Lyrics...

Larry Gude

Strung Out
...I am not a lyrics guy. Never have been. They just don't register with me like the music does. Slayer could be singing about Peanut Butter and Jelly sammitches and the music would still be the thing. Now, as it happens, they sing about horrible things but, hey, it's Slayer. What are they supposed to sing about? Peanut butter and jelly? :lol:

It was with great joy I found that John Lennon (or was it Paul?) explain that, hey, don't read into the lyrics. They simply fit the music. :shrug:

In any event, I heard "My Little Town" this AM, Simon and Garfunkel, and for the first time it registered; "Nothing but the daaaayyyeed and dying back in my little town..." and it struck me just how bleak lots of lyrics are, even from pop/light artists who are not thought of, at all, in any sort of 'extreme' sense.

Now, I am not saying S & G is in the same class as Slayer but, it did get my attention. That chorus "Nothing but the..." had always been some nondescript words I really wasn't sure what they were singing but, that sounded pretty and soaring and inspirational to my ear. And now, I am dealing with them being rather bleak and seeing them in a new light.

So, to the point; How about other examples of rather extreme or surprising lyrics from folks not reflexively thought of as edgy or bleak? I mean, a lot of light pop is a whole lot more suggestive sexually than maybe it comes across at first blush. Death, war, sex, violence, you name it.

:popcorn:


And the zertec is making me wiggy. :jameo:
 

b23hqb

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
Don't give a hoot about Slayer, or many other bands, but agree with you on this. The music to me makes probably about 85% of my appreciation of songs/groups out there, or were out there.

In my opinion, there are only a few groups (I'm talking rock, mind you) where the music/words are close to being even - Pink Floyd, The Eagles, the Beatles work for me. Led Zeppelin is more on the music edge, but some of their lyrics do make certain songs stand out - especially from my long-past dazed days.

Simon and Garfunkel area good example of words making a lot of songs (even though your outlook on them may have changed, but not for me), as you stated. I really appreciate Simon's guitar work as well.

IMHO, of course.
 
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You are on the road to enlightenment. You will only be truly free to understand what you seek when you have an epiphany. The path is long and filled with fear and trepidation, and you must be strong to complete your journey.






Have another Zertec.
 

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Don't give a hoot about Slayer, or many other bands, but agree with you on this. The music to me makes probably about 85% of my appreciation of songs/groups out there, or were out there.

In my opinion, there are only a few groups (I'm talking rock, mind you) where the music/words are close to being even - Pink Floyd, The Eagles, the Beatles work for me. Led Zeppelin is more on the music edge, but some of their lyrics do make certain songs stand out - especially from my long-past dazed days.

IMHO, of course.

:buddies:

OK, now, to play, y'ah gotta come up with some examples!
 

b23hqb

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
You are on the road to enlightenment. You will only be truly free to understand what you seek when you have an epiphany. The path is long and filled with fear and trepidation, and you must be strong to complete your journey.






Have another Zertec.

Or at least be able to walk on sand and leave no footprings......
 
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.



Discuss.
 

b23hqb

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
:buddies:

OK, now, to play, y'ah gotta come up with some examples!

I'll do my best:

Pink Floyd - albums Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, The Wall - to me none of those works would be anything close to what they are without the music complimenting the words, and visa versa.

The Beatles - too many songs where the lyrics surpassed their musical ability (which was pretty good overall), even if a lot of the lyrics were really drug-induced, but very cool.

Zeppelin - where would Whole Lotta Love, Stairway To Heaven, among others, be without the words to quantify the fantastic hard rock music?

The Eagles - Hotel California - the song? Desperado - the entire album story (it is a story) unfolded by the words, the music complementing and emphasizing the words.

I'm an oldie kind of guy. Just sayin'.......
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Pink Houses (JCM)

Good (Better Than Ezra)

And She Was (Talking Heads)

#### You (Cee Lo Green) :lol:

Heaven (Los Lonely Boys)

Walking on the Sun (Smash Mouth)
 

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.



Discuss.

GREAT example from Petro gurl!!!

:buddies:
 

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Bad Moon Rising by CCR - catchy tune but the lyrics are a *bit* depressing:

I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see bad times today.

Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes ablowing.
I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.
All right!

Hope you got your things together.
Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.
One eye is taken for an eye.

Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.
 
In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
Butane in my veins and I’m out to cut the junkie
With the plastic eyeballs, spray-paint the vegetables
Dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose
Kill the headlights and put it in neutral
Stock car flamin’ with a loser and the cruise control
Baby’s in reno with the vitamin d
Got a couple of couches, sleep on the love-seat
Someone came in sayin’ I’m insane to complain
About a shotgun wedding and a stain on my shirt
Don’t believe everything that you breathe
You get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve
So shave your face with some mace in the dark
Savin’ all your food stamps and burnin’ down the trailer park

Yo. cut it.

Soy un perdedor
I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me?

Soy un perdedor
I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me?
 

dontknowwhy

New Member
When Black Sabbath first came out, they presented themselves as a folk band, following in the footsteps of Peter, Paul, & Mary. If you listen to the lyrics of their first album, it's all about finding ways to put an end to wars & destruction...but the music was a turnoff to the folksy types, whereas a whole generation of burnouts thought it was the greatest. Now, for some songs with lyrics that mean more than what you're listening to:

Puff The Majic Dragon
Blinded By The Light
Amazing Grace
Strange Fruit(?)
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People. Got a beat, you can dance to it, and it's about a kid who's planning to shoot up his school.

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet

:dance:

 
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