From Wild T(h)yme by Jefferson Airplane:

It's a wild t(h)yme
I'm doing things that haven't got a name yet

"I lost my lucky ball and chain, and now she's four years gone
Just five feet tall and sick of me and all my rattling on
She threw away her baby doll, I held on to my pride
But I was young and foolish then, I feel old and foolish now.

Confidentially, she never called me baby doll,
Confidentially, I never had much pride
But now I rock a barstool and I drink for two
Just pondering this time-bomb in my mind

I lost my lucky ball and chain, and now she's four years gone
Just five feet tall and sick of me and all my rattling on
She walked away from a happy man, I thought I was so cool
I just stood there whistling 'There Goes The Bride' as she walked out the door..."

They Might Be Giants, "Lucky Ball & Chain"

"The chairman of this boredom is a compliment collector,
I'd like to be his funeral director...."

Elvis Costello, "Opportunity"

"Does anybody need another crooked politician,
Caught with his pants down, and money stuffed inside his hole?"

Lou Reed

"Dear Mr. Murdoch, you're so hard to see,
But with your bare-assed cheek you should be on page three
And dear Mr. Murdoch, you're really the pits
Bad news is good business, you're king of the tits"

Roger Taylor, "Dear Mr. Murdoch"

"Howard Johnson's got his HoJo workin' , HoJo workin' on me!" NRBQ

"All around town my name is Mud, but I can't help it, it's in my blood" NRBQ, "It Comes To Me Naturally"

"They say he's got the whole world in his hand, but the button can be pushed by just one man" NRBQ, "When Things Was Cheap"

"Although your world wonders me,
with your majestic superior cackling hen,
your people I do not understand,
so to you I wish to put an end
and you'll never hear surf music again...."

Jimi Hendrix, "Third Stone From The Sun"

"Shake that woody for me, Saint Pinnochio!" Jellyfish, "Joining A Fan Club"

but the point, dear Rob, is that he's far from a tortured artist, so we can see it for what it is. A manipulative attempt to appear cool that seriously backfired, in my eyes (but not in yours ).

It would have to be '1000 Umbrellas by XTC...

"1000 Umbrellas upturned
Couldn't hold all the rain
That drained out of my head
When you said
We were over, and over
I cried
'til I floated downstream
To a town they call Misery
Oh Misery.

And 1 million teacups I bet
Couldn't hold all the wet
That fell out of my eyes
When you fell out with me
So I'm crawling the wallpaper
Thats looking more
Like a roadmap to Misery
Oh Misery

[Chorus]
How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
And you'll soon forget her
If you let the sunshine come through

How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
If you never let a Girl
Rain all over you

And just when I thought
That my Vista was Golden in Hue
One Thousand Umbrellas Opened
To spoil the view."

Pick any of Morrisseys lyrics. Abnsolutely NO concession in them to 'fitting around a melody' ... and no concessions to standard themes. I mean .... "If A double Decker bush crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" is just the finest declaration of love ever.

*** Spent last week working with a Manchester uni student who is doing a dissertation on Mozzers lyrics ***

Also muchos admire the musings of one Mikey Georgeson from the underrated uk band David Devant & His Spirit Wife. He has a quirk of using 'mis-ryhmes' in his songs, examples ....

"And my uncle thinks I'm barmy, coz I won't grow up and join the navy"

and ..

"There's a hole in my bucket,
sometimes I think,
oh well, forget it".

i dont see it like that - i am WELL aware hes being manipulative but i get the impression that hes clever enough to know that thats EXACTLY what hes doing - thats why i like his lyrics ...

... besides - you dont think that kurt was playing the EXACT same game to some extent ???

slainte rob

ok there's just too many great lyrics to tell my favorite, so I'll tell you the one that always makes me laugh the most:

From 'Battle of Who Could Care Less' by Ben Folds Five:

"This should cheer your up for sure...
you see I've got your old I.D...
you're all dressed up like The Cure"

or another gem from the same song:

"I've got this great idea....
Why don't we pitch it to the Franklin f**king Mint..
Fine pewter portraits of
General Apathy
and
Major Boredom
singing...
whatever and ever, amen"

some of my favorite lyrics, entertaining to me mostly, not others however:

"you start yer jaws a waggin and it never stops
you never shut yer mouth until I blow my top

I'm leaving now...
-I'm leaving now...

....I'm a long gone daddy I don't need you anyhow."

- Hank Williams Sr.

Oooh Get her!

Was that a dig?

"Some people should be sterilized"
Pusherman

"I'm making a stand while I sit on my arse"
Soft Cell

The one that comes to mind right now is "Fat Gal" by Merle Travis:

She keeps me warm in the Winter,
Chilly in the Summertime;
That's what I like about that fat gal of mine!

This hard-time talk don't trouble me;
I keep as happy as a honeybee;
If things get rough and times get hard,
I'll render my gal and sell the lard.

Now she's my shelter in the time of storm;
I helter-skelter right under her arm.
She's a beauty if you look at her face,
And you shouldn't be a-lookin' any other place!

Warm in the Winter,
Shady in the Summertime;
That's what I like about that fat gal of mine!

funny one Freeztar!

practice what you preach


justice is lost


e lucevan le stelle


us and them


mother do you think they like the song

Turning Japanese - The Vapours

I asked a doctor, to take a picture, so I can look at from inside as well....

A song about tugging (not you Donkey!), it doesn't get any cooler than that.

A classic -- amongst many others by Hank, of course!