# Songs with lyrics that you would never, ever be able to figure out on your own **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468 "2006-04-20T14:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/21 "2006-04-20T19:10:21Z")
I’m often wondering what a song is about as well (R.E.M. is a prime candidate in this area, 'specially the early stuff. I love “Harborcoat,” but what the fuck does it mean?). There’s a website out there that presents the “official” meaning of songs by the writer, and also allows users to add their 2 cents. Anyone know what it’s called? [songstories.com](http://songstories.com) or something? ---
**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:** [April 20, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/22 "2006-04-20T19:20:29Z")
A song by The Band was once notorious in this regard - “Chest Fever”. Robbie Robertson, who wrote it, and the ones who sang it, Levon Helm and Rick Danko if I remember right, all claimed to not remember what had been written and sung, and also claimed they couldn’t decipher it when they heard the recording. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/23 "2006-04-20T19:24:39Z")
Naive schoolboy that I am, I never would have dreamed that Steve Miller could just _make up \* a word and stick it in a song. If left to my own devices, I would have gone my entire life trying to figure out just what the f_ck the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ of love was. Vomitus? Papa bus? Ohhhh, \*pompatus. \* Of course! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/24 "2006-04-20T19:29:00Z")
I’m a little unsure. Is the OP talking about lyrics whose meanings are hard to decipher, or lyrics themselves that are hard to understand by ear? ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/25 "2006-04-20T19:39:33Z")
Mountain always caused head scratching. But maybe I’m just thick, cause for a number of years I had no idea a Nantuket Sleighride was about whaling. Even if I could literally understand the words to Jack Bruce’s “Theme From An Imaginary Western”, it still makes absolutely no sense to me, from either a homesteader’s - or prospector’s point of view. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/26 "2006-04-20T19:40:03Z")
I don’t have any reference books handy at work, but “pompatus of love” is a phrase used in a mid-'50s doo-wop / R&B record. Steve stole that one. And he stole a bunch of Johnny Nash’s song “Lovey Dovey” for “The Joker”, too. “Lovey dovey lovey dovey lovey dovey all the time…” and “You’re the cutest thing that I ever did see…” are in the Nash song. No plagiarism lawsuit yet. Hmm, curious. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/27 "2006-04-20T19:40:56Z")
Uncle Cece on “The Pompatus of Love”: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_065.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_065.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/28 "2006-04-20T20:04:57Z")
There was usually one line in the closing theme of TV shows that eluded me: _Flintstones_: Someday, bladda-dadda-dubba-die And that cat will stay out for the night… _All in the Family_: G-R-O-va-san-da-frey Those were the days! _Littlest Hobo_: Just grab your hat, we’ll travel lat (?) za-zabba-da-pile… Years afterward, somebody would be quoting the lyrics and I’d finally understand them. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/29 "2006-04-20T20:16:38Z")
“When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin. Got what it takes to make a _what??_ leave his home? Also, I admit I had to google the lyrics to “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” by Billy Bragg to work out what he was singing in the middle 8. mm ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/30 "2006-04-20T20:16:38Z")
I don’t find anything to obtuse about the Happy Mondays, or even Brown Sugar. But I listened to and liked “Debaser” by the Pixies for years without getting “I am a chien andalusia”. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/31 "2006-04-20T20:20:35Z")
I don’t think anyone figured out what the B52’s were yelling in Love Shack until somebody told them. Tiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn Roof… rusted. Or try to figure out the words to Rock Lobster. “Somebody wiped under a rock, and there they saw a rock. It wasn’t a rock. It was a rock lobster!” ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/32 "2006-04-20T20:23:21Z")
> [@Team of Scientists](#): > > I’m a little unsure. Is the OP talking about lyrics whose meanings are hard to decipher, or lyrics themselves that are hard to understand by ear? I’m talking about lyrics themselves that are hard to understand by ear. Meanings of lyrics are a whole different can o’ worms. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/33 "2006-04-20T20:48:10Z")
**Loser** by Beck - I could never make out the first line of the chorus Finally I looked it up: Soy un perdador - Spanish for “I’m a Loser.” Well, duh. Now I hear him saying that quite easily. btw, I seem to be gifted at speaking Mick Jagger! 😃 I figured out the lyrics to Jumping Jack Flash on my own! woo-hoo!! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/34 "2006-04-20T20:52:30Z")
There was a cuddlecore punk trio from Vancouver called **Cub**. I was lucky enough to see them once just a few months before they broke up. It took some searching over the next few years, but I eventually found all their CD’s. One of my favorite songs is _Magic 8-Ball_, but there’s a line just after the bridge that I never could make out. I had searched for it one the web, but even though there were a couple Cub sites, the lyrics weren’t posted anywhere. I don’t remember what inspired me to look again, but a few weeks ago I found that one of the members of Cub has a new project/site, and has some of her old lyrics. In case anyone else is as stumped as I, the line is “My four-leaf clover’s going right into the trash.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/35 "2006-04-20T20:54:11Z")
Vanity 6, a Prince-created trio of camisole-wearing cuties, had a song called “3 x 2 = 6.” I challenge anyone to accurately interpret the words (without cheating by looking at the lyrics, that is). ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/36 "2006-04-20T21:26:44Z")
A fair bit of Radiohead’s catalogue is hard to interpret. I reckon _Dollars and Cents_ is right up there. Thom sings it more clearly live, but of course he changes the lyrics. :smack: Also, _Come on Eileen_ by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/37 "2006-04-20T21:38:57Z")
“Mmmm…Bop” by Hanson. Go on, you figure out what the hell they’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/38 "2006-04-20T22:16:07Z")
> [@Mbossa](#): > > A fair bit of Radiohead’s catalogue is hard to interpret. I reckon _Dollars and Cents_ is right up there. Thom sings it more clearly live, but of course he changes the lyrics. :smack: _Dollars and Cents_? That’s pretty easy to understand compared to stuff like _Climbing Up the Walls_ and _Like Spinning Plates_. I still can’t figure out parts of those two, even with the lyrics right in front of me when I listen. Part of _Like Spinning Plates_ is backwards, though, if I’m not mistaken, ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mrs\_Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Johnson)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/39 "2006-04-20T23:21:30Z")
Quite a few Tori Amos songs are difficult for me to figure out. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468/40 "2006-04-20T23:22:35Z")
> [@Mrs Johnson](#): > > Quite a few Tori Amos songs are difficult for me to figure out. Even knowing the lyrics doesn’t help most of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-lyrics-that-you-would-never-ever-be-able-to-figure-out-on-your-own/353468.md?page=3)