Best/Worst Lyrics In Pop/Rock music

To the guy that said Dave Grohl will be a long forgotten footnote in musical history, I'd actually have to say the opposite of that. I think Grohl is going to be a guy whose music, and musical ability in general, will become more and more respected over time. He is by far the greatest musician of his generation (great singer, guitarist, drummer, song writer, plays numerous other instruments and plays them well). I'm guessing if he you ask people in the music industry who the best overall musician is at this time, Grohl will get a very large percentage of the vote. His music may not be the popular out there, but that has a lot to do with the fact that they don't over-promote themselves. They just make good albums, which are all critically acclaimed, and rock out at their concerts. That is enough for me.

terps wrote:

Gravity

Is working against me

And gravity

Wants to bring me down

John Mayer, what a deep thinker.

Obviously he is not a pose runner.

That's why I never mentioned Rap. They have bad lyrics as the rule rather than the exeption. The same goes for country. Any song with the words "Honkey Tonk" or some derivation are automically a 10/10 in the bad lyric category in my opinion.

i dunno about that wrote:

He is by far the greatest musician of his generation (great singer, guitarist, drummer, song writer, plays numerous other instruments and plays them well).

Not really, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are both much better than him.

You are stereotyping, my friend. There are great songs in both of the genres, that you dismiss so easily

Honky-tonk is just another word for Bar or Pub, and if you think a whole lot of life doesn't happen there that is worth writing or singing about, well that's fine, but I disagree.

Kaiser wrote:

Let me preface this by saying I like Bob Dylan a lot. However, some of his lyrics sound like a child rhyming. Example (Woody Allen was correct):

Upon further review, more childish rhyming:

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

More crap:

My love she speaks like silence,

Without ideals or violence,

She doesn't have to say she's faithful,

Yet she's true, like ice, like fire.

People carry roses,

Make promises by the hours,

My love she laughs like the flowers,

Valentines can't buy her.

And more:

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand

At the mongrel dogs who teach

Fearing not that I'd become my enemy

In the instant that I preach

My pathway led by confusion boats

Mutiny from stern to bow.

Ah, but I was so much older then,

I'm younger than that now.

And more:

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,

Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,

The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,

Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.

Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,

Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,

With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,

Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

And even more:

Then the shaft was soon shut

And more work was cut,

And the fire in the air, it felt frozen.

'Til a man come to speak

And he said in one week

That number eleven was closin'.

They complained in the East,

They are paying too high.

They say that your ore ain't worth digging.

That it's much cheaper down

In the South American towns

Where the miners work almost for nothing.

And then this failed attempt with silly little childrens poetry:

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood.

A finger fired the trigger to his name.

A handle hid out in the dark

A hand set the spark

Two eyes took the aim

Behind a man's brain

But he can't be blamed

He's only a pawn in their game.

A South politician preaches to the poor white man,

"You got more than the blacks, don't complain.

You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain.

And the Negro's name

Is used it is plain

For the politician's gain

As he rises to fame

And the poor white remains

On the caboose of the train

But it ain't him to blame

He's only a pawn in their game.

The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid,

And the marshals and cops get the same,

But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool.

He's taught in his school

From the start by the rule

That the laws are with him

To protect his white skin

To keep up his hate

So he never thinks straight

'Bout the shape that he's in

But it ain't him to blame

He's only a pawn in their game.

From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks,

And the hoof beats pound in his brain.

And he's taught how to walk in a pack

Shoot in the back

With his fist in a clinch

To hang and to lynch

To hide 'neath the hood

To kill with no pain

Like a dog on a chain

He ain't got no name

But it ain't him to blame

He's only a pawn in their game.

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught.

They lowered him down as a king.

But when the shadowy sun sets on the one

That fired the gun

He'll see by his grave

On the stone that remains

Carved next to his name

His epitaph plain:

Only a pawn in their game.

I could go on and on.

This is also intersting and is probably not in Dave Grohl's future:

WORST of all time:

QHEEN's "Radio Ga Ga"

http://www.lyrics007.com/Queen%20Lyrics/Radio%20Ga%20Ga%20Lyrics.html

turku wrote:

You are stereotyping, my friend. There are great songs in both of the genres, that you dismiss so easily

Honky-tonk is just another word for Bar or Pub, and if you think a whole lot of life doesn't happen there that is worth writing or singing about, well that's fine, but I disagree.

I actually like some country.. but there are soo many bad lyrics that you have to sit through. I honestly can't think of a song with the words "Honky Tonk" or some such that I would consider remotely good. A great example "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" bleckkkkK!!!!!!!!!

I suppose there may be some out there.. but it hurts my ears when I hear that phrase. As far as rap goes. I have to admit I have never given it much of a chance.. b/c well I couldn't stand more than a few seconds of it. Again, there may be some good Rap that I haven't listened to.. but it would hurt too much to sift through all that. Just my opinion. Lots of folks will disagree I am sure.

turku wrote:

You are stereotyping, my friend. There are great songs in both of the genres, that you dismiss so easily

Honky-tonk is just another word for Bar or Pub, and if you think a whole lot of life doesn't happen there that is worth writing or singing about, well that's fine, but I disagree.

OOps I just thought of a song with Honky-tonk in it that I like! Honky-tonk woman - Rolling Stones. I stand corrected.

Dave Grohl is actually my cousin. To be honest, I highly doubt he cares about being thought of as "the greatest musician or lyricist" out there. He just likes to make music and entertain people. He's probably the most laid back guy ever, and the idea of turning music into a competition would not be enjoyable to him.

eh whatever wrote:

Dave Grohl is actually my cousin. To be honest, I highly doubt he cares about being thought of as "the greatest musician or lyricist" out there. He just likes to make music and entertain people. He's probably the most laid back guy ever, and the idea of turning music into a competition would not be enjoyable to him.

No shit? That's pretty cool. I agree with the musicians not thinking about it as a competition, that is not in most of those guys nature. We can talk about it though, I am a really competitive and feel the need to rank everything.

i dunno about that wrote:

To the guy that said Dave Grohl will be a long forgotten footnote in musical history, I'd actually have to say the opposite of that. I think Grohl is going to be a guy whose music, and musical ability in general, will become more and more respected over time. He is by far the greatest musician of his generation.

I will admit I know little of the Foo Fighters other than what I hear on the radio. I went to a lyrics website and randomly looked at the following songs:

Color Picture of a Marigold

He's there case I won it all

He's scared cause I won

He's scared case I won it all

He's scared cause I won

All in all in the clock is slow

Six coloured pictures all in a row

Of a marigold

He's there case I won it all

He's scared cause I won

He's there case I won it all

He's scared cause I won

All in all in the clock is slow

Six coloured pictures all in a row

Of a marigold

He's there case I won it all

He's scared cause I won

He's there case I won it all

He's there cause I won

All in all in the clock is slow

Six coloured pictures all in a row

Of a marigold

Drive Me Wild:

Ooh look at me in a Cadillac

You can play in a convertible child

I've never been driven baby you're the first

Come on baby drive me wild, ooh

Ooh look at me on the telephone

Whatever you want just dial

Come on baby please it's so easy

Do it baby drive me wild

Come on baby do it drive me wild

Do it baby drive me wild

Ooh look at me on the radio

Call me up and make a request

If you want anything just name it

When I'm bad baby I'm the best

Ooh look at me on the big guitar

Stick me up with a smile

Come on baby please it's so easy

Do it baby drive me wild

I had to stop. This is not even close to the level of JAKOB Dylan. Dave Grohl's claim to fame is riding the Curt Kobain death plublicity train. He is and always will be - just a member of Nirvana that started another group.

Comparing him to Dylan was insane. When I hear dozens and dozens of respected artists covering Foo Fighters songs (like people have done with Dylan's work) we can talk.

That said, people should listen to what they like - what makes them happy. Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, Back Street Boys, Pink, The Dixie Chicks, whatever you like. Oh yeah, the Dixie Chicks covered Bob Dylan - add them to the list.

diii watcher wrote: Oh yeah, the Dixie Chicks covered Bob Dylan - add them to the list.

Still Running wrote:

That's why I never mentioned Rap. They have bad lyrics as the rule rather than the exeption. The same goes for country. Any song with the words "Honkey Tonk" or some derivation are automically a 10/10 in the bad lyric category in my opinion.

When Ruthie says come see her

In her honky tonk lagoon,

Where I can watch her waltz for free

Neath her Panamanian moon.

Whatever one thinks of the "Chicks", Natalie Maines (sp.) has a great set of pipes, and the "Sisters" are very fine musicians, both instrumentally, and in 2 or 3 part harmony with Natalie.

cmurph wrote:

Still Running wrote:

That's why I never mentioned Rap. They have bad lyrics as the rule rather than the exeption. The same goes for country. Any song with the words "Honkey Tonk" or some derivation are automically a 10/10 in the bad lyric category in my opinion.

When Ruthie says come see her

In her honky tonk lagoon,

Where I can watch her waltz for free

Neath her Panamanian moon.

I should have said any Country song with "Honky Tonk" in it is automatically bad in my opinion. As mentioned before "Honky Tonk Woman" by the Stones doesn't count as bad either.

Yellow submarine

and many other Lennon songs too.

if you're gonna critique grohl's lyrics, at least pick songs that HE wrote. Drive Me Wild is a cover of a Prince song which, in actuality, shows pretty good versatility since typical Foo Fighters music is far from the type of stuff Prince does. And Grohl is just riding the coattails of Cobaine? Considering the number of platinum albums and Grammy's he has won since his days with that band, which were never successful until he joined by the way, it is pretty obvious you do not know what you're talking about. And to the guy that said he is Grohl's cousin, if true, that is pretty damn cool. I hope you two are close. I get the feeling he'd be awesome to just have a beer and chill with.

I see him sometimes at holidays. We used to be kinda close, but it is hard to keep in touch when you are older... especially when one of you is traveling around the nation/world half the time. He's pretty busy, haha. But yeah, he's fun to hang out with, that is for sure. Hasn't let fame get to his head. I've met a few other "rock stars" from other bands, and a lot of them seem pretty full of themselves. Dave is the biggest dork alive, though, so if he got cocky like some of those guys, we'd all just give him unmerciful shit. Hell, we do anyway.