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Best Song Lyric NOT about Love.

210 replies

Yetmorebeanstocount · 01/01/2024 14:53

Just that - most songs are about love, so what is the best line you know which is about something else?

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

Pink Floyd - 'Time'. The whole song is brilliant, so it is hard to pick the best lines.

The Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar - Paul Simon

OP posts:
weleasewoderick23 · 02/01/2024 16:28

With folded arms you occupied the bench like toothache

Stood and puffed your chest out like you've never lost a war.

Arctic monkeys

KittensandPerverts · 02/01/2024 16:35

I've blown it in every single way
Screwed every single chance that came
You're a super star in waiting for the silver screen
Then the pressure came
Swept away in a tidal wave
Could be all of you, still awake at noon
Blew my chances in a tragic flurry, sweeping apathy
Buy all my food from the B.P store when the night kicks in
I'm turning my back on everyone
I've blown everything I've ever done
I've fucked it up, shot my load
Spewed onto the motorway shoulder
I could have been somebody special
I'm not such a tragic waste of space
I could bring happiness to people
Just one more greatest hits tour for the devotees
The same old faces came
They love their summer spectaculars
By the grace of God could be up by noon
And not a tragic waster but I can't stay focused for my apathy
They could have bought me a brand new car and a house in France
I've really blown it now
Blew it all away on a whim
Sat on my own for far too long
Things could have been so different now
Life looks so confusing through my window bay
Just to see a face, I'm really pleased when the gas man comes
Could be all of you still awake at noon
Blew my chances in a tragic flurry of apathy
All my food from a B.P store when the night kicks in
I've really blown it now
Blew it all away on a whim
But I fucked it up, shot my load
Spewed onto the motorway shoulder
I could have been somebody special

AliceOlive · 02/01/2024 16:39

I love this thread.

Til It Shines - Bob Seger:

Take away my inhibitions
Take away my solitude
Fire me up with your resistance, mm
Put me in the mood

Storm the walls around this prison
Leave the inmates, free the guards
Deal me up another future
From some brand new deck of cards

Take the chip off of my shoulder
Smooth out all the lines
Take me out among the rustling pines
'Til it shines
Oh 'til it shines

Like an echo down a canyon
Never coming back as clear
Lately I just judge the distance
Not the words I hear

I've been too long on these islands
I've been far too long alone
I've been too long without summer
In this winter home

Still, if we can make the effort
If we take the time
Maybe we can leave this much behind

'Til it shines
Mm, 'til it shines
See the rich man lost and lonely
Watch him as he dines
Sitting there just testing all the wines
'Til it shines
Mm 'til it shines
'Til it shines
Oh, 'til it shines
'Til it shines
Ooh

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Wheeeeee · 02/01/2024 20:26

Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring He said, "Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing"
Señor, señor
You know their hearts is as hard as leather Well, give me a minute, let me get it together Just gotta pick myself up off the floor
I'm ready when you are, señor

The incomparable Bob Dylan

BathshebaKnickerStickers · 02/01/2024 20:42

You know, time crawls on while you’re waiting for the song to start,
So dance alone to the beat of your heart

  • The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy
powershowerforanhour · 02/01/2024 20:49

"Dancing in the disco bumper to bumper
wait a minute - where’s me jumper?"

The best bit is:
It's alright to say things can only get better
You haven't lost your brand new sweater
Pure new wool and perfect stitches
Not the type of jumper that makes you itches
Oh no

powershowerforanhour · 02/01/2024 20:57

Well, she finally got the nerve to file for divorce
She let the law take it from there
But Earl walked right through that restraining order
And put her in intensive care...

Which eventually leads to..

Ain't it dark/Wrapped up in that tarp Earl?

And
Turns out he was a missing person/
Who nobody missed at all

powershowerforanhour · 02/01/2024 21:04

Lee Ann Womack's superb jealousy song I'll Think Of A Reason Later
"Inside her head may lay all the answers
For curin' diseases from baldness to cancer
Salt of the earth and a real good dancer
But I really hate her
I'll think of a reason later"

powershowerforanhour · 02/01/2024 21:06

In a similar vein- Loretta Lynn's Fist City

Manzana · 02/01/2024 22:52

Leave your worries on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
On the sunny side of the street

Clawdy · 03/01/2024 19:44

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 01/01/2024 19:56

10CC - Life Is A Minestrone

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - The Onion Song

Richard Harris - MacArthur Park, which is a long song about somebody accidentally ruining a cake!

Macarthur Park is definitely a love song! The melting cake is a metaphor.
"And after all the loves of my life,
You'll still be the one."

cardibach · 03/01/2024 19:48

This might be a bit of a cheat as the song isn’t not about love, but the lyric isn’t.
‘I can’t say there’s many things I wouldn’t change
There are better days gone than those that remain
But I can find joy in the sound of the rain
You have to find joy where you can’
Karine Polwart, The Sun’s Coming Over the Hill

Totally unconnected with love? Almost anything by Frank Turner.
‘We could get better
Because we’re not dead yet’
For example.

BestIsWest · 03/01/2024 19:52

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright
Whilst you can only wonder why

annieloulou · 03/01/2024 20:15

There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In My Life by The Beatles.

John Lennon wrote it about all his favourite places in Liverpool. I had it played at my mums funeral as she is from there and actually worked with the Beatles on a TV broadcast in the 60s.

theconfidenceofwho · 03/01/2024 20:25

Love this thread! For me it's 'wear sunscreen' although it also got me thinking about the Cranberries and Zombie!

ismu · 03/01/2024 20:33

Hey Charlie, I almost went crazy
After Mario got busted
I went back to Omaha
To live with my folks
But everyone I used to know
Was either dead or in prison
So I came back to Minneapolis
This time I think I'm gonna stay
Hey Charlie, I think I'm happy
For the first time since my accident
I wish I had all the money
We used to spend on dope
I'd buy me a used car lot
And I wouldn't sell any of 'em
I'd just drive a different car every day
Dependin' on how I feel
Hey Charlie, for chrissakes
Do you want to know the truth of it?
I don't have a husband
He don't play the trombone
I need to borrow money
To pay this lawyer
And Charlie, hey
I'll be eligible for parole
Come Valentine's Day

Tom Waits,
Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis

makes me cry every time

KittensandPerverts · 03/01/2024 23:30

I wanna tell you all a story 'bout
A Harper Valley widowed wife
Who had a teenage daughter
Who attended Harper Valley Junior High
Well, her daughter came home one afternoon
And didn't even stop to play
And she said, "mom, I got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA"

Well, the note said, "Mrs. Johnson
You're wearin' your dresses way too high
It's reported you've been drinking
And a-running 'round with men and goin' wild
And we don't believe you oughta be a-bringin' up
Your little girl this way"
And it was signed by the Secretary
Harper Valley PTA

Well, it happened that the PTA was gonna meet
That very afternoon
And they were sure surprised
When Mrs. Johnson wore her miniskirt into the room
And as she walked up to the blackboard
I can still recall the words she had to say
She said, "I'd like to address this meeting of the Harper Valley PTA

Well, there's Bobby Taylor sittin' there
And seven times he's asked me for a date
And Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lotta ice
Whenever he's away
And Mr. Baker can you tell us why
Your secretary had to leave this town?
And shouldn't widow Jones be told to keep
Her window shades all pulled completely down

Well, Mr. Harper couldn't be here
'Cause he stayed too long at Kelly's Bar again
And if you smell Shirley Thompson's breath
You'll find she's had a little nip of gin
And then you have the nerve to tell me
You think that as the mother I'm not fit
Well, this is just a little Peyton Place
And you're all Harper Valley hypocrites"

No, I wouldn't put you on because it really did
It happened just this way
The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA

LizzieBet14 · 03/01/2024 23:51

annieloulou · 03/01/2024 20:15

There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In My Life by The Beatles.

John Lennon wrote it about all his favourite places in Liverpool. I had it played at my mums funeral as she is from there and actually worked with the Beatles on a TV broadcast in the 60s.

This is a beautiful song - makes me cry every time!

Catsmere · 04/01/2024 06:14

I'm going for The Portree Kid by The Corries. I grew up knowing Ghost Riders in the Sky and the first time I heard this parody I cracked up laughing.

A man came ridin' oot the west one wild and stormy day
He was quiet , lean, and hungry - his eyes were smokey grey
He was lean across the hurdies, but his shooders they were big
The terror o' the heilan glens - that was the Portree Kid
Hee-durum-ho
Hee-durum-hey
The tuechter, that come, frae Skye
His sidekick was an aura man, n oh but he was mean
He was called The Midnight Ploughboy, n he come frae Aberdeen
He had twentyseven notches on his chromac so they say
And he killed a million indians - way up in Stornoway
Portree booted in the door, he sauntered tae the bar
He poured a shot ay Crabby's, he shouted 'slainte bha'
While Midnight was bein chatted up, by a bar room girl called Pam
Who said well howdy stranger, would ye buy us a Babycham
Now over in the corner sat three men fae Auchtertool
They were playing games for money, in a Snakes and Ladders school
The fourth man was a Southerner, who'd come up from MacMerry
He'd been a river Gambler, on the Ballachulish ferry
Hee-durum-ho
Hee-durum-hey
The teuchter, that come, fae Skye
Portree walked tae the table, and he shouted shake me in
He shougled on the egg cup, he gave the dice a spin
He threw seven sixes in a row, and the game was nearly done
But then he landed on a snake, and finished on square one
The game was nearly over, and Portree was dain fine
He'd landed on a ladder, he was up tae fortynine
he only had but one tae go, and the other man was beat
But the gambler couped the boared oer, and shouted you're a cheat
Men dived behind the rubber plants, tae try and save their skins
Tha accordianist stopped playin, his sidekick dropped the spoons
He said I think it's funny, ye've been up that ladder twice
n ye ayways dunt the table, when i go tae throw me dice
Hee-durum-ho
Hee-durum-hey
The teuchter, that come, fae Skye
The gambler drew his skian-dhu, as fast as lightning speed
Portree grabbed a screwtop, he cracked him oer the heed
Then he gave him laldy wi a salmon aff the wall
And he finished off the business, wi his lucky grouse foot's claw
Portree he walked up tae the bar, and says i'll hae a half
And dae ye like the way i stuck it, tae that wee McMerri nyaf
But the Southerner crept up behind, his featured racked wi pain
And he gubbed him wi an ashtray, made oot a curlin stane
The fight went ragin on all night, till openin time next day
Break for soup n stovies, off a coronation tray
It was gettin kinda obvious that neither man would win
when came the shout that stopped it aw, 'there's a bus trip comin' in'
Hee-durum-ho
Hee-durum-hey
The teuchter, that come, fae Skye
They sing this song in Gallasheils, n up by Peterheed
Way down oer the border, across the Rio Tweed
About what became of Portree, Midnight and the Gamblin man
They opened up a gift shop, sellin' fresh air in a can
Hee-durum-ho
Hee-durum-hey
The teuchter, that come, fae Skye

SinnerBoy · 04/01/2024 06:21

Catsmere · Today 06:14

I'm going for The Portree Kid by The Corries.

That's great! I've not heard of them before and I thought you'd done a typo for The Corrs - till I began to read. I love parody songs, Barron Knights, Weird Al Yankovitch etc.

I'll look up The Corries now.

SinnerBoy · 04/01/2024 06:23

Damn, I'll have to wait till I get home, as the speakers on my work PC are too puny.

Catsmere · 04/01/2024 06:25

@SinnerBoy - do! They were great. They also composed Flower of Scotland - I was torn between posting that and The Portree Kid!

Whichwhatnow · 04/01/2024 06:35

alittlequinnie · 01/01/2024 15:56

I often think this one was written specifically for me...

"I check my look in the mirror
Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face"

Dancing in the dark - Bruce Springsteen

Oh I thought of this immediately haha.

Fuck you I won't do what you tell me by RATM.

All of Debaser by the Pixies. Actually several Pixies songs.

Also agree with PP about Time by Pink Floyd but I can't quite bear to listen to it now given 20 years have now passed since I first heard it 😅

EvelynBeatrice · 04/01/2024 14:32

Billy Connolly 'In the Brownies' Grin

SadOrWickedFairy · 05/01/2024 13:35

Janis Joplin:

Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz
My friends all drive Porches I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime with no help from my friends
So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz

Kirsty MacColl:

There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis
But he's a liar and I'm not sure about you