Best rock lyric ever?

[MonetBass]

"What I carry in my heart
Brings us so close, or so far apart
Only love can make love"
-- Peter Gabriel, "That Voice Again"

 

[swrbass5]

Not Rock, but listen to White Trash Story, by Casey Donahue.
Pick almost ANY lyric.
Lol

 

[MonetBass]

"Well the toilet blew up yesterday afternoon
The plumber, he said, 'Never flush a tampoon'"
-- Frank Zappa, "Flakes"

 

[db59]

I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend

 

[djddanman]

As a fairly indecisive person,

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"

But really anything from Rush works for me

 

[rocmonster]

They call me the working man. I guess that's what I am.

I always liked the straightforward lyrics of that song, much better than American country music takes on that topic.

Ironically Walmart used it in an ad sometime back, which put it in an American political context ( applied that is, I never got a sense that Rush was attempting to be political on their first album).

 

[Kenova]

Yet another emotional suicide overdosed on sentiment and pride
Too late to say I love you, too late to re-stage the play
Abandoning the relics in my playground of yesterday
I'm losing on the swings, I'm losing on the roundabouts

 

[xnewyorka]

I remember back in high school days
You were walkin' down the street with the rest of the girls
Lookin' back at me to see if I was lookin' back at you and I was

 

[Muddslide]

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

From ‘Funny Farm’ by Motorhead

Lemmy unleashed some awesome words. Ace of Spades is one of THE quintessential rock n roll songs IMO.

"But that's the way I like it baby,
I don't want to live forevah!"

The way he just spits and snarls those lines out. How can you not get charged up?

 

[interp]

The night before, behind the door, a leprechaun had stroooooked it.

 

[Muddslide]

Three other lesser-known lyricists I think have done some great work are:

Will Oldham (Palace Bros, Bonnie Prince Billy)

Dave Berman (Silver Jews)

James Mercer (The Shins, Broken Bells)

...also for 90s indie rock stuff, Steve Malkmus from Pavement.

One of my faves ever is Mark E. Smith (RIP) of The Fall.

But yeah...Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Lou Reed and of course Dylan...all masters of the craft.

 

[ShredLikeTim]

Billy Joel
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,
The sinners are much more fun
Skid Row
The freaks come out at nine,
It’s 20 til 10
RATM
Either drop the hits like De La Ho
Or get the f$$$ off the commode
And the best of all time:
FSK
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there....

 

[PimasterPearson]

Rage Against The Machine - "Some of those that work forces / are the same that burn crosses"

 

[mexicanyella]

If we can agree to put Pavement in the rock genre, I'd nominate "Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, nature kids, I/they don't have no function, I don't understand what they mean and I could really give a f---."

The whole "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" album is full of bizarre lyrics. Another one I liked, for the same reasons and from around the same time, on Cracker's "Kerosene Hat": "Here come old/Kerosene Hat/with his earflaps waxed/a-courtin' his girl...come clatterin in here/on your old cloven skates/with that devilish spoon..."

WHAT? Love it.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I mean, I would argue Queens of the Stone Age’s “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” refrain of ‘Nicotine Vallium Vicodin Marijuana Ecstacy and Alcohol....Co co co co co coCAIN!!’ is pretty rock and roll if we’re talking about all the things the OP mentioned

I would argue it would have been even more rebellious, and Rock & Roll, had it been :

‘Nicotine Vallium Vicodin Marijuana Ecstacy and Alcohol....Co co co co Coco Pops!!’

 

[Wood and Wire]

Mama, just killed a man.

Mama's always doing that.

They should lock her up, she's a menace.

 

[Aqualung60]

"I am the zombie woof, I'm that creature all the ladies been talkin' about".

 

[troy mcclure]

You ain't no beauty but hey your alright

 

[Gringo Basso]

Harry Nillson:

You're breakin' my heart
You're tearing it apart so shag you

 

[Toolmybass]

Squeeze my lemon, until the juice runs down my leg