LyricTube

Trollheart · 06-16-2012, 07:05 PM

Don't think anyone's done this before...
Basically post your YT links to songs that have outstanding lyrics. The music doesn't have to be great (though of course it helps if it is!), can even be acapella if you want. Video quality also not important. What IS important is that the video makes you LISTEN to the lyric, and appreciate the song.

My own first few to start off...

TOM WAITS ---- What's he building in there? (from "Mule variations")
This is an example of the above statement re the music. It's weird, strange, otherworldly even, and makes you feel uneasy with its odd slant and discordant notes, along with sounds like hammering and sawing, but it's the lyric that really draws you in to a song that's pretty much unique.

FISH --- The pilgrim's address (from "Fellini days")
A great anti-war song from the ex-Marillion frontman, oozing the blood of fallen soldiers all asking the never-answered question: why? So powerful that it was distributed among the troops fighting in Iraq. Fish remains for me one of the most powerful and influential lyricists on this planet.

JAMES BLUNT --- No bravery (from "Back to Bedlam")
Before you pass it by on the basis of hating Blunt, give it a chance. This is another emotional and powerful anti-war song, with the conflict seen through the eyes of innocent bystanders, and through the eyes of soldiers who wonder what the hell they're doing?

and finally, for now, the incomparable
NICK CAVE --- Where do we go now but nowhere? (from "The boatman's call")
The heart-wrenching tale of two parents who wait in a hospital as their daughter clings to life, though they know she will soon succumb to the darkness. Gives me chills.

appleghost · 06-17-2012, 04:03 PM

I think this is a good idea for a thread, and I will be posting some of my favourites soon.
Nick Cave and Tom Waits' ability to tell a story is incredible and fascinating.

Trollheart · 06-18-2012, 02:08 AM

Some more...

DAN FOGELBERG --- Sketches (from "Nether lands")

The late Dan Fogelberg remains one of my favourite songwriters; with almost a direct line to the human heart and soul, he seemed to be able to evoke memories and feelings with just a few words and a gentle guitar strum or piano melody, and he's a huge loss to the world of music. This one always puts me in mind of lazy days of summer, lying in grass meadows looking up at the burning sun in a soft blue sky: ah, memories...

THRESHOLD --- Sunrise on Mars (from "Clone")

Although the lyric in this song is somewhat obscure and not a little confusing, I still love the images it conjures up. Can't you just imagine the sun rising over the deserts of the red planet?

BREAD --- Make it with you (from "On the waters")

If you want pure, simple but catchy lovesongs, David Gates is your man! During the early and latter half of the seventies he pretty much dominated the charts with his band Bread, with classics like "If", "Baby I'm-a want you" and "Everything I own", and their hits have been covered down the years by more people than you can count, almost. Gates also had a huge hit on his own with the theme to the movie "The goodbye girl", but this was his first hit with Bread, and one of their best.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN --- Jungleland (from "Born to run")

No collection of great lyricists could ignore the Boss, and this is one of his most lyrically rich songs, taken from a classic album , a song which paints a vivid picture of life on the streets of Jersey, and gives you a glimpse into a shadowy world, while still retaining the basic message of hope that runs through most of Springsteen's material.

llllllllllllllllllll · 06-18-2012, 07:26 PM

More people need to listen to john darnielle

Trollheart · 06-21-2012, 07:23 PM

NICK CAVE --- Red right hand (from "Let love in")

From one of Cave's overall best imo albums, a dark tale of manipulation, revenge, betrayal and megalomania. Just an ordinary Cave song, then!

THE THE --- Soul mining (from "Soul mining")

Few people have such a handle on the human condition and its sense of overimportance, and almost no-one is as good as Matt Johnson at taking down the entire human race a peg, reminding us all how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and smiling bitterly at the sweet irony of the whole thing.

MOSTLY AUTUMN --- The end of the world (from "Storms over still water")

Some of the finest lyricists arguably reside in progressive rock bands, and I'm almost always impressed by the depth and strength of the songwriting in Mostly Autumn. Here they envision, well, the end of the world.

appleghost · 06-22-2012, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

NICK CAVE --- Red right hand (from "Let love in")

From one of Cave's overall best imo albums, a dark tale of manipulation, revenge, betrayal and megalomania. Just an ordinary Cave song, then!

Yes! This is one of my favourite song-lyrics of all time. I was thinking about posting it here as well. I especially like these parts:
"He'll wrap you in his arms,
tell you that you've been a good boy
He'll rekindle all the dreams
it took you a lifetime to destroy"
and
"You're one microscopic cog
in his catastrophic plan
designed and directed by
his red right hand"

It's really good. The whole album is fantastic, actually. Of the other songs on the album, I really like the lyrics of "Lay me low".

Trollheart · 06-22-2012, 05:40 PM

Yeah, I particularly like his use of the doomy bells at the end of each chorus and throughout the song, denoting some evil presence on the way.

"Lay me low" is brilliant too: I reviewed the album in my journal, and remarked on how Cave writes about how he sees his work being discussed after he's dead, with everyone looking for the scoop and the dirt. I particularly love this line:

"They'll interview some of my teachers
Who'll say I was one of God's sorrier creatures
They'll print informative ten-page features
When I go."

So true!

appleghost · 06-23-2012, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yeah, I particularly like his use of the doomy bells at the end of each chorus and throughout the song, denoting some evil presence on the way.

"Lay me low" is brilliant too: I reviewed the album in my journal, and remarked on how Cave writes about how he sees his work being discussed after he's dead, with everyone looking for the scoop and the dirt. I particularly love this line:

"They'll interview some of my teachers
Who'll say I was one of God's sorrier creatures
They'll print informative ten-page features
When I go."

So true!

Yes! I also like these lines:
"and my friends will give up the fight
they will see my work in a different light
when I go"

Here's another one of my Waits-favourites:

Tom Waits: Yesterday Is Here - YouTube

Again, his ability to tell a story is amazing. I also like the mental images the lyrics, as well as the music, create.

PJ Harvey and Tricky - Broken Homes - YouTube
This is great, too.
"because success needs killing
murder is media
forced laugh, forged autograph
first my body, now my corpse"

06-16-2012, 07:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	LyricTube Don't think anyone's done this before... Basically post your YT links to songs that have outstanding lyrics. The music doesn't have to be great (though of course it helps if it is!), can even be acapella if you want. Video quality also not important. What IS important is that the video makes you LISTEN to the lyric, and appreciate the song. My own first few to start off... TOM WAITS ---- What's he building in there? (from "Mule variations") This is an example of the above statement re the music. It's weird, strange, otherworldly even, and makes you feel uneasy with its odd slant and discordant notes, along with sounds like hammering and sawing, but it's the lyric that really draws you in to a song that's pretty much unique. FISH --- The pilgrim's address (from "Fellini days") A great anti-war song from the ex-Marillion frontman, oozing the blood of fallen soldiers all asking the never-answered question: why? So powerful that it was distributed among the troops fighting in Iraq. Fish remains for me one of the most powerful and influential lyricists on this planet. JAMES BLUNT --- No bravery (from "Back to Bedlam") Before you pass it by on the basis of hating Blunt, give it a chance. This is another emotional and powerful anti-war song, with the conflict seen through the eyes of innocent bystanders, and through the eyes of soldiers who wonder what the hell they're doing? and finally, for now, the incomparable NICK CAVE --- Where do we go now but nowhere? (from "The boatman's call") The heart-wrenching tale of two parents who wait in a hospital as their daughter clings to life, though they know she will soon succumb to the darkness. Gives me chills. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-18-2012, 02:08 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	Some more... DAN FOGELBERG --- Sketches (from "Nether lands") The late Dan Fogelberg remains one of my favourite songwriters; with almost a direct line to the human heart and soul, he seemed to be able to evoke memories and feelings with just a few words and a gentle guitar strum or piano melody, and he's a huge loss to the world of music. This one always puts me in mind of lazy days of summer, lying in grass meadows looking up at the burning sun in a soft blue sky: ah, memories... THRESHOLD --- Sunrise on Mars (from "Clone") Although the lyric in this song is somewhat obscure and not a little confusing, I still love the images it conjures up. Can't you just imagine the sun rising over the deserts of the red planet? BREAD --- Make it with you (from "On the waters") If you want pure, simple but catchy lovesongs, David Gates is your man! During the early and latter half of the seventies he pretty much dominated the charts with his band Bread, with classics like "If", "Baby I'm-a want you" and "Everything I own", and their hits have been covered down the years by more people than you can count, almost. Gates also had a huge hit on his own with the theme to the movie "The goodbye girl", but this was his first hit with Bread, and one of their best. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN --- Jungleland (from "Born to run") No collection of great lyricists could ignore the Boss, and this is one of his most lyrically rich songs, taken from a classic album , a song which paints a vivid picture of life on the streets of Jersey, and gives you a glimpse into a shadowy world, while still retaining the basic message of hope that runs through most of Springsteen's material. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-18-2012, 07:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
llllllllllllllllllll Music Addict Join Date: May 2012 Location: spiky Posts: 88	More people need to listen to john darnielle __________________ If I don't go to Hell when I die, I just might go to Heaven EVERYWHERE

06-21-2012, 07:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	NICK CAVE --- Red right hand (from "Let love in") From one of Cave's overall best imo albums, a dark tale of manipulation, revenge, betrayal and megalomania. Just an ordinary Cave song, then! THE THE --- Soul mining (from "Soul mining") Few people have such a handle on the human condition and its sense of overimportance, and almost no-one is as good as Matt Johnson at taking down the entire human race a peg, reminding us all how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and smiling bitterly at the sweet irony of the whole thing. MOSTLY AUTUMN --- The end of the world (from "Storms over still water") Some of the finest lyricists arguably reside in progressive rock bands, and I'm almost always impressed by the depth and strength of the songwriting in Mostly Autumn. Here they envision, well, the end of the world. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-22-2012, 05:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	Yeah, I particularly like his use of the doomy bells at the end of each chorus and throughout the song, denoting some evil presence on the way. "Lay me low" is brilliant too: I reviewed the album in my journal, and remarked on how Cave writes about how he sees his work being discussed after he's dead, with everyone looking for the scoop and the dirt. I particularly love this line: "They'll interview some of my teachers Who'll say I was one of God's sorrier creatures They'll print informative ten-page features When I go." So true! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-17-2012, 04:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
appleghost Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Norway Posts: 178	I think this is a good idea for a thread, and I will be posting some of my favourites soon. Nick Cave and Tom Waits' ability to tell a story is incredible and fascinating.