Songs with the Greatest lyrics...

i_b_b_o_r_g

iainment said:

i_b_b_o_r_g said:

Six-a-bag-of-nuts said:

iainment said:

I think that Kris Kristofferson has written many, many songs with brilliant lyrics.
Sunday morning coming down and Loving her was easier than anything I’ll ever do being two of many wonderful examples.

Kris Kristofferson.
Wasn't he once married to Rita Ritacoolidge?
And he appeared with Bob Bobdylan in the film Pat Patgarrett and Billy the Billykid 

Was one of the Highwaymen and can't sing for toffee. Makes my ears bleed

It’s about lyrics though.

I know, just describing him to the other poster

grumpyaddick

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd
like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime.
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress
Running
Like a water colour in the rain.
Don't bother asking for explanations 
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat.

Always liked that....

PemburyAddick

aliwibble said:

You may not agree with his politics, and his singing is an acquired taste, but Billy Bragg writes some bloody good lyrics. Personal favourite is probably "Must I Paint You A Picture", which starts off
"It's bad timing and me:
We find a lot of things out this way.
And there's you
a little black cloud in a dress.
The temptation to take the precious things we have apart to see how they work
must be resisted for they never fit together again."

Although as a football fan I've always been tickled by the bit in "Greetings to the New Brunette" that goes
"Sometimes when we're as close as this,
it's like we are in a dream.
How can you lie there and think of England
when you don't even know who's in the team?"

Those New Brunette lyrics had me chuckling all day. I used to love his raw singing and guitar, coupled with some clever lyrics. 

KettsJohn

Kooks David Bowie , in fact anything on Hunky Dory 

charltonbob

Lamb -  Gorecki

Brilliant love song, wrote this on the back of a postcard & gave it to my new partner over dinner on holiday. She cried........Feel the same now as I did then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbUfDXrWgbs

If I should die this very moment
I wouldn't fear
For I've never known completeness
Like being here
Wrapped in the warmth of you
Loving every breath of you
Still my heart this moment
Or it might burst
Could we stay right here
'til the end of time 'til the earth stops turning
Wanna love you 'til the seas run dry
I've found the one I've waited for

All this time I've loved you
And never known your face
All this time I've missed you
And searched this human race
Here is true peace
Here my heart knows calm
Safe in your soul
Bathed in your sighs
Wanna stay right here
'til the end of time
'til the earth stops turning
Gonna love you 'til the seas run dry
I've found the one I've waited for

The one I've waited for

All I've known
All I've done
All I've felt was leading to this
All I've known
All I've done
All I've felt was leading to this
Wanna stay right here
'Til the end of time 'till the earth stops turning
I'm gonna love you till the seas run dry
I've found the one I've waited for
The one I've waited for
The one I've waited for

Wanna stay right here
'Til the end of time 'till the earth stops turning
I'm gonna love you till the seas run dry
I've found the one I've waited for
The one I've waited for
The one I've waited for

Silverdreammachine

Uptown uptempo Woman - Randy Edelman

Great Words, superb melody, worth a listen on Utube!

Afternoon Delight

Don't bring Harry - The Stranglers

thickandthin63

Surprised Elvis not got a mention

Buys a gun steals a car
Tries to run but he dont get far

Sadly happening a lot with todays youth .

ken_shabby

New Model Army - The Hunt (love the Sepultura version)
The Jam - Going Underground
Japan - Sons of Pioneers

SoundAsa£

Penny Lane....The Beatles.
She’s leaving home......The Beatles.
Ohio.....Crosby Stills and Nash.

Lincsaddick

What kind of love have you got?
You should be home, but you’re not
cos a room full of noise and dangerous boys
still makes you thirsty and hot

I heard about you and that man
There’s just one thing I don’t understand
You say he’s a liar and he put out
your fire
How come you still got his gun in your hand?
Victim of love , I see a broken heart
You got your stories to tell
Victim of love, it’s such an easy part
and you know how to play it so well

Lincsaddick

1. In the chilly hours and minutes
   Of uncertainty
   I want to be
   In the warm hold of your loving mind.

   To feel you all around me
   And to take your hand
   Along the sand,
   Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

   When sundown pales the sky
   I want to hide a while
   Behind your smile,
   And everywhere I'd look, your eyes I'd find.

   For me to love you now
   Would be the sweetest thing,
   'T would make me sing,
   Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

   When rain has hung the leaves with tears
   

   I want you near to kill my fears,
   To help me to leave all my blues behind.

   For standin' in your heart
   Is where I want to be
   And long to be,
   Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

   Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

   
   

2121

Hank williams jr a country boy can survive 

jimmymelrose

LargeAddick said:

If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys

One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men

Joy & Pain - Maze

The World's Greatest - R. Kelly

When will admin get around to the 'dislike' button?

jimmymelrose

Shrew said:

Title and Registration by Death Cab for Cutie has clever  humorous and sad lyrics all rolled into one.

And while on the subject, why not a 'love passionately' button?

'I don't like much really do I
But what I do like
I love passionately.'

Stig

Grinderman - No Pussy Blues

fadgadget

Fad Gadget - Life On The Line  

I'm sorry about the mess on the table

I'm sure it was an accident
My hands are made of nitroglycerine
That explains the incident

Fortune built my homes in daydreams
Pages I'd never seen
I'm sorry you were so disappointed
The contract states quite fundamentally
The undersigned is you
Lay your life on the line

No questions
(Life on the line)
That's fine
(Life)
Just sign on the dotted line

You didn't hesitate at the inkwell
A sample of the poet's blood
Guitars pluck a tune in the ozone
But me, I'm just stuck in the mud

Fortune left my hopes in daydreams
Pages I'd never seen
I'm sorry you were so disappointed
The contract states quite fundamentally
The undersigned is you
Lay your life on the line

No questions
(Life on the line)
That's fine
(Life)
Just sign on the dotted line

Fortune built my hopes in daydreams
Pages I'd never seen
I'm sorry you were so disappointed
The contract states quite fundamentally
The undersigned is you
Lay your life on the line

Sarrf_London

Rupert Holmes

I met her at a baseball game
That got held up by August rain
Beneath the mezzanine I huddled up against her hand
By then the rain had left the ground
And Seger threw a few on the mound
We stood to face the flag that flew above the Navy band
Then the anthem began to blare through the stadium
It rang through the open air
And I knew this was the time to make my pitch

Won't you come home with me?
I've a room you should see
With a warm waterbed
And pillow for your head
I've a robe you could wear
And smoke we could share
You are blond – I am tall
And I think that says it all
A quick glass of wine
Then I'll feed you a line
Nilsson will sing
And you won't feel a thing
Oh say you will stay with me, love
Must I say "I love you?"

"Well, how do ya' like my pad?"
"Oh, it's great. I mean, I love purple."
"I – I bet you're an Aquarius, aren't you?"
"No. Actually I'm a Leo."
"I knew you were one of those."
"You know, Leos are very big on Women's Lib."
"I don't, uh, believe in Women's Lib."
"Uh, somehow I didn't think you did."
"Let me just turn on the hi-fi here."
"Oh, that's pretty. Uh, what kind of wine is this?"
"Oh, that's uh – that's red wine."
"Red! That's my favorite kind."
"Are you having a terrific time?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm having a very terrific time."

Lincsaddick

^^^^ Rupert s an underrated lyricist .. I nearly mentioned the 'Escape' (Pina Colada) song but thought it might be a bit twee

Sensei

grumpyaddick said:

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd
like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime.
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress
Running
Like a water colour in the rain.
Don't bother asking for explanations 
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat.

Always liked that....

Me too, brilliant song.

Sensei

Another corker....

I come from down in the valley

Where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of this valley down to where the fields were green
We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle
No flowers no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we did ride, yeah yeah

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
That sends me down to the river tonight, yeah
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride, oh 
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh

Stig

When I'm Cleaning Windows - George Formby

Now I go cleanin' windows to earn an honest bob
For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job
Now it's a job that just suits me
A window cleaner you would be
If you can see what I can see
When I'm cleanin' windows

Honeymoonin' couples too
You should see them bill 'n coo
You'd be surprised at things they do
When I'm cleanin' windows

In my profession I'll work hard
But I'll never stop
I'll climb this blinkin' ladder
Till I get right to the top

The blushin' bride, she looks divine
The bridegroom he is doin' fine
I'd rather have his job than mine
When I'm cleanin' windows

The chambermaids' sweet names I call
It's a wonder I don't fall
My mind's not on my work at all
When I'm cleanin' windows

I know a fella, such a swell
He has a thirst, that's plain to tell
I've seen him drink his bath as well
When I'm cleanin' windows

Oh, in my profession I'll work hard
But I'll never stop
I'll climb this blinkin' ladder
Till I get right to the top

Pyjamas lyin' side by side
Ladies nighties I have spied
I've often seen what goes inside
When I'm cleanin' windows

Now there's a famous talkie queen
She looks a flapper on the screen
She's more like eightie than eighteen
When I'm cleanin' windows

She pulls her hair all down behind
Then pulls down her... Never mind
And after that pulls down the blind
When I'm cleanin' windows

In my profession I'll work hard
But I'll never stop
I'll climb this blinkin' ladder
Till I get right to the top

An old maid walks around the floor
She's so fed up, one day I'm sure
She'll drag me in and lock the door
When I'm cleanin' windows
When I'm cleanin' windows

jimmymelrose

George Formby - you're having a laugh!

Stig

Absolutely not. He was a genius.

bazjonster

Billy Joel - 'Piano Man'  (just a cleverly composed and factual story, love how it builds).

The Jam - 'That's Entertainment' (of it's time).

Depeche Mode - 'Blasphemous Rumours' (lyrically quite simple, but totally resonated with me and my views on religion, and was the song that really got me hooked).

usetobunkin

In one single moment your whole life can turn around, I stand there for a minute staring straight into the ground.
Looking to the left slightly then looking back down the world feels like its caved in proper sorry frown. 
Please let me show you how we could only just be for us, I can change and I can grow or we can adjust. The wicked thing about us is we always have trust. 
We can even have an open relationship if we must. 
I look at her, she stares almost straight back at me but her eyes glaze over like she's looking straight through me. 
Then her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity, when they opened up she's lookin down at her feet.

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now, its over.

So then I moved my hand off and down by my side, shaking, my life is crashing before my eyes.
I turn the palm of my hand up to face the skies, touched the bottom of her chin and let out a sigh.
Because I can't imagine my life without you and me, there's things I can't imagine doing, things I can't imagine seeing.
It weren't supposed to be easy, surely, please please, I'm begging, please.
She brings her hands up towards where my hands rested she wraps her fingers around mine with the softness she's blessed with.
She peels away my fingers looks at me and then gestures, by pushing my hand away to my chest from hers.

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now, its over.

And I'm just standing there.
I can't say a word.
'Cause everything has just gone.
I've got nothing.
Absolutely nothing.

Trying to pull her close out of bare desperation, put my arms around her to try to change what she's saying.
Put my head level with hers so she might engage in.
Look into her eyes to make her listen again, I'm not gonna fuckin' just fuckin' just leave it all now.
'cause you said it would be forever and that was your vow, and your gonna let our things simply crash and fall down.
Your well out of order now, this is well out of town.
She pulls away, my arms that are tightly clamped around her waist gently pushes me back as she looks at me straight.
Turns around so she's now got her back to my face, takes one step forward, looks back and then walks away.

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now, its over.

I know in the past I've found it hard to say, telling you things but not telling you straight. But the more I pull on your hand the more you pull away.

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now.

The Streets, 

Just sums up what most blokes have gone through at sometime.

jimmymelrose

Stig said:

Absolutely not. He was a genius.

I've been undecided over what to nominate on this thread. It's impossible for me to really choose the best lyrics of one artist I like, let alone the best of all my favourite artists. Some of the music I like is quite unknown, but of those well-known there seem to me to be too many candidates that haven't yet been mentionned, ignored for those far far less worthy imo. I shall continue to wait and see if anyone else nominates these.

In the meantime your use of the word 'genius' has reminded me that at the Reading Festival back in 1998 or 99 I once shouted during a gap between songs 'Martin you're a genius' which was probably heard by everyone in the 'tent', and for which one particular friend continues to have a friendly dig at me from time to time. Nevertheless the artist concerned remains one of my most favourite songwriters. Back in the late nineties, it was as though he was speaking directly from my heart. I've decided though to nominate a song of his written far more recently, which thankfully is not a subject that concerns me personally.

Darling Sorrow

Martin Rossiter

From this cliff, its a long fall
So let's sit and be thankful we met
Two jumpers who never got to leap
Now that driftwood can float
Unencumbered
No splash, tonight...
The Moon alone manipulates the sea
Back home, it's a long haul, and we've nothing to go for
It's warm, it's dry
The stars will keep an eye on you and me
Until day comes to mock us with birdsong
There's no-one else alive
So I guess we should get back, to what?
Yes, Ive asked that
But leave, we must: It's time for us to walk our different ways
Darling sorrow one more thing, before you go:
Same place;
Tonight

heckington_reds

Alone again  Gilbert O'Sullivan 

Miserableoldgit

"Do you have the time, to listen to me whine........"