Songs with Clever Lines

[DarcyFarrow]

So which lines jump out at you as especially clever or well written?

To start:  "We have to shout above the din of our Rice Crispies" ("Synchronicity II," the Police)

              "Is her power all in her club sandwich?" ("Waitress," Tori Amos)

[BeatleloverKT]

Paperlate  Genesis

From the middle of the song:

Oh it’s too easy to compute your future

Taking no risks and playing too safe

Any change would take too long

So dry your eyes

Ooh it’s too easy to talk about rocking the boat

But you better not lock that door

’Cause you’ll be coming back

[Imagine948]

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"  -  Jon Mitchell

......Don't it always seem to go 

      That you don't know what you got till it's gone...

       They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

[LouLit01]

I find these lyrics brilliant, hilarious, edgy... and many other good things but I'm not sure I can clean the song up enough to get it past ToS. And that would be a shame -- it's a great song.

I Hate My Life

So sick of the hobos
Always beggin' for change
I don't like how I gotta work
And they just sit around and get paid

I hate all of the people
Who can't drive their cars
B***h you better get out of my way
Before I, start falling apart

I hate how my wife
Is always up my a**
She always wants to buy brand new things
But I, don't have the cash

                               (Oh, lord, kill me now)

Well I hate my job, all of my rich friends
I hate everyone to the bitter end
Nothing turns out right, there's no end in sight
I hate my life

How come I never get laid?
Nice guys always lose
How could she have another headache?
There's always some kind of excuse

I still hate my job
My boss is a d***
I don't get paid nearly enough
To put up with all of his s***

Well I hate my job, all of my rich friends
I hate everyone to the bitter end
Nothing turns out right, there's no end in sight
I hate my life

I hate that I can't tell
When a girl's underage
And  when I tell her she's a nice piece of a**
Then her daddy punches me in the face

So if you're p****d like me
B****s here's what you've gotta do
Put your middle fingers up in the air
Go on and say "f you"

Well I hate my job, all of my rich friends
I hate everyone to the bitter end
Nothing turns out right, there's no end in sight
I hate my life

So much at stake
Can't catch a break
I hate my life

Now there's nothing new
And it sucks to be you
I f ing hate my life

This is the video. What makes the song great is tone of voice he sings it in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbLJn941dBY

Theory of a Dead Man

[BeatleloverKT]

Love all things Bob Segar but this song is 

my favorite:

Her Strut

She’s totally committed 

To major independence 

But she’s a lady through and through

She gives them quite a battle

All that they can handle

She’ll bruise some

She’ll  hurt some too

But oh they love to watch her strut

[DarcyFarrow]

Forget About the Future (Sting)

"They said we'd better check the weather chart
Before we tie our colors to this mast
It's just too hard thinking about the future, baby
So let's just get on with the past"

[MaVolta]

Don Henley is another American treasure of songwriting. This song is about the shallowness of society. The link below is to the entire song since it is really long, but these are the lyrics that really stand out to me . . .

And we pray to our Lord
Who we know is American
He reigns from on high
He speaks to us through middlemen

And He shepherds His flock
We sing out and we praise His name
He supports us in war
He presides over football games

And the right will prevail
All our troubles shall be resolved
We have faith in the Lord
Unless there's money or sex involved

Frail Grasp on the Big Picture  -  Eagles 

https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/eagles/frail-grasp-on-the-big-picture

[BeatleloverKT]

@MaVolta The lyrics speak volumes. The 

songwriting of Henley-Frey-Felder was dynamic.

They don’t write songs like this anymore!

[LouLit01]

Need to break in here a minute.

I'm really annoyingly picky about the music I listen to. I want to hear what I want to hear, and I want to hear it now! And turn it up, this isn't an elevator. If Rock 'n' Roll's too loud you're too old!

I said all that to say I can't find a single song I don't like in all 8 pages of this category. I'm fairly amazed. Running through this category makes me smile every time. 

Thank you, DarcyFarrow for your inspired category. Thanks to all who posted here. I've enjoyed each and every post.  

Rock on!

[BeatleloverKT]

Wish you were here  Pink Floyd

So, so you think you can tell

Heaven from Hell

Blue skies from pain

Can you tell a green field

From a cold steel rail?

A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

[DarcyFarrow]

Bliss (Tori Amos):

"Father. . . 

Lately, I'm in to circuitry
What it means to be
Made of you but not enough for you"

[LouLit01]

Well they're packed pretty tight in here tonight
I'm looking for a dolly who'll see me right
I may use a little muscle to get what I need
I may sink a little drink and shout, out she's with me!

A couple of the sounds that I really like
Are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike
I'm a juvenile product of the working class
Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass, oh

Saturday Night's Alright

Sir Elton John

[Raynyky]

Life’s Been Good-Joe Walsh

My Maseratti does one-eighty-five
I lost my license, now I don't drive

[BeatleloverKT]

Peacekeeper  The Mac. Another

testimony to the incredible songwriting

skills of Lindsey Buckingham. From

the 6th verse:

You know all of our friends are Gods

And they all tell us how to paint our face

But there’s only one brush we need

It’s the one that never leaves a trace

[LouLit01]

Boy: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

Girl: Will he offer me his mouth?

Boy: Yes.

Girl: Will he offer me his teeth?

Boy: Yes.

Girl: Will he offer me his jaws?

Boy: Yes.

Girl: Will he offer me his hunger?

Boy: Yes.

Girl: Again, will he offer me his hunger?

Boy: Yes!
Girl: And will he starve without me?
Boy: Yes!

Girl: And does he love me?
Boy: Yes.

Girl: Yes.

Boy: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

Girl: Yes.
Boy: I bet you say that to all the boys...

[BeatleloverKT]

@LouLit01  Love “The Joker“ but my

favorite line is the best pick up line

of all time:

You’re the cutest thing I ever did see

I really love your peaches

Want to shake your tree

[MaVolta]

John Kay was opposed to hard drugs like heroin and cocaine, etc, but had no issue with marijuana and thought it should be legalized. So he wrote this back in 1968 . . . the title, itself is brilliant! The fact that it was controversial didn't bother him, he has always been plain spoken about what he believed.

Don't Step On the Grass, Sam

Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don't step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don't be such an ____, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You're so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight alright)

You waste my coin Sam, all you can
To jail my fellow man
For smoking all the noble weed
You need much more than him
You've been telling lies so long
Some believe they're true
So they close their eyes to things
You have no right to do

[LouLit01]

Some people call me the space cowboy
Yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice
'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love

People talk about me, baby
Say I'm doin' you wrong, doin' you wrong
Well, don't you worry, baby, don't worry
'Cause I'm right here, right here, right here,
Right here at home

The Joker

Steve Miller Band

[Loulit]

The dress is Chanel

The shoes YSL

The bag is Dior

Agent provocateur

My rings are by Webster

It makes their hair curl

They all say, Darling

What did you do for those pearls?

What? I am a good girl!

-- Christina Aguilera

Written by  Alain Bernardin, Jaques Morali et B. Vilanch

The video is awesome watch it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDPR5EoYqOs

[BeatleloverKT]

Hotel California  Eagles. The album of the

same name is amazing, but the title song

is, imo some of their finest work:

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted

She got the Mercedes-Benz, uh

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys

That she calls friends

How they dance in the courtyard

Sweet summer sweat

Some dance to remember

Some dance to forget

[LouLit01]

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me..

One bright sunny morning, in the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office I saw my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering,
If this land was made for you and me

This Land is Your Land

Woody Guthrie

The above two verses are no longer played. This was originally a protest song. Woody Guthrie was a red. Or at least a deep pink.

[LouLit01]

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you

Remember I'll always be true

And then while I'm away

I'll write home every day

And I'll send all my loving to you

All My Loving

DBEATLS

[DarcyFarrow]

Culver Moon (Jackson Browne)

"Baby, Culver me and I'll Culver you. . . 

Baby, I'm going to love you til the stars come down

Til they park their limos and walk to town"

[MaVolta]

Games People Play  -  Joe South

Link to lyrics . . . the entire song is brilliantly written, a blend of southern country meets psychedelic rock. 

https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/joe-south/games-people-play

Won two Grammys, 1968: Best Contemporary Song, Song of the Year

John Lennon was once quoted as saying that South was the greatest songwriter in the world. True or not, South was certainly among the greatest.  RIP.

[Cirice]

Sorry, but I couldn't pick just one phrase from this song, it's that good.

"Witch Hunt" by RUSH

The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torch lit hill

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill

They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

[Cirice]

I know this song has already been done. Even so, I still feel the need to add my favorite clever lyric from "Time" by Pink Floyd:

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

[Raynyky]

Lola-Kinks

Well, I'd left home just a week before
And I'd never ever kissed a woman before
But Lola smiled and took me by the hand
She said, "Little boy, gonna make you a man"
Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man
But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man
And so is Lola
Lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola

[LouLit01]

The percentage you're paying is too high a price

Boy, you're living beyond all your means

And the man in the suit has just bought a new car

From the profit he's made on your dreams

The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Traffic

And today you just read that the man was shot dead
By a gun that didn't make any noise
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest it was
The low spark of high-heeled boys

[BeatleloverKT]

Hey nineteen  Steely Dan. I have always

thought their song lyrics were awesome,

but this song, imo, is their

masterpiece. I’ll go with lines at the end:

The Cuervo gold

The fine Colombian 

Make tonight a wonderful thing

(Say it again)

[MaVolta]

I have to add this song to the list. And who else could think of those lyrics? I remember the first time I heard it, and thinking it was hilarious. Couldn't wait to hear it again!

Margaritaville  -  Jimmy Buffett   🍸  😎

Nibblin' on sponge cake
Watchin' the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil

Strummin' my six string
On my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp, they're beginnin' to boil

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know, it's nobody's fault

Don't know the reason
Stayed here all season
Nothing to show but this brand new tattoo

But it's a real beauty
A Mexican cutie
How it got here, I haven't a clue

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
Now I think, hell, it could be my fault

I blew out my flip flop
Stepped on a pop top
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home

But there's booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know, it's my own **bleep** fault

Yes, and some people claim
That there's a woman to blame
And I know, it's my own **bleep** fault

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jimmy Buffett

Margaritaville lyrics © Coral Reefer Music, Kobalt

[Raynyky]

Delta Lady-Leon Russell or Joe Cocker

There are concrete mountains in the city
And pretty city women live inside them
And yet it seems the city scene is lacking
I'm so glad you're waiting for me in the country