Rubbish Lines In Good Songs

[Paulclem]

Ever listened to a good song with a line or two that jars when you realise what it is?

Marc Bolan has some odd ones:

Oh Debora, always look like a zebra
Your sunken face is like a Galleon
Clawed with mysteries of the Spanish Maine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhcw-ObPi98

Or The Human League's "Empire State Human":

Tall, tall, tall, I want to be tall, tall, tall
As big as a wall, wall, wall, as big as a wall, wall, wall
And if I'm not tall, tall, tall, then I will crawl, crawl, crawl
Because I'm not tall, tall, tall, tall, tall, tall, tall, tall
Tall, tall, tall, I want to be tall, tall, tall
As big as a wall, wall, wall, as big as a wall, wall, wall
And if I'm not tall, tall, tall, then I will crawl, crawl, crawl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apnRojgtmXs

Or Rod Stewart in "Maggie May":

All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEoc13bwCw0

Have you got any?

[YesNo]

One line from Alfie seems odd otherwise the song is great.

"What will you lend on an old golden rule?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoNtj27a6Rk

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The best ever:

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down...
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh no!

Richard Harris. MacArthur Park. End of story.

[YesNo]

That MacArthur Park one has such bad lyrics I wonder why anyone sings it.

There is also Bird is the Word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184

Here is The Trashmen's original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow

The problem with that one is I can't find any good lines in the lyrics for for it to qualify. Of course, it is classic.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I saw "Bird is the Word" and immediately thought Family Guy (of course). So glad that's what you linked.

[Helga]

My recent favorite the Red dwarf theme

'fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun sun'


I do love that song, it suits the show.

[Paulclem]

Manfred Mann's Pretty Flamingo:

On our block all of the guys call her flamingo

You can see her now can't you - long beak, knobbly knees and the voice of a nightingale - rawwwk. My wife was unimpressed by the description in the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOvtqmqBiiM

[cacian]

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gymclassheroes/cookiejar.html

songs by GymClassHeroes

[Verse 1]
You see I got this problem I need help trying to solve it
Because meeting after meeting and I'm still a cookie-holic
You can hide 'Em I'm gonna find 'Em on the counter in the closet
And I'll say I ain't do it with my face covered in chocolate
My girl keeps setting boobie traps
To catch me eating scooby snacks
I left crumbs in the bed once but I told her I was through with that
She still don't be believing me but then guess that I'm cool with that
But I gotta sweet tooth
That will never come loose
And the truth of the matter is

[YesNo]

The song My Way is famous. I can't stand it, but it does have a couple of lines that make no sense to me and concentrate my annoyance for the song. Luckily I don't hear it much any more.


But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out

I figure you either ate it or you didn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egY8rUpxqcE

[togre]

In Live and Let Die there the line

"In this ever changing world, in which we live in..."

A professor once referenced it as an example of prolepsis (I think that was the term) where in Greek a preposition can be pulled forward but ends up being repeated. I can't tell if I liked the professor more for referencing the song, or the song more for being referenced by the professor.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Here's a couple that I believe are representative of rubbish lines in good(?) songs.

First we have this stanza from Barbara Mandrell's "You Can Eat Crackers in My Bed Anytime":

"You can eat crackers in my bed anytime, baby
You can kick off all the covers in
the middle of the night.
You can sleep with the window open wide.
Do anything as long as your by my side.
You can eat crackers in my bed anytime."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=J-ee8SO47Sc&NR=1

and now let's turn our attention to the merits of Jeannie C. Riley from her smash hit; "The Rib":

"I wash your dishes iron your shirts and give you children And never mind a bit except when you forget That I am flash of your flesh and bone of your bone And that Adam called me woman for I am the rib And not a foot bone to be stepped on not a leg bone to be walked on Not a hipbone to be sat on not a backbone to be leaned on Not a shoulderbone to be cried on not a headbone to be relied on But a ribbone to be side by side hand in hand not lesser then Not greater then but just what heaven planned."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovSeZstR4gc


.

[YesNo]

"The Rib" almost made no sense. When listening to that, I saw a link to Riley singing Tom Hall's Harper Valley PTA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56mQWfd4Q8I&feature=related

Now this is one of my favorite songs, however, I didn't know that PTAs actually sent such letters, which is the only objection to the song I might have, but replace PTA with any authority figure including principals, teachers, etc, and I know enough people who would not hesitate to sock it to them. I can't think of any bad line in that song.

[cafolini]

If something sounds really stupid, put it to music. ~ Voltaire

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

"Well you’re the reason I’m ride’n ‘roun on recapped tires
And you’re the reason I’m uh hang’n our clothes outside on wooires
And you’re the reason our kids are ugly little darling.
Ah well looks ain’t everything and money ain’t everything
But I love you just the same."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFq6eZBS1iM

[Anton Hermes]

"There's an old man sitting next to me
Making love to his tonic and gin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVKtL9VU8rQ)."

:prrr:

[YesNo]

Bernie Taupin's lyrics for Elton John's Tiny Dancer has some good lines, especially, "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" which is a good as it gets. But what does "And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand" mean? I'm thinking: Is she Tumbelina?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8UHnjusq0

[Anton Hermes]

I'm a big Beatles fan, and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has to be one of the best songs on the White Album (sorry, "Rocky Raccoon" fans). Definitely one of Clapton's greatest recorded moments. But seriously:

"I look at the floor
And I see it needs sweeping"

:rolleyes5:

[Paulclem]

Excellent choices.

The most daft, annoying and wimpish start has to be this in an otherwise good song:

"I've been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_5AJWi-Fiw

You do want to give him a slap don't you?

[Buh4Bee]

Anton- This was my reply to your Billy Joel reference.


You miss the whole opening point of the song then. What else is the old men going to make love to except his booze and his memories? The bar is about the loneliness of it all- it's the only place they are happy.

Don't take what I say seriously, I just really love this song.

[Anton Hermes]

You miss the whole opening point of the song then.

Dude. I was just pointing out his awkward rhyme. The cocktail is universally referred to as a gin and tonic.