Hey hey mama said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat gonna make you groove
Ah, but what about lines BEFORE the opening line?
Modern Love is great even before the lyrics, as Mr. B. muses:
"I know when to go out / when to stay in / get things done."
And Jeb Loy Nichols kicks off a haunting song (“Confusion”) with an audible to the band:
"Aw, right… you ready? Aw right, let’s make it lonely."
Side one of the original release of Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow ended with “Today,” followed by “Comin’ Back to Me.” I’ve always regarded the pairing as a sort of mini-suite. Both begin with dynamite lines, respectively “Today I feel like leaving you more than before” and “The summer had inhaled and held its breath too long.” A lot of Airplane lyrics could lure you in on the strength of the opening lines, actually–though as pointed out above, the follow-up frequently meandered.
And–to cite my major gripe with lyrics–“sways” actually rhymes.
Round, like a circle in a spiral,
Like a wheel within a wheel,
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning reel.
Sharks gotta swim, bats gotta fly, I gotta love one woman 'til I die
My Gal (some old Harvard Math(s) teacher)
Men were excecuted, women bled, beads and fish changed hands and - children stayed up late
Only the Stones Remain, The Soft Boys (Robyn Hitchcock)
There’s a moon in the sky, it’s called the moon
The B52s – guess what the song’s called?
Two afternoon tornados
Well, they ripped into a home
The victims believed to be elderly
Their identities unknown
Hundreds were buried for days
By a volcano west of here
Oozing mud blocked highways
We all ran in fear!
-“The Sky is Falling” by Melora Creagar
Breathe deep the gathering gloom.
Watchlights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people sit back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Rain and thunder and lightning
Crumbling buildings
Falling hurricanes
Earth shattering membranes
Scattering insane
Happening
Souls keeps burning
And the sky keeps plummeting
Now–Blackilicious, ‘Sky is Falling’
This summer I went swimming
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And moved my arms around,
I moved my arms around–Loudon Wainwright, ‘The Swimming Song’
John Hiatt - “Paper Thin”
I was gonna get up off that bar stool
Just as soon as I could figure it out
Couple in the next room bound to win a prize.
They’ve been at it all night long.
– Paul Simon
How old do you think I am? he said.
I said, well, I didn’t know.
He said, I turned 65 about 11 months ago.
– Tom T. Hall
“Said Red Molly to James, ‘That’s a fine motorbike.
A girl could feel special on any such like.’
Said James to Red Molly ‘My hat’s off to you,
that’s a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952.’”
This week dragged past me so slowly
The days fell on their knees - David Bowie
We’ve done four already but now we’re steady
and then they went: One, two, three, four - John Bonham
Whatsoever I’ve feared has come to life
And whatsoever I’ve fought off became my life
“Fell on black days” SoundGarden
I was nineteen when I came to town, they called it the Summer of Love
They were burning babies, burning flags, the hawks against the doves
Richard Thompson - Beeswing
Well there’s a house in an alley
In the squats and low-rise
Of a town with no future
But that’s where my future lies
Richard Thompson - Cooksferry Queen
She was there one minute and then she was gone the next
Lying in a pool of herself with a twisted neck
Richard Thompson - Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed
In my nightmare everything’s wrong
I’m waiting for love, but you come along
Richard Thompson - I Can’t Wake Up To Save My Life
mmm
Something about the way you taste
Makes me want to clear my throat
-Devo, Gut Feeling
I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a flannel for my face
Pajamas, a hairbrush, new shoes and a case
I said to my reflection, “Let’s get out of this place.”
Dig, if you will, the picture.
Prince - When Doves Cry
Hey,
shutup,
don’t lie to me.
I met you on the midway of the fair last year,
and you stood out like a ruby in a black man’s ear.
And it came to me then that every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time
Death Cab for Cutie, “What Sarah Said”
And so it is. Just like you said it would be. Life goes easy on me. Most of the time.
Damien Rice “The Blower’s Daughter”