Sputter
(hee hee)
…Anticay…
(snicker snort)
How do you tell if they’re waving them as if they DO care,
indeed?
(giggle giggle)
My vote goes for the overused lyric that I find most disturbing, for fairly obvious reasons. Still happens, but
especially back in the 70’s and 80’s, the wimmins in the songs got referred to as “Mama”.
MAMA?
WTF?
When I rock the mic/
I rock the mic right
Good
Lord
Just stop it with that one.
.
It seems that every rock ballad has the word “tonight” in it. Tonight, yeeaaaa tonight…
.
Not to take away from your point, but I believe the line is:
I won’t cut fresh flowers for you.
I like your version, though.
In the next line, I won’t make the wine cold for you I always want Jesse to reply Good, because it’s red wine!
My own cringe comes from the older songs that do moon/spoon/june/croon/loon etc.
Attention lyricists everywhere:
“Self” does NOT rhyme with “else.” Those words do NOT rhyme! Stop pretending they do!
And, while “self” DOES rhyme with “shelf,” I’m really sick of songs using that rhyme. Find another one.
I’ve heard the “you’re so groovy so let’s go to a movie” line just too many times.
“I know it’s crazy, but it’s true…” It’s crazy that I hate this cliche in songs, but, yes, it is true. This cliche is the kiss of death for a song for me. I can just see the lyricist sitting there, trying to get one more line out, just can’t think of ANYthing, so let’s throw this tired ol’ thing in.
(astorian, as if to illustrate your point, I was listening to this song just as I read your post:
“There’ll be someone else, I keep telling myself
Love’s an empty place, I can still see your face” - Alright Without You, Journey)
Moon and June Moon and June Moon and JUNE!!!
ACK!!!
God, I hate that.
*Oh it was in the month of June,
Under the bright and full moon,
When I saw your beautiful face,
And it took me to a better place.
Where the green leaves
Dance in the trees
But all I could see was you
And my love is so true.
I burn for with desire
That’s hotter than any raging fire
Maybe baby, you and me could get in a car
And drive way from here, drive away far
Where the green leaves
They shake in the trees
Underneath the full moon
In the hot month of June.
Then our love can be freeeeeeeeeeee
With just you and meeeeeeeeeeee
We will be together
One and one forverrrrrrrrrr
Oh, how I love youuuuuuuuuu
The one and only youuuuuu.*
There, now I can be a famous song writer and make millions.
pepperlandgirl that was AWESOME!!!
Hahahaha, I give it an A+. You should write some music to go with it and sell it to some up and coming boy band. You’ll make thousands 
If you can find it, I highly recommend Komar, Melamid, and Dave Soldier’s CD The People’s Choice Music. Their “Most Wanted Song” incorporates many of these cliches, not to mention some musical cliches.
Every day I think of love,
Thank the angels up above…
I’d love to contribute, but for some reason I have every lyric from “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” by Heart running through my head, blocking out everything else…
Here is my nomination for throwaway rhyme of the 20th century, from El Paso by Marty Robbins.
Out through the backdoor of Rose’s I ran
Out where the horses were tie-i-i-i-d.
I caught a GOOD ONE
It looked like it COULD RUN
HAHAHAHAHA
Sure lent oodles of meaning to the song, overall…
One that makes me want to spit is ala Brian Adams, ala Bon Jovi, ala many many more…
I would lie for you/I would die for you
If I have to hear one more washed up musician croon about lying and dying for someone who two songs from now will dump their cheating ass I will have to do something that someone else will regret (How’s that for cliche?)
Maybe millions!
This is your chance
To dance
In France
With ants
In your pants :rolleyes:
Oh, baby
Oh, baby baby baby
Baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby, etc. — there’s the #1 cliché of all, if you ask me.
I was listenin to a song today
I was groovin along my groovy way
When some potzer made “wait” and “anticipate” rhyme
For the 14 billionth goddamn time
I think it’s not the rhymes themselves that are cliches; it’s their usage. A good lyricist can take the rhymes above and make them new and interesting. Here’s a take on the “cuts like a knife,” rhymed with “life,” by Stephen Sondheim.
“A love as pure as breath,
As permanent as death,
Implacable as stone.
A love that like a knife
Has cut into a life
I wanted left alone.”
Unfortunately, most lyricists don’t have such a clear idea of the emotion they’re trying to express; they just string words together and call it a day.
Not that this is cliche, but it is hands down the most awful horrible no good very bad rhyme ever in the history of music.
*
Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He ain’t gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin’ off of the people’s taxes
*
!?!?!?!?!?!?
Come on people!
There is an old Gershwin love song parody that includes the verse:
the rest of the song is similar - if your rhyme is anywhere in the song, not only are you cliche, but you’re using a cliche that’s been overused for at least 70-something years. Come up with something original already…
Also, things that almost rhyme don’t really rhyme. Find a different word.