Nominations for Most Profound Rock/Pop Lyrics

[OrwellwasRight]

Rules: 2 lines or less. Must pack a lot of idea into a few words.

I'll start:

The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind.

Gets me every time. You?

[vanlassie]

1. Enlightenment. It's up to you the way you think.

Good or bad, baby
You can change it anyway you want
You can rearrange it
Enlightenment, don't know what it is

[OrwellwasRight]

2. I didn't even know that song.

Nice!

[nirvana555]

3. Pink Floyd....

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone, I can not put my finger on it now, the child is grown...the dream is gone.

[OrwellwasRight]

4. some candidates

And freedom, oh freedom, well that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walkin' through this world all alone (the Eagles)

I'm so tired of being tired, sure as night will follow day
Most things I worry about, never happen anyway (Tom Petty)

Yes, how many times must a man look up before he can really see the sky?
Yes, how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry? (Dylan)

[vanlassie]

5. Excellent choice.

[vanlassie]

6. I'm obviously a Vanaddict.

[OrwellwasRight]

8. Shoulda known.

[Duer 157099]

7. So many

You take paradise
and put up a parking lot

[OrwellwasRight]

12. Ain't it the truth. nt

[hobbit709]

9. Hendrix

"I'm the one who's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to."

[Scuba]

10. "You're only pretty as you feel"

[OrwellwasRight]

11. I feel pretty.

[Scuba]

13. Tnen you are.

[OrwellwasRight]

14. I think you are right.

[pscot]

15. What do you see when you turn out the lights

I can't tell you, but I know it's mine

[Art_from_Ark]

16. The Beatles: It's All Too Much

"The more I learn, the less I know"

[rrneck]

17. Jackson Browne, The Pretender

I'm going to find myself a girl
Who can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams
And then we'll put out dark glasses on
And we'll make love until our strength is gone
And when the morning light comes streaming in
We'll get up and do it again
Get it up again

[malthaussen]

47. My favorite Jackson Browne lyric:

You could be laughin' at me, you've got the right.
But you keep on smiling, so clear and so bright.

Encapsulates a personality very well.

-- Mal

[OriginalGeek]

18. Oh oh oh oh oh oh

You don't have to go oh oh oh oh....


"D'yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin.

It's a contraction of "Did you make her?" and it's pronounced "Jamaica". It's a play on an old joke. John Paul Jones hates it. lol



Guy tells his friend "My wife's gone on holiday"
Friend says "Oh, Jamaica?"
Guy answers "No, she went on her own accord..."

[OrwellwasRight]

22. Very British

I'm just a fool waitin' on the wrong block . . .

[BlancheSplanchnik]

75. and after you've sung (and sung and sung and sung)

Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You don't have to go oh oh oh oh.... 

Then, you sing

Love Stinks.

And, "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child"

[Wounded Bear]

19. "You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd."

[LadyHawkAZ]

20. "Did you exchange a walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"

[OrwellwasRight]

21. +1000

it's true.

[LadyHawkAZ]

23. A very short, but very profound, song.

They packed a lot of meaning into two verses and a chorus.

[OrwellwasRight]

35. it's hard to pick just 2 lines from that song

Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?

[WovenGems]

77. Syd Barret

This tune is about him and that is the only way it could turn out. A genius gone mad.

[Go Vols]

24. CSNY

Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming,
We're finally on our own.

[OrwellwasRight]

29. Dylan

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?

[truegrit44]

52. This is exactly what I was gonna write :)

[hibbing]

56. So many from him..

He not busy being born is busy dying

[OrwellwasRight]

63. Love that. nt.

[Brother Buzz]

25. I scare myself

just thinking about you

[Wait Wut]

26. Petty

"I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again."

[OrwellwasRight]

27. More Petty . . .

I've stood in your gallery
I've seen what's hangin' from the walls
You were the moon and sun
You're just a loaded gun now . . .

See also #4

[Wait Wut]

28. Love Petty.

When I posted the above, I started thinking of so many others of his.

[OrwellwasRight]

32. Me too.

He's my all time favorite.

[charlie and algernon]

30. Does Wierd Al count?

From "Couch Potato:"

Network execs with naked ambitions
"Next week on FOX, watch lions eat Christians"



That song, and particularly that line has always stuck with me; his complete dismantling of what passes for TV entertainment.

[OrwellwasRight]

33. Why not?

[kwassa]

31. The sunshine bores the daylights out of me.

Chasing shadows moonlight mystery.

[OrwellwasRight]

34. You know marrying money is a full time job

I don't need the aggravation, I'm a lazy slob

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

36. A few thoughts

Bob Dylan:
And cruel death surrenders with it's pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords.

Neil Geraldo, Pat Benatar, Roger Capps:
Hell, Hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh

Lyrics adapted by Fairport Convention from a Scottish ballad recorded in the 16th century but likely from the late 1200s:
I forbid you maidens all that wear gold in your hair
to travel to Carterhaugh for young Tam Lin is there.
None that go by Carterhaugh but they leave him a pledge,
either their mantles of green or else their maidenhead.

[OrwellwasRight]

46. What about . . .?

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me

(Harry Chapin)

[nomorenomore08]

37. Speaking of U2, "Bullet the Blue Sky" has some pretty striking imagery.

"Across the fields, see the sky ripped open, see the rain pour through a gaping wound, pelting the women and children who run, into the arms of America..."

The live version from 'Rattle and Hum,' though, brings it into the realm of unintentional comedy. "The God I believe in isn't short o' cash, MISTER!"

[OrwellwasRight]

44. I love the double entendre of

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found . . .

Did he get her after running and crawling and scaling and she's NOT what he was looking for when he found her, or was his running and crawling unsuccessful and that is why he is still looking? Maybe I'm the only one who sees a double meaning, but I love it.

But then again, One was voted the greatest pop song of all time, and its lyrics rock:


Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much?
More than a lot.
You gave me nothing,
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

[nomorenomore08]

48. I also like "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World."

Especially the cheeky use of that old slogan, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle..."

[malthaussen]

38. For what it's worth:

Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, "Hooray for our side."

-- Mal

[OrwellwasRight]

45. Woody Guthrie

Last edited Sat Jun 29, 2013, 11:04 AM - Edit history (1)

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

[TuxedoKat]

66. From Crazy Love by Paul Simon

Somebody could walk into this room
And say your life is on fire
It's all over the evening news
All about the fire in your life

[OrwellwasRight]

74. That reminds me of Billy Joel

Remember how I found you there
Alone in your electric chair
I told you dirty jokes until you smiled

[malthaussen]

39. Although, if truth were told, I think this may be the most profound of all:

-- Mal

[OrwellwasRight]

41. I guess that is slightly more profound than . . . . (wait for it) . . . . .

Sugar, ah, honey, honey, you are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
Honey, ah, sugar, sugar, you are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you.

I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you
(I just can't believe it's true)
I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to
(I just can't believe it's true)

etc.

[malthaussen]

43. And of course, one of the most profound of all:

-- Mal

[Brigid]

40. Who else but the Boss?

I'm 35, I got a boy of my own now
Last night I sat him up behind the wheel
And said, "Son take a good look around.
This is your hometown."

This song never fails to make me tear up.

[OrwellwasRight]

42. My favorite Springsteen song:

Princess cards she sends me with her regards
Barroom eyes shine vacancy, to see her you gotta look hard
Wounded deep in battle, I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted
To her Cheshire smile. I'll stand on file, she's all I ever wanted

But you let your blue walls get in the way of these facts
Honey, get your carpetbaggers off my back
You wouldn't even give me time to cover my tracks

[nomorenomore08]

49. "In the Bible Cain slew Abel, and east of Eden he was cast/

You're born in to this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past/
Daddy worked his whole life for nothin' but the pain/
Now he haunts these empty rooms lookin' for somethin' to blame..."

[deutsey]

70. From Jungleland

And In The Cool Of The Night, They Reach For A Moment And Try To Make An Honest Stand, But They Wind Up Wounded And Not Even Dead, Tonight In

And in the cool of the night, they reach for a moment and try to make an honest stand,
but they wind up wounded and not even dead...tonight in Jungleland.



Perfect conclusion to the song and the second side of the album. The "not even dead" part has always gotten to me.

[ismnotwasm]

50. Nirvana

Teenage angst has paid off well
Now I'm bored and old

Not a huge fan but I love those lines.

[u4ic]

51. "There's lots of food for thought

but not a great deal on our plate" from Up Here in the North of England by The Icicle Works.

Concise, yet stark. While written in the early 80's, seems to describe these economic times as well.

[OrwellwasRight]

73. Icicle Works!

Wow, I had a cassette tap of theirs from the Columbia Record Club . . . perhaps even listened to that song a few times (I loved Whisper to a Scream and Birds Fly but I don't remember anything else) and never picked up on that.

Reminds me of Howard Jones though, from No One Is to Blame:

You can look at the menu, but you just can't eat
You can feel the cushion, but you can't have a seat
You can dip your foot in the pool, but you can't have a swim
You can feel the punishment, but you can't commit the sin

[distantearlywarning]

53. Rush

Lot of choices there, but this one immediately comes to mind:

If you choose not to decide,
you still have made a choice.

[ms liberty]

67. I like to say that there's a Rush lyric for every occasion...

And so far anyway, I've found it to be true! Edited to fix the Damned auto-correct!

[lame54]

54. Run from the pigs, the fuzz, the cops, the heat...

Run from the pigs, the fuzz, the cops, the heat pass me the gloves this crime wave is never complete until you snort it up or shoot it down you're never gonna feel free

Pavement - Range Life

[nomorenomore08]

57. "The Stone Temple Pilots, they're elegant bachelors, they're foxy to me, are they foxy to you?"

Probably one of the best backhanded putdowns ever in song.

[lame54]

61. I thought it was a compliment...

beforte he goes on to slam Smashing Pumpkins

[nomorenomore08]

64. Maybe it is, actually. I just assumed it was an example of that patented Malkmus sarcasm.

I do know that Malkmus wasn't a big fan of the 90's "alt-rock" thing, nor of being lumped in with same.

[LWolf]

55. So many to choose from.

Scream, loud as you can Makes you feel, loud as you can
End all the things you keep inside Come on out scream "I'm alive!"


Now this here song it ain't so bad Prettiest little song that you ever had
And those of you who will not sing must be playing with your own Ding-a-ling

I ain't a-saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.

It's a motherfucker
How much i understand

We can beat them Just for one day
We can be Heroes Just for one day

I could do this all day, just based on random lines that pop into my head.

You could pick almost any two from this one:

[LearningCurve]

58. ABBA When All Is Said And Done

Happiest break-up song ever.

[graham4anything]

59. Pet Shop Boys, Being Boring

But I thought in spite of dreams
You'd be sitting somewhere here with me

[graham4anything]

60. Harry Chapin "Better place to be"

And I know we both have been, so lonely. And if you want me to come with you, then that's all right with me.
'Cause I know I'm goin' nowhere and anywhere's a better place to be."

[GoCubsGo]

62. Joni Mitchell--Big Yellow Taxi

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

[ArnoldLayne]

65. Pink Floyd- Roger Waters "Free Four" from the 1972 Album Obscured by Clouds.

"The Memories of the Man in his old age are the Deeds of the Man in his prime."

[WovenGems]

81. To be expected

From one who chose a Floyd tune as screen name pulling a line from a lesser known Floyd album is to be expected.
And that is one great album.

[Danmel]

68. Can I pick 2?

We all know success when we all find our own dreams, And our love is enough to knock down any walls, And the future's been seen as men try to realize, The simple secret of the note in us all.
.
Pete Townshend, Pure & Easy

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.

Bob Marley, Redemption Song.

[OrwellwasRight]

72. Great Bon Marley pick

And from the Who, I'll reply with:

And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong

[JCMach1]

69. from Gorillaz

...I brought all this, so you can survive
when law is lawless...

[deutsey]

71. Timbuk-3

How well do we us our freedom to choose
the illusions we create?

From "Hairstyles and Attitudes"

[Sedona]

76. More U2

Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief, all kill their inspiration and sing about the grief.


It's no secret that a liar won't believe anyone else.

[Sedona]

78. Then there's always this...

Pink it was love at first sight
Pink when I turn out the light, and
Pink gets me high as a kite
And I think everything is going to be all right
No matter what we do tonight

[azurnoir]

79. what it's like -everlast

We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your change
The hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked and full of mange
He asked a man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes
"Get a job, you fuckin' slob"'s all he replied

[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues
Then you really might know what it's like [4x]

Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in love
He said, "Don't worry about a thing, baby doll, I'm the man you've been dreamin' of."
But three months later he said he won't date her or return her call
And she sweared, "God damn if I find that man I'm cuttin' off his balls."
And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin' through the door.
They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a whore

[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose
Then you really might know what it's like [4x]

[DFW]

80. Best two lines ever

To me, anyway

"But you know that when the truth is told
You can get what you want or you can just got old."

from Vienna by Billy Joel

*there are more good lines in that song:

You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize Vienna waits for you


Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong, you know
You can't always see when you're right. you're right

You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
--------------------------------


I eventually DID learn to take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while. And I got to Vienna.