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Post by Rey Kahuka on Dec 8, 2021 13:18:05 GMT
Whether you like the song or the artist, there are some puzzling lyrics out there that can really make you scratch your head. Let's talk about that here. There are a few for me in particular that are sports related, and being a sports board I figure I'll start with those. (The 'Is poker a sport' debate can wait for another day.)
(Bullet The Blue Sky, U2)
Hey Bono, a Royal Flush only has one color. Even in the broader context of the surrounding lyrics, there's no reason to say "all of the colors" when you're describing a guy as being red faced.
(Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen)
This has always driven me crazy. Why can't he just say fastball? It's a fastball, Bruce. My wife knows it's a fastball. A four year old knows it's a fastball. Anyone unfamiliar with sports would still understand what a fastball was, just as much as they would a 'speedball.' Why doesn't he just call it a fastball?!
What song lyrics always get you wondering what the artist was thinking when they wrote them?
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Post by masterofallgoons on Dec 8, 2021 14:09:28 GMT
There are so many... I'll have to give this some thought.
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Post by Carl LaFong on Dec 8, 2021 16:41:03 GMT
If I was a sculptor,
But then again, no.
Worst lyric couplet in the history of popular music.
Bernie Taupin, hang your head in shame!
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Post by Spike Del Rey on Dec 8, 2021 18:45:19 GMT
I get what you're saying, but lyrically "speed ball" sounds better than "fastball." I'm sure that's the only reason he went with it.
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Post by _ on Dec 8, 2021 18:56:08 GMT
Whether you like the song or the artist, there are some puzzling lyrics out there that can really make you scratch your head. Let's talk about that here. There are a few for me in particular that are sports related, and being a sports board I figure I'll start with those. (The 'Is poker a sport' debate can wait for another day.) (Bullet The Blue Sky, U2) Hey Bono, a Royal Flush only has one color. Even in the broader context of the surrounding lyrics, there's no reason to say "all of the colors" when you're describing a guy as being red faced. (Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen) This has always driven me crazy. Why can't he just say fastball? It's a fastball, Bruce. My wife knows it's a fastball. A four year old knows it's a fastball. Anyone unfamiliar with sports would still understand what a fastball was, just as much as they would a 'speedball.' Why doesn't he just call it a fastball?! cracks me up when the writer doesn't know the correct sports terminology i LOL in DRIVEN (2001) when the anouncer says "he's in the 23rd Pole Position" 
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Post by masterofallgoons on Dec 8, 2021 19:07:04 GMT
Whether you like the song or the artist, there are some puzzling lyrics out there that can really make you scratch your head. Let's talk about that here. There are a few for me in particular that are sports related, and being a sports board I figure I'll start with those. (The 'Is poker a sport' debate can wait for another day.) (Bullet The Blue Sky, U2) Hey Bono, a Royal Flush only has one color. Even in the broader context of the surrounding lyrics, there's no reason to say "all of the colors" when you're describing a guy as being red faced. (Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen) This has always driven me crazy. Why can't he just say fastball? It's a fastball, Bruce. My wife knows it's a fastball. A four year old knows it's a fastball. Anyone unfamiliar with sports would still understand what a fastball was, just as much as they would a 'speedball.' Why doesn't he just call it a fastball?! cracks me up when the writer doesn't know the correct sports terminology i LOL in DRIVEN (2001) when the anouncer says "he's in the 23rd Pole Position" Someone actually saw that movie? |
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Post by _ on Dec 8, 2021 19:09:19 GMT
cracks me up when the writer doesn't know the correct sports terminology i LOL in DRIVEN (2001) when the anouncer says "he's in the 23rd Pole Position" Someone actually saw that movie? 
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Dec 8, 2021 19:17:45 GMT
I get what you're saying, but lyrically "speed ball" sounds better than "fastball." I'm sure that's the only reason he went with it. In terms of annunciation maybe, but purely as a lyric it sounds goofy. Someone try 'fastball' sometime at a karaoke bar and see what it's like. Report back to this thread with your findings.
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Post by Spike Del Rey on Dec 8, 2021 19:20:03 GMT
I get what you're saying, but lyrically "speed ball" sounds better than "fastball." I'm sure that's the only reason he went with it. In terms of annunciation maybe, but purely as a lyric it sounds goofy. Someone try 'fastball' sometime at a karaoke bar and see what it's like. Report back to this thread with your findings.
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Dec 8, 2021 20:16:03 GMT
Most of Led Zeppelin's inane lyrics
"Hey hey baby when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, can't keep away" - worthy of any 15 year old virgin.
"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May queen" - Ooh, pretentious! I can see why you want to keep the lyrics a mystery
"Ooh, trouble-free transmission
Helps your oil's flow
Mama, let me pump your gas
Mama, let me do it all" - In case y'all didn't get the concept of equating cars to sex, they will keep it up for the whole song.
Doesn't "bother me" but it takes away from the band's greatness. Great music and puerile words.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Dec 8, 2021 20:33:22 GMT
I have never been bothered by a song lyric.
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Post by klawrencio79 on Dec 8, 2021 22:16:29 GMT
I don't speak French so I can't say that these lyrics, per se, bother me, but this song fucking bothers me. Everything about it bothers me.
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Post by sdm3 on Dec 8, 2021 22:35:14 GMT
Tom Jones - Thunderball
"He always runs while others walk... he acts while other men just talk..."
If the song is trying to create the image of a smooth, cool, Bondian figure, it doesn't do a great job. I just imagine a lunatic running around while everyone around him is strolling along calmly. Even if it's aiming for more of a dynamic, bombastic dude, well - just think of it. Someone running around furiously, drawing attention to themselves, isn't cool, suave, or sophisticated. It's more inelegant than anything else.
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Post by NJtoTX on Dec 9, 2021 2:28:30 GMT
The entirety of Horse with No Name. MacArthur Park is at least trying to create psychedelic imagery.
Honey:
She wrecked the car and she was sad
And so afraid that I'd be mad
But what the heck
Though I pretended hard to be
Guess you could say she saw through me
And hugged my neck
The Who:
A rooty-toot-toot, rooty-tooty-toot-toot
Rooty-toot-toot tattoo too
To you
The Who:
In life one and one don't make two
One and one make one
And I'm looking for that free ride to me
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Post by movielover on Dec 9, 2021 3:53:27 GMT
Tom Jones - Thunderball "He always runs while others walk... he acts while other men just talk..."If the song is trying to create the image of a smooth, cool, Bondian figure, it doesn't do a great job. I just imagine a lunatic running around while everyone around him is strolling along calmly. Even if it's aiming for more of a dynamic, bombastic dude, well - just think of it. Someone running around furiously, drawing attention to themselves, isn't cool, suave, or sophisticated. It's more inelegant than anything else. I have to say I laughed out loud when I read this.
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Post by Winston Wolfe on Dec 9, 2021 4:49:36 GMT
Speaking of Zeppelin... "Squeeze me, babe, 'till the juice runs down my leg Do, squeeze, squeeze me, baby, until the juice runs down my leg The way you squeeze my lemon-a I'm gonna fall right outta bed, 'ed, 'ed, bed, yeah Yeah Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey Juice, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby Hey, babe, babe, babe, babe, oh, no No, no, now, now I'm gonna leave my children down on this killing floor"  |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Dec 9, 2021 12:12:48 GMT
There are so many terribly written songs, but what is the crux of this topic, really? Does it make sense to harp on some shitty old Limp Bizkit song? The new Kid Rock song? Some current pop hit or some throwaway radio rotation pop song from like 3 years ago with some of the worst lyrics I can remember, but that nobody else will?
Or are these mostly good songs, or otherwise decent songwriters that we're talking about have a few lines that stick out as being poorly constructed?
It's a tough call since I'm a curmudgeon and everything bothers me.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Dec 9, 2021 13:15:46 GMT
There are so many terribly written songs, but what is the crux of this topic, really? Does it make sense to harp on some shitty old Limp Bizkit song? The new Kid Rock song? Some current pop hit or some throwaway radio rotation pop song from like 3 years ago with some of the worst lyrics I can remember, but that nobody else will? Or are these mostly good songs, or otherwise decent songwriters that we're talking about have a few lines that stick out as being poorly constructed? It's a tough call since I'm a curmudgeon and everything bothers me. I thought of a few different angles for the thread. First I was going to make it sports related (hence my original post). Then I thought I could make it, "Befuddling lyrics from artists you otherwise enjoy," which is probably the way I should've gone. Ultimately I decided to make it as broad as possible so people could go wherever they wanted with the thread. Agreed, there are bands whose lyrics from their entire discography are garbage from top to bottom. But I was looking more for specific song lyrics that always rattled around in your brain for one reason or another.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Dec 9, 2021 13:16:48 GMT
I don't speak French so I can't say that these lyrics, per se, bother me, but this song fucking bothers me. Everything about it bothers me. My cousin was a DJ and he had that single on vinyl. Can you imagine someone wanting to hear that at a party? Oh and by the way, he's talking about how hard it is to be a baby.
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Post by klawrencio79 on Dec 9, 2021 13:34:12 GMT
There are so many terribly written songs, but what is the crux of this topic, really? Does it make sense to harp on some shitty old Limp Bizkit song? The new Kid Rock song? Some current pop hit or some throwaway radio rotation pop song from like 3 years ago with some of the worst lyrics I can remember, but that nobody else will? Or are these mostly good songs, or otherwise decent songwriters that we're talking about have a few lines that stick out as being poorly constructed? It's a tough call since I'm a curmudgeon and everything bothers me. Fair question, however, I'd counter with the fact that it ALWAYS makes sense to shit on Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock.
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