# Lyricists' favorite words **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503 "2012-05-20T11:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/1 "2012-05-20T11:15:41Z")
Name five words that recur in some song-lyricist’s work, but don’t name the writer. Let us guess which songwriter you have in mind. It won’t do to list such words as “love” and or “you,” but rather words that this one lyricist uses that are “his” or “her” words. I’ll start: trouble devil travel dancing lonely Who am I thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/2 "2012-05-20T11:33:17Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Name five words that recur in some song-lyricist’s work, but don’t name the writer. Let us guess which songwriter you have in mind. It won’t do to list such words as “love” and or “you,” but rather words that this one lyricist uses that are “his” or “her” words. > > I’ll start: trouble devil travel dancing lonely > > Who am I thinking of? Roy Orbison? Or maybe his reincarnation Chris Isaak? I won’t offer my own list unless I got it right. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/3 "2012-05-20T11:36:50Z")
Nah, go ahead and name someone. I’ll let other people guess mine while they’re guessing yours. It’s surprisingly hard to select words that are peculiar to a writer. How about I give a hint for every incorrect guess: think of a female lyricist, still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/4 "2012-05-20T16:08:22Z")
Zircon Encrusted Tweezers Sears Poncho. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/5 "2012-05-20T19:50:17Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Zircon Encrusted Tweezers Sears Poncho. Easy. Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/6 "2012-05-21T04:02:24Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > I’ll start: trouble devil travel dancing lonely My first guess was either Billy Idol or whomever wrote for INXS, but I see by your hint that I was wrong. However, I’m bumping this thread because I’m quite curious. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/7 "2012-05-21T11:38:54Z")
Joni Mitchell. Who would be easier if I gave true “signature” words for, like “Hejira” or “Clouds,” oddball words that appear prominently in titles of well-known songs or albums, but I was going more for the mood of a typical JM lyric, which are often about her restlessness, her alienation from her current lover, etc. I wish there were a concordance for lyricists (which should be fairly since the invention of the computer)–I used to to look up words for Shakespeare in his concordance when I was in grad school, and I was often amazed how frequently he used certain odd words and how rarely he used other, more common ones. Here’s another set of words: father mother motel waitress guitar ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/8 "2012-05-21T13:34:03Z")
Someone I’m thinking about always worked “rainbows” into the lyrics… ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/9 "2012-05-21T13:56:20Z")
There’s a (not terribly good) band that uses “geezers” with surprising regularity. If you’ve heard any of their songs, you won’t need another 4 words to guess! ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/10 "2012-05-21T23:44:31Z")
Girl, night, street. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/11 "2012-05-22T00:01:01Z")
beauty, especially in the phrase “your beauty” song/singer golden street gypsy ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/12 "2012-05-22T00:53:42Z")
> [@kirk1168](#): > > Girl, night, street. Springsteen? How about: Jellyroll, Water, Eyes Van Morrison ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/13 "2012-05-22T01:37:23Z")
insulated unobtrusive ploughmen turbine arranger All from about a 5-6 year period. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/14 "2012-05-22T09:48:59Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > insulated > unobtrusive > ploughmen > turbine > arranger > > All from about a 5-6 year period. Rush? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/15 "2012-05-22T11:21:45Z")
megaphone misconstrued Jefferson pretend ornithology ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/16 "2012-05-22T12:15:52Z")
Shouldn’t be too hard 😃 Fleisch Herz Feuer Himmel Stirbt ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/17 "2012-05-22T12:30:57Z")
Skid Row? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/18 "2012-05-22T20:50:54Z")
river dream sunshine mountain summer ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/19 "2012-05-22T20:53:38Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > river > dream > sunshine > mountain > summer John Denver? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503/20 "2012-05-22T21:05:53Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > megaphone misconstrued Jefferson pretend ornithology XTC? quisling cancer cutting downhearted propaganda [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyricists-favorite-words/622503.md?page=2)