Post Famous Lyrics that are OK but not great. Clunkers too!

[Blackbird]

As some of you may know, I'm working on writing better lyrics.

One of the things psyching me out is that I compare the stuff I write with people who are disgustingly good. The thing to remember is that the majority of lyric writer are not geniuses (genii?), but they write all the time and they come up with adequate words for their songs. Some practice so much they become extremely good, which means that it's a skill that can be learned.

My new role model in the lyric dept. is Tony Asher, probably the most famous adequate lyricist in history. For those who don't know, he wrote the lyrics to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album.

Here's a sample of his work:

GOD ONLY KNOWS

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I’ll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I’d be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you

Yes, it's a great song (McCartney's favorive, apparently), but the lyrics aren't extremely deep and poetic. With all due respect, they're just adequate and serviceable, and that's what I'll be aiming toward. Forget Dylan.

Feel free to post other adequate but not great lyrics. Don't forget the posting guidelines.

[ahaTFJ]

The lyrics to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush are kinda... weird.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by ahaTFJ

The lyrics to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush are kinda... weird.

Interesting. Post them here.

...although Neil Peart is far from average in the lyric department.

Being a Beatles fan, I have to put this one up:

It's Only Love

I get high when I see you go by
My oh my
When you sigh, my, my inside just flies
Butterflies
Why am I so shy when I'm beside you?
It's only love and that is all
Why should I feel the way I do?
It's only love and that is all
But it's so hard loving you

Is it right that you and I should fight
Ev'ry night
Just the sight of you makes nighttime bright
Very bright
Haven't I the right to make it up girl?
It's only love and that is all
Why should I feel the way I do?
It's only love and that is all
But it's so hard loving you
Yes, it's so hard loving you...
Loving you

John Lennon wrote it...and hated it.

[ahaTFJ]

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride.

Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense
Riding out the day's events
The river

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide

Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the space he invades
He gets by on you

No his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the witness, catch the wit
Catch the spirit, catch the spit

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide

Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to the friction of the day

[bassybill]

Blackbird

One band that I play with - The Tom Martin Band - plays (mainly) all original stuff by my very good friend... you guessed it... Tom Martin.

I really like Tom's lyrics as they are very "observational". He kinds of tells mini-stories in his songs without passing comment and leaves you to think about them for yourself. I'd be interested in your views on these because I've always considered them very McCartneyish for that reason. If you PM me your address I'd like to send you our most recent CD.

[page]

How about Jim Croce?

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
You see the number on the matchbook is old and faded
She’s livin’ in l.a.
With my best old ex-friend ray
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
But that’s not the way it feels

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
’cause I can’t read the number that you just gave me
There’s something in my eye’s
You know it happens every time
I think about the love that i thought would save me

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feels

Operato,r oh let’s forget about this call
There’s no one there I really wanted to talk you
Thank you for your time
Oh you’ve been so much more than kind
And you can keep the dime

Isn’t that the way they say it goes
But let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feel

[HiFi]

Cheesy but adequate from B.T.O.:

You get up every morning
From your alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above
And people pushin', people shovin'
And the girls who try to look pretty

And if your train's on time
You can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed
Look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I'll be...
Taking care of business every day
Taking care of business every way
I've been taking care of business, it's all mine
Taking care of business and working overtime
Work out!

If it were easy as fishin'
You could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar
Chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows

People see you having fun
Just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It's the work that we avoid
And we're all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we be...

Take good care of my business
When I'm away, every day whoo!

[Blackbird]

I like this one a lot. Not a clunker at all and just 18 words!

The One I Love - REM

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind
A simple prop to occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love

Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now)

There's a lesson here, IMO.

[AxtoOx]

As I listen to them on the classic rock station, I fall back on my usual clunker, ANYTHING BY THE DOORS.
I never found him to be "The Great American Poet".

Don't know if that helps, but it makes me feel better.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by AxtoOx

As I listen to them on the classic rock station, I fall back on my usual clunker, ANYTHING BY THE DOORS.
I never found him to be "The Great American Poet".

Don't know if that helps, but it makes me feel better.

Post a lyric.

[AxtoOx]

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Post a lyric.

"I woke up this morning and I got my self a beer"

[ras1983]

Originally Posted by AxtoOx

As I listen to them on the classic rock station, I fall back on my usual clunker, ANYTHING BY THE DOORS.
I never found him to be "The Great American Poet".

Don't know if that helps, but it makes me feel better.

holy crap, i was going to post the exact same thing!!

maybe it was all the acid.

blackbird, they have a song called 'The End'.

i'm not one to understand most lyrics, but here are some example of the song's lyrics:

"Ride the snake... to the ancient lake".
"This is the end, my only friend, the end".

great music, weird lyrics.

[dharma]

"Gonna go to the roadhouse and have myself a reeeeaaaallll ... good time"

[ras1983]

here's one from queen's bohemian raphsody (the title itself is silly):

"thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me, Galileo...Galileo..."
and so on and so forth.

i felt bad about this one because the song is a classic.

[AaronS]

Here are 2 songs that hit #1 on the some charts due to something other than the quality of the lyrics

This one is so bad that I would love to have the money it made, but I would be embarrassed as hell to put my name on it.
Achy Breaky Heart by Don Von Tress
You can tell the world you never was my girl
You can burn my clothes when I'm gone
Or you can tell your friends just what a fool I've been
And laugh and joke about me on the phone

You can tell my arms to go back on the farm
You can tell my feet to hit the floor
Or you can tell my lips to tell my fingertips
They won't be reaching out for you no more

But don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Ooo

You can tell your ma I moved to Arkansas
Or you can tell your dog to bite my leg
Or tell your brother Cliff who's fist can tell my lips
He never really liked me anyway

Oh tell your Aunt Louise, tell anything you please
Myself already knows that I'm okay
Oh you can tell my eyes to watch out for my mind
It might be walking out on me today

But don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Ooo

But don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Ooo

Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Ooo

Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Ooo

This second one is very appropriate for this forum. It is just plain fun, but really, the lyrics are terrible.
Mr. Bass Man by Johnny Cymbal
Mister bass man
You got that certain something
Mister bass man
You set the music thumping
To you it's easy
When you go one two three
Ba ba ba ba ba ba

"Yeah"
Mister bass man
You're on all the song
With the bu bu bu bun bun
And di di di bun bun bon
Hey mister bass man
You're head and king of rock and roll
Ba ba ba ba ba ba

"Yeah"
Oh it don't mean a thing
When the leader's singing
Or when he goes
Ei-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Hey mister bass man
I'm asking just one thing
Will you teach me
Woo yeah the way you sing
'cause mister bass man
I want to be a bass man
Too ba ba ba ba ba ba
"Ah"
Mister bass man
I really think I'm with the
Bu bu bu bu boom boom
And the du du du du du du du du
Come on mister bass man
Now I'm a bass man
Too du ba ba ba ba ba

[Blackbird]

Ras: I'm familiar with the Doors and that song. It's just that I wanted to be able to read the lyric on the thread.

Aaron, did you hear "Hey Mr. Bassman" on a Muppett Show album when you were a kid too? I did. It is a nice little number. Very Vaudeville.

[Munjibunga]

This one. Or anything else by Barry Manilow.

Ready To Take A Chance Again

You remind me I live in a shell,
Safe from the past,
and doing' okay,
but not very well.
No jolts, no surprises,
No crisis arises:
My life goes along as it should,
it's all very nice,
but not very good.
And I'm Ready To Take A Chance Again,
Ready to put my love on the line with you.
Been living with nothing to show for it;
You get what you get when you go for it,
And I'm ready to take chance again with you.
When she left me in all my despair,
I just held on,
My hopes were all gone.
Then I found you there.
And I'm Ready To Take A Chance Again
Ready To Take A Chance Again with you,
With you.

[NewWaveBasser]

Could this be considered "adequate"?

Sick of Myself by
Matthew Sweet

You don't know how you move me
deconstruct me and consume me
I'm all used up, I'm out of luck I am star struck
By something in your eyes
that is keeping my hope alive
But I'm sick of myself when I look at you
something is beautiful and true
World that's ugly and a lie
it's hard to even want to try
I'm beginning to think
maybe you don't know.
I'll take a leave, the room to breathe
The choice to leave it
I'll throw away a chance at greatness just to make this
dream come into play
I don't know if I'll find a way
'Cause I'm sick of myself when I look at you
something is beautiful and true.
World that's ugly and a lie
it's hard to even want to try.
I'm beginning to think
maybe you don't know.
I'm beginning to think
maybe you don't know.
Something in your eyes
that is keeping my hope alive.
But I'm sick of myself when I look at you
something is beautiful and true.
World that's ugly and a lie
it's hard to even want to try.
I'm beginning to think
maybe you don't know.
I'm beginning to think
maybe you don't know.

[AaronS]

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Aaron, did you hear "Hey Mr. Bassman" on a Muppett Show album when you were a kid too? I did. It is a nice little number. Very Vaudeville.

Actually, I remember it from high school. That and "Ba, ba, ba, ba, Babra Ann". The spoof I liked best on "Hey, Mr. Bassman" was one by the Holy Modal Rounders called "Hey, Mr. Spaceman" in which they go, "Beep, Beep, Beep" in a high squeaky voice like the Sputnik audio that scared the hell out of us in the late '50s.

[syciprider]

Mana Mana (Muppets)

Sex and Violence (The Exploited)

I like Short Songs (DK)