Favorite Song Lyrics

[mares]

There's a thread for horrible lyrics, so how about one for some really amazingly good ones? What are some of your favorite lyrics - either a whole song or just that one line that gets you every time?

[Margo]

I love Morcheeba's Otherwise lyrics, especially these lines:

When I open my mouth
I'm so brutally honest
And I can't expect that kind of love from you

It does have a lot to do with the way it is sung - fairly low-key and not too emotionally. But still, I feel so disgustingly emo after posting this.

[carrier76]

New Order's "Temptation."

"Up down turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home."

Yep.

[starskin]

A good portion of Depeche Mode's song catalogue qualifies for this thread. The fist thing that comes to mind is "Judas", off of Songs of Faith and Devotion. There are two lines in there that leave me breathless:
"Is simplicity best? Or simply the easiest?"
and
"Don't just stand there and shout it. Do something about it."

I think I could sum up a lot of my life in those two lines right there.

[johnboysmole]

One of my favorites is from Peter Gabriel. "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire..." from Biko. I hate that he's known for Sledge Hammer and Bigtime, when he has such better music out there.

One of my other favorites is more sentimental because it is an amazingly accurate description of my husband.

You're the prince to my ballerina
You feed other people's parking meters
You encourage the eating of ice cream
You would somersault in sand with me

You talk to loners, you ask how's your week
You give love to all and give love to me
You're obsessed with hiding the sticks and stones
When I feel the unknown
You feel like home, you feel like home...

I actually could post the whole thing in there because I love it so much. It's just such a great song to me.

[Deleted]

Sarah Slean is probably my favourite songwriter -- and performer, for that matter. She is SO AMAZZIIIINING [/fangirl]. But anyway, her song Last Year's War is so, so good. And I know it's just me being all dramatic and teenagery and O-the-crippling-heartbreak-I-have-been-throughy, but she sings the truth, mon:

You didn't have my heart yet
But you stopped before we started
So now you tell me what you want me to do
I can start believing I can watch you sleeping
But I can't hold my breath 'til she comes back for you
...
You're still bloody from last year's war
Your bandages, your bullet holes like mine
And I'm here with my stars out
You say you're scared - well, so am I.

I also love My Invitation.

[livviebway]

I think my favorite song lyrics ever come from The Fly by U2.

"Every artist is a cannibal,
Every poet is a thief.
All kill their inspiration
And sing about their grief."

Those are my favorite, but I couldn't ignore this verse in Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (also U2). Best song about celebrity EVER.

"They want you to be Jesus,
They'll go down on one knee.
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at 33.
And you're turning tricks
With your crucifix,
You're a star."

[Deleted]

You could pretty much include U2's entire catalouge here for me, I have an emotional connection to every song, and it's Bono's lyrics that get to me. I could never pick a favorite, but "Running to Stand Still" is the first thing that comes to mind. That song kills me.

"You gotta cry without weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison
From the poison stream
And I floated, out of here"

I also have a weakness for all of Shirley Manson's emo! Garbage lyrics, which is probably bad taste, but whatever.

"And I'll feed your obsession
The falling star that you cannot live without
I will be your religion
This thing you'll never doubt
You're not the only one" - "Supervixen"

"You look so fine
I want to break your heart and give you mine"- "You Look So Fine"

"Sure, we all make mistakes
But they see me so much that they think I'm immune to the pain"
- "Drive You Home"

Etc, and so on.

[mares]

So simple, but:

"my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder"

from Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" is amazing.

[Baby Fish Mouth]

Great, great Jeff Buckley song, mares. That particular line kills me.

I think my favorite song lyric ever is from Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" when he says

"I gave her my heart, but she wanted my soul."

I wish I could get a tattoo of it.