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Music Lyrics...genius or meaningless?


ajzepp

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you want genius...here's a couple songs that do the job

 

Bjork

 

Human Behaviour

 

If you ever get close to a human

And human behaviour

Be ready to get confused

There's definitely, definitely, definitely no logic

To human behaviour

But yet so, yet so irresistible

And there's no map

They're terribly moody

And human behaviour

Then all of a sudden turn happy

But, oh, to get involved in the exchange

Of human emotions is ever so, ever so satisfying

Oh oh, and there's no map

Human behaviour, human

Human, human behaviour, human

Human, human behaviour, human

Human behaviour, human

And there's no map

And a compass

Wouldn't help at all

Human behaviour, human, human

Human behaviour, human,

Human behaviour, human,

Human behaviour

There's definitely, definitely, definitely no logic

Human, human

Human behaviour

Human.

There's definitely, definitely, definitely no logic

Human, human, human, human.

 

Wolf Parade

 

Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts

 

Well I've got a hand

So I've got a fist

So I've got a plan

It's the best that I can do

Now we say 'It's in god's hands'

But god doesn't always have the best god damn plans does he?

I ain't quite the beauty

Who holds up two guns and shoots at the pretty pretty pure white

And god I keep thinking things of hunter and kings

To block out the view

I gotta get a new bell to ring

A new song to sing

A steady hand to ring

A readiness of things

A new plan to bring to the people

People I can trick 'em into thinking anything

'Cause you know

Rust it just right in the light it's gold it's gold

And you know

I got watering holes in my hand

I'm a digger of holes in the land of holes

and you know

It's the easiest way

And you know

It's the easiest way

And you know

It's the easiest way

You know it's the easiest way

Hey

So I go

 

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

I got water and I got holes oh

La la la la la la

Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts oh

La la la la la la

I got water and I got holes oh

La la la la la la

Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts oh go go

La la la la la la

I got water and I got holes oh

La la la la la la

Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts oh go go

I got a hand (La la la la la la)

So I got a fist

So I got a plan it's the best I can do

Say is it in god's hands? (La la la la la la)

But god doesn't always have the best god damn plans does he?

Say La la la la la la

I can't believe in the guns I can't believe in the view

I say (La la la la la la)

I can't believe in those hunters and kings

You know

Say La la la la la la

I got a new plan to bring

I got a new song to sing it goes

La la la la la la

I got a new plan to bring and you know

And you know

It's the easiest way

You know

It's the easiest way

You know

It's the easiest way

You know

It's the easiest way hey

So I go

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To me, it is about the music itself. I like a band because they can jam, not because they can expose their inner soul through prose.

 

Probably the best "pop" music I have ever heard has to be Emerson Lake & Palmer. Those guys were innovative with their music, and weren't short on the social commentary in their lyrics either.

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If the lyrics suck, I don't like the music.

 

http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.html

 

Don't download this song

Don't take away money

From artists just like me

How else can I afford another solid gold HumVee

And diamond studded swimming pools?

These things don't grow on trees!

So all I ask is everybody please....

Don't download this song!

No don't do it.

Even Lars Ulrich knows it's wrong!

 

:o:(:(

 

I love Weird Al. :D

CW

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If the lyrics suck, I don't like the music.

 

http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.html]http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.html

 

Don't download this song

Don't take away money

From artists just like me

How else can I afford another solid gold HumVee

And diamond studded swimming pools?

These things don't grow on trees!

So all I ask is everybody please....

Don't download this song!

No don't do it.

Even Lars Ulrich knows it's wrong!

 

:o  :(  :(

 

I love Weird Al. :D

CW

775386[/snapback]

 

 

Weird Al rules!!

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If the lyrics suck, I don't like the music.

 

http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.html

 

Don't download this song

Don't take away money

From artists just like me

How else can I afford another solid gold HumVee

And diamond studded swimming pools?

These things don't grow on trees!

So all I ask is everybody please....

Don't download this song!

No don't do it.

Even Lars Ulrich knows it's wrong!

 

:o  :(  :(

 

I love Weird Al. :P

CW

775386[/snapback]

 

Great song and video! :D

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Apparantly Weird Al reads TSW!

 

From "White and Nerdy" (on his new album):

 

"Only question

I ever thought was hard

was do I like Kirk

or do I like Picard?"

 

:o

 

http://www.myspace.com/weirdal

 

http://www.ph-online.net/wanlyrics.txt

CW

775394[/snapback]

 

LOL!!!

 

I have no doubt he'll come to the right conclusion on that one....clearly he's a Kirk man.

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I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand

Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain

He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's

Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein

Werewolves of London

 

If you hear him howling around your kitchen door

Better not let him in

Little old lady got mutilated late last night

Werewolves of London again

Werewolves of London

 

He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amuck in Kent

Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair

Better stay away from him

He'll rip your lungs out, Jim

I'd like to meet his tailor

Werewolves of London

 

Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen

Doing the

I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen

Doing the

I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's

His hair was perfect

Werewolves of London

Draw blood

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RIP, Mr. Zevon. Who grew to hate that song.

 

.

775417[/snapback]

I had just discovered his music only a few months before his passing. He was on the Letterman show and Dave asked if he'd perform that song. I too had heard that he was annoyed that so many people seemed to only know him for that one song, so I was disappointed that that's the one dave asked him to perform :o

 

I bought his Best of album a couple years ago....good stuff. My favorite tracks are "Carmelita", "Hasten Down the Wind" (brilliant song), "Reconsider Me", and "Mutineer".

 

Nobody will ever mistake him with the greatest vocalists of all time, but the guy could write some damn good music.

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I had just discovered his music only a few months before his passing. He was on the Letterman show and Dave asked if he'd perform that song. I too had heard that he was annoyed that so many people seemed to only know him for that one song, so I was disappointed that that's the one dave asked him to perform  :o

 

I bought his Best of album a couple years ago....good stuff. My favorite tracks are "Carmelita", "Hasten Down the Wind" (brilliant song), "Reconsider Me", and "Mutineer".

 

Nobody will ever mistake him with the greatest vocalists of all time, but the guy could write some damn good music.

775419[/snapback]

Great to see other Zevon fans out here, but if we're talkin' about the same show - his last Letterman appearance - he didn't play "Werewolves of London" on that show. The song Letterman asked for was "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". Zevon obliged, but I'm pretty sure he needed some time to gather energy, as he was just weeks away from dying and had already played "Mutineer" and "Genius", in addition to a pretty lengthy interview. As I recall, the show ended up running over 60 minutes.

 

Zevon was a favorite of Letterman, and often filled in as band-leader/comic sidekick when Paul Shaffer was absent.

 

I was lucky enough to see him twice. First time was in '80 - I was in college and didn't know him or his music, but Zevon was huge after the Excitable Boy album. His latest album - Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School - was getting lots of airplay, and a friend of mine had tix to see him perform on campus but gave me his ticket because he wanted to see - get this - JACK KEMP - who was scheduled to speak elsewhere on campus that night. So you might say I became a huge Zevon fan because of Jack Kemp (who, incidentally, was a no-show for his speaking apperance).

 

Second time I saw him perform was a few years later - Zevon was in bad shape, had a bout with the bottle (probably a few other demons as well), and had lost his band. He did a one man accoustic show at a small, club-like venue in Boston - played all his hits on piano or a 12-string, which he made to sound like a full band. He was an excellent musician. Thankfully, he recovered and went on to write many more whimsical lyrics that could also qualify for this thread.

 

Zevon = Genius. Enjoy every sandwich.

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Zevon = Genius.  Enjoy every sandwich.

775421[/snapback]

 

Pixies reference as well, yes ? More musical genius, IMO.

 

There was a classic Larry Sanders episode that had Zevon cajoled into playing "Werewolves".

He is the last songwriter on earth that one would expect to be known for what might be called a novelty song. Letterman used to claim that the entire Sanders series was lifted from his own experiences.

 

.

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I nominate Solsbury Hills....

 

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/petergabrie...lsburyhill.html

 

I have no idea what this song is about, but it was pretty damn popular back in da day.

773440[/snapback]

 

 

It's about following your heart.  In Gabriel's case, it was about leaving Genesis to follow his own song-writing.

 

My heart going boom boom boom, Hey, I said, you can keep my things they've come to take me home.

 

"They" are the fates that are leading him in the right direction.

Of course, I just might be full of it.  :o

773456[/snapback]

 

I agree, but I also think the song is about losing control of life, having everyone trying to take it from him. So he looks for his comfort zone, which could easily be him leaving genesis to follow his own song writing, but i think there was more than that.

 

I have been teaching myself to play the guitar part on this song. so, i have heard the song like 50 times the last month.

 

Scott, good choice of song btw.

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Great to see other Zevon fans out here, but if we're talkin' about the same show - his last Letterman appearance - he didn't play "Werewolves of London" on that show.  The song Letterman asked for was "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner".  Zevon obliged, but I'm pretty sure he needed some time to gather energy, as he was just weeks away from dying and had already played "Mutineer" and "Genius", in addition to a pretty lengthy interview.  As I recall, the show ended up running over 60 minutes.

 

 

 

Well hell, he must have had him back again before he passed away and I missed it :lol:

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Well hell, he must have had him back again before he passed away and I missed it :doh:

776697[/snapback]

I wish I could see it again myself. I know there are DVDs out there, and it's also probably on the 'net somewhere, but hard to find due to copyright issues.

 

A couple of links...

 

WARREN ZEVON'S SLEEPING . . .

 

NY Times - Jan. '03

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I wish I could see it again myself.  I know there are DVDs out there, and it's also probably on the 'net somewhere, but hard to find due to copyright issues.

 

A couple of links...

 

WARREN ZEVON'S SLEEPING . . .

 

NY Times - Jan. '03

778520[/snapback]

 

Those are really good articles, particularly the 'sleeping' one.....thanks for posting them!

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