# Best opening lines in a song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 3, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866 "2022-02-03T18:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/81 "2022-02-05T04:34:46Z")
Not someone I really have any knowledge of beyond the radio hits, but I love these lines: “I went home with the waitress, the way I always do How was I to know, she was with the Russians, too?” - Warren Zevon “Lawyers, Guns and Money” ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/82 "2022-02-05T04:39:04Z")
I posted the end lyrics in the thread about beautiful closing lines. Beautiful in its anger and truth. Here’s the intro: We’re not in Kansas anymore kids! _Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming_ _We’re finally on our own_ _This summer I hear the drumming_ _Four dead in Ohio_ _Ohio_ - CSNY Utter angst and pain that Clapton has never matched in his search to be a bluesman. Oh…the original, not that bastardized Unplugged version he did! _What’ll you do when you get lonely_ _And nobody’s waiting by your side?_ _You’ve been running and hiding much too long_ _You know it’s just your foolish pride_ _Layla - Derek and the Dominos_ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/83 "2022-02-05T04:50:09Z")
Woke up this morning, put on my slippers, walked in the kitchen and died. John Prine, Please Done Bury Me ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/84 "2022-02-05T04:59:50Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Woke up this morning, put on my slippers, walked in the kitchen and died. _I got up this morning and I put on my shoes_ _I tied my shoes then I washed my face_ _I went to the mirror for to comb my head_ _I made a move didn’t know what to do_ _I tipped way forward got to break and run_ _Oh Baby_ _Oh Baby_ _Baby, this ain’t me_ _Baby, this ain’t me_ _Got so ugly I don’t even know myself_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3azlPVORdo/hqdefault.jpg "Captain Beefheart - Grown So Ugly") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3azlPVORdo) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/85 "2022-02-05T05:53:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “I went home with the waitress, the way I always do > How was I to know, she was with the Russians, too?” That is, indeed, a great one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/86 "2022-02-05T07:14:21Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > _Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends > We’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside_ > > ELP, _Karn Evil 9_ Personally, I think the opening lyrics of the full version hit even harder; _Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in the air_ _About an age of power where no one had an hour to spare_ _Where the seeds have withered, silent children shivered in the cold_ _Now their faces captured in the lenses of the jackals for gold_ _I’ll be there_ _I’ll be there_ _I’ll be there_ ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/87 "2022-02-05T14:04:50Z")
> Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river > You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever > And you know that she’s half crazy, but that’s why you want to be there > And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China > And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her > She gets you on her wavelength and she lets the river answer > That you’ve always been her lover “Suzanne” has been a favorite of mine since I was 13 and was my introduction to Leonard Cohen songs. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/88 "2022-02-05T14:37:51Z")
_I am the god of hell fire and I bring you_ _Fire_ _I’ll take you to burn_ _Fire_ _I’ll take you to learn_ _I’ll see you burn!_ _You fought hard and you saved and learned_ _Fire_ - Arthur Brown _Well we got no choice_ _All the girls and boys_ _Makin’ all that noise_ _'Cause they found new toys_ _Well we can’t salute ya can’t find a flag_ _If that don’t suit ya that’s a drag_ _School’s out for summer_ _School’s out forever_ _School’s been blown to pieces_ _School’s Out_ - Alice Cooper _We don’t need no education_ _We dont need no thought control_ _No dark sarcasm in the classroom_ _Teachers leave those kids alone_ _Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!_ _All in all it’s just another brick in the wall._ _All in all you’re just another brick in the wall._ _Another Brick in the Wall Part 2_ - Pink Floyd _Remember when you were young?_ _You shone like the sun._ _Shine on, you crazy diamond_ _Now there’s a look in your eyes_ _Like black holes in the sky_ _Shine on, you crazy diamond_ _Shine On You Crazy Diamond -_ Pink Floyd _If I leave here tomorrow_ _Would you still remember me?_ _For I must be traveling on now_ _'Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see_ _Free Bird_ - Lynard Skynard _Company_ _Always on the run_ _Destiny is the rising sun_ _Oh I was born six gun in my hand_ _Behind a gun I’ll make my final stand_ _That’s why they call me_ _Bad Company_ - Bad Company ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/89 "2022-02-05T14:46:56Z")
_ **Ooo gaa chaka** _ _ **Ooo gaa Ooo gaa chaka** _ _ **Ooo gaa chaka** _ _ **Ooo gaa Ooo gaa chaka** _ _ **Ooo gaa chaka** _ _ **Ooo gaa Ooo gaa chaka** _ _Blue Swede_ - Hooked on a Feeling ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/90 "2022-02-05T15:05:56Z")
_The world is a vampire, set to drain_ Smashing Pumpkins, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/91 "2022-02-05T15:48:20Z")
The sirens are screaming, and the fires are howling Way down in the valley tonight There’s a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye And a blade shining oh so bright There’s evil in the air and there’s thunder in the sky And a killer’s on the bloodshot streets And down in the tunnels where the deadly are rising Oh, I swear I saw a young boy down in the gutter He was starting to foam in the heat [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x7ES7ueI7p0/maxresdefault.jpg "Bat Out of Hell") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ES7ueI7p0) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/92 "2022-02-05T15:52:56Z")
“I went to the witch doctor, and this is what he said; he went 'ooh, eeeh, ooh ahh ahh; ting tang, Walla Walla bing bang.” Witch Doctor- Dave Seville ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/93 "2022-02-05T15:55:47Z")
Except those aren’t the opening lines of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/94 "2022-02-05T17:10:56Z")
**John Prine:** _"I woke up this morning to a garbage truck_ _Looks like this ol’ horseshoe’s done run out of luck_ _If I came home, would you let me in?_ _Fry me some pork chops and forgive my sin?"_ **\_\_\_Boundless Love** _I ain’t got nobody_ _Hangin’ round my doorstep_ _Ain’t got no loose change_ _Just a hangin’ round my jeans_ **\_\_\_Knockin’ on Your Screen Door** _"The lonesome friends of science say_ _The world will end most any day_ _Well, if it does then that’s okay_ _'Cause I don’t live here anyway_ _I live down deep inside my head_ _Where long ago I made my bed_ _I get my mail in Tennessee_ _My wife, my dog and my family_ _Uh-huh"_ **\_\_\_Lonesome Friends of Science** ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/95 "2022-02-05T17:20:22Z")
“Jumping Jack Flash,” the Rolling Stones: I was born in a crossfire hurricane And I howled at my ma in the driving rain ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/96 "2022-02-05T17:29:00Z")
Dublin Blues - Guy Clark _Well, I wished I was in Austin, mmm_ _In a chilly parlor bar_ _Drinkin’ Mad Dog Margaritas_ _And not carin’ where you are_ I’m a Fool to Care - Les Paul and Mary Ford _I’m a fool to care when you treat me this way_ _I know I love you but what can I do, I’m a fool to care_ _I’m a fool to cry when you tell me goodbye_ _You left me so blue when you were untrue, I’m a fool to care._ Sweet Old World - Lucinda Williams _See what you lost when you left this world, this sweet old world_ _See what you lost when you left this world, this sweet old world_ _The breath from your own lips, the touch of fingertips_ _A sweet and tender kiss_ _The sound of a midnight train, wearing someone’s ring_ _Someone calling your name_ _Somebody so warm cradled in your arm_ _Didn’t you think you were worth anything_ ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/97 "2022-02-05T18:17:27Z")
A couple from the Old 97s. **Doreen** _When I first met Doreen She was barely seventeen She was drinking whiskey sours in a bar The way she tossed them back I would have had a heart attack But as it is I let her drive my car_ **Barrier Reef** _The Empty Bottle was half empty The tide was low and I was thirsty Saw her sittin’ at the bar Well you know how some girls are Always making eyes Well she wasn’t making eyes…_ ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/98 "2022-02-05T18:36:50Z")
That’s what I get for getting my info from Homer Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/99 "2022-02-05T19:41:41Z")
Working on a sex farm Trying to raise some hard love Getting out my pitchfork Poking your hay. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866/100 "2022-02-05T19:42:15Z")
From Muddy Waters: “Ohhhhh Yeahhhh; oh yeah. Everything’s gonna be all right; everything’s gonna be all right this mornin’. Ohhh yeahhh.” Duh-duhhh-duh-duh… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-lines-in-a-song/958866.md?page=6)