Best ever lyric, any artist

Well, I wish I could tell you which tour I saw them on, but they couldn't even stand up and I only recognized one song, Alex Chilton, so I don't really remember, and I was kind of furious lol. It had to be Pleased To Meet Me or Don't Tell a Soul, both were in the same venue so I can't narrow it down.
Everyone who meets Tommy say what you did about him, people really love him. I live in a city with a smallish yard and no place for parking or I would offer up my house to him.
Sounds like you saw them on the Pleased To Meet Me tour. They were in bad shape then. Actually saw them at that time too but opening for Keith Richards in '88. Then I saw them in '89, Don't Tell a Soul was doing well, I'll Be You was a pretty big rock radio song. They were opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their arena tour in Orlando, FL...they were not well received. So I guess, I've seen the Mats 3 times, Bash & Pop 3 times and never experienced one of their legendarily bad shows, like most people.
 
Sounds like you saw them on the Pleased To Meet Me tour. They were in bad shape then. Actually saw them at that time too but opening for Keith Richards in '88. Then I saw them in '89, Don't Tell a Soul was doing well, I'll Be You was a pretty big rock radio song. They were opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their arena tour in Orlando, FL...they were not well received. So I guess, I've seen the Mats 3 times, Bash & Pop 3 times and never experienced one of their legendarily bad shows, like most people.
There are stories about that Tom Petty tour :lbf: I didn't go, but they played in huge ampthitheatre near me. I had already seen Tom Petty and like his earlier stuff a lot better. I'll Be You was a big song for them and some people think it was a sellout but, as well as the entire DTAS album. Achin To Be is on that album and I think it's a great song, I didn't see any of this as a sellout. Paul wanted to start writing differently and he wanted to eliminate the guitar solos from the songs, but Bob wanted his solos, I think Paul was aiming for a more mature sound and he won. They literally played on the street I live on, I am trying to imagine Paul walking down my street. I didn't live here then but I definitely would have looked for him around the venue and I probably would have found him. He is one person I would really like to meet. I bought Trouble Boys and I am afraid to read it because a lot of people who do say they don't like him or The Mats anymore because of all the asshole things they've done. I can't believe you saw 3 whole shows and they were upright for all of them, I'm jealous.
 
I don't know if he ever gets credited as being the great lyricist that he is, but I am just going to post his early songs here, they were brilliant, he is brilliant.

 
Ah yes, Elvis Costello:

Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he's going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she's last year's model
They call her Natasha when she looks like Elsie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
 
Ah yes, Elvis Costello:

Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he's going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she's last year's model
They call her Natasha when she looks like Elsie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
I love that song ❤️
 
I really love this one, it's incredibly clever

Don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission on two or three editions
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday
Everyday
Everyday I write the book
Chapter One: We didn't really get along
Chapter Two: I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three
But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four
Five and Six.
And I'm giving you a longing look
The way you walk
The way you talk and try to kiss me
And laugh in four or five paragraphs.
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks.
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday I write the book
Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday
Everyday
Everyday I write the book
 
The Housemartins - Bow Down


Mother, Father, I think that I would rather
Stay at home with you for another year
That building's so tall and it makes me feel so small
That I might get lost and simply disappear
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Today I have been molding plasticine
and I made a little man who looked just like me
His limbs were so weak and he couldn't move his mouth to speak
And I could bend him into any shape I wanted him to be
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Those kids with the blazers on
They went in with names on their elbows
Came home with medals on
Spit it out that's the way the story goes
A flying start for the briefcase crew
Oh, you didn't have to teach me like you did
But you did
And you didn't have to beat me like you did
But you did
But you did
You did
You did
 
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Stagger Lee

"I'm a bad motherf***er, don't you know
And I'll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get to one fat boy's asshole"


And with that simple verse, Nick Cave became my 2nd favorite lyricist ever. But now he’s just become my most depressing..😿

As that is so short, I will give you my 2nd favorite teen lyrics, since we’re avoiding Morrissey lyrics for now.

DEPECHE MODE - Never Let Me Down Again

“We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground”

It just encapsulated how I felt as a teenager in the 80’s. Or maybe it was all the acid I did. I dare you to find something as good from any teenager’s pop music today.
 
Oh, what the hell. Since this is a Morrissey fan site, & I’ll probably not be back here to comment on something for another 5 years, I’ll give you the best homoerotic lyrics Morrissey wishes he could of wrote, after such lyrics as “A boy in the bush is worth 2 in the hand. I think I can help you get through your exam. But in your scholarly room, who will swallow who?” or “And if you ever need self-validation, just meet me in the alley behind the railway station.” I give you the one man that could of written better lyrics..& it’s not Pete Burns, unless you’re at an Eagle Leatherman disco!

DAVID BOWIE - Width of a Circle

“He swallowed his pride and puckered his lips
And showed me the leather belt round his hips
My knees were shaking my cheeks aflame
He said "You'll never go down to the Gods again"
(Turn around, go back!)

He struck the ground a cavern appeared
And I smelt the burning pit of fear
We crashed a thousand yards below
I said "Do it again, do it again"
(Turn around, go back!)

His nebulous body swayed above
His tongue swollen with devil's love
The snake and I, a venom high
I said "Do it again, do it again"
(Turn around, go back!)

Breathe, breathe, breathe deeply
And I was seething, breathing deeply
Spitting sentry, horned and tailed
Waiting for you

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh”
 
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some of my favourite lyrics from a song Im currently listening to on rotation:
The Sisters of Mercy - Alice

"Alice pressed against the wall
So she can see the door
In case the laughing strangers crawl and
Crush the petals on the floor

[Chorus]
Alice in her party dress
She thanks you kindly, so serene
She needs you like she needs her tranqs
To tell her that the world is clean to

Promise her a definition
Tell her where the rain will fall
Tell her where the sun shines bright
And tell her she can have it all
Today
Today

[Verse 2]
Pass the crystal spread the Tarot
In illusion comfort lies
The safest way the straight and narrow
No confusion, no surprise

[Chorus]
Alice in her party dressed to kill
She thanks you, turns away
Needs you like she needs her pills
To tell her that the world's okay to

Promise her a definition
Tell her where the rain will fall
Tell her where the sun shines bright
And tell her she can have it all
Today
Today


[Outro]
Alice!
Don't give it away!
No!"
generally tho I tend to be impacted more by how lyrics are sang rather than what the lyrics say, and I happen to think Morrissey is a master on both fronts - content and delivery.
 
This one is a bit rough, but it's supposed to be, Johnny Rotten said it's not about taking a side, but to make you think

She was a girl from Birmingham

She just had an abortion
She was case of insanity
Her name was Pauline,she lived in a tree
She was a no one who killed her baby
She sent her letters from the country
She was an animal
She was a bloody disgrace
Body! I'm not an animal

Body! I'm not an animal
Dragged on a table in factory

Illegitimate place to be
In a packet in a lavatory
Die little baby screaming
Body screaming f***ing bloody mess
Not an animal
It's an abortion
Body! I'm not an animal

Mummy! I'm not an abortion
Throbbing squirm,
gurgling bloody mess
I'm not a discharge
I'm not a loss of protein
I'm not a throbbing squirm

f*** this and f*** that

f*** it all and f*** the f***ing brat
She don't wanna baby
that looks like that
I don't wanna baby that looks like that
Body! I'm not an animal
Body! I'm not an abortion
Body! I'm not an animal

Body! I'm not an animal
Not an animal
I'm not an animal
I'm not an animal
I'm not a body
I'm not an animal
I'm not an animal
Mummy!Ugh!
 
i want you, pulp

Hey
You can look, you can look just like anyone else
If that's what you want to do
I
I could laugh
I could laugh in your face if I want
Oh, but I'm not going to
When we met last week on Saturday
I couldn't make a sentence
I couldn't even say
What I meant to say
That I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you
I'll keep you
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you
I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you
I'll take you
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away
Yes
Yes, you're all
Yes you're all that I ever desire
Still I'll kill you in the end
When
When it seems
When it seems that it's getting too soft
When you lapse into a friend
There's someone just behind the door
So don't betray your feelings
No don't talk anymore
Never dare to say
That I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you
I'll keep you
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you
I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you
I'll take you
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away
Now
Now we come
Now we come to the end of it all
See it squirming, almost dead
No
You can't leave
You can't leave it to die here in pain
You've got to stamp upon it's head
I'll go out and you'll stay home
Facing up to living
Living on your own
And I'll curse my pride
Curse my pride
Curse my stupid pride
Because I want you
It doesn't hurt to say I want you
I need you
I never thought I'd say I need you
I'll keep you
Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away, away, away
And I'll break you
Because I lose myself inside you
I'll make you
Fit in the space that I provide you
I'll take you
Oh yes, I'll take you just to push you far away, away, away
 
waltzing matilda, tom waits. so beautiful and raw it makes me wish i were the subject of the song, the same way mozzers jack the ripper always makes me wish i were an impoverished bedraggled 19th century whore who gets murdered

Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did, I've got what I paid for now
See you tomorrow, hey Frank, can I borrow a couple of bucks from you
To go waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English, and everything's broken, and my Stacys are soaking wet
To go waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

Now the dogs are barking and the taxi cab's parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me, you tore my shirt open,
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmill's I staggered, you'd bury the dagger
In your silhouette window light go
To go waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

Now I lost my Saint Christopher now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinamen, and the cold-blooded signs,
And the girls down by the strip-tease shows, go
Waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

No, I don't want your sympathy, the fugitives say
That the streets aren't for dreaming now
And manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories,
They want a piece of the action anyhow
Go waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

And you can ask any sailor, and the keys from the jailor,
And the old men in wheelchairs know
And Mathilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred,
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Mathilda, waltzing Mathilda,
You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me

And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace,
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on an
Old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen flame keepers
And goodnight to Mathilda, too
 
Scratch my leg with a rusty nail, sadly it heals
Colour my hair but the dye grows out
I can't seem to stay a fixed ideal
Childhood pictures redeem, clean and so serene
See myself without ruining lines
Whole days throwing sticks into streams
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognise dim traces of creation
I want to die, die in the summertime, I want to die
The hole in my life even stains the soil
My heart shrinks to barely a pulse
A tiny animal curled into a quarter circle
If you really care wash the feet of a beggar
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognise dim traces of creation
I want to die, die in the summertime, I want to die
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognise dim traces of creation
I want to die, die in the summertime, I want to die
 
Well, I couldn't go to this because I had to be out of state for a family thing, and I really wish I blew off the family thing to go to this. Two more great Mats songs. I am the only girl I know who like them besides omg Tommy is sooooooo cute and omg Paul is soooooooooo cute, well, they are but come on.

 
I am not normally a Springsteen fan, but the article with lyrics that got posted reminded me that I really do like the lyrics to this song

I hold you in my arms
As the band plays
What are those words whispered, baby
Just as you turn away
I saw you last night
Out on the edge of town
I want to read your mind
To know just what I've got in this new thing I've found
So tell me what I see
When I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
I heard somebody call your name
From underneath our willow
I saw something tucked in shame
Underneath your pillow
Well I've tried so hard, baby
But I just can't see
What a woman like you
Is doing with me
So tell me who I see
When I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Now look at me, baby
Struggling to do everything right
And then it all falls apart
When out go the lights
I'm just a lonely pilgrim
I walk this world in wealth
I want to know if it's you I don't trust
'Cause I damn sure don't trust myself
Now you play the loving woman
I'll play the faithful man
But just don't look too close
Into the palm of my hand
We stood at the alter
The gypsy swore our future was right
But come the wee wee hours
Well maybe baby the gypsy lied
So when you look at me
You better look hard and look twice
Is that me, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Tonight our bed is cold
Lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of
 
I am not normally a Springsteen fan, but the article with lyrics that got posted reminded me that I really do like the lyrics to this song

I hold you in my arms
As the band plays
What are those words whispered, baby
Just as you turn away
I saw you last night
Out on the edge of town
I want to read your mind
To know just what I've got in this new thing I've found
So tell me what I see
When I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
I heard somebody call your name
From underneath our willow
I saw something tucked in shame
Underneath your pillow
Well I've tried so hard, baby
But I just can't see
What a woman like you
Is doing with me
So tell me who I see
When I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Now look at me, baby
Struggling to do everything right
And then it all falls apart
When out go the lights
I'm just a lonely pilgrim
I walk this world in wealth
I want to know if it's you I don't trust
'Cause I damn sure don't trust myself
Now you play the loving woman
I'll play the faithful man
But just don't look too close
Into the palm of my hand
We stood at the alter
The gypsy swore our future was right
But come the wee wee hours
Well maybe baby the gypsy lied
So when you look at me
You better look hard and look twice
Is that me, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Tonight our bed is cold
Lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of


i like the boss. hes's good people. also, so hot in his early 70's. a role model for ageing.
 
On the topic of Bruce. Here is one of his many, many masterpieces. Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Well they're still racing out at the Trestles
But that blood it never burned in her veins
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
And a style she's trying to maintain

Well if she wants to see me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abram's Bridge
And tell her there's a darkness on the edge of town
There's a darkness on the edge of town

Well everybody's got a secret, Sonny
Something that they just can't face
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take

Till some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions
Or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town

Well now some folks are born into a good life
And other folks get it anyway anyhow
Well I lost my money and I lost my wife
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now

Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I've got
Well lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
 
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