Best rock lyric ever?

[Shake-N-Bass]

For well you know that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

 

[Coolhandjjl]

You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave...

Little old lady got mutilated late last night...

Nuns run bald through Vatican halls, pregnant, pleadin' immaculate conception...

Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain...

 

[mellowgerman]

"Moses, Moses, the red sea closes, over you when you least expect it to"
Incidentally comes from one of the most epic rock songs of all time (IMO): www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmS53zUVZM
I actually used to think it was "know this, Moses, the red sea closes..." which I think is even a tad cooler, but I suppose my interpretation would never have existed if Paul's original lyric hadn't come first

 

[TREYontheBASS]

What It Takes - Aerosmith

"Girl before I met you I was f-i-n-e fine, but your love's made me a prisoner yeah my heart's been doing time"

So tasteful and just sounds so damn good. Steven Tyler is one of the best there ever will be.

 

[Joedog]

Well it's country, not rock, but it makes me chuckle......

"I hear you been laying my old lady.
I like you Joe, but wives are hard to share."

 

[Coolhandjjl]

It's a shame that most of these posts didn't credit the writer or performer.
A bunch of gems that I will never be able to track down.

That's what Google is for...

 

[Roccafella]

"The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river"
Tomahawk - Laredo

Mike Patton kicks all of the asses

 

[LoTone]

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

Tom Sawyer - Rush

 

[J-Mags]

Mountain Goats! John Darnielle has penned some great lyrics. Check the words to "Orange Ball of Hate" and "Going to Bristol."

Or this one (recited from memory, so I may be a bit off:

Black Pear Tree

I dug a hole and filled it up with compost
And rested on the cool grass for a minute
I saw the future in a dream last night
There was nothing in it.

I set the sapling in the hole
And started gently tamping down the dirt
I saw the future in a dream last night
Somebody's gonna get hurt
And I hope it's not me
But I suspect it's gonna have to be

I dug my heels in for the winter
And waited for the snow
But something was stuck up in the clouds
Something was stuck up there
And couldn't let go

When the time came, I could see it happen
Blossoms black and sweet as Texas crude.
I saw the future in a dream last night
Somebody's gonna get screwed
And it won't be me
Someday I am gonna walk out of here free

Also "Snow Owl" and "Going to Georgia"

Especially the couplet:

You smile as you take the gun from my hand
I'm frozen with joy, right where I stand

 

[osv]

I really like this jacket, but the sleeves are much too long.

From ‘Funny Farm’ by Motorhead

 

[heatheroo1]

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

[SparkyLB]

The roses in the window box are tilted to one side.
Everything about this house is born to grow and die.

--Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Elton John.


Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he’d lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

--Bob Dylan (THE Man).

 

[mrjim123]

The roses in the window box are tilted to one side.
Everything about this house is born to grow and die.

--Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Elton John.


Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he’d lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

--Bob Dylan (THE Man).

Dylan is THE man for lyrics. He was SO freakin' prolific!

 

[tb4sbp]

"To break my fast on honey dew and drink the mike of paradise"
Xanadu - Rush

 

[socialleper]

Not a poll and I know there is no correct answer. Just wondering what lyric you think is the best ever.

I'm specifically saying lyric as opposed to lyrics. Just one line, not a whole verse or chorus.

I went to see Nine Inch Nails last night and I think Trent Reznor came up with the best rock lyric ever. First line to the chorus of Closer: I want to **** you like an animal.

It's nasty, vulgar, offensive, dangerous, and menacing but it's also sexy, fun, and crazy. It's a song that is rough enough for the boys but still sexy enough for the girls to get into as well. A nice balance. And it was a wonderful experience to be in a room with thousands of women screaming that line at the top of their lungs.

I prefer WASP's version- I **** like a beast.

 

[tb4sbp]

"I took a line that leads you to the opium trail. Oriental eyes reveal the lies, deceit, betrayal. On this journey behold one who travels far. You called him fool but now you are!"
Opium Trail - Thin Lizzy

 

[socialleper]

All of the lyrics to Carcass' Exhume to Consume are hilarious, but this passage is poetic genius:
Scrutinised then brutalised
My forensic inquisition is fulfiled
My recipe is now your epitaph
Be it fried, boiled or grilled

This one too:
Bereaved relatives are not amused
As on their dear departed I feverishly consume

 

[bound'n'blocked]

The lyric that has pretty much described my life...

Lynard Skynard's '"You Got That Right":

"I've tried everything in my life. The things I liked, I tried 'em twice!"

BnB

 

[Farseer]

...and the worms ate into his brain.

 

[TinyE]

too much trippin and my soul's worn thin