Lines from music which make you grin

Cafe Society
1

So, I was just listening to some Bowling For Soup, and the following line made me grin in particular in a song full of grins. From their song 1985 :

“Springsting, Madonna, way before Nirvana there was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV…” :smiley:

Similarly, in Ohio (Come Back To Texas), there is this gem at the end of the song, after a very long list of reasons why his ex girlfriend should come back to Texas:

“Besides the Mexican food sucks North of here anyways…” :cool:

So, any grinner lines from songs you’ve listened to?

2

“Do I smell? I smell home cooking
It’s only the river, it’s only the river.” (Cities, Talking Heads)

“I can’t complain but sometimes I still do.” (Life’s Been Good, Joe Walsh)

3

“You thought I was a donut, you tried to glaze me”
(Clap to this, Eric B. and Rakim)

4

“Like Kurosawa I make mad films; 'kay, I don’t make films, but if I did they’d have a samurai.” (One Week, Barenaked Ladies)

[Talking about L.A.:] “Seems like everbody’s got a plan; it’s kind of like Nashville with a tan.” (Lullaby, Shawn Mullens)

5

“We’ll give your ID card to the border guard
Yeah, your alias says you’re Captain Jean Luc Picard
of the United Federation of Planets
'Cause he won’t speak English anyway…”
– “Banditos” by The Refreshments

6

I’m going to leave out Weird Al songs.

Stuart by Dead Milkmen:

and

AND

7

Most lines in Dead Milkmen songs are designed to amuse, but I always thought this line from “The Blues Song” was pretty awesome:

The blues is a way for white kids to feel
That they understand the feelings of black people
Without ever having to meet any of them

ETA: Nice “simulpost” control-z :slight_smile:

8

Right band Hal but the wrong song

European Swallow by the Refreshments -
So this big old guys comes up to me
“Say skinny white boy
I don’t like the way you look at my girlfriend”
Well “what an ugly thing to say”
I say, “don’t flatter yourself
I don’t think that much of your girlfriend”

9

Bob by NOFX.

SSG Schwartz

10

Just this afternoon I had Arctic Monkeys on in the car, and had a couple of chuckles at lines which I love, just for the fun they have with rhyming:

Oh he must be up to summat,
What are the chances, sure it’s more than likely,
I’ve got a feeling in my stomach,
And start to wonder what his story might be.
And:

Yeah, I’d love to tell you all my problems,
But you’re not from New York City, you’re from Rotherham

11

“Sneakin’ up like celery, yeah I’m stalking”
-Boom by The Bloodhound Gang

12

-Dang Me

  • Chugalug

I think he wrote that verse as an excuse to sing the words “finaglin’ uncle.” He pronounces finaglin’ properly, with all four and a half syllables.

13

And my favorite opening line, courtesy of Joe Diffie; Third Rock From the Sun;

She walked into Smokey’s one hip at a time
Actually the whole song makes me grin, but that line gets me every time.

14

“You’re right, I can’t commit. To you!” William Shatner, “In Love”, Fear of Pop, Vol I.

15

My favorite is something I’ve mentioned recently on the boards -

“God is good. God is great. God’s a big invertebrate.” The Microorganism, Boiled in Lead

If we’re leaving aside Weird Al, I’m also going to suggest we leave Tom Lehrer out, too.

Gilbert & Sullivan have a good number of zinger lines, too.

“I sink a few more ships, it’s true,
than a well-bred monarch ought to do.
But many a king on a first-class throne,
if he wants to call his crown his own,
must manage somehow to get through
more dirty work than ever I’ll do!”

-For He Is a Pirate King, from The Pirates of Penzance.

The whole of the Mikado’s Let the Punishment Fit the Crime from that same operetta is also good.

16

From “Spider” John Koerner’s “Magazine Lady” off of Running, Jumping, Standing Still:

*She’s a joy to behold
but she just won’t be held
by the likes of me

That gets a grin from me everytime I hear it

17

This one doesn’t just make me grin, it makes me laugh with delight every time I hear it. It’s all in the delivery, which is pitch-perfect.

I also like these lines from Golden’s Smog’s Pecan Pie

And a piece of pecan pie
And you thats all I want
Just a piece of pecan pie
And all I want is you

18

What about Kinky Friedman

They ain’t making Jews like Jesus anymore.
They ain’t making carpenters who know what nails are for.
The whole damn place was singing as I strolled out of the door.
Weeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllll, they ain’t making Jews like Jesus anymore.

19

She’s so fine, there’s no telling where the money went - Robert Palmer, Simply Irresitable.

And:
I met a girl she reminded me of you.
She did the things that a girl like you might do.
Her body was green and she had two vicious jaws
She ravished her mate as she caressed him with her claws

  • Praying Mantis, by Don Dixon

(the rest of the lyrics continue in this way…)

20

Randy Newman’s It’s A Jungle Out There is the thene song for Monk.

“…People think I’m crazy, 'cause I worry all the time
If you paid attention, you’d be worried too
You better pay attention
Or this world we love so much might just kill you
I could be wrong now, but I don’t think so! …”

Gets me every time.