# Most unintelligble lyrics, not counting "Louie Louie " & "Teen Spirit" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899 "2007-02-20T02:00:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinaroozie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Dinaroozie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinaroozie)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/21 "2007-02-20T09:14:05Z")
I seem to remember there was a song called 1234 from Regurgitator that was either nonsense, or impressively incoherent. Never figured out which though. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/22 "2007-02-20T09:16:21Z")
“The Wait” by the Pretenders. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/23 "2007-02-20T09:21:01Z")
Pretty much anything by **Bob Dylan** seems to my ears to be utterly and deliberately unintelligible. Ditto for the (already mentioned) Cocteau Twins, with **‘Pearly Dew Drops Drop’** being one favourite example (and may I add, by way of intentional self-embarassment, that back in the day I actually bought the 12 inch edition of this one song). A couple of songs not mentioned thus far. **‘Mmm Bop’** by the Hanson Gene Pool Anomalies group: I would happily bet anyone any amount of money that, upon listening to this track under perfect conditions anything up to ten times, they still cannot work out more than 10% of the so-called lyrics. **‘Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’** by REM. My favourite REM track, as it happens, but with that famously obscure chorus line that was even made the subject of ‘what’s he saying?’ phone-in radio competitions (before the era of easy Google search). Anything by **The Fall** is going to be unintelligble more or less by definition. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/24 "2007-02-20T10:22:36Z")
CCR has a lot of unintelligible lyrics. Some samples: I wish dat I way a fasfraytray Jus a chooglin on down ta New Orlean - Born on the Bayou Luv ta kick ma fee w’down da shallowada Shoofly, dragonfly, get back ta mama Pick up fla raw, skip ih craw Green River - Green River Whenever I hear Dido, it sounds like she cuts words in half and glues them together to make new words: An deva ni fi coul di dall begray, bu tchyer pic tcheron my wa Lit remind sme that it sno tso bad, it sno tso bad - Thank You ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/25 "2007-02-20T11:57:01Z")
How about “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root? ---
**Author:** ![cooky173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cooky173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cooky173)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/26 "2007-02-20T12:12:33Z")
Do songs in other languages count? If so, then my vote is for a French artist called Camille. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/27 "2007-02-20T12:24:02Z")
Pearl Jam “Hail Hail” or as my brother used to call it, the screaming song. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/28 "2007-02-20T14:07:43Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] My nomination is any early Springsteen song (before **Born To Run** ). [/QUOTE] Most famously “Blinded by the Light”. I heard that the night before R.E.M. did their MTV “Unplugged” concert, the show’s producer was up all night with Stipe and crew as they struggled to figure out the lyrics to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/29 "2007-02-20T18:36:45Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] Although Pearl Jam’s “Evenflow” has been mentioned, the popular B-Side “Yellow Ledbetter” is far less intelligible. Even though I listened to lots of grunge then and now, the only published lyric you can decipher from listening to the song is “I don’t want to stay” towards the end of the song. [/QUOTE] I will second Yellow Ledbetter, and add that “State of Love and Trust” would be a close second along with many other Peal Jam songs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/30 "2007-02-20T18:42:36Z")
Has anybody seen the commercial where the two guys are downloading songs, then trying to figure out the lyrics to “Rock The Casbah?” "Is he saying “Stomp the Catbox?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/31 "2007-02-20T18:46:40Z")
I took years to figure out what Elton John was singing in “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” “Don’t give us your aggravation, we’ve had it with your Death Star plans…” Wait, that can’t be right. 🙂 (But that’s what I heard for years. The rest of the song isn’t much more intelligible.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/32 "2007-02-20T19:04:21Z")
My vote is for Dead Babies. Something about mommie eating egg rolls in excess. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/33 "2007-02-20T19:14:35Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] I took years to figure out what Elton John was singing in “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” “Don’t give us your aggravation, we’ve had it with your Death Star plans…” Wait, that can’t be right. 🙂 (But that’s what I heard for years. The rest of the song isn’t much more intelligible.) [/QUOTE] I thought for years that the sister looked cute in her _britches_ and boots. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/34 "2007-02-20T19:48:11Z")
Surely, I can win this one hands-down with “Paralyzed” by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Yes, there actually are words. No, I can’t make out a one of them. If I didn’t know the title was “paralyzed”, I wouldn’t have guessed the word was even in the song. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/35 "2007-02-20T20:16:32Z")
Walk away Renee ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/36 "2007-02-20T20:22:04Z")
[QUOTE=Manatee] “The Wait” by the Pretenders. [/QUOTE] Exactamundo! However, once you see the actual lyrics in print, you realize that you \*were \* actually hearing them correctly; they’re just kind of abstract and nonsensical. Still a great song though. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/37 "2007-02-20T20:22:02Z")
Chest Fever, by The Band. Robbie Robertson doesn’t even know the words. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/38 "2007-02-20T20:51:31Z")
Any number of songs by Kate Bush are almost completely unintelligible; you have to read the lyrics to see what she’s saying. Then they make sense. But she stretches the bounds of pronunciation so as to make regular words unrecognizable. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/39 "2007-02-20T21:02:49Z")
[QUOTE=Max Torque] Surely, I can win this one hands-down with “Paralyzed” by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Yes, there actually are words. No, I can’t make out a one of them. If I didn’t know the title was “paralyzed”, I wouldn’t have guessed the word was even in the song. [/QUOTE] **Max Torque** - is this song online anywhere? I have heard much about its legendary awfulness, but have never heard it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899/40 "2007-02-20T21:16:46Z")
[QUOTE=WOOKINPANUB] Exactamundo! However, once you see the actual lyrics in print, you realize that you \*were \* actually hearing them correctly; they’re just kind of abstract and nonsensical. [/QUOTE] That would describe nearly any song by Starcastle. Perfectly annuciated nonsense. Sparkly shining rainbows of the universe Lemon fountains pave the starry mare Crimson glowers ending in a carousel Aging nifty glittering repair – Of time! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unintelligble-lyrics-not-counting-louie-louie-teen-spirit/392899.md?page=3)