Favorite Song Lyrics of All Time. What Say You?


For some reason, certain arrangements of basic parts of speech attached to pitch and cadence got themselves permanently attached to my (remaining) brain cells.  

What are your favs?

Here's my Top 3.

#1:

"Her teeth were like the stars above because they come out every night." Homer and Jethro, Live at the Country Club (Side one)

#2:

"They'll never forgot you, until somebody new comes along."  (I think you know this one)

#3:

I had an internal UFC level battle going on in my head for this position, with no less than 11 contenders duking it out.  So, I just gave up, and passed the baton to you guys.

waytoomuchstuff

A hand print on the driver's side it looks a lot like engine oil and tastes like being poor and small and popsicles in summer ...Neko Case : Deep Red Bells

..."she understands your problems 

she lets the little things go"....

 

And every one of them words rang true

And glowed like burnin'coal

Pourin' off of every page

Like it was written in my soul from me to you

Tangled up in blue

Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah/Lake Shore Drive (1972)

(I used to think these lyrics were magical.)

There's a road I'd like to tell you about, lives in my home town
Lake Shore Drive, the road is called and it'll take you up or down
From rats on up to riches, fifteen minutes you can fly
Pretty blue lights along the way, help you right on by
And the blue lights shining with a heavenly grace, help you right on by

And there ain't no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin' on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

And it starts up north from Hollywood, water on the driving side
Concrete mountains rearing up, throwing shadows just about five
Sometimes you can smell the green if your mind is feeling fine
There ain't no finer place to be, than running Lake Shore Drive
And there's no peace of mind, or place you see, than riding on Lake Shore Drive

And there ain't no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive, heading into town
Just slippin' on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

And it's Friday night and you're looking clean
Too early to start the rounds
A ten minute ride from the Gold Coast back, make sure you're pleasure bound
And it's four o'clock in the morning and all of the people have gone away
Just you and your mind and Lake Shore Drive, tomorrow is another day
And the sunshine's fine in the morning time, tomorrow is another day

And there ain't no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive, heading into town
Just snaking on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

 

"Larger than life and twice as ugly, if we have to live there you'll have to drug me..."

ABC

Townes Van Zandt/Waiting Around To Die

Sometimes I don't know where this dirty road is taking me
Sometimes I don't even know the reason why
But I guess I'll keep a-gamblin', lots of booze and lots of ramblin'
But it's easier than just a-waitin' around to die

Oh one time, friends, I had a ma, even had a pa
Well, he beat her with a belt once 'cause she cried
She told him to take care of me, headed down to Tennessee
Well, it's easier than just a-waitin' around to die

I came age and I found a girl in a Tuscaloosa bar
Oh, she cleaned me out and hit it on the sly
Well, I tried to kill the pain, I bought some wine and hopped a train
Seemed easier than just a-waitin' around to die

Had a friend, said he knew where some easy money was
We robbed a man, and brother did we fly
But the posse caught up with me and drug me back to Muskogee
And it's two long years a-waitin' around to die

Oh, but now I'm out of prison
I got me a friend at last
He don't drink or steal or cheat or lie
Oh, his name's codeine
He's the nicest thing I've seen
Well, together we're gonna wait around and die
Yeah, together we're gonna wait around and die

"yeah, you got your dead cat and you got your dead dog,

on a moonlit night you got your dead toad frog, 

Dead skunk in the middle of the road....stinkin to high heaven1'

 

Loudon Wainwright III

 

@immatthewj 

Those lyrics were so heavy I had to add extra support underneath my tablet to keep in from tipping over.

“Pride of Man” is a bible-based song, which references the destruction of Babylon and possibly the Tower of Babel fiasco, as well. The song was written and originally performed as Dylanesque folk-rock by Hamilton Camp, on his 1964 album, Paths of Victory. It was an enjoyable listen in that incarnation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROfmXgZ2GMQ

But in 1968, the San Francisco band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, recorded the definitive performance of the song as a full-on rocker, featuring some of Quicksilver guitarist John Cippolina’s best work ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG6A6G9uzsQ

Turn around, go back down
Back the way you came
Can't you see that flash of fire
Ten times brighter then the day
And behold a mighty city
Broken in the dust again

Oh god, pride of man
Broken in the dust again

Turn around, go back down
Back the way you came
Babylon is laid to waste
Egypt's buried in her shame

Their mighty men are all beaten down
Their kings are fallin' in the ways

Oh god, pride of man
Broken in the dust again

Turn around, go back down
Back the way you came
Terror is on every sign
Though our leaders are dismayed
All those who place their faith in fire
In fire their fate shall be repaid

Oh god, pride of man
Broken in the dust again

Turn around, go back down
Back the way you came
And shout a warning to the nation
That the sword of god is raised
Get Babylon backed by its city
Rich in treasure, wide in fame

Oh god, pride of man
Broken in the dust again

Yeah!

Ahhhhhh
Ahhhhhh
Ahh ahh ahh ahh

And it shall cause your tower to fall
Make of you a pyre of flame
Oh, you who dwell on many waters
Rich in treasure, wide in fame
You bow unto your... your god of gold
Your pride of might shall be a shame
For only god can lead his people
Back unto the earth again

Oh god, pride of man
Broken in the dust again

Our holy mountain be restored
And mercy on the people
The people
Ahhhhhhh ahhhh