Memorable Lyrics

Great thread idea, I love seeing how just how deep our rabbit holes go.

For me, nothing's more memorable than Ghost of a Chance, because its "our" song, and my sweetest means the world to me.
(And if it weren't this Rush track, it'd be another... because, Peart. #2 would have to be Leonard Cohen.)

Like a million little doorways
All the choices we made
All the stages we passed through
All the roles we played
For so many different directions
Our separate paths might have turned
With every door that we opened
Every bridge that we burned
Somehow we find each other
Through all that masquerade
Somehow we found each other
Somehow we have stayed
In a state of grace

I don't believe in destiny
Or the guiding hand of fate
I don't believe in forever
Or love as a mystical state
I don't believe in the stars or the planets
Or angels watching from above
But I believe there's a ghost of a chance
We can find someone to love
And make it last
And make it last


Gets me right there every time the chorus resolves.^
 
You had me at
Tim Minchin...
One of my favourite lyricists ever.

I can't really post some of the most hilarious lyrics ever, but I'll try to give enough information that you can look it up. It's by Momus, and it's called The P____ Song, and it's a bunch of puns, imagery, references and other things about a certain body part exclusive to males, and rhymes with "I wouldn't let a little thing like that come between us." XD

My favourite lyrics of all time (it's about songwriting, for Pete's sake!), are the first two verses of Rob Dougan's "Drinking Song":

I want to weave a musical spell
That leaves you unwell
and thinking of me everyday
I want to play you a tune that leaves you marooned
and troubled
Each time I'm away

I want to write a simple song that's so frequently sung
That you call me to have the thing banned
Who's sound so endears that whole nations cheer
and sigh
When you take my hand
 
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"Get the funk out."

And then there's:

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey
Since the return of her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June

But tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?
Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?

Now that she's back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey, yeah

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol' Jane, told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

But tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the milky way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you
Even when I know you're wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance
Five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me

But tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way?
And tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

And tell me, did you fall from a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself

And did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day?
And did you fall from a shooting star, fall from a shooting star?
And are you lonely looking for yourself out there?
A friend I play acoustic duo with, introduced me to this song. I love singing it and the chord progression is great too!
 
I hear ya, Alan. Every time I hear this song, I think of my two lovely daughters and it gets to me:


Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love
Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
Through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love
Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
When you hear Aisha in the background on that track, oh man!
 
Release
Pearl Jam

I see the world
Feel the chill
Which way to go
Windowsill
I see the words

On a rocking horse of time
I see the birds in the rain
Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself

Like you somehow
I'll ride the wave
Where it takes me
I'll hold the pain
Release me

Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself
Like you somehow

I'll wait up in the dark
For you to speak to me
I'll open up
Release me
Release me
Release me
Release me

One of my all time favorites...
 
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From "Domino" by Masters of Reality:

Well, I'm sh!t outta luck today man
Now I'm callin' in my favors
Seems that I can't chew on whipped cream
Without me wakin' up some neighbor


Not particularly profound, I just thought it was a good turn of phrase.
 
This one has always stuck with me....especially the line "Just don't put me in a frame upon the mantle where memories turn dusty, old and gray".

Twilight
Over by the wildwood, hot summer night.
We lay in the tall grass, til the mornin' light come shining

If I had my way I'd never get the urge to roam.
Sometimes to serve my country , Sometimes I stay at home.

Just don't put me in the frame upon the mantel
Where memories turn dusty old and grey.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time of day .

Never gave a second thought, never crossed my mind.
What's right and what's not. I'm not the judgin' kind.
I could take the darkness and the storms from the skies.
But we all got certain trials burnin' up inside.
Don't send me no distant salutations.
Or silly souvenirs from far away.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time a day.

Don't put me in the frame upon the mantel.
Where memories turn dusty old and grey.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time a day.
 
Oh one more.....My friend Dan Balog wrote this song years ago, and the story line of the lyrics has always stuck with me. I love how there's a really long and involved story with lots of depth captured in so few words:

The Express
She was a beautiful child
Her daddy used to call her his miracle girl
He used to say that one day she'd own the world

But she always ran with the wrong crowd
Billy came to town with his head shaved clean
Something 'bout his leather jacket really turned her on

[Chorus 1]
You could hear the motorcycle long before it reached her street
She was standing in her brand new summer dress
She could hardly wait until she jumped on that machine
If you're gonna go to Hell, may as well take the express

They rode all night into the sunrise
High on the horizon like a silver screen
Through his coat she could feel the cold, steel .45

Like a brand new drug she felt a rush when
They held up the couple at the bank machine
A pocket full of cash, they put it back in overdrive

[Chorus 2]
Even if she could, she wouldn't change a thing
A former debutante, now her life's a mess
Following along where destiny might lead
If you're gonna go to Hell, may as well take the express

[Bridge]
The blue lights illuminated them
Billy raced away
It felt like it was a thousand miles an hour
A south bound car quickly separated them
Such a tragic day
Where she came to rest, her Daddy lays a ring of flowers
 
OK, call me sentimental...

She’s a very special girl
The kind of girl you want to know
From her head down to her toenails
Down to her feet!
And she’ll wait for me at backstage with her girlfriends
In a limousine.

Going back in Chinatown
Three’s not a crowd to her, she says
Room 714 I’ll be waiting
When I get there she’s got incense, wine and candles
It’s such a freaky scene.

The girl is pretty freaky
The girl’s a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In New Wave magazine

— Rick James
 
Broken hearts and dirty windows,
make life difficult to see
That's why last night and this morning,
always look the same to me.

I hate reading old love letters,
for they always bring me tears.
I can't forgive the way they robbed me,
of my sweetheart souvenirs.

2nd verse of SOUVENIRS by John Prine
 
One line I always loved (and my wife used as a screen saver for a long time), from one of the best of all time.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
 
It was nearly all summer, we sat on your roof
Yeah, we smoked cigarettes and we stared at the moon
I showed you stars you never could see
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me

Time meant nothing, anything seemed real
Yeah, you kissed like fire and you made me feel
Like every word you said was meant to be
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me

Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes
Baby, even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes

Two cars park on the overpass, rocks hit the water like broken glass
I shoulda' known right then it was too good to last
God, it's such a drag when you’re livin’ in the past
 
You've got a dangerous background
And everything you've dreamed of
Yeah you're the Dark Angel
It don't show when you break up
And I'm the one who oughta know
I'm the one left in the dust
Yeah I'm the broken hear ted fool
Who was never quite enough
I'm an insider, I been burned by the fire
And I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briars
I'm an insider
It's a circle of deception
It's a hall of strangers
It's a cage without a key
You can feel the danger
And I'm the one who oughta know
I'm the one you couldn't trust
Yeah I'm the lonely silent one
I'm the one left in the dust
I'm an insider, I been burned by the fire
And I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briars
I'm an insider
I'll bet you're his masterpiece
I'll bet you're his self-control
Yeah you'll become his legacy
His quiet world of white and gold
And I'm the one who ought to know
I'm the one you left to rust
Not one of your twisted friends
I'm the one you couldn't love
I'm an insider, I been burned by the fire
And I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briars--I'm an insider
 
Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, an d if she had to die
Tryin' she had one little promise
She was gonna keep

Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl

It was kind of cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
She could the cars roll by
Out on 441
Like waves crashin' in the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it's so painful
Something that's so close
And still so far out of reach
 
RUSH is my favorite band and Neil Peart has written some insightful (and sometimes too deep for me) lyrics so it was hard to choose. I really like what flux posted above but since there is so much to chose from here are a couple of my favorites:

Prime Mover - RUSH

From the point of conception
To the moment of truth
At the point of surrender
To the burden of proof
From the point of ignition
To the final drive
The point of a journey Is not to arrive


and

Resist - RUSH

I can learn to resist
Anything but temptation
I can learn to coexist
With anything but pain

I can learn to compromise
Anything but my desires
I can learn to get along
With all the things I can't explain
 
I was going to say “Seventeen” by Winger, but it didn’t seem to fit the mood in this thread. :) So how about...

“Round Here” by Counting Crows

Step out the front door like a ghost
Into the fog where no one notices
The contrast of white on white.
And in between the moon and you
The angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right.
I walk in the air between the rain
Through myself and back again
Where? I don't know
Maria says she's dying
Through the door I hear her crying
Why? I don't know
Round here we always stand up straight
Round here something radiates
Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand
She said she'd like to meet a boy who looks like Elvis
She walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land
Just like she's walking on a wire in the circus
She parks her car outside of my house
Takes her clothes off
Says she's close to understanding Jesus
She knows she's just a little misunderstood
She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous
Round here we're carving out our names
Round here we all look the same
Round here we talk just like lions
But we sacrifice like lambs
Round here she's slipping through my hands
Sleeping children better run like the wind
Out of the lightning dream
Mama's little baby better get herself in
Out of the lightning
She says It's only in my head
She says I know it's only in my head
But the girl in car in the parking lot
Says "Man you should try to take a shot
Can't you see my walls are crumbling?"
Then she looks up at the building
And says she's thinking of jumping
She says she's tired of life
She must be tired of something
Round here she's always on my mind
Round here hey man got lots of time
Round here we're never sent to bed early
And nobody makes us wait
Round here we stay up very, very, very, very late
 
My dad tells me he heard this song on the radio, every time he headed out for a business trip...which was ALL THE TIME.

20 years later, I seemed to find myself listening to this very same song, each time I deployed overseas...which was ALL THE TIME.

Makes me blow snot bubbles, to this day.

--------------
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say, I'm gonna be like you, dad
You know I'm gonna be like you

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you coming home, dad?
I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw, I said, not today
I got a lot to do, he said, that's okay
And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed
Said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you coming home, dad?
I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
Son, I'm proud of you
Can you sit for a while?
He shook his head, and he said with a smile
What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later
Can I have them please?

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you coming home, son?
I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired and my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, I'd like to see you if you don't mind
He said, I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time
You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad
It's been sure nice talking to you
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

----------

Of note...this is the first real song I taught myself on acoustic, when I decided to start playing. Will always be the first one I play, whenever I pick up the guitar.
 
Jason Isbell is one of the finest songwriters still in his prime IMHO.

"If we were Vampires" written for his wife

It's knowing that this can't go on forever
It's likely one of us will have to spend some days alone
Maybe we'll get forty years together
But one day I'll be gone and one day you'll be gone


Or "Life You Chose" written for an ex lover

Are you living the life you chose?
Are you living the life that chose you?
Are you taking a grown-up dose?
Do you live with a man who knows you
like I thought I did back then
But I guess I never did
 
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