Lyrical Gems.....

[scotty]

Ok im trying to shy away from a `Your favorite thread` scenario but it seems this could probably end up being just the thing. We are looking for Lyrical gems here, the painting of words and the weave in which they are woven in song.Words that in a song jump out and seem to mean something just more than a sentence in a song.These songs can be from any artist in any shape or form or from your own writing.
Kicking off with `Dead end street`The kinks
opening line and im captivated in a Ray-Davies canvas that is bleak and Winter English.....

Theres a crack up in the ceiling,
And the kitchen sink is leaking.
Out of work and got no money,
A sunday joint of bread and honey.

What are we living for?
Two-roomed apartment on the second floor.
No money coming in,
The rent collectors knocking, trying to get in.

We are strictly second class,
We dont understand,
(dead end!)
Why we should be on dead end street.
(dead end!)
People are living on dead end street.
(dead end!)
Gonna die on dead end street.

[kiramdear]

One of the epic lyrical journeys of my youth, penned in his prime:

Jim Morrison
The Celebration Of The Lizard

Lions in the street and roaming
Dogs in heat, rabid, foaming
A beast caged in the heart of a city
The body of his mother
Rotting in the summer ground
He fled the town
He went down South and crossed the border
Left the chaos and disorder
Back there over his shoulder
One morning he awoke in a green hotel
With a strange creature groaning beside him
Sweat oozed from its shiny skin
Is everybody in?
The ceremony is about to begin
Wake up!
You can't remember where it was
Had this dream stopped?
The snake was pale gold
Glazed and shrunken
We were afraid to touch it
The sheets were hot dead prisons
Now, run to the mirror in the bathroom
Look!
I can't live thru each slow century of her moving
I let my cheek slide down
The cool smooth tile
Feel the good cold stinging blood
The smooth hissing snakes of rain . . .
Once I had, a little game
I liked to crawl back into my brain
I think you know the game I mean
I mean the game called 'go insane'
Now you should try this little game
Just close your eyes forget your name
Forget the world forget the people
And we'll erect a different steeple
This little game is fun to do
Just close your eyes no way to lose
And I'm right there I'm going too
Release control we're breaking thru
Way back deep into the brain
Back where there's never any pain
And the rain falls gently on the town
And in the labyrinth of streams
Beneath, the quiet unearthly presence of
Nervous hill dwellers in the gentle hills around
Reptiles abounding
Fossils, caves, cool air heights
Each house repeats a mold
Windows rolled
Beast car locked in against morning
All now sleeping
Rugs silent, mirrors vacant
Dust blind under the beds of lawful couples
Wound in sheets
And daughters, smug
With semen eyes in their nipples
Wait
There's been a slaughter here
(Don't stop to speak or look around
Your gloves and fan are on the ground
We're getting out of town
We're going on the run
And you're the one I want to come
Not to touch the earth
Not to see the sun
Nothing left to do, but
Run, run, run
Let's run
House upon the hill
Moon is lying still
Shadows of the trees
Witnessing the wild breeze
C'mon baby run with me
Let's run
Run with me
Run with me
Run with me
Let's run
The mansion is warm, at the top of the hill
Rich are the rooms and the comforts there
Red are the arms of luxuriant chairs
And you won't know a thing till you get inside
Dead president's corpse in the driver's car
The engine runs on glue and tar
C'mon along, we're not going very far
To the East to meet the Czar
Some outlaws lived by the side of the lake
The minister's daughter's in love with the snake
Who lives in a well by the side of the road
Wake up, girl! We're almost home
Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
I will get you
Soon!, Soon!, Soon!
Let the carnival bells ring
Let the serpent sing
Let everything
We came down
The rivers and highways
We came down from
Forests and falls
We came down from
Carson and Springfield
We came down from
Phoenix enthralled
And I can tell you
The names of the Kingdom
I can tell you
The things that you know
Listening for a fistful of silence
Climbing valleys into the shade
I am the Lizard King
I can do anything
I can make the earth stop in its tracks
I made the blue cars go away
For seven years I dwelt
In the loose palace of exile
Playing strange games
With the girls of the island
Now I have come again
To the land of the fair, and the strong, and the wise
Brothers and sisters of the pale forest
O Children of Night
Who among you will run with the hunt?
Now Night arrives with her purple legion
Retire now to your tents and to your dreams
Tomorrow we enter the town of my birth
I want to be ready

[winston]

This is probably the one song that had the most impact on me many years ago.

I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie and I go downtown
Somebody keep telling me don't hang around
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knocking me
Back down on my knees

Ohhhhhhhhh.....

There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

[ajish4]

Ah, so many.....but here are a few of the DEEP ones....these are the songs I go back to time & time again.
You know, reflective time at the beach kinda stuff.


For My Lady
Moody Blues

My boat sails stormy seas
Battles oceans filled with tears
At last my ports in view
Now that Ive discovered you

Oh Id give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady
Give it freely and completely
To my lady

As life goes drifting by
Like a breeze shell gently sigh
And slowly bow her head
Then youll hear her softly cry.

Oh Id give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady
Give it freely and completely
To my lady

Words that you say when were alone
Though actions speak louder than words
But all I can say is I love you so
To drive away all my hurt

Oh Id give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady
Give it freely and completely
To my lady

Set sail before the sun
Feel the warmth thats just begun
Share each and every dream
They belong to everyone.

Oh Id give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady
Give it freely and completely
To my lady

On the Wings of a Dream
John Denver

Yesterday I had a dream about dying, about laying to
Rest and then flying,
How the moment at hand is the only
Thing we really own.
And I lay in my bed and I wondered, after all has been
Said and is done for,
Why is it thus we are here and so
Soon we are gone?
Is this life just a path to the place that
We all have come from?
Does the heart know the way and if not,
Can it ever be found
In a smile or a tear or a prayer
Or a sigh or a song?

And if so, then I sing for my father, and in truth, you
Must know I would rather
He were here by my side, we could fly on the
Wings of a dream.
To a place where the spirit would find us and the joy and
Surrender would bind us.
We are one anyway, anyway we are more
Than we seem.
There are those who will lead us, protect us
Each step of the way.
From beginning to end, for each moment,
Forever, each day.
Such a gift has been given, it can
Never be taken away.

Though the body in passing must leave us, there is one who
Remains to receive us.
There are those in this life who are friends
From our heavenly home.
So I listen to the voices inside me, for I know they
Are there just to guide me.
And my faith will proclaim it is so,
We are never alone.
From the life to the light, from the dark of
The night to the dawn,
He is so in my heart, he is here, he
Could never be gone.
Though the singer is silent, there still is the
Truth of the song, in the song.

Yesterday I had a dream about dying, about laying to
Rest and then flying,
How the moment at hand is the only
Thing we really own.
And I lay in my bed and I wondered, after all has been
Said and is done for,
Why is it thus we are here and so
Soon we are gone?
Oh, why is it thus we are here and so
Soon we are gone?


Never Comes the Day
Moody Blues

Work away today, work away tomorrow.
Never comes the day for my love and me.
I feel her gently sighing as the evening slips away.
If only you knew whats inside of me now
You wouldnt want to know me somehow,
But
You will love me tonight,
We alone will be alright,
In the end.

Give just a little bit more
Take a little bit less
From each other tonight
Admit what youre feeling
And see whats in front of you,
Its never out of your sight.
You know its true,
We all know that its true.

Work away today, think about tomorrow
Never comes the day for my love and me.
I feel her gently sighing as the evening slips away.
If only you knew whats inside of me now
You wouldnt want to know me somehow,
But
You will love me tonight,
We alone will be alright,
In the end.

Give just a little bit more
Take a little bit less
From each other tonight
Admit what youre feeling
And see whats in front of you,
Its never out of your sight.
You know its true,
We all know that its true.

Lastly,
Singing Skys & Dancing Waters
John Denver

So many years ago, I cant remember now
Someone was waiting for me
I had the answers to all of my questions
Love was so easy to see, I didnt know

When I was younger, I should have known better
I thought nothing was new
Through all the spaces, and all of the changes
What I lost sight of was you
I didnt know, I didnt know

I could see you in singing skies and dancing waters
Laughing children growing old
And in the heart and in the spirit
And in the truth when it is told

My life became shady, and I grew afraid
And I needed to find my way home
I just couldnt see you, I thought that Id lost you
I never felt so much alone, are you still with me

Somehow in reason, I lost sight of seasons
Im growin out, growin in
Sometimes in evenings, when daylight was needed
I thought Id never see you again
Are you still with me, are you still with me

Im with you in singing skies and dancing waters
Laughing children growing old
And in the heart and in the spirit
And in the truth when it is told

If my faith should falter
And I should forsake you, and find myself turning away
Will you still be there, will you still be there

Ill be there in singing skies and dancing waters
Laughing children growing old
And in the heart and in the spirit
And in the truth when it is told

[cjj]

OK, I'll bite. I have to say, some of the stuff Pink Floyd comes up with can really get to me, especially on the "Momentary Lapse of Reason" album:

Sorrow
The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky:
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers,
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking

He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough

His blood has frozen & curdled with fright
His knees have trembled & given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered

One world, one soul
Time pass, the river rolls

It's not enough it's not enough
His hand has faltered
.... .... ......

And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be

There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder that words,
Of promises broken

Yet Another Movie
One sound, one single sound
One kiss, one single kiss
A face outside the window pane
However did it come to this?

A man who ran, a child who cried
A girl who heard, a voice that lied
The sun that burned a fiery red
The vision of an empty bed

The use of force, he was so tough
She'll soon submit, she's had enough
The march of fate, the broken will
Someone is lying very still

He has laughed and he has cried
He has fought and he has died
He's just the same as all the rest
He's not the worst, he's not the best

And still this ceaseless murmuring
The babbling that I brook
The seas of faces, eyes upraised
The empty screen, the vacant look

A man in black on a snow white horse,
A pointless life has run its course,
The red rimmed eyes, the tears still run
As he fades into the setting sun

On the Turning Away
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Don't accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away

Its a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud

On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night

No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?

[paologregorio]

Not very cheerful, but well done:

the Jam's "Down In the Tube Station at Midnight" by Paul Weller

The distant echo -
of faraway voices boarding faraway trains
To take them home to
the ones that they love and who love them forever
The glazed, dirty steps - repeat my own and reflect my thoughts
Cold and uninviting, partially naked
Except for toffee wrapers and this morning's paper
Mr. Jones got run down
Headlines of death and sorrow - they tell of tomorrow
Madmen on the rampage
And I'm down in the tube station at midnight
I fumble for change - and pull out the Queen
Smiling, beguiling
I put in the money and pull out a plum
Behind me
Whispers in the shadows - gruff blazing voices
Hating, waiting
'Hey boy' they shout - 'have you got any money?'
And I said - 'I've a little money and a take away curry,
I'm on my way home to my wife.
She'll be lining up the cutlery,
You know she's expecting me
Polishing the glasses and pulling out the cork'
And I'm down in the tube station at midnight

I first felt a fist, and then a kick
I could now smell their breath
They smelt of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs
And too many right wing meetings
My life swam around me
It took a look and drowned me in its own existence
The smell of brown leather
It blended in with the weather
It filled my eyes, ears, nose and mouth
It blocked all my senses
Couldn't see, hear, speak any longer
And I'm down in the tube station at midnight
I said I was down in the tube station at midnight

The last thing that I saw
As I lay there on the floor
Was 'Jesus Saves' painted by an atheist nutter
And a British Rail poster read 'Have an Awayday - a cheap holiday -
Do it today!'
I glanced back on my life
And thought about my wife
'Cause they took the keys - and she'll think it's me
And I'm down in the tube station at midnight
The wine will be flat and the curry's gone cold
I'm down in the tube station at midnight
Don't want to go down in a tube station at midnight

[sowhat]

Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said i, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.

[scotty]

Great play with the word F.E.A.R and a great song from Mr Brown.

F.e.a.r.

For each a road
For everyman a religion
Find everybody and rule
For everything and rumble
Forget everything and remember
For everything a reason
Forgive everybody and remember

For each a road
For everyman a religion
Face everybody and rule
For everything and rumble
Forget everything and remember
For everything a reason

You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)

Final eternity arouses reactions
Freeing excellence affects reality
Fallen empires are ruling
Find earth and reef

Fantastic expectations
Amazing revelations
Final execution and resurrection
Free expression as revolution
Finding everything and realizing

Choose to watch......http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KgI1ovaYrl4

[beatlefreak]

The End by The Beatles

"And in The End, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

[Darkhollow]

Been away from the forum for a while, this is a nice thread to return to. There are many many lyrical gems and I could probably fill these pages timeless times, but I will pick my favorite few starting with what I believe to be one of the most powerful lyrical compositions of a brilliant songwriters career.

Masters Of War
Bob Dylan

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

[whojamfan]

"And in The End, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

I loved when Chris Farley asked Macca if that was true on a Saturday Night Live skit.

[scotty]

Lovin this at first i thought MNNNnnnn now i cant stop its a grower.Lilly A

[shamustwin]

Brian - Great choice with "A Change Is Gonna Come"... that song had a profound affect on many, many people, and was the anthem of the American Civil Rights movement. A beautiful song.

[rictified]

I posted this on another forum a few days ago but I always thought this was near the pinnacle of sheer poetry set to music:

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shooting for some food,
And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)

Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)

Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
They would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heaping helping of their hospitality
(Beverly Hillbillies, that's what they call 'em now,
Nice folks Y'all come back now, ya hear?)

[rictified]

Ok im trying to shy away from a `Your favorite thread` scenario but it seems this could probably end up being just the thing. We are looking for Lyrical gems here, the painting of words and the weave in which they are woven in song.Words that in a song jump out and seem to mean something just more than a sentence in a song.These songs can be from any artist in any shape or form or from your own writing.
Kicking off with `Dead end street`The kinks
opening line and im captivated in a Ray-Davies canvas that is bleak and Winter English.....

Theres a crack up in the ceiling,
And the kitchen sink is leaking.
Out of work and got no money,
A sunday joint of bread and honey.

What are we living for?
Two-roomed apartment on the second floor.
No money coming in,
The rent collectors knocking, trying to get in.

We are strictly second class,
We dont understand,
(dead end!)
Why we should be on dead end street.
(dead end!)
People are living on dead end street.
(dead end!)
Gonna die on dead end street.

Seriously though I have always thought that Ray Davies was one of the greatest songwriters going. Also loved Jim Morrison's stuff.