Song Lyrics You Like

just me

Well-known member
MBTI
infj
Please share some of the song lyrics you like. I'll start.

Thick as a Brick, Part 1
Jethro Tull
Really don't mind if you sit this one out
My word's but a whisper your deafness a shout
I may make you feel but I can't make you think
Your sperm's in the gutter your love's in the sink
So you ride yourselves over the fields
And you make all your animal deals
And your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick

And the sandcastle virtues are all swept away
In the tidal destruction the moral melee
The elastic retreat rings the close of play
As the last wave uncovers the newfangled way
But your new shoes are worn at the heels
And your suntan does rapidly peel
And your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick

And the love that I feel is so far away:
I'm a bad dream that I just had today
And you shake your head
And said it's a shame

Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth
Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth
Spin me down the long ages, let them sing the song

See there, a son is born and we pronounce him fit to fight
There are blackheads on his shoulders, and he pees himself in the night
We'll make a man of him, put him to trade
Teach him to play Monopoly and how to sing in the rain

The poet and the painter casting shadows on the water
As the sun plays on the infantry returning from the sea
The do-er and the thinker, no allowance for the other
As the failing light illuminates the mercenary's creed
The home fire burning, the kettle almost boiling
But the master of the house is far away
The horses stamping, their warm breath clouding
In the sharp and frosty morning of the day
And the poet lifts his pen while the soldier sheaths his sword

And the youngest of the family is moving with authority
Building castles by the sea, he dares the tardy tide to wash them all aside
The cattle quietly grazing at the grass down by the river
Where the swelling mountain water moves onward to the sea:
The builder of the castles renews the age-old purpose
And contemplates the milking girl whose offer is his need

The young men of the household have all gone into service
And are not to be expected for a year
The innocent young master, thoughts moving ever faster
Has formed the plan to change the man he seems
And the poet sheaths his pen while the soldier lifts his sword

And the oldest of the family is moving with authority
Coming from across the sea, he challenges the son
Who puts him to the run
What do you do when the old man's gone, do you want to be him?
And your real self sings the song, do you want to free him?
No one to help you get up steam
And the whirlpool turns you way off-beam

I've come down from the upper class to mend your rotten ways
My father was a man of power whom everyone obeyed
So come on all you criminals! I've got to put you straight
Just like I did with my old man twenty years too late
Your bread and water's going cold, your hair is short and neat
I'll judge you all and make damn sure that no-one judges me

You curl your toes in fun as you smile at everyone
You meet the stares, you're unaware that your doings aren't done
And you laugh most ruthlessly as you tell us what not to be
But how are we supposed to see where we should run?
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

I see you shuffle in the courtroom
With your rings upon your fingers and your downy little sidies
And your silver buckle shoes
Playing at the hard case
You follow the example of the comic-paper idol
Who lets you bend the rules
So, come on ye childhood heroes!
Won't you rise up from the pages of your comic-books, your super crooks
And show us all the way?
Well, make your will and testament
Won't you join your local government?
We'll have Superman for president
Let Robin save the day

You put your bet on number one and it comes up every time
The other kids have all backed down and they put you first in line
And so you finally ask yourself just how big you are
And you take your place in a wiser world of bigger motor cars
And you wonder who to call on
So, where the hell was Biggles when you needed him last Saturday?
And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you through?
They're all resting down in Cornwall
Writing up their memoirs for a paperback edition
Of the Boy Scout manual

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ian Anderson
Thick as a Brick, Part 1 lyrics © BMG Rights Management
 
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"Thick As A Brick (Part 2)"

LATER.
See there! A man born and we pronounce him fit for peace.
There's a load lifted from his shoulders with the discovery of his disease.
We'll take the child from him
put it to the test
teach it to be a wise man
how to fool the rest.

QUOTE
We will be geared to the average rather than the exceptional
God is an overwhelming responsibility
we walked through the maternity ward and saw 218 babies wearing nylons
cats are on the upgrade
upgrade? Hipgrave. Oh, Mac.

LATER
In the clear white circles of morning wonder,
I take my place with the lord of the hills.
And the blue-eyed soldiers stand slightly discoloured
(in neat little rows) sporting canvas frills.
With their jock-straps pinching, they slouch to attention,
while queueing for sarnies at the office canteen.
Saying: "How's your granny?" and good old Ernie:
he coughed up a tenner on a premium bond win.
The legends (worded in
the ancient tribal hymn)
lie cradled in the seagull's call.
And all the promises they made are ground beneath the sadist's fall.

The poet and the wise man stand behind the gun,
and signal for the crack of dawn.
Light the sun. Light the sun.
Do you believe in the day?
Do you? Believe in the day!
The Dawn Creation of the Kings has begun.
Soft Venus (lonely maiden) brings the ageless one.
Do you believe in the day?
The fading hero has returned to the night
and fully pregnant with the day,
wise men endorse the poet's sight.
Do you believe in the day?
Do you? Believe in the day!

Let me tell you the tales of your life
of your love and the cut of the knife
the tireless oppression, the wisdom instilled
the desire to kill or be killed.
Let me sing of the losers who lie
in the street as the last bus goes by.
The pavements are empty: the gutters run red
while the fool toasts his god in the sky.

So come all ye young men who are building castles!
Kindly state the time of the year
and join your voices in a hellish chorus.
Mark the precise nature of your fear.
Let me help you pick up your dead
as the sins of the father are fed
with the blood of the fools
and the thoughts of the wise and
from the pan under your bed.
Let me make you a present of song
as the wise man breaks wind and is gone
while the fool with the hour-glass is cooking his goose
and the nursery rhyme winds along.

So! Come all ye young men who are building castles!
Kindly state the time of the year
and join your voices in a hellish chorus.
Mark the precise nature of your fear.
See! The summer lightning casts its bolts upon you
and the hour of judgement draweth near.
Would you be the fool stood in his suit of armour
or the wiser man who rushes clear.

So! Come on ye childhood heroes!
Won't your rise up from the pages of your comic-books
your super-crooks
and show us all the way.
Well! Make your will and testament.
Won't you? Join your local government.
We'll have Superman for president
let Robin save the day.

So! Where the hell was Biggles when you needed him last Saturday?
And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you through?
They're all resting down in Cornwall writing up their memoirs
for a paper-back edition of the Boy Scout Manual

OF COURSE
So you ride yourselves over the fields
and you make all your animal deals
and your wise men don't know how it feels
to be thick as a brick.


Submit Corrections
Thanks to Andrea Calzoni for adding these lyrics.
 
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Jethro Tull is awesome!

Some of my favorite lyrics are written by John Prine. I love how thoughtful his writing was and how his sense of humor shined through even sad content. He can write about pretty sad situations in a way that is light hearted. Keep on Truckin'.

Here's my favorite one:

Fish and Whistle
John Prine

I been thinking lately
About the people I meet
The carwash on the corner
And the hole in the street
The way my ankles hurt
With shoes on my feet
And I'm wondering
If I'm gonna see tomorrow.
Father forgive us
For what we must do
You forgive us
We'll forgive you
We'll forgive each other
Till we both turn blue
Then we'll whistle and go fishing
In heaven.
I was in the army
But I never dug a trench
I used to bust my knuckles
On a monkey wrench
Then I'd go to town and drink
And give the girls a pinch
But I don't think
They ever even noticed me.
Fish and whistle
Whistle and fish
Eat everything
That they put on your dish
And when we get through
We'll make a big wish
That we never have
To do this again
Again? again????
On my very first job
I said thank you and please
They made me scrub a parking lot
Down on my knees
Then I got fired
For being scared of bees
And they only give me
Fifty cents an hour.

Also love Cat Stevens:

Into White

I built my house
From barley rice
Green pepper walls
And water ice
Tables of paper wood
Windows of light
And everything emptyin'
Into white
A simple garden
With acres of sky
A brown-haired dogmouse
If one dropped by
Yellow Delanie
Would sleep well at night
With everything emptying
Into white
A sad blue-eyed drummer
Rehearses outside
A black spider dancin'
On top of his eye
Red legged chicken
Stands ready to strike
And everything emptying
Into white
I built my house
From barley rice
Green pepper walls
And water ice
And everything emptyin'
Into white

Into White puts me right into a story book. Serene and pastoral. It's meditative. It makes me think of living and then fading into death as is just the natural progression of life. I honestly want it played at my funeral.
 
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I like Into White a lot. It is so laden with metaphor that I think one's interpretation says that much more about himself. Not that I have one!
 
Stand Inside Your Love
Smashing Pumpkins

You and me
Meant to be
Immutable
Impossible
It's destiny
Pure lunacy
Incalculable
Insufferable
But for the last time
You're everything that I want and ask for
You're all that I'd dreamed
Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love
Protected and the lover of
A pure soul and beautiful you
Don't understand
Don't feel me now
I will breathe
For the both of us
Travel the world
Traverse the skies
Your home is here
Within my heart
And for the first time
I feel as though I am reborn
In my mind
Recast as child and mystic sage
Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love
And for the first time
I'm telling you how much I need and bleed for
Your every move and waking sound
In my time
I'll wrap my wire around your heart and your mind
You're mine forever now
Who wouldn't be the one you love and live for
Who wouldn't stand inside your love and die for
Who wouldn't be the one you love
 
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Here On Out
Dave Matthews Band

Out of the corner of my eye
I caught you walk by
I chase you down
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop
You are light as a butterfly
As heavy as a rock
The bottom and the top
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop
And now I'm opened up
I am strong and wild
Like a storm out the stars in my blood
And it's all because of you, you my love
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop
When you laugh, its like a light
That fills me up
'Cause you are my love
Like when I fell into your eyes
I could not get out
And I could not get enough
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop
When I'm all used up
Old and breaking apart
Like a storm out the stars in my blood
All because of you, you are my love
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop
And I want you to know
I still need you so
I want you to know
And I still need you so
Is it okay if I call you mine
From here on out?
As if I could ever stop.
 
@just me

The key lyric to this song is one that I think of often:

“I'm a whole lot better
And a whole lot worse
Than what you think I am”

What You Think I Am
The Choir

Have you been rejected?
Have you been desired?
Have you been neglected?
Have you been set on fire?
I don't practice voodoo
I don't carry a gun
I don't want to do to you
What you don't want done
I'm nobody's angel
I'm not that good
I'm no red devil
In the wicked wood
I'm a dedicated minister
And a downright sinister man
I'm a whole lot better
And a whole lot worse
Than what you think I am

Have you been degraded?
Have you been well schooled?
Have you been indoctrinated?
Have you been called a fool?
I'm not trying to sell you
What you won't receive
I don't need to tell you
What I do or I don't believe
I'm nobody's angel
That ain't me
And what kinda devil
Do you think I be?
I'm a good samaritan
And a very, very bad man
I'm a whole lot better
And a whole lot worse
Than what you think I am

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Marc Byrd / Steve Hindalong / Daniel Michaels / Derri Daughtery
What You Think I Am lyrics © All Essential Music

Also, you quoted two Jethro songs —
I think that Ian Anderson is quite a compelling lyricist :)
 
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from “Charmless Man” by Blur...

Educated the expensive way
He knows his claret from his beaujolais
I think he’d like to have been Ronnie Kray
But then nature didn’t make him that way


I quite like that.

Cheers,
Ian
 
from “Miracle, Baby” by Nothing But Thieves

Thought I would hear a sermon
In the furthest part of town
The guy said I was a heathen
It was weighing me down


Yep,
Ian
 
from “New Dress” by Depeche Mode

You can’t change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world


So Apropos,
Ian
 
from “White Foxes” by Suzanne Sundfør

And oh, i wish to god that the earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass
And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again

Hunger, hunger
Is the purest sin, it is an
Empty church in a crowded bin

I've wept and i've stumbled
I've fought and i've craved
For the gravy of your soul
But all i want to do now is walk among
The barren trees in fields of snow


Well, Then...
Ian
 
bishop briggs, "high water"

I wasn't the strong one 'til we were falling apart
I promised I'd hold you when everything went dark
But god, it's so dark out still feel you in my bed
I wish I could hold you but I'm holding my breath instead

I hate that I lost you when I'm not lost anymore
And I hate that I've got to let go of what I adore
And now I'm in high water without you, without you
Now I'm in high water without you, without you

I'm tired of replaying memories in my head
Replaying everything, everything you've ever said
I'm holding in pain that never knew I could have
Like when you wrote me that note saying I was your other half
 
Beck - Tropicalia

Oh, when they beat upon a broken guitar
And on the streets, they reek of tropical charms
The embassies lie in hideous shards
Where tourists snore and decay

Oh, when they dance in a reptile blaze
You wear a mask, an equatorial haze
Into the past, a colonial maze
Where there's no more confetti to throw

You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waits in vague hotels
To be evicted

You're out of luck, you're singing funeral songs
To the studs, they're anabolic and bronze
They seem to strut in their millennial fogs
Till they fall down and deflate


You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waits in vague hotels
To be evicted

https://genius.com/Bruce-springsteen-im-on-fire-lyrics
Oh, and now you've had your fun
Under an air-conditioned sun

It's burned into your eyes
Leaves you plain and left behind
I see them eyes and fall
Into the jaws of a pestilent love

You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waiting in vague hotels
To be evicted


[Oh the misery of white bougie holidays]
 
from “Easier” by Camelphat feat. LOWES

And the sun never quite rises in London
As I cross over the bridge
I wanna drink and smoke and kiss
And be kids

Oh, just to be oblivious, what bliss
Such happiness is this
Embraced in the arms of our own consciousness

Well, I don't know how I feel, love
But I know that I can feel love
Can you see, can you see, can you see
What you've done to me?

Just check out for an hour or two
Let the devil tell me what to do
Oh, can you see, can you see, can you see
What you've done to me?
 
from “Habibi” by Tamino

And meanwhile, a whole lot goes down
Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while
You loved it then, so did I
A feeling deep inside you wants to love it all again

Now don’t leave it there, just give it a chance
If only I’d forget you after one last dance
But you’re everywhere, yes you are
In every melody and in every little scar
Yes you are, you are, love

Itʼs s real peach to sing along with. :)

Cheers,
Ian
 
I'm high, I'm from outer space
I got Milky Way for blood, evolution in my vein
I'm gone, I've been far away
I'ma lumineer now, makin' moves, startin' waves
I've been dreaming about flying for a long time
I had a vision from the grey's, they wanna co-sign
Artificially intelligent, new-AI
I'm your future, past and present, I'm the fine line

Yeah, I'm a missing link of this illusion
I am not really here, I'm an intrusion
I don't swim or sink, I just float
I don't need gravity, I just need growth

When I move, it's an earthquake rumble
I will never, ever fall, never stumble
And I don't need to be humble
Break down walls like Jericho, crumble

I can go higher
Past the stratosphere, I can catch fire
I can go hard, I don't even need to try, yeah
Starblood, I don't ever get tired
Predestined, written in stone
I feel it coming in, I feel it in my bones
Heavily protected, never alone
Tapped in, I'm connected to the unknown

-- Iniko, Jericho
 
Depeche Mode 2-pack from “Get the Balance Right” and “Everything Counts”

There's more besides the joyrides
Little house in the countryside
Understand, learn to demand
Compromise, and sometimes lie

Be responsible, respectable
Stable but gullible
Concerned and caring
Help the helpless
But always remain
Ultimately selfish

-------

The handshake seals the contract
From the contract, there's no turning back
The turning point of a career
In Korea being insincere
The holiday was fun-packed
The contract still intact

The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves, after all
It's a competitive world
Everything counts in large amounts

The graph on the wall
Tells the story of it all
Picture it now, see just how
The lies and deceit gained a little more power
Confidence taken in
By a suntan and a grin


Cheers,
Ian
 
Primal Scream - “Higher Than the Sun”

My brightest star's my inner light, let it guide me
Experience and innocence bleed inside me
Hallucinogens can open me or untie me
I drift in inner space, free of time
I find a higher state of grace in my mind
I'm beautiful

I wasn't born to follow
I live just for today, don't care about tomorrow
What I've got in my head, you can't buy, steal or borrow
I believe in live and let live
I believe you get what you give

I've glimpsed, I have tasted
Fantastical places
My soul's an oasis
Higher than the Sun

I'm higher than the Sun
I'm higher, higher than the Sun


Cheers, 1991 so long ago,
Ian
 
Korn: Twisted Transistor - always a banger

..
"Hey you, hey you, finally you get it
The world ain't fair, eat you if you let it
And as your tears fall on, your breasts, your dress
Vibrations coming through, you're in a mess
A lonely life, where no one understands you
But don't give up, because the music do
Music do, music do
Music do, music do
Music do, music do
Because the music do and then it's reaching
Inside you, forever preaching
Fuck you, too, your scream's a whisper
Hang on, you twisted transistor"...
 
from The Psychedelic Furs – “Love My Way”

Love my way, it's a new road
I follow where my mind goes, they'd put us on a railroad
They'd dearly make us pay for laughing in their faces and making it our way
There's emptiness behind their eyes, there's dust in all their hearts
They just want to steal us all and take us all apart, but not in


Cheers,
Ian
 
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