# Songs that don't have enough lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287 "2013-01-06T22:09:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/1 "2013-01-06T22:09:19Z")
We all know them: great songs that run out of steam after two, sometimes one great verse. Either the song has a really short run time, goes to an extended instrumental fill or repeats the same verse too many times. I’m thinking of Supertramp’s _Crime of the Century_ right now; two great short verses and a lot of instro fill. Then there’s Jimmy Buffett’s _Last Mango in Paris_, which feels about two verses short of a full story and fills with repeats. Journey’s _When the Lights Go Down In the City_; more or less adequate number of verses padded out with 786 _na na_’s. _In Heaven There is No Beer_, which cries out for more than one verse but delivers a truckload of _la-la-la_’s instead. And _It’s the Right Time of the Night_, in which Jennifer Warnes attempts to overcome a shortage of verses by belting out the chorus more and more loudly. Oh, and then there’s almost everything by Pat Benatar, which takes one killer phrase/title that any other artist would take as a starting point, and repeats it until your ears implode. Other songs you wish had more verses and less filler? ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/2 "2013-01-06T22:25:07Z")
_Don’t Pay the Ferryman - Chris DeBurgh_. - Did he pay him or not? What happened if he did/didn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/3 "2013-01-07T00:21:28Z")
While living in New Hampshire, I traveled Highway 101 a lot, and this song inevitably sprung into my head. I noticed that, while it had a beginning and an end, it really needed a solid middle. So I wrote one myself (adding a little anti-police state propaganda, characteristically!): **BLACK DENIM TROUSERS** (Leiber and Stoller) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l0KvpxSBgNI/hqdefault.jpg ""Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" The Cheers & Edith Piaf sings: L' HOMME A LA MOTO:") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0KvpxSBgNI) ``` He wore black denim trousers and motorcycle boots And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back. He had a hopped-up 'cycle that took off like a gun. That fool was the terror of Highway 101. ``` [Now, her dad thought Mary Lou should be forbidden to be kissed. The town police chief said he’d be delighted to assist. They hatched a scheme to jail him for a planted bag of pot And tow away that motorcycle to the impound lot. The chief received the call patrolling at the burger stand; The whole town soon was buzzing with the word of what they’d planned. “I’m sorry, Mary Lou,” she heard him say, “I’ve got to fly. I love you, but without this motorcycle, I would die.” ``` Because with blue serge trousers and shiny leather boots, A helmet, and a billy club and handcuffs at their side, Plus sovereign immunity conveyed by badge and gun— Who really is the terror of Highway 101?] ``` ---
**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:** [January 7, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/4 "2013-01-07T00:46:59Z")
Steve Miller’s “The Joker,” subject of a famous Cecil column, fades out during the last line of a verse. Not exactly what the OP was looking for, but it does feel incomplete. R.E.M. went through a phase where songs would have repeated nonsense syllables in lieu of words, at key parts of the refrain or verse. “Man on the Moon” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/5 "2013-01-07T02:55:38Z")
_Well I’m not uptight Not unattractive Turn me on tonight Cause I’ma radioactive_ Dun Da Da Dun A great baseline, you wish the song had more than two short four line blocks of lyrics Radio Radio Radioactive. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/6 "2013-01-07T03:16:15Z")
Wipeout. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/7 "2013-01-07T04:26:29Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Wipeout. Well, Tequila back atcha. Those are primarily instrumentals, though. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/8 "2013-01-07T04:37:08Z")
Don’t the Beatles have some one-stanza songs? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/9 "2013-01-07T05:35:35Z")
Nobody has ever accused Dylan of being insufficiently verbose, but still, IMHO, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” could use another verse or two. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/10 "2013-01-07T06:19:17Z")
Weird Al Yankovic addressed this [issue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sppRrbtxVD0&playnext=1&list=PLD16C77A3C33FF942&feature=results_video). ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/11 "2013-01-07T14:09:20Z")
Was just listening to the tune this morning - a bit obscure, but Doug Sahm’s “[Dallas Alice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-hM7_lthvE)” is a good example; only two verses when it seems like there should be a lot more. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/12 "2013-01-07T15:58:30Z")
I always thought Elvis’s version of “Hound Dog” could use a few more verses. I don’t know if the previous versions had more. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/13 "2013-01-07T16:43:30Z")
I guess [“Sangria Wine”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAsJqRJuQ-4) by Jerry Jeff Walker. Great groove, but the lyrics are basically repetitions of the fact that he loves sangria wine. Maybe Delaney & Bonnie’s "[Never Ending Song of Love"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZ5yPNmu_M)… also from the same album, [“Talkin’ About Jesus”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbqlMjnt3Yw), which could well have been called “Never Ending Song of God”. And then you have something like “Moon River” – one lonely little verse, and yet it seems perfect as it is. ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/14 "2013-01-07T18:14:05Z")
My roommate and I were just discussing [Home](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE) by Phillip Phillips the other day for this very reason. He could have used another verse in the space where he put endless “oooohhh ooh oohhh oh oh ohoh”. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/15 "2013-01-07T18:24:03Z")
Some of these are getting into a parallel phenomenon - lyrics that are circular and can basically be repeated without end. “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/16 "2013-01-07T18:29:02Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Some of these are getting into a parallel phenomenon - lyrics that are circular and can basically be repeated without end. “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics comes to mind. _This is the song that never ends…_ ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/17 "2013-01-07T18:44:32Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I guess [“Sangria Wine”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAsJqRJuQ-4) by Jerry Jeff Walker. Great groove, but the lyrics are basically repetitions of the fact that he loves sangria wine. > > Maybe Delaney & Bonnie’s "[Never Ending Song of Love"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZ5yPNmu_M)… also from the same album, [“Talkin’ About Jesus”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbqlMjnt3Yw), which could well have been called “Never Ending Song of God”. Hmmmm… I guess these are more like songs with too many lyrics. Sorry, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/18 "2013-01-07T20:18:34Z")
“Long distance runaround” by Yes Beautiful song, but it could’ve got two more stanzas instead of going all over again ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/19 "2013-01-08T02:24:13Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Don’t the Beatles have some one-stanza songs? “Why don’t we do it in the road?” has all the lyrics it needs. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287/20 "2013-01-08T13:28:40Z")
_I Want You (She’s So Heavy)_ ZZ Top has a couple (_La Grange, Tush_) that could use another verse or two. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-dont-have-enough-lyrics/646287.md?page=2)