Best Lyrics of any Song?

[Volafortis]

One of my personal favorite bands here, it's sad that they aren't as widely remembered as they should be. I mean, pretty much everything they did in the '60s and '70s was absolutely brilliant, easily up there with the likes of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin in terms of ingenuity, technical prowess, songwriting, and just blatant epic-ness.

Spoiler: The Lyrics

The wall on which the prophets wrote
Is cracking at the seams.
Upon the instruments of death
The sunlight brightly gleams.
When every man is torn apart
With nightmares and with dreams,
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
When silence drowns the screams.

Confusion will be my epitaph.
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back
and laugh.
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying,
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.

Between the iron gates of fate,
The seeds of time were sown,
And watered by the deeds of those
Who know and who are known;
Knowledge is a deadly friend
If no one sets the rules.
The fate of all mankind I see
Is in the hands of fools.

Confusion will be my epitaph.
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back
and laugh.
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying,
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.

I was considering doing pretty much any song by Coheed and Cambria, but it's tough to appreciate COCA's stuff lyrically until you really get into the whole concept and story behind the albums.

 

[WaReloaded]

Without a doubt in my mind.

The last verse, wow, just...wow. So emotive and poetic.

The music isn't for everyone though, it's definitely an acquired taste.

 

[TheGauntman]

Nine Inch Nails' "Right Where It Belongs" has been getting played a lot on my itunes because I love the lyrics for it.

Spoiler: Lyrics

"Right Where It Belongs"

See the animal in his cage that you built
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all
Right where it belongs

[Chorus:]
What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

What if all the world's inside of your head
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your gods
All the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You can live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees

[Chorus:]
What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you used to know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

A few days ago, one of our fellow escapees posted a thread about how moved he was by a certain song. A song that I thought had some pretty strong lyrics.

Spoiler: Constellations by Enter Shikari

Please skip the first 16 or so seconds, it's for copyright stuff.

Also a very good choice. I love Enter Shikari.

Great call on NIN. I feel With Teeth gets a bum rap sometimes, but it's a great album. It's not as cohesive as some of his other work, but each song is killer. But try as I might I can't get into Enter Shikari. When they are rocking they're okay, but when he does his talky-singy bit he sounds too much like The Streets for me to take them seriously. (Not knocking The Streets btw, I quite like them, it just seems jarring in Enter Shikari.)

OT: Too many great lyrics to choose from, so I think I'm gonna go old school with some Guns 'n' Roses. Say what you will about Axl Rose, he had a deft touch with the pen when he was on his game.

Spoiler: The end section of Coma - long-ass song, but oh so awesome.

And all this crass communication that has left you in the cold
Isn't much for consolation when you feel so weak and old
But if home is where the heart is
Then there's stories to be told
No, you don't need a doctor
No one else can heal your soul

Got your mind in submission
Got your life on the line
But nobody pulled the trigger
They just stepped aside
They'll be down by the water
While you watch 'em wavin' goodbye

They'll be callin' in the morning
They'll be hanging on the phone
They'll be waitin' for an answer
But you know nobody's home
And when the bells stop ringing
It was nobody's fault but your own

There were always ample warning
There were always subtle signs
And you would have seen them coming
But we gave you too much time
And when you said that no one's listening
Why'd your best friend drop a dime
Sometimes we get so tired of waiting for a
Way to spend our time

And it's so easy to be social
It's so easy to be cool
Yeah, its easy to get hungry
When you ain't got **** to lose
And I wish that I could help you
With what you hope to find
But I'm still out here waiting
Watching reruns of my life
When you reach the point of breaking
Know it's gonna take some time
To heal those broken memories
That another man would need
Just to survive

 

[A Weary Exile]

Personal favorite:

~All pre-ordained, a prisoner in chains, a victim of venomous fate~ Rush - Freewill

 

[oooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

Spoiler: Radiohead - The Butcher

beauty will destroy your mind
spare the gory details
give them gift wrapped for the man with everything

though i lived a lonely lie
i was confused
now butcher, i feel nothing

as it courses up my arms
imposition of the worms
up, up through my heart, into my brain

arm a bit slack, a basic combination
cut out chopped liver on the block
my heart's still pumping
my heart's still pumping

he's a worrier, a worrier
here's the little *****, come and honour him

he's a worrier, a worrier
here's the little *****, come and honour him
come and honour him

I love the darker lightly off imagery in the lyrics, especially as it suits the music so well.

Beirut's The Shrew and Nick Drake's Parasite are also both well worth a look at for their lyrical quality.

 

[smithy_2045]

One of the lyrical masterpieces of our time. [http://youtu.be/qJdMjRHRLfg]

 

[tobi the good boy]

Streetlight Manifesto ~ Everyone goes numb

Everything went numb for the money and the guns
and everytime he'd think it out: "there's nothing to worry about
get in the van, don't deviate from the plan
if everything goes smooth then you'll walk away a rich man"
so it begins, everybody walks in
could this be the way or the day that the underdog wins?
i think not, so i bet on the feds because the black hat men never win in the end

 

[michiehoward]

You can get addicted to a certain type of sadness.

I know its not the original, and not written by WotE. I just prefer this vid LOL

 

[SirDeadly]

I reckon some of the best lyrics I have heard are from Shinedown's "If You Only Knew". They are very clever and hold a deep message to many people.

Spoiler

It's 4:03 and I can't sleep
Without you next to me I
Toss and turn like the sea
If I drown tonight, bring me
Back to life
Breathe your breath in me
The only thing that I still believe
In is you, if you only knew

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Which song has my favourite lyrics? .......Tough choice...

At the moment though, it's this one for me:

 

[Stein Inge]

Surprised noone has mentioned Bob Dylan yet, so here:

It´s all right Ma, I´m only bleeding

Spoiler

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child?s balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool?s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying

Temptation?s page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover that you?d just be one more
Person crying

So don?t fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It?s alright, Ma, I?m only sighing

As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don?t hate nothing at all
Except hatred

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It?s easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have to stand naked

An? though the rules of the road have been lodged
It?s only people?s games that you got to dodge
And it?s alright, Ma, I can make it

Advertising signs they con
You into thinking you?re the one
That can do what?s never been done
That can win what?s never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you

You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks they really found you

A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit
To satisfy, insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to

Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to

For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something they invest in

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God bless him

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society?s pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he?s in

But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it?s alright, Ma, if I can?t please him

Old lady judges watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn?t talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony

While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer?s pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death?s honesty
Won?t fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes must get lonely

My eyes collide head-on with stuffed
Graveyards, false gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough, what else can you show me?

And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They?d probably put my head in a guillotine
But it?s alright, Ma, it?s life, and life only

 

[Xiroh86]

Band: Memento
Album: Beginnings
Song: "Figure 8"

"The snake is sleeping, dreaming of Eve's face"

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

I got all these hoes
And I don't know what to do
They ask me if I share
I'm asking "who are you?"
My dude is Hugh Hefner and he fucks with me
I said "Hugh Hefner man, I got more bitches than you"
He said "that's not right!"
He said "you are a liar!"
I said "Hugh Hefner, you see my bitches tonight?"
And I'm young BasedGod and I dare you to see
And I gotta question who got more bitches than me!

Damnit, I'm gonna link this every chance I get.

 

[C F]

Yeah, I've gotta stick with the motivational songs if we're talking lyrics.

Joe Esposito
You're the Best Around

Specifically:

Fight 'till you drop.
Never stop,
Can't give up,
'til you reach the top!
[small](Fight!)[/small]
You're the best in town!
[small](Fight!)[/small]
Listen to that sound!
A little bit of all you got
Can never bring you down!​

 

[TheTim]

I'm not one with the whole putting videos on my posts thing

so i'll just name a few

"Ours" - Taylor Swift

"Nocturnal Rainbows" - Hopsin

"When I'm gone" - Eminem

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

-snippety-

Another Buckethead fan! *brofist*

My personal favourite lyrics are in the Intervals part of Dream Theater's Octavarium;

Spoiler

Our deadly sins fill his mortal wrath,
Remove all obstacles from our path;
Asking questions, search for clues,
The answer's been right in front of you.
Try to break through, long to connect
Fall on deaf ears with failed muted breath;
Loyalty, trust, faith and desire,
Carries love through each darkest fire.
Tortured insanity, a smothering hell,
Try to escape but to no avail;
The calls of admirers who claim they adore,
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more;
Innocent victims of merciless crimes,
Fall prey to some madmen's impulsive designs;
Step after step, we try controlling our fate,
When we finally start living it's become too late.

I love this verse, it provides a summary of every other song in the album, and the final two lyrics always manage to send a shiver down my spine.

I'm a DT fan, though not usually of their lyrics, especially when Portnoy was writing (cliche storm ahead, Captain!). That said, James' delivery could still make some cheesy lyrics come across well.

 

[Popeman]

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
When the wild wind blows
Out of the silent plaint
Different world
Just most of Iron Maiden's stuff has good lyrics.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

As sure as Mount Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti Plain
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become

...no wait not best lyrics, oh what's the phrase I'm looking for...worst lyrics that's it.

Don't you diss Toto.

Not when you've got Rhythm is a Dancer lined up for that title.

"I'm as serious as cancer when I say that rhythm is a dancer"

Anyway, best lyrics:


Only a cookie crumb for getting why, because it's easy

 

[Dorian6]

Well there's Cee Lo Green's "Fuck you"

I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like,
Fuck you!
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough I'm like,
Fuck you!
And fuck her too!
I said "If I was richer, I'd still be with ya"
Now ain't that some shit?
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
Fuck you!


Yeah I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari,
But that don't mean i can't get you there.
I guess she's an Xbox and I'm more Atari,
But the way you play your game ain't fair.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you

Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend


Now I know, that I had to borrow,
Beg and steal and lie and cheat.
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya.
'Cause being in love with you ass ain't cheap.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
i really hate yo ass right now


Now baby, baby, baby, why you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?

I tried to tell my mamma but she told me
"this is one for your dad"
(your dad, your dad, your dad)
Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!
Whhhy lady? Oh! I love you oh!
I still love you. Oooh!

I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love],
Fuck you!
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough I'm like,
Fuck you!
And fuck her too!
If I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Now ain't that some shit?
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
Fuck you!