I always understood that Mellencamp was attempting to say “stop a clock,” but was puzzled because, as noted above, that would seem contrary to what he was meaning. For me, though, it sounds as though he is saying “starve a plow.”
I always thought it sounded like “starve a flower”.
Many people seem to think that “We Can Work it Out” is about the compromises people make in order for a relationship to succeed. But it’s really, “We can work it out if you stop arguing with me and do everything my way.” Pretty damned obviously, too.
Good call. The Beatles have a surprising amount of misogynistic songs that run the gamut from implied threats of violence against women to actual beatings to straight-up murder: “You Can’t Do That”, “Run for you Life”, “Getting Better”, and of course “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”.
The Beastie Boys fought and possibly died for our right to party!
And I remember at the time of the Dave Matthews Band poop dumping incident hearing a comedian (Kevin Matthews?) pointing out that the people onboard were probably craning their necks and there’s a tendency to open one’s moith when doing so.
Didn’t some politician use “Allentown” as their theme?
All these posts and no mention of the perennial champ I Will Always Love You? That’s right, idjits, play a break up song at your wedding. Let 'em know you will still love them after the inevitable divorce.
People think Leaving On A Jet Plane is a sweet love song… yeh, about a serial womanizer who is, yet again, going away to do who knows what with who knows who…
Ditto “Always On My Mind.”
Pearl Jam’s “Better Man.” It does not mean “This man is the best!”
She lies and says she’s in love with him
Can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Oh
That would be in the OP…
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” in particular the following verses:
Many interpreted the above as an endorsement of Governor George Wallace, and his racist and segregationist views; the band insisted that the lyrics were misinterpreted, and that they opposed Wallace and his politics.
I had to read this twice, but I saw what you did there. 
In another song thread I started (I seem to do a lot of song threads) @Biggirl expressed her hatred of that song, which led to a mini-debate over whether or not the song was racist and supportive of George Wallace. Apparently another band member said it was supportive of GW in an interview, but he wasn’t the songwriter.
Here’s the post in that thread that started the debate:
Going back to the 60’s, the Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper” apparently was taken to be a celebration of illegal drugs. Many people didn’t see the obvious (IMO) message which was pointing out the “straight” culture’s abuse of Valium.
Good example, but it was not only Valium, but also amphetamines which were prescribed by doctors to housewives (not only) like candy as late as the mid-sixties. Of course the song pointed out the hypocrisy that rock groups and their fans were hounded for taking the same drugs illegaly.
“Independence Day,” popularized by Martina McBride, has a chorus that begins “Let freedom ring…” It was used by Sarah Palin at one point and for years Sean Hannity used it as bumper music on his radio show. Neither realized, apparently, that it’s not a patriotic song but a tale of an abused wife exacting revenge on her husband.
I’m going to continue to hear that as “smoke.” Is sport supposed to mean athletic event or a person that’s a good sport?
I’ve never paid any attention to the lyrics to this song because I don’t like REM in general. Looking at them now, they would be a good nomination for simplest lyrics ever written. Even Twinkle Twinkle Little Star bests it for words used.
Dominique isn’t a French girl, but someone (St. Dominic?) talking about God.
It seems that their song “Girls” also caused concern that it would be taken at face value by too many like “Fighr for your right”. They’ve never preformed it live and other songs may have lyrics that apologize for the song.