Great Lyrics - and why they are great

[Harmony]

I did a cursory search to see if there were threads already in existence that matched my idea here.  I apologize if this is well-covered ground.

I've been thinking about lyrics that really speak to me since reading through the Billy Joel thread.  What was it specifically about his (IMO great) lyrics that resonated?  Lennon/McCartney are arguably a couple of the most celebrated lyricists of all time.  What is it specifically about their lyrics that caused the world to sit up and take notice?

Rolling Stone has published the best 100 songwriters:  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters

I can argue why I completely disagree that Neil Diamond is a better songwriter than Billy Joel - and for the record, I like both - but that isn't what I'm going for here.  The RS list is woefully incomplete.  But then again how could it not be?  Some of the best lyrics are written for the theater.  RS is definitely limited there.

The music we all obviously love/enjoy sets the stage of a song.  The lyrics tell the story of a song.  Great instrumentals and classical music aside, what makes for memorable songs with perfect lyrics to match the rhythms and moods?  For example, I like a good story.  I enjoy novels that take me out of my familiar place and mentally take me for a ride to some new place to see, experience, and savor.  Over time I've come to appreciate that the lyrics I tend to gravitate toward are for that same reason.  I want a story deeper than 'boy meets girl' and yet also simple in its delivery.  I don't mind a good hook, but don't overdo it.  I want lyrics to feel intrinsic and I want to feel moved by the turn of a phrase.  Clever but not cheesy.

Last night I rewatched The World According To Garp.  Goddamn I love that novel and that movie.  The opening credits are to the song 'When I'm Sixty-Four.'  I've heard this song a bazillion times and yet....last night.....I feel like I really appreciated them for the very first time.  Genius really.  Easy to throw away as fairly benign and insignificant and yet...don't the lyrics speak to the heart of what every person craves?  When I'm old, will you still want me/need me?  Youth is fleeting - can we manage growing through life together?

I'll toss the thread out for your input but leave you with another of what I feel is a perfect example of spectacular lyrics.  I hear this song and these words and I see immediately the couple who are looking through a box of old photos and remembering their lives together.  And paired with the amazing music, it just makes me so happy.  2 of my very favorite song writers doing it up right.

This Is Us
Mark Knopfler/Emmylou Harris

Rocking at the barbecue
Yeah, when we said I do
Hand jiving on the ballroom floor
You in that wedding coat you wore
And you in that amazing dress
I was stoned on love I guess
You and me, we were meant to be
This is us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DLR7dviLVE

[lonestar]

Any discussion of lyrics, for me at least, begin and end with the work of Fish, both with Marillion and after, nobody pained an image and captured a scene in words quite like him, especially in his "magnum opus" (for me at least) Clutching at Straws. The lamentations of the alcoholic drowning in his cups as he comes to terms with the fact that yes, it is all his fault, and even worse, that he accepts that this is the way its meant to be, still chills me to my core as I approach 12 years of sobriety...


I was flicking through the channels on the TV
On a Sunday in Milwaukee in the rain
Trying to piece together conversations
Trying to find out where to lay the blame
But when it comes right down to it there's no use trying to pretend
For when it gets right down to it there's no one here that's left to blame
Blame it on me, you can blame it on me
We're just sugar mice in the rain
I heard Sinatra calling me through the floorboards
Where you pay a quarter for a partnership in rhyme
To the jukebox crying in the corner
While the waitress is counting out the time
For when it comes right down to it there's no use trying to pretend
For when it gets right down to it there's no one really left to blame
Blame it on me, you can blame it on me
We're just sugar mice in the rain
'Cause I know what I feel, know what I want I know what I am
Daddy took a raincheck
'Cause I know what I want, know what I feel I know what I need
Daddy took a raincheck, your daddy took a raincheck
Ain't no one in here that's left to blame but me
Blame it on me, blame it on me
Well the toughest thing that I ever did was talk to the kids on the phone
When I heard them asking questions I knew that you were all alone
Can't you understand that the government left me out of work
I just couldn't stand the looks on their faces saying, "What a jerk"
So if you want my address it's number one at the end of the bar
Where I sit with the broken angels clutching at straws and nursing our scars
Blame it on me, blame it on me,
Sugar mice in the rain, your daddy took a raincheck

[KevShmev]

I will list an example of great lyrics by the four on my Mount Rushmore of lyricists.

Roger Waters
Song: Pink Floyd - Time

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death


Neil Peart
Song: Rush - Limelight

Living in a fisheye lens
Caught in the camera eye
I have no heart to lie
I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend
All the world's indeed a stage
We are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience outside the gilded cage


Taylor Swift
Song: Taylor Swift - This Is Me Trying

They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind on my classmates, and I ended up here
Pouring out my heart to a stranger
But I didn't pour the whiskey
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
At least I'm trying


Ben Gibbard
Song: Death Cab for Cutie - Gold Rush

Digging for gold in my neighborhood
(Gold rush) For what they say is the greater good
(Gold rush) But all I see is a long goodbye
(Gold rush) A requiem for a skyline
(Gold rush) It seems I never stopped losing you
(Gold rush) Because every dive becomes something new
(Gold rush) And all our ghosts get swept away
(Gold rush) It didn't used to be this way

[NoFred]

Usually I’m in for lyrics that paint a picture for the song (swimming in a lake of fire, drive boy dive boy, etc) but as unagreeable as I find him these days I can’t think of anyone other than Roger:

I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused
Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise
If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze?

Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending
That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend
And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner
And everything's done under the sun
And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer

This guy is both painting a picture and telling a story, and this is just one example.

[Ben_Jamin]

Any discussion of lyrics, for me at least, begin and end with the work of Fish, both with Marillion and after, nobody pained an image and captured a scene in words quite like him, especially in his "magnum opus" (for me at least) Clutching at Straws. The lamentations of the alcoholic drowning in his cups as he comes to terms with the fact that yes, it is all his fault, and even worse, that he accepts that this is the way its meant to be, still chills me to my core as I approach 12 years of sobriety...


I was flicking through the channels on the TV
On a Sunday in Milwaukee in the rain
Trying to piece together conversations
Trying to find out where to lay the blame
But when it comes right down to it there's no use trying to pretend
For when it gets right down to it there's no one here that's left to blame
Blame it on me, you can blame it on me
We're just sugar mice in the rain
I heard Sinatra calling me through the floorboards
Where you pay a quarter for a partnership in rhyme
To the jukebox crying in the corner
While the waitress is counting out the time
For when it comes right down to it there's no use trying to pretend
For when it gets right down to it there's no one really left to blame
Blame it on me, you can blame it on me
We're just sugar mice in the rain
'Cause I know what I feel, know what I want I know what I am
Daddy took a raincheck
'Cause I know what I want, know what I feel I know what I need
Daddy took a raincheck, your daddy took a raincheck
Ain't no one in here that's left to blame but me
Blame it on me, blame it on me
Well the toughest thing that I ever did was talk to the kids on the phone
When I heard them asking questions I knew that you were all alone
Can't you understand that the government left me out of work
I just couldn't stand the looks on their faces saying, "What a jerk"
So if you want my address it's number one at the end of the bar
Where I sit with the broken angels clutching at straws and nursing our scars
Blame it on me, blame it on me,
Sugar mice in the rain, your daddy took a raincheck

Man, I felt the same exact way when I finally listened to Clutching at Straws.

I enjoy this album and it's lyrics because I can easily place myself into this scenario. The music video for Sugar Mice was me at the bar, and the part where the band comes up on the bar table, made me think of myself watching a band playing live on YouTube while sitting at the bar feeling more than good.

[Tomislav95]

A few days ago I was listening to Lavender by Marillion on repeat, such a great lyrics, especially (the first) verse. Before mentioned, Sugar Mice is one of my favorites as well.

[Ben_Jamin]

For me, the lyrics I most enjoy are those that are enhanced by the music. The music creates a mood, a vibe, and atmosphere that allows me to deep dive into the words of the lyrics. It's not just the single words or phrases, or how descriptive/poetic they are, it's also what are the lyrics trying to portray. Most of the song that I would be considered my favorites are those where the words being sung blend with what the music is creating. And there are so many moods, vibes, and atmospheres that music creates and words to go along with it, I find it difficult to list them.

What I said above is the main reason why I tend to enjoy concept albums a lot. It's pretty interesting actually because I do not really watch much movies, nor have I seen a lot of movies. I do enjoy movies, but I tend to veer towards listening to concept albums and letting my imagination take over, while also integrating into the world being created through the melodies of the lyrics by singing along.

Also, because of the above, I can also enjoy "Pop" songs because some of them are just fun, even if the lyrics are usual pop related lyrics about relationships and heartbreak. Such as the song "Stop" by the Spice Girls.

I guess I'll probably just use this thread to post some lyrics that I enjoy.


Redemption - Damaged

"You have your reasons for waiting for the worst
Our learned behavior is so difficult to break
I have my reasons for clinging to my hope
Chances I have to take

The only conclusion is love over fear
Without it we'll never live

I have my reasons for pushing way too hard
Solving a problem where one may not exist
You have your reasons for wanting your own space
Just don't confuse yourself

The easy solution is letting us grow
So simple but yet so hard

I know you've been so damaged by the choices you have made
I know you don't believe that you deserve what I would give
Please recognize that love must conquer fear
And that the struggle there is all life is

I understand that I can push things
To a self-defeating point
It's hard to make myself let go
In order to hold on

The last resolution is simply to be
Embracing the possible

I know I've been transformed by all the choices I have made
I know I've been afraid to make the leap of faith I need
One day perhaps we'll recognize that love must conquer fear
That's what life is"

What's great about these lyrics are the uplifting word choices, which blend in nicely with the uplifting vibe of the song. I do like where the song goes during the "I understand I can push things to a self-defeating point" lyrics, the music has a bit of a reflective atmosphere created by the guitars that go well with these words. The song ends on a positive note, and I do enjoy the lyrics here a lot. I first heard this song at ProgPower and I instantly fell in love with it and wish I had heard it before the show so I could sing along.

[Stadler]

For me there's a difference between a "song" and "the lyrics".   I'm going to focus on the lyrics for now (though it's a very, very fine line).

First, echo the admiration for Fish.  He has what I think Harmony was asking, and that is the ability to take a VERY specific scenario, to him, and have it still be universal.   That to me is the key to the lyrics that REALLY transcend time.  I have no idea what Tony Banks was thinking when he wrote the song, but to this day, when I hear "Evidence Of Autumn" it takes me to my college girlfriend:

But that was many years ago
And though the pain is dim
A something still remains
Though you hardly can recall
Her face or form
Her memory lingers on

And it does.

Drops of Jupiter; despite the stupidity of some of the lines (the Tae-Bao, fried chicken and "the best soy latte you've ever had", which is a nonsequitor) that one verse/chorus perfectly captures the ending of my first marriage:

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol' Jane told a story about a man
Who was too afraid to fly, so he never did land

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way?
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?
Was it everything you wanted to find, and did you miss me
While you were looking for yourself out there?

I cry to this day when I hear that song.

This is why I truly think that Taylor Swift is this generations "Bruce Springsteen".  She connects.  I'm a 55 year old straight white male, and this just levels me every time:

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha
Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

I'm not her, but who doesn't want to be remembered that way?  Especially after giving a part of you that you don't give to everyone?

[Stadler]

I mentioned the difference between songs and lyrics.  "Songs" are things like "She" by Kiss.  Not a great lyric stand alone, but the combination of the music and the vocal and words is so evocative:

She walks by moonlight; no one really knows. 
The powers are within her, as she takes off her clothes


David Lee Roth on "Blood and Fire", walking through the myth that is Van Halen:

Forgotten empires
Lost victories, long past
Every time I bloomed again
I thought it was the last
And then something crazy happens
And boom
I'm doing the victory dance

Told ya I was comin' back
Say you miss me
Say it like ya mean it, ahh say it

And I'm going to say it:  Neil Peart is clever, and he does, at times, make me think.  But his words are a shade too clinical for me.  Other than the odd occasion - The Analog Kid is ME! - there's very little in the Rush catalogue that gives me a visceral feeling.

[emtee]

Generally I pay very little attention to lyrics. However, Floyd is a band that draws me in and Dogs is probably my favorite lyric.

[SoundscapeMN]

Joytown
-Kevin Gilbert

Fathers they have big hands and they pat gently on your head
Mothers always make sure everyone is happy and well fed
And everything is instant, no one has to wait too long
And Lennon never has to sing a Paul McCartney song

We're living here in Joytown, the City of the Sun
And everyone loves everyone loves every single one

No one sells his roommate's stuff so he can get a fix
And no one fears the darkness, no one fears the number six
Everyone talks openly of great things they have read
And no one ever says the things that are better left unsaid
And everyone has someone they can share their sadness with
No one leaves the slightest doubt, no one takes the fifth

Jesus and Muhammed and Buddha live in town
Zoraster and Ba'h'aula and Moses hangs around
And when they get together they are quite a noisy crew
They laugh about their legacies over cigarettes and brew

Senator McCarthy enjoys a book by Marx
And people tear down parking lots
So they can build more parks
And Jimi plays the perfect note that never seems to end
And Martin Luther King has got a blond white girlfriend

We're singing here in Joytown
Won't you come and sing along?
We'll never tell you that you ain't singing the right notes
Never tell you that you're wrong

[hefdaddy42]

To me, a great lyric is similar to great poetry. It can use literary devices in a smart way, and not pretentiously, and evoke a mood that is echoed by the mood set by the music.

For my money, a great example is Lipstick Sunset by John Hiatt.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASRP9fc-_o4

There's a lipstick sunset
Smeared across the August sky
There's a bitter sweet perfume
Hanging in the fields
The creek is running high

And I left my lover waiting
In the dawn somewhere to wonder why
By the end of the day
All her sweet dreams would fade
To a lipstick sunset


Well, a radio was playing
And that ol' summer heat was on the rise
I just had to get away
Before some sad old song
Brought tears to my eyes

And Lord I couldn't tell her
That her love was only killing me
By the end of the day
All her sweet dreams would fade
To a lipstick sunset


Well it's pretty as a picture baby
Red and blushing just before the night
Maybe love's like that for me
Maybe I can only see
As you take away the light

So hold me in the darkness
We can dream about the cool twilight
'Til the dawning of the day
When I make my getaway
To a lipstick sunset

There will come another day
When I make my getaway
To a lipstick sunset

There will come another day
Then I'll make my getaway
To a lipstick sunset

[emtee]

Another one that grabs me is Untouchable part 2 from Anathema.

[Harmony]

You guys are posting up some GREAT lyrics.  I gotta put on Lipstick Sunset now.  Love me some John Hiatt.   

Lonestar - songs/lyrics about drug use and addiction can be pretty powerful.  Have you ever listened to any Jason Isbell?  He is definitely one of my all time favorite lyricists and being in recovery himself, addiction and recovery factor heavily into his work.

Pink Floyd is right up there with The Beatles for me.

SoundscapeMN - I have never heard that KG song.  The lyrics are intriguing me.  Will check that out.

This came up today while I was working out.  Paul Simon can really turn a phrase.

There is a girl in New York City
Who calls herself the human trampoline
And sometimes when I'm falling, flying
Or tumbling in turmoil I say
"Whoa, so this is what she means"
She means we're bouncing into Graceland

And I see losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Well, everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody feels the wind blow

For many years I thought Graceland was about the real Graceland - and I suppose in a way it is.  But metaphorically, I feel like it about finding grace - whether that be through finding God's forgiveness or finding forgiveness within ourselves.