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- Songs with Clever Lines
Songs with Clever Lines
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Songs with Clever Lines
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)
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Adelaide's Lament by Frank Loesser (from the musical, Guys and Dolls)
Basically insecure
Due to some long frustration may react
With psychosomatic symptoms
Difficult to endure
Affecting the upper respiratory tract.
In other words, just from waiting around for that plain little band of gold
A person can develop a cold.
You can spray her wherever you figure the streptococci lurk
You can give her a shot for whatever she's got, but it just won't work
If she's tired of getting the fish eye from the hotel clerk
A person can develop a cold.
The female remaining single
Just in the legal sense
Shows a neurotic tendency, see note: (looks at note)
Chronic organic syndromes
Toxic or hypertense
Involving the eye, the ear, the nose, and throat.
In other words, just from worrying whether the wedding is on or off
A person can develop a cough.
You can feed her all day with the vitamin A and the Bromofizz
But the medicine never gets anywhere near where the trouble is.
If she's getting a kind of name for herself, and the name ain't his
A person can develop a cough.
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Apple Scruffs (1970) George Harrison.
The Apple Scruffs were the devoted
admirers and fans of the Beatles,
so legend says 🤷
Now I’ve watched you sitting there
Seen the passers-by all stare
Like you have no place to go
But there’s so much they don’t know
About Apple Scruffs
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Written by Rick Nelson, the entire song is a clever description of an evening at "The Garden", but the descriptions of John Lennon and George Harrison in verse two, ingenious! Another talent, gone too soon. RIP Rick.
Garden Party - Rick Nelson
Went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same
People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
And over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise
Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", "She Belongs to Me"
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself
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Abracadabra Steve Miller Band. This
song, about a guy hot for the girl of
his dreams has pretty simple and
predictable lyrics, except for Verse Six:
I feel the magic in your caress
I feel magic when I touch your dress
Silk and satin, leather and lace
Black panties with an Angels face
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Piano Man Billy Joel (1973) This song,
based on his own experience as a
piano-lounge singer for six months just
to pay rent under an assumed name.
He has said he has no idea why the song
became so popular. I find the song extremely
cleverly worded and one of my favs of his.
From Verse Five:
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he’s quick with a joke or to
light up your smoke
But there’s someplace that he’d rather be
He says “Bill, I believe this is killing me”
As the smile ran away from his face
”Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place”
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For a dancer Jackson Browne
The “Late for the sky” album, released in
1974, was a genius masterpiece that I
couldn’t stop playing! There isn’t one bad
song on it. For a dancer is one of his
finest, a clever song about much more
than being a dancer. From the third verse:
Just do the steps that you’ve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Another’s steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do alone
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This list would be incomplete without a song by Stephen Stills. The alliteration in this one is especially brilliant, so I'll go with . . .
Helplessly Hoping - CSN
Helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers nearby
Awaiting a word
Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit
he runs wishing he could fly
only to trip at the sound of good-bye
Wordlessly watching he waits by the window and wonders
at the empty place inside
Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams he worries
did he hear a good-bye or even
Hello
They are 1 person
They are too alone
They are 3 together
They are for each other
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She’s so cold Stones. This song, from the
incredible Emotional Rescue album spins
a tale of romance, sex and amazingly
about aging. Kudos to Mick and Keith
for writing this clever tune, one of my Stones favs.
This is from the third verse:
Shes so cold, she’s so cold
She’s so cold cold cold
Like a tombstone
She’s so cold, she’s so cold
She’s so cold cold cold like an ice cream cone
She’s so cold she’s so cold
I dare not touch her my hand just froze
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Written by Don Henley, and a hit for Linda Ronstadt - The entire song is beautifully written poetry, but these lines are the ones that stand out, to me -
Desperado
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you if she's able
The queen of hearts is always your best bet
Well, it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the things that you can't get
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Turn the page Bob Segar. My source said
he wrote or finished writing it on the way
to his next gig. He didn’t have it memorized
or titled. First time he performed it he
wrote on the bottom Turn the page. True?
maybe, maybe not but from the 4th verse
of this incredible song:
Most times you can’t hear ‘em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
Is that a woman or a man?
And you always seem outnumbered
You don’t dare make a stand
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@BeatleloverKT - Yes! Bob Seger, another American treasurer! And that's one of my favorite songs of his.
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Cool little song from 1971, story behind the song here: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/five-man-electrical-band/signs
Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!"
Whoa-oh-oh
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?
And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you
the right?"
"To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in"
"If God was here he'd tell you to your face, Man, you're some kinda sinner"
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?
Now, hey you, mister, can't you read?
You've got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be here
The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside
Ugh!
And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray"
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn't have a
penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me. I'm alive and doin' fine."
Wooo!
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?
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Sisters of the moon The Mac, 1979 The
follow up Tusk album has incredible music
on it. This song is just one of those. Kudos
to Stevie for writing this amazing song.
From the 1st verse:
Intense silence
As she walked in the room
Her black robes trailing
Sister of the moon
And a black widow spider makes
More sound than she
And black moons in those eyes of hers
Made more sense to me
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Make me smile Chicago, 1970
This song, which I always interpreted as
the guy trying to get the girl to stay, love
him and ultimately smile, is clever in its
simply worded lyrics and message. Love
the vocals by Terry Kath and the driving
beat of the song. It has been my fav
Chicago song since 1970 💜😎
Living life is just a game so they say
All the games we used to play fade away
We may now enjoy the dreams we shared
so long ago
Oh my darling
Got to have you
Feel the magic
When I hold you
Cry sweet tears of joy
Touch the sky
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Lawyers in Love (Jackson Browne):
The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them (as Russians will)
Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon
And I hear the U.S.S.R will be open soon
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Continuing with the musical genius that is
Jackson Browne. He has a knack for
taking the most mundane topics and
spinning them into genius in song.
This is one of my favs of his, from
the 3rd verse:
Fountain of Sorrow (1974)
Now the things that I remember seem
so distant and so small
Though it really hasn’t been
that long a time
What I was seeing wasn’t what was
happening at all
Although for awhile our path did seem to climb
When you see through love’s illusions
there lies the danger
And your perfect lover just looks like a
perfect fool
So you go running off in search
of a perfect stranger
While the loneliness seems to spring from
your life like a fountain from a pool
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Pump it up Elvis Costello&the Attractions, 1978
This song, a satire with influences from
Dylan, is one of his best pieces of work.
The lyrics are catchy and the beat is
driving. From the first verse:
I’ve been on tenterhooks, ending in dirty looks
List’ning to the Muzak, thinking ‘bout this ‘n’ that
She said “That’s that, I don’t want to chitter-chat”
Turn it down a little bit or turn it down flat
Pump it up, when you really don’t need it
Pump it up, until you can feel it
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Are you sitting comfortably Moody Blues (1969)
One of my favorite tunes by the band. Clever imagery dispersed with Ray’s incredible flute and Justin’s beautiful, haunting voice. Kudos to Justin and Ray for writing this masterpiece:
Take another sip my love and
see what you will see
a fleet of golden galleons
on a crystal sea
Are you sitting comfortably?
Let Merlin cast his spell
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Like most of what Bono and U2 write, this song is full of imagery, and lyrics that will more than tug at your heartstrings. One of my favorites by U2.
Walk On - U2
The only baggage that you can bring...
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
What you got they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
walk on
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the hurt is
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
You've got to leave it behind
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you feel
All that you reason
All that you care (It's only time)
And I'll never fill up all my mind
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
And all that you scheme
All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate
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Chow Mein and Bowling-Michael Nesmith
Chow mein and bowling
Twinkies and champagne
Moon over McDonald's
Frozen pizza in the rain
In the rain
Dancing in the dump truck
Dining with the dog
Laughing in the bathtub
With a ducky and a frog
Stake me to an anthill
Shoot me to the moon
Without you I am no one
Like a burger with no bun
Like a burger with no bun
I can't go on
On the spot we first met
Flowers grow today
Where's that little toxic waste dump
Where two children used to play
Used to play
Meat and diet cola
Duck a la butane
Refried beans and rare wines
Like they give you on a plane
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Locomotive breath Jethro Tull. Ian
Anderson is an extraordinary songwriter
exemplified in this, my fav Jethro Tull tune:
In the shuffling madness
Of the locomotive breath
Runs the all time loser
Headlong to his death
He feels the piston scraping
Steam breaking on his brow
Old Charlie stole the handle and
The train it won’t stop going
No way to slow down
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