Greatest lyrics of all time?

slipss

Ok so I read in The Star that MTV are holding a competition to find the greatest lryics of all time, not a whole song, just like the best line form a song kinda thing. Apparrently U2's line from One, "One life, With each other, Sisters Brothers" is one of the favourites, it wouldn't be mine I can think of better lyrics in that song alone.

But anyways what would be your choice?, I can't think of one in particular at the minute, but a few off the top of me head.

Bob Marley-Rat Race
"Don't forget your history;Know your destiny:In the abundance of water,
The fool is thirsty."
Bob Marley-Exodus
"Open your eyes and look within: Are you satisfied with the life you're living?|

Bob Dylan-Like a rollin' stone
"When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal."

REM-Everybody Hurts
"If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on."

Sheryl Crow-If it Makes You Happy
"If it makes you happy, It can't be that bad, If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad."

Rustar

<sigh>....I still remember the lyrics from the saddest song ever sung in the English language....Mr. Bojangles.

"His dog up and died, up and died......
after 20 years he still grieves....."

<sniffle>

Dagnir Glaurung

Bob Dylan - Visions of Johanna
'The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face'

or

'Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues, you can tell by the way she smiles'

slipss

huh, just read the few I posted there, makes for depressing reading, **** this I'm goin out and gettin wasted.

Killaqueen!!!

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody:
"I don't wanna die. I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.."

mickrourke

Jesus!!! You must be all the most depressing people ever!!!! Read the lyrics you've chosen! How about a humourous lyric or is that not saying a serious enough message.... I quite like.....
"Son I'm Thirty..... I only went with your mother cause shes dirty...."
Kinky Afro - Happy Mondays

Fitzo

what about: thin lizzy- "tonight thers going to be a jailbreak, somewhere in this town..."

wonder where there'll be a jailbreak???:D

Rustar

Trivia quiz --- whodunnit?

"I am gross and perverted, I'm obsessed and deranged
I have existed for years, but very little has changed
I'm the tool of the government, and industry too
For I am destined to rule...and regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
but you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
with the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get, have you guessed me, yet?"


.......?


edit: and no googling if you need help!

grumpytrousers

Rustar wrote:

Trivia quiz --- whodunnit?

"I am gross and perverted, I'm obsessed and deranged
I have existed for years, but very little has changed
I'm the tool of the government, and industry too
For I am destined to rule...and regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
but you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
with the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get, have you guessed me, yet?"


.......?


edit: and no googling if you need help!

Dunno - it's something by either T'pau or Curiosity Killed the Cat - of that, I'm SURE...

Always liked the rather silly dylan lyric with the Traveling Wilburys

"In Jersey anything's legal, as long as y'don't get caught"

Briony Noh

The winner has to have been John Lennon. I don't know which line, but I'll bet it's in Imagine. Which is a pity, because George's line in Piggies, "always have clean dirt to play around in" has got to get the vote for best insult to the gentlefolk of the press; Ringo's in Octopuss's Garden "I'm sorry that I doubted you/I was so unfair/you were in a car-crash/and you lost your hair" is sheer perfection and Paul's entire canon, particularly "then we will remember the things we said today" and "and in her eyes you see nothing/no sign of love beyond the tears" and "the wild and windy night that the rain washed away has left a pool of tears" and "and though she tried her best to help me, she could rob but she could not steal. And so she quit the police department..." - I could go on and often do.

Briony Noh

Thought of a couple more from non-Beatles sources:

Ira Gershwin: Your daddy's rich and your mamma's good looking, so hush little baby don't you cry (that's irony to me)

Cole Porter: (this isn't accurate but it's close) Broadway shows that once used better words now only use four-letter words

The task, I imagine, must be impossible if it's a serious attempt. Greatest lyric of ALL TIME??? I don't know Mozart well enough. Still, maybe it can be done. I mean, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one... Damnit!

grumpytrousers

Briony Noh wrote:

...Ringo's in Octopuss's Garden "I'm sorry that I doubted you/I was so unfair/you were in a car-crash/and you lost your hair" is sheer perfection...

A pedant writes...that was actually 'Don't Pass Me By'...Octupus' Garden had the fine couplet 'He'd let us in/knows where we've been', which is brave in that the words are really only half rhymes.

The cleverest example of a half rhyme that I can think of was 'So Hard' by the Pet Shop Boys, where they managed to fit 'fatal' with 'faithful'. Shouldn't work, but does.

As opposed to 'Up the junction' by Squeeze 'I got a job with Stanley/he said I'd come in handy'. Should work, but doesn't.

Rustar

grumpytrousers wrote:

Dunno - it's something by either T'pau or Curiosity Killed the Cat - of that, I'm SURE...

Nope.

grumpytrousers

Rustar wrote:

Nope.

Oh for gods sakes i know darn well it's neither. Can you IMAGINE (ha - see what i did there!) Carl Decker singing that? Or Ben sodding Volauvent (or whatever he was called) singing that? Course you can't. In fact, if you can even concieve a lyric like *that* appearing on a NOW album, dude, you've issues...

It's obvious some critically acclaimed but left-of-centre act whom everybody knows of, but doesn't get sung much at karaoke

*just googled*

Yup...

Rustar

grumpytrousers wrote:

It's obvious some critically acclaimed but left-of-centre act whom everybody knows of, but doesn't get sung much at karaoke

I think the word 'genius' would have worked there.

stevejazzx

Rustar wrote:

I think the word 'genius' would have worked there.

i am the slime oozing out of your tv!

Rustar

stevejazzx wrote:

i am the slime oozing out of your tv!

And the name (for the grand prize of a kewpie doll)?

stevejazzx

my best lyrics vote:

like a rolling stone
they cant take that away from me
they all laughed
tenderly
heaven is ten zillion miles away
somewhere over the rainbow

stevejazzx

Rustar wrote:

And the name (for the grand prize of a kewpie doll)?

appaz knarf?

Nightwish

whatever lyrics are in my sig tbh.

FX Meister

Has to be Life by Des'ree.
I'm afraid of the dark,
'specially when I'm in a park
And there's no-one else around,
Ooh, i get the shivers

I don't want to see a ghost,
it's a sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast and
watch the evening news

Life, oh life, oh life, oh life, doo,
doot doot dooo. Life, oh life, oh life,
oh life, doo, doot dooo

I'm a superstitious girl,
I'm the worst in the world
Never walk under ladders,
I keep a rabbit's tail

I'll take you up on a dare, anytime, anywhere
Name the place, I'll be there, bungee jumping,
I don't care!

So after all is said and done
I know I'm not the only one
Life indeed can be fun, if you really want to
Sometimes living out your dreams,
Ain't as easy as it seems
You wanna fly around the world,
In a beautiful balloon

djmarkus

My lovely horse, running
through the field,
Where are you going with
your fetlocks blowing in the
wind?
I want to shower you with
sugarlumps,
And ride you over fences,
Polish your hooves every
single day,
And bring you to the horse
dentist.

My lovely horse,
You're a pony no more,
Running around with a man
on your back,
Like a train in the night (yeah)
Like a train in the night.

Sorry, i couldnt resist

stevejazzx

FX Meister wrote:

Has to be Life by Des'ree.

I don't want to see a ghost,
it's a sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast and
watch the evening news

she'd rather have toast than see a ghost, hmm comforting to know!

Rustar

stevejazzx wins the kewpie doll! Congrats for your correct answer of Frank Zappa.

Next quiz (remember, no googling, and past winners may not apply)

"I love the dead before they’re cold
Their bluing flesh for me to hold
Cadaver eyes upon me see nothing
I love the dead before they rise
No farewells, no goodbyes
I never knew your rotting face
While friends and lovers mourn your silly grave
I have other uses for you, darling

FX Meister

Rotting Face by Daniel O'Donnell?

FX Meister

No, wait, Alice "I suck" Cooper.

Rustar

FX Meister wins the second kewpie doll, but it is grudgingly awarded, as he has denigrated The Coop. Alice Cooper is indeed the answer.
More later.

FX Meister

Please. No more. If you want a guess the lyric thread then start one. Don't hijack this thread.

Rustar

FX Meister wrote:

Please. No more. If you want a guess the lyric thread then start one. Don't hijack this thread.

Fine. Although I notice you not only entered the competition, but accepted your kewpie doll as well. :rolleyes:

<bonks FX Meister on head and forcefully retakes kewpie doll>

deegan_m

"Crawlin on her belly shakin like jelly,
and I'm getting harder than Chinese algebra"

Tom Waits - Pasties and a g-string

Mr. Presentable

Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band