re: Best song lyrics of all time

You could pick a line or two from any Kristofferson song. I like this one from Billy Dee which isn’t particularly well known.

Billy Dee was 17 when he turned 21,
Fooling with some foolish things he could’ve left alone.
But he had to satisfy a thirst he couldn’t name,
Driven to the darkness by the devil in his veins.

I’m a huge Billy Joel fan. He has a ton of lyrics that are just well written but these two are my favorites:

“ 'Cause the good ole days weren't Always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems.” - Keeping the Faith.




And all of “Only the Good Die Young.”

Come out Virginia, don't let 'em wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Aw but sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done
Only the good die young
That's what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
Aw but that never hurt no one
So come on Virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal and I'll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
Never let's in the sun
Darlin' only the good die young
Woah
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
Mmm, and a cross of gold
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information
You didn't count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
(Oh woah woah)
They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
Well your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aw she never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah
Come out come out come out Virginia don't let 'em wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Oh sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one
You know that only the good die young
I'm telling you baby
You know that only the good die young
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young

Bad luck wind been blowin' on my back
I was born to bring trouble wherever I'm at
With the number '13' tattooed on my neck
That ink starts to itch
Black gon' turn to red
I was born in the soul of misery
And I never had me a name
They just give me a number when I was young
Got a long line of heartache
I carry it well
The list of lives I've broken
Reach from here to Hell
And a bad luck wind been blowin' on my back
Pray you don't look at me
And I pray I don't look back
I was born in the soul of misery
And I never had me a name
They just give me a number when I was young
Found me with a preacher man confessin' all I done
Catch me with the devil playing 21
And a bad luck wind been blowin' on my back
I was born to bring trouble wherever I'm at
I was born in the soul of misery
And I never had me a name
They just give me a number when I was young
When I was young
When I was young
When I was young

Pirates by ELP

Ramona, come closer
Shut softly your watery eyes
The pangs of your sadness
Will pass as your senses will rise
For the flowers of the city
Though breathlike, get deathlike sometimes
And there's no use in trying
To deal with the dying
Though I cannot explain that in lines
Your cracked country lips
I still wish to kiss
As to be by the strength of your skin
Your magnetic movements
Still capture the minutes I'm in
But it grieves my heart, love
To see you tryin' to be a part of
A world that just don't exist
It's all just a dream, babe
A vacuum, a scheme, babe
That sucks you into feeling like this
I can see that your head
Has been twisted and fed
With worthless foam from the mouth
I can tell you are torn
Between staying and returning
Back to the South
You've been fooled into thinking
That the finishing end is at hand
Yet there's no one to beat you
No one to defeat you
'Cept the thoughts of yourself feeling bad
I've heard you say many times
That you're better than no one
And no one is better than you
If you really believe that
You know you have
Nothing to win and nothing to lose
From fixtures and forces and friends
Your sorrow does stem
That hype you and type you
Into making you feel
That you gotta be exactly like them
I'd forever talk to you
But soon my words
Would turn into a meaningless ring
For deep in my heart
I know there is no help I can bring
Everything passes
Everything changes
Just do what you think you should do
And someday maybe
Who knows, baby
I'll come and be cryin' to you

To Ramona - Bob Dylan

quote:

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My all time fav:

And this loneliness won't leave me alone (Otis Redding, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay)

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And a fun song to play.

For me: Jesus Was A Capricorn
( Kris Kristofferson )

Jesus was a Capricorn
He ate organic food
He believed in love and peace
And never wore no shoes

Long hair, beard and sandals
And a funky bunch of friends
Reckon may just nail Him up
If He come down again

'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on
Prove they can be better than at any time they please
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on
You can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me

Get back, John

Eggheads cursin', rednecks cussin'
Hippies for their hair
Others laugh at straights who laugh at
Freaks who laugh at square

Some folks hate the Whites
Who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan
Most of us hate anything that
We don't understand

'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on
Prove they can be better than at any time they please
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on
But you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me

Help yourself brother
Help yourself [Incomprehensible]
Help yourself brother

Video - Darrell Scott's got just the right amount of vibe

This is certainly not a best of all time but I like it:

“ Early Monday morning, til Friday at five
Man I work, work, work but I don't climb, climb, climb
Boss man can shove that overtime up his can
All I wanna do is put a drink in my hand”

XTC’s “Wrapped in Grey”
written by Andy Partridge, one of the most underrated songwriters of all time.

One of my favorite couplets ever is from this song: “your heart is the big box of paints and others the canvas we’re dealt”


Some folks see the world as a stone
Concrete daubed in dull monotone
Your heart is the big box of paints
And others, the canvas we're dealt
Your heart is the big box of paints
How coloured the flowers all smelled
As they huddled there in petaled prayer
They told me this as I knelt there
Awaken, you dreamers
Adrift in your beds
Balloons and streamers
Decorate the inside of your heads
Please let some out
Do it today
But don't let the loveless ones sell you
A world wrapped in grey
Some folks pull this life like a weight
Drab and dragging dreams made of slate
Your heart is the big box of paints
And others, the canvas we're dealt
Your heart is the big box of paints
Just think how the old masters felt
They'd call, awaken, you dreamers
Asleep at your desks
Parrots and lemurs
Populate your unconscious grotesques
Please let some out
Do it today
But don't let the loveless ones sell you
A world wrapped in grey
And in the very least you can stand up naked and grin

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