

[Lyric]

56. Stevie Nicks and Leonard Cohen

Those two are amazing

[enigmatic]

57. Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine

One of my true kindred souls in music:

http://www.richmondfontaine.com /

Willy's lyrics:

From the "Winnemucca" CD:

http://www.richmondfontaine.com/discography/lyrics/inde...

From the "Lost Son" CD (my favorite record of theirs):

http://www.richmondfontaine.com/discography/lyrics/inde...

From the "Miles From" CD:

http://www.richmondfontaine.com/discography/lyrics/inde...

From the "Safety" CD:

http://www.richmondfontaine.com/discography/lyrics/inde...

My all-time favorite lyric from Willy is probably "4 Hours Out"; not his best, but it speaks to me in many, many ways of my own life:


4 hours out, but I can't go back there
To A-Frames and quick build strip malls
And those panelled walls
Will become a distillery again under everyone's focus

13 cities, 7 years
Always uncertain, still unclear
It's a never ending haul of movement
Where nothing appeared right to me
It was barely in focus at all

4 hours out
Maybe my hair and blood will be against the
windshield
But I don't think I could get there either
And the people there will be the same
Knowing I couldn't make it alone
That I couldn't make it away
A-Frames will rise and the bricks will fall
But it'll be the same
Because I'm always the same

13 cities, 7 years
Always uncertain, still unclear
A never-ending haul of movement
Where nothing appeared except
13 cities, 7 years

***********************

[Release The Hounds]

58. Metallica

[blitzen]

59. Tom T. Hall is high on my list n/t

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

60. It begins and ends with MORRISSEY

[no name no slogan]

61. Adrian Borland, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Gram Parsons, Tim Buckley

All geniuses. All died far too young by their own hands.

[Danger Mouse]

62. Sage Francis...a brilliant, insightful,and clever rapper.

And the line that you see as my sigline is my current favorite song lyric. Don't ask me why. I just love it.

[MysticalChicken]

63. I like Sage Francis.

I can't say I love him yet as I've only heard two of his songs ("Slow Down Gandhi," which is brilliant and which I've played about thirty million times, and "Escape Artist"). I don't usually like rap but his lyrics are intelligent and I can actually understand what he's saying.

[Danger Mouse]

69. Some recommendations for Sage Francis songs you might want to check out...

'Makeshift Patriot' great slam of the Bush administration.
'Hoofprints in the Sand' another good political one
'Gunz, Yo' very funny
'Majority Rule'...the source of the quote in my sigline
'Broken Wings' sad and pretty
'Waterline' also kinda moving.
All of his stuff is great. Best rapper I ever heard.

[MysticalChicken]

70. Thanks. I'll see if I can find those.

[Danger Mouse]

72. His new album 'Human the Death Dance' is in stores now.

You can get it even at Best Buy. It's well worth it. If you have myspace, check out his myspace page, you can listen to most of the album there if you're curious.

[MysticalChicken]

73. I found all those tracks except...

"Hoofprints in the Sand," "Gunz, Yo," and "Waterline." Haven't listened to the ones I found yet, will do in a few minutes.

[Danger Mouse]

74. 'Hoofprints' and 'Waterline' are off the new album...

which, as I said, is well worth buying
Try 'Gunz Yo' without the comma...sorry

[MysticalChicken]

76. I just listened to the ones I found...

Some pretty awesome stuff.

There used to be a program on the radio station I listen to, called The Warped Hours, on Friday nights. It's been cancelled but they played punk music and underground hip-hop and that's where I first heard Sage Francis. "Slow Down Gandhi" was the first of his songs that I heard.

[Danger Mouse]

77. Oh man, that's an awesome idea for a program...

If you like Sage, check out his good buddy Buck 65.
I suggest 'Roses and Bluejays,' '463,' 'The Suffering Machine' and many others

[Blue-Jay]

64. Willie Nelson.

Like him or hate him, he's a lyrical genius.

[Joe Fields]

65. I love Willie. his songs made stars out of a lot of people back in the 60's.

[Joe Fields]

66. Not one person mentioned Jim Morrison?

[no name no slogan]

71. A second-rate poet with an ego bigger than his talent?

[Joe Fields]

75. I don't think he was second rate. I thought he had a certain amount of

genius in him.

[Coventina]

67. Morrissey

When I was a teenager, I could have sworn he was reading my mind!

I almost started wearing a tinfoil hat!



on edit: fixed smiley

[CatholicEdHead]

68. Nobody's Hero - Rush

Off their Counterparts album.

[Mojambo]

78. John K. Samson n/t

[hibbing]

80. Bob Dylan..since he hasn't been mentioned..

Hi,
Beautiful long songs, hardcore political songs, songs of broken hearts, funny songs..so many of all.

Peace

[Robeson]

81. Ian Anderson

[opiate69]

90. Seconded!

Here's a great site for annotated Tull lyrics
http://www.cupofwonder.com/index2.html

[johnnie]

82. Lennon

He could do almost anything with a lyric.

[Lindsey]

85. Lennon for me too...no question n/t

[Fox Mulder]

83. Godsmack - Sick of Life

Paralyzed!
Nothing's getting through to me
Hypnotized!
From all my surroundings

I wanna be
Something I could never be
I wanna say
Things that I could never say

Yeah
I'm gonna do it again
I'm gonna do it again
I'm gonna do it again

Sick of my life
I'm tired of everything
In my life

Dragged down
Rubbing my face in the ground
No time
For the undecided

I wanna know
Why I've always felt alone
I wanna love
Why am I untouchable?

Yeah
I'm gonna do it again
I'm gonna do it again
I'm gonna do it again

Sick of my life
I'm tired of everything
In my life

I never wanted to be sick
Of my life
I'm tired of everything
In my life

Sick of my life
I'm tired of everything
In my life

I never wanted to be sick
Of my life
I'm tired of everything
In my life
yeah

[swag]

87. CSS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cnOvMFnRvs

[Giant Robot]

89. Peter Gabriel

No question.

[jobycom]

91. Gretchen Peters--She's written for Bryan Adams, and a lot of country singers.

Here's my favorite by her is "Bus to Saint Cloud," sung by Trisha Yearwood and by Jimmy LaFave. Also, "Independence Day," by Martina McBride, "You don't even know who I am," by Patty Lovelace. Bryan Adams has recorded a lot of her songs. Beautiful lyrics.

Here's another recording of "Bus to Saint Cloud." Not nearly as haunting as Trisha Yearwood, but not too bad. Couldn't find a link to Trisha.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=230203645790048...

[WCGreen]

92. Al Stewart...

Year of the cat is probably one of the best songs ever written as far as construction and technique...

Also, I really love Road to Moscow and Time Passages...

On the Border...

Nostradamus...

All great songs...

[pokerfan]

93. Springsteen

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember, Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take

Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me
Down to the river though I know the river is dry
Down to the river, my baby and I