Good Song, Terrible Lyrics.

[Camp Tramp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxyo5ZXoBgQ

Heard Flag by Coach Party on Radio 6. Really caught my attention. So I listened to it again and heard the lyrics.

They are terrible!

They read like the first lyrics written by a teenager. Despite the lyrics though, I still really like the sound of the song. Just have to disregard the words.

Are there any songs that you've heard that sound great, but have terrible lyrics?

[The Culture Bunker]

Pretty much the entire Ride discography, and I say that as someone who has all (and enjoys most of) their albums.

[PammySpacek]

Not quite the same thing, but I remember that "Hardly Getting Over It" by Husker Du starts off fine, but then inspiration seemed to leave Bob Mould when he reached the second verse. After that point he just keeps using variations on the phrase "...and they are gonna die", to the point where it almost feels like a joke. And at the very end of that verse he mumbles something like "...mmmm... dehdie..." in lieu of the end of a line. Ruins it, to be honest. It's like a balloon suddenly deflating.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Husker Du

one of their best songs has this clunker

"you're the cutest girl I've ever seen in my life
but its over now, over WITH MY KNIFE!!!"

[Pauline Walnuts]

Well, I loled.

[McChesney Duntz]

Not quite the same thing, but I remember that "Hardly Getting Over It" by Husker Du starts off fine, but then inspiration seemed to leave Bob Mould when he reached the second verse. After that point he just keeps using variations on the phrase "...and they are gonna die", to the point where it almost feels like a joke. And at the very end of that verse he mumbles something like "...mmmm... dehdie..." in lieu of the end of a line. Ruins it, to be honest. It's like a balloon suddenly deflating.

Nah, he pretty clearly says "and what'll I do/ when they die?" at the end of the verse. In a rather depressed, defeated voice, true, but it's a rather depressed, defeated song. The lyrics to that one are a little off, in general, though - there's plenty of examples of strange verbal constructions and mixed metaphors (Hart's "you're coloring your life with too much spice" stands out) in Hüsker Dü songs, which, combined with the usually-bad production and Grant's increasingly-dribbly drum technique, should be a whole bunch of deal-breakers. Yet they remain awesome. Can't figger it.

[famethrowa]

I got it, Crowded House, Four Seasons In One Day.

You can take me where you will
Up the creek and through the mill

nah mate

[Lungpuddle]

I got it, Crowded House, Four Seasons In One Day.

You can take me where you will
Up the creek and through the mill

nah mate

The song's a mixed bag when it comes to the lyrics, but I think the line 'finding out wherever there is comfort there is pain only one step away' absolves any dodginess in the rest.

However, the chorus to the following track on the album is bizarre.

'Hey, don't look now but there goes God in his sexy pants with his sausage dog.'

Pardon?

[markburgle]

2nd verse onward of Wire's Marooned. Beautiful song but then he starts going on about a polar bear and it ends on "while the ship is afloat he's losing his boat". Fucking art students

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Top Fall songs " Touch Sensitive" and " What About Us".

[Huxleys Babkins]

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. Johnny Marr's best moment but not one of Morrissey's.

[pigamus]

I got it, Crowded House, Four Seasons In One Day.

You can take me where you will
Up the creek and through the mill

nah mate

As in, I've been through the mill. Hardship. Rough treatment. It's not a tour through an actual mill. Or a trip to meet Bob Langley. Unless I'm missing something.

[Icehaven]

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. Johnny Marr's best moment but not one of Morrissey's.

As if he even cared.

[markburgle]

Top Fall songs " Touch Sensitive" and " What About Us".

I like the lyrics to Touch Sensitive, I think it's one of his last good lyrics in his old style of scattergun curmudgeonly witticisms before he disappeared up the arse of impenetrable fractured vagueness

[markburgle]

(Parklife!)

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I like the lyrics to Touch Sensitive, I think it's one of his last good lyrics in his old style of scattergun curmudgeonly witticisms before he disappeared up the arse of impenetrable fractured vagueness

" and you're dying for a pee/ so you go behind a tree", though. You could argue this is offset by the likes of " they say what about the meek?/ I say they've got a bloody cheek/ vanity and presumption..." and that, but the Peel session version also includes the deathless line " the best thing to do is stay at home/ and have a wank."
" What About Us?" , with It's " I am a rabbit from East Germany" " Hop Hop Hop" backing vocals and overall message of " shouldnae have given those old dears all them drugs and that, doc, us lot would have appreciated 'em more, hur hur" remains a musically acceptable lyrical embarrassment.

[markburgle]

I thought the pee/tree line was going to raise it's head, but I think it's partially or even fully redeemed by the following "and a Star-Wars police-vehicle pulls up - I say "gimme a taxi!"".

Peel version is just shite all round so no need to bring that into it. Reverse is true of What About Us - worthless song on the album, got some swagger and some actual interplay going on with the Peel versh.

[mrpupkin]

Always thought these two verses of Strawberry Fields Forever were a bit...well...shite

No one I think is in my tree
I mean it must be high or low
That is you can't, you know, tune in
But it's all right
That is I think it's not too bad...

Always, no sometimes, think it's me
But you know I know when it's a dream
I think I know I mean a yes
But it's all wrong
That is I think I disagree

[boki]

Anyway, here's Wonderwall...

[chutnut]

I try not to pay attention to the lyrics in anything cause they're always a load of wank

[markburgle]

What about Sugar, Honey, Honey tho?

[Mr Banlon]

I've Got The Handle - The Heptones

[McChesney Duntz]

Always thought these two verses of Strawberry Fields Forever were a bit...well...shite

No one I think is in my tree
I mean it must be high or low
That is you can't, you know, tune in
But it's all right
That is I think it's not too bad...

Always, no sometimes, think it's me
But you know I know when it's a dream
I think I know I mean a yes
But it's all wrong
That is I think I disagree

Nahh, those are about the most authentic-sounding mid-acid-trip lyrics I know of, all that slippery insightfulness-unto-uncertainty business - I can almost taste the strychnine.

On the other hand, I've been singing "Dig a Pony" to myself a lot after hearing it 420 times in that Meet the Feebles dude's thing, and man alive, those are some dumb lyrics. As potent an anti-heroin advert as I can imagine. Roll your own stoney, specs.

[McChesney Duntz]

Bah.

[The Mollusk]

Almost all of Interpol's songs. Well, I mean not all their songs are good. A lot of them are not good. But the even the songs that are very good have terrible lyrics.

[shoulders]

I try not to pay attention to the lyrics in anything cause they're always a load of wank

Are you sure that's not simply the combining factor in all music you like?

🤡

[chutnut]

Are you sure that's not simply the combining factor in all music you like?

🤡

And all the music I hate

[shoulders]

But that would undermine the funny joke i made so no, not that

[bgmnts]

Yeah most songs are lyrically wank, when you really think about it these people that are adored by so many are pretty crap. Learn a few chords and write some shit poem and you're done.

I like the song I Touch Myself.

[McChesney Duntz]

I like the song I Touch Myself.

Which is literally wank.