A simple prop to occupy my time
What's your favourite lyric ever?
You've probably noticed this about me, but I've always been a lyrics man. A good tune can hook me in, but ultimately I derive the most satisfaction from the words. My favourite bands are all wordy bands: - The Smiths, Manic Street Preachers, Scott Walker, The Darkness.... (cough cough) Above everyone else, it has to be Morrissey though, I think.
I think my favourite of all time is:
"And in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask"
I didn't get into The Smiths until long after they had broken up. When they performed "What Difference Does It Make" on Top of the Pops in 1982, I can clearly remember sitting in front of my TV watching. Do I remember them? No, of course not. All I can remember of the programme is Billy Joel performing "Uptown Girl", but certainly not the peculiar sight of a rather gauche man waving flowers around his head. By about 1987 I was at least aware they existed as a band, but by then my head was addled with heavy metal, and in my infinite wisdom, I lumped The Smiths in with The Cure as bands that I hated out of principle. Without listening to them.
I later did much the same thing to the Stone Roses.
Yeah. I know....
I finally discovered The Smiths properly in 1993 when I was a first year undergraduate. It was "Half a Person" that hooked me, and I finally made a connection with Morrissey (it's only recently that I have started to appreciate what Johnny Marr brought to the party).
I've been an acolyte ever since. Even through the barren years, I kept the faith ("Roy's Keen" anyone?). 2004 was a great year - You Are The Quarry was a blistering return to form and British music's most famous exile was back with a bang. I like The Streets, but that Brit Award belongs to Morrissey.
In 1993 I was nineteen. I didn't have a girlfriend. I had absolutely no idea how to go about getting myself a girlfriend. Who would have thought that Morrissey might appeal to me?
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" in particular spoke to me. All that longing. Knowing your moment had arrived, and also knowing that you would never do anything about it. I felt like I could relate to that. I think I still can.
What lyric speaks to you?
You've probably noticed this about me, but I've always been a lyrics man. A good tune can hook me in, but ultimately I derive the most satisfaction from the words. My favourite bands are all wordy bands: - The Smiths, Manic Street Preachers, Scott Walker, The Darkness.... (cough cough) Above everyone else, it has to be Morrissey though, I think.
I think my favourite of all time is:
"And in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask"
I didn't get into The Smiths until long after they had broken up. When they performed "What Difference Does It Make" on Top of the Pops in 1982, I can clearly remember sitting in front of my TV watching. Do I remember them? No, of course not. All I can remember of the programme is Billy Joel performing "Uptown Girl", but certainly not the peculiar sight of a rather gauche man waving flowers around his head. By about 1987 I was at least aware they existed as a band, but by then my head was addled with heavy metal, and in my infinite wisdom, I lumped The Smiths in with The Cure as bands that I hated out of principle. Without listening to them.
I later did much the same thing to the Stone Roses.
Yeah. I know....
I finally discovered The Smiths properly in 1993 when I was a first year undergraduate. It was "Half a Person" that hooked me, and I finally made a connection with Morrissey (it's only recently that I have started to appreciate what Johnny Marr brought to the party).
I've been an acolyte ever since. Even through the barren years, I kept the faith ("Roy's Keen" anyone?). 2004 was a great year - You Are The Quarry was a blistering return to form and British music's most famous exile was back with a bang. I like The Streets, but that Brit Award belongs to Morrissey.
In 1993 I was nineteen. I didn't have a girlfriend. I had absolutely no idea how to go about getting myself a girlfriend. Who would have thought that Morrissey might appeal to me?
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" in particular spoke to me. All that longing. Knowing your moment had arrived, and also knowing that you would never do anything about it. I felt like I could relate to that. I think I still can.
What lyric speaks to you?
posted by swisslet @ 22:10
21 Comments:
At 11:25 pm,
Mark said…
The lyric that sums up my life is Motown Junk
"Motown Junk a lifetime of slavery
Songs of love echo underclass betrayal
Stops your heart beating for 168 seconds
Stops your brain thinking for 168 seconds"
At 11:59 pm,
Tom said…
Actually it is another Smiths song. I've never met Morrissey, but I'm pretty sure that he knew me very well indeed when he wrote these lyrics.
"Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
And as I climb into an empty bed
Oh well. Enough said.
I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Oh ... Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
See, the sea wants to take me
The knife wants to slit me
Do you think you can help me?
Sad veiled bride, please be happy
Handsome groom, give her room
Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly
(Though she needs you
More than she loves you)
And I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Over and over and over and over
Over and over, la ...
I know it's over
And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said :
"If you're so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight?
And if you're so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight?
If you're so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight?
If you're so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight?
I know ... 'Cause tonight is just like any other night
That's why you're on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they're in each other's arms...
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes guts to be gentle and kind
Over, over
Love is Natural and Real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is Natural and Real
But not for such as you and I, my love
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head"I still feel that way sometimes.
At 12:02 am,
Damo said…
Hmmm... one of the funniest comes from a band I'm not a big fan of, The Bloodhound Gang:
"I'm not black like Barry White, I'm white like Frank Black is"
...on a slightly more romantic level, Crowded House's "Distant Sun":
"I don't pretend to know what you want, but I offer love"
...but in truth, just about anything Ben Folds has ever written. A selection:
"Stop the bus, I wanna be lonely, as seconds pass slowly but years go flying by..."
"Give me my money back you bitch, and don't forget to bring me back my black T-shirt"
"You can't respect me 'cos I've done so much for you"
"If you really want to see me, check the papers and the TV, look who's telling who what to do... kiss my ass goodbye"
... and the absolute king of kings:
"I've got this great idea
Why don't we pitch it to the Franklin Fuckin' Mint?
Fine pewter portraits of General Apathy and Major Boredom
Singing 'Whatever and Ever Amen' ".
Beat that.
At 12:09 am,
Statue John said…
This one always sticks with me...
You know I'm born to lose, and gambling is for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby,
I don't wanna live for ever,
*chugging riffs*
And don't forget the joker!
At 3:40 am,
Arethusa said…
I'm glad that Tom provided such a long quote as this entire song, Half Acre by Hem, is probably my favourite (even though I'm not from Michigan :p).
I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
And folded in this scrap of paper
Is the land I grew in
Think of every town you've lived in
Every room you lay your head
And what is it that you remember
Do you carry every sadness with you
Every hour your heart was broken
Every night the fear and darkness
Lay down with you
A man is walking on the highway
A woman stares out at the sea
And light is only now just breaking
So we carry every sadness with us
Every hour our hearts were broken
Every night the fear and darkness
Lay down with us
But I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
I am carrying this scrap of paper
That can crack the darkest sky wide open
Every burden taken from me
Every night my heart unfolding
My home
At 5:37 am,
Jenni said…
The lyrics that most caught my attention the first time I heard them are from Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf
"Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
Live a life less sedentary
Live a life evolutionary with me
Well I hate to be a bother,
But it's you and there's no other, I do believe
You can call me naive but...
I know me very well (at least as far as I can tell)
And I know what I need"It's the first four lines that I really love; that's the kind of life I want. But I can relate to the rest of the song as well.
But I also like...
"I see your shadow on the street now
I hear you push through the rusty gate
Click of your heels on the concrete
Waiting for a knock coming way too late
It seems an age since I've seen you
Countdown as the weeks trickle into days...
...My happiness is slowly creeping back
Now you're at home
If it ever starts sinking in
It must be when you pack up and go"
At 5:50 am,
Aravis said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 5:52 am,
Aravis said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 5:55 am,
Aravis said…
Let's try this again...
Great question! I love many types of music and listen according to mood, so different things speak to me. The Smiths are always a favorite, but you've got them well covered. :0) The first lyric to come to mind when I read your post was from REM:
I am the king of all I see
My kingdom for a voice.followed by Indigo Girls-
Oh how I wish I were a trinity
So if I lost a part of me
I'd still have two of the same to live.
But nobody gets a lifetime rehearsal
As specks of dust we're universal
So let this love survive and be
The greatest gift that we can give.Other selections might come from almost anywhere.
...leaving the room and confusedly wondering if Ruby Tuesday felt any Sympathy for the Devil when he got a Blister on the Sun?
At 5:57 am,
Aravis said…
Ok, for some reason Blogger insists on randomly reformatting my post. You'll have to figure it out for yourselves I'm afraid, because I'm done.
At 8:49 am,
LB said…
oooh. now then.
I've always liked:
"your socks smell of angels, but your life smells of brie"
and
"...I feel alright, I feel well enough to tell you what to do with what you've got to offer".
My dad absolutely loved music, it was him that got me into it really and when he died in 1998 I spent ages trying to find some words to say at the funeral. One day, something unbelievably bizarre happened and I remembered an extraordinarily obscure song called "Old and Wise" by the Alan Parsons Project. My dad always loved Alan Parsons so it fulfilled that criteria, and so I pulled the album sleeve out and read the words. I genuinely could not have written anything more appropriate or beautiful...
"As far as my eyes can see
There are shadows approaching me
And to those I left behind
I wanted you to know
You've always shared my deepest thoughts
You follow where I go
And oh when I'm old and wise
BItter words mean little to me
Autumn winds will blow right through me
And someday in the mist of time
When they asked me if I knew you
I'd smile and say you were a friend of mine
And the sadness would be lifted from my eyes
Oh when I'm old and wise
As far as my eyes can see
There are shadows surrounding me
And to those I leave behind
I want you all to know
You've always shared my darkest hours
I'll miss you when I go
And oh, when I'm old and wise
Heavy words that tossed and blew me
Like autumn winds will blow right through me
And someday in the mist of time
When they ask you if you knew me
Remember that you were a friend of mine
As the final curtain falls before my eyes
Oh when I'm old and wise..."
It brings a lump to my throat just reading it back...
At 9:56 am,
Teresa Bowman said…
You bugger! I was HONESTLY just about to publish a post on my own blog about one of my favourite lyrics.
Well I'm not going to do it twice, so you'll have to look at my blog to find out. (Because I know you're like really really interested and that.)
Good topic for a post, though. Something that everybody's got something to say about.
At 10:49 am,
John McClure said…
"What's your favourite lyric?" is a bit like asking "What's your favourite food?" - it depends how you're feeling. It's a nice feeling though when you hear a lyric and it strikes you as good. Two that have done so for me recently are:
"She'll loan you her toothbrush,
she'll bartend your party."
[Kings of Leon - Milk]
and
"In the days of my youth,
I was told what it means to be a man.
Now I've reached that age,
I've tried to do all those things the best I can."
[Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times]
But tomorrow it will be something different, and the next day something else again.
At 11:37 am,
Anonymous said…
Swiss - I had a backstage pass for the Smiths at Hull University. (I needed access to the Union Building, hence the BSP). I can't stand the band - and Morrisey in particular - so took great delight in flaunting it to the drooling masses and then didn't use it.
And for favorite Lyrics, I'd probably go for something from Pink Floyd:
"And still the dark stain spreads between their shoulder blades,
A mute reminder of the poppy fields and graves,
And when the fight was over,
we spent what they had made,
But in the bottom of our hearts
We felt the Final Cut"
- or -
"Lime and Limpid Green, a second scene
A fight between the blue you once knew
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground.
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon Miranda and Titania,
Neptune Titan
Stars can frighten
Blinding signs flap
Flicker, flicker, flicker blam. Pow, Pow.
Stairway Scare Dan Dare Who's there?
Lime and Limpid Green
The sounds surround the icy waters underground
Lime and Limpid Green
The sounds surrounds the icy waters underground"
In the latter case, Syd Barrett - you were a genius!
At 1:05 pm,
swisslet said…
So much for my theory that The Dears don't sound like The Smiths.
Back in January, I made a compilation CD for a colleague of mine at work, in exchange for one that he made me. Part of the game was to try and see how many of the tracks you could identify.
His CD to me was full of tracks by people like Joy Division, The Cure and so on (all very good), mine was packed out with things like Devendra Banhart, The Hives, Bloc Party, Hope of the States... and "Lost in the Plot" by the Dears.
This colleague came up to me at lunch today and told me he had just found the CD again and had another listen, he reckoned he had got about 6 of the tracks.... and then said he had got the Morrissey track right away.
There isn't a morrissey track on the CD.
He was talking about The Dears.
I've had another listen (in fact, I'm listening as I write) and I think I must have been in denial. It bloody well *is* the smiths!
funny
The full track listing of the CD is here if you are interested
At 3:17 pm,
The Num Num said…
Hmmmm.
1) I only want to see you dancing in the Purple Rain.
2) Hear me, And if close my mind in fear... Please pry it open
See me, And if my face becomes sincere.... Beware
Hold me, And when I start to come undone.... Stitch me together
Save me, And when you see me strut
Remind me of what left this outlaw torn
3) From my fave song of all time (other than Glam Slam)
There'll be no darkness tonight
Lady our love will shine
Just put your trust in my heart
And meet me in paradise
You're every wonder in this world to me
A treasure time won't steal away
At 9:16 pm,
Damo said…
I'm most disappointed by the fact that (although there are 'cancelled' posts in the total) there are now more posts for this than your entry about pissing in the sink.
I may have to go back and add more comments to that out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
At 10:37 pm,
swisslet said…
Damo - I feel your pain. I may go back and comment on that one as well.
(actually, not that I keep a count of these things, but the one to beat is the one I did a while back on fox-hunting, I think)
ST
At 10:45 pm,
Frally said…
I luuurrrrrvvvvee The Smiths. There was a point in my life where "What She Said" was practically my theme song.
"...I smoke 'cause I'm hoping for an early death and I need to cling to something..."
Luckily for everyone, I've perked up a bit since then.
At 12:35 am,
birdwoman said…
Aimee Mann - that's just what you are
Sarah McLachlan - almost any song on Fumbling Toward Ecstasy or Solace
Moxy Fruvous - Horseshoes
I love lyrics, especially ones that tell stories...
(*)>
At 7:09 pm,
Mike Davis said…
I Can't believe none of you came up with
Da doo doo doo
Da daa daa daa
Is all I want to say to you
Int Sting Brilliant!
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