# What lyrics speak to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589 "2011-07-28T04:58:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/1 "2011-07-28T04:58:28Z")
Yeah, I know, we love our music. We all have a shit ton of music in our ipods, our mp3 players, on our computers, on tape or on cd’s or buried in our closets. We have music that we love and that we love to listen to - but what music speaks to you the loudest? There are songs that just seem to cry out to us as individuals. It’s not always the songs that we love the best, but it is the ones that we identify with the most. For me, as much as I love Simon and Garfunkel, this song is not my favorite. But it is the one that I always seem to come back to, the one that says ‘me’ more than any other song. “The Boxer”. It is written from a male perspective, but the lyrics resonate with me, more than any other. “In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade And he carries the reminders Of ev’ry glove that layed him down Or cut him till he cried out In his anger and his shame “I am leaving, I am leaving” But the fighter still remains” I heard this song decades ago…but still, I feel like the ‘fighter still remains’. What is it that works for you? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/2 "2011-07-28T05:08:54Z")
You know, I’m probably the only jazz fan who would admit this, but country music gets me, as far as the lyrics go. Depressive stuff like: "Oh, the faucet started drippin’ in the kitchen And last night your picture fell down from the wall And today the boss said, “Sorry, I can’t use you anymore And tonight the light bulb went out in the hall” “Wine Colored Roses” is one I keep in mind also "She asked lots of questions, like would I call her sometime, and was I getting back on my feet. She asked if I had quit drinking, Like I promised her long ago. The words wouldn’t come, when I called and she answered, But I found a way to say no. I sent her some wine colored roses…" along with some of the other kind, Western music, like “Time Changes Everything.” Don’t really pay much attention to lyrics usually, but I pay attention when someone like George Jones or Tommy Duncan is singing. Some of the Great American Songbook lyrics I like a lot – like “Spring Is Here,” “Everything Happens to Me,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” even later ones like “Black Coffee” or “Born to be Blue,” or “Who Can I Turn To?” but they can be a bit much to take in with all the rhyming and cute stuff. Best in small doses, as much as I love the tunes and the odd things that happen in some of those lyrics. To your OP, with the whole music angle, it’s got to be full of grease. Jimmy McGriff speaks to me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unexpected\_Okapi\_Debacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_unexpected_okapi_debacle/32/7702_2.png) [@The\_Unexpected\_Okapi\_Debacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unexpected_Okapi_Debacle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/3 "2011-07-28T19:44:36Z")
There are entirely too many that speak to me and have made the “please play these at my funeral” list but the top two are: “The Wind” by Cat Stevens “I listen to the wind to the wind of my soul Where I’ll end up well I think, only God really knows I’ve sat upon the setting sun But never, never never never I never wanted water once No, never, never, never…” and “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen "The birds they sang at the break of day Start again I heard them say Don’t dwell on what has passed away or what is yet to be. Ah the wars they will be fought again The holy dove She will be caught again bought and sold and bought again the dove is never free. Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in." ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/4 "2011-07-28T20:20:38Z")
Speaking of Simon and Garfunkel, how about I Am a Rock? "I’ve built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain. … I have my books And my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor, Hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me. " This reminds me so much of me, especially when I was a disdainful teenager. And of course, “Mother” from Pink Floyd’s _The Wall_: “Momma’s gonna make all of your nightmares come true Momma’s gonna put all of her fears into you Momma’s gonna keep you right here under her wing She won’t let you fly but she might let you sing” It’s like they knew my home life, I swear. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/5 "2011-07-28T20:34:18Z")
Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” kind of does/did. I was definitely the wallflower socially in high school–the difference between me and the song’s singer is that I didn’t really care about it most of the time (I was happy to be a nerd holed up in the library with my nerdy friends). But sometimes I did get melancholy about what I was missing out on. Alan Parsons Project’s “Old and Wise”–that’s my funeral song. Another Parsons song that speaks to me is “There But For The Grace of God”: “No one is an island No one born alone No man can turn the tide of fortune on his own Though some may dare to try.” Tori Amos’ “Winter.” It reminds me of my dad, and how he’s not getting any younger and some day he’ll be gone. I pretty much can’t listen to it without tearing up. And yeah, “I Am a Rock” is kind of me too. Rush’s “Subdivisions,” a little bit. Mostly the “Conform or be cast out” part. My spouse used to identify with Simon and Garfunkel’s “A Most Peculiar Man.” I’m glad he doesn’t anymore. It used to make me sad in college that a teenage guy felt that way about that song. ---
**Author:** ![cdsilv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cdsilv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdsilv)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/6 "2011-07-28T21:38:00Z")
Wasting away again in Margaritaville - for my years in Florida Cat’s in the Cradle - my familial relationships (parents and kids) Father & Son - ditto Red is a mean mean colour - just because …and many more I can’t think of just now. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/7 "2011-07-28T21:49:59Z")
**[Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YP3pIPp8P8)** was my anthem at age 33: You know my heart keeps tellin’ me You’re not a kid at thirty-three Play around you’ll lose your wife You play too hard you’ll lose your life Some gotta win, some gotta lose Good time Charlie’s got the blues **[So Long, San Francisco](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB1jjmeQVR4)**, by Glenn Yarbrough ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/8 "2011-07-28T21:56:48Z")
From Terminal Street by Be Bop Deluxue: “And all the creatures born of ink and rage and lies crawled from my pen and ran across the page to die Facination was the germ of their disease Degredation is the term of their release” ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/9 "2011-07-29T00:11:22Z")
**Carry Me** by Crosby, Stills & Nash. It remeinds me so much of my mother’s last months - lying helpless in a nursing home bed. Then there was my mother, she was lying in white sheets there And she was waiting to die She said if you just reach underneath this bed, and untie these weights I could surely fly She’s still smiling but she’s tired She’d like to hear that last bell ring You know if she still could she would, stand up, she would sing ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/10 "2011-07-29T02:30:57Z")
Too many to name, really. What comes to mind right now are large parts of “Least Complicated” and “Language or the Kiss,” both by Indigo Girls. I’d have to explain the connections, wouldn’t be obvious. But oh, some days I really FEEL some of those lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/11 "2011-07-29T02:52:47Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Alan Parsons Project’s “Old and Wise”–that’s my funeral song. Another Parsons song that speaks to me is “There But For The Grace of God”: Oh, “Old and Wise” is one my favorite APP songs - and definitely great eulogy music - it will guarantee that everyone cries at your funeral! ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/12 "2011-07-29T04:22:20Z")
Got a few that come to mind right off: “In a world where I feel so small, I can’t stop thinking big…” Rush, "Caravan “All of us get lost in the darkness, Dreamers turn to look at the stars, All of us do time in the gutter, Dreamers turn to look at the cars…” Rush, “The Pass” “I’m undefeated, and standing tall, I don’t want to be the loser when the winner takes it all, I’m undefeated, I’ve got the scars, When you’ve got the will to win, You’ve got to take it on the chin, Stay undefeated…” Def Leppard, “Undefeated” ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/13 "2011-07-29T04:54:56Z")
Another one of Paul Simon’s songs: “Well, I would not give you false hopes on this strange and mournful day but the mother and child reunion is only emotion away” As rough as times can seem sometimes, we could turn things around in a heartbeat if we could somehow find the right attitude adjustment. Alan Parsons’ Project: “The game never ends when your whole world depends on the turn of a friendly card” …just helps me empathize a little more with people who’ve got a monkey on their backs - gambling, drugs, whatever. They’re just so caught up in their thing that nothing else matters… and only slightest fortune has kept me from getting lost in the same wilderness. Yeah, the two examples are slightly at cross purposes. What can I say; I’ve got more than one side. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/14 "2011-07-29T05:25:37Z")
I’ll agree with the OP’s verse from “The Boxer.” Somewhat similar, and a lyric that speaks to me, is this verse from Stan Rogers’ song, “The Mary Ellen Carter”: _And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again._ ---
**Author:** ![punch\_line\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e7dd6/32.png) [@punch\_line\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punch_line_loser)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/15 "2011-07-29T06:57:24Z")
this is the song i took my handle from - it’s called ‘punch line loser’ by the spinanes. it’s hard to find but it’s my favorite song of all time, and i think it’s one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. it still makes me all misty-eyed when i hear it: "I saw you catch my laugh as I was slipping out the back There’s nothing quite so funny as a hostile second coming There’s nothing quite as charming as the wreckage of the wily They see the world through pipe bombs And another bloodied sapper There’s nothing quite as ugly as the confidence of cowards We waste time by the hours marking off our scorecards There’s nothing quite as ugly as a world as small as ours I hear I made you crack as I was trying out my wit There’s nothing so pathetic as the way I blow a punch line Laugh at me all you want I kept the shape your hair made as you slept against the window The world goes by and rushes The dashboard lights grow dimmer There’s nothing quite as lovely as a time as weird as ours I watched your back as you were headed towards the bar There’s nothing quite so stunning" you need the music for the full effect, but ‘there’s nothing quite as lovely as a time as weird as ours’ is something i could get tattooed on my skin ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/16 "2011-07-29T07:11:24Z")
**Joy Division** lyrics in general, \*Passover \*specifically: This is a crisis I knew had to come, Destroying the balance I’d kept. Doubting, unsettling and turning around, Wondering what will come next. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/17 "2011-07-30T02:43:24Z")
My life bears very little resemblance to Kesha’s, but still I’m drawn to her song “Crazy Beautiful Life.” The chorus goes Every single night we fight To get a little high on life. To get a little something right, something real At least we try. Time after time Try dodging all the douchebag guys. Try trading all the wasted times For something real, in this crazy life. The song never fails to improve my mood when I’m feeling a little down, and makes me think about everything that I do have. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/18 "2011-07-30T03:15:46Z")
Townes Van Zandt - Pancho And Lefty. “Livin’ on the road my friend Was gonna keep you free and clean Now you wear your skin like iron Your breath’s as hard as kerosene” He wrote many great songs, some more personal or more depressing than this one, but none more beautiful. Most of the other songs I love for the lyrics have the same sense of loss, examples would be From Clare To Here by Ralph McTell, Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt, originally by Nine Inch Nails, and Marianne Faithfull’s version of The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, written by Shel Silverstein. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/19 "2011-07-30T16:01:57Z")
\*In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade And he carries the reminders Of ev’ry glove that layed him down Or cut him till he cried out In his anger and his shame “I am leaving, I am leaving” But the fighter still remains \* I agree with the OP, this is my all-time favorite verse from any song. I always picture the fighter as seen from the window of a bus leaving town. I wish I was the fighter, but most often “I am leaving, I am leaving” my problems behind, “to my anger and my shame”. My second favorite lines come from R.E.M.'s “Rockville”. Always makes me crack a wry smile. It’s one of my favorite “country” songs. _At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don’t care if you’re not here with me 'Cause it’s so much easier to handle All my problems if I’m too far out to sea_ I don’t drink, but I’ve done my share of sitting around lying to myself after a breakup. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589/20 "2011-07-30T16:59:40Z")
Jackson Browne - “Before the Deluge” _Some of them knew pleasure And some of them knew pain And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered And on the brave and crazy wings of youth They went flying around in the rain And their feathers, once so fine, grew torn and tattered And in the end they traded their tired wings For the resignation that living brings And exchanged love’s bright and fragile glow For the glitter and the rouge And in the moment they were swept before the deluge_ Bruce Springsteen - “The Price You Pay” \* You make up your mind You choose the chance you take You ride to where the highway ends and the desert breaks Out on to an open road You ride until the day You learn to sleep at night with the price you pay\* Both of them from an earlier period in my life. Things can change if you are willing to work at it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lyrics-speak-to-you/590589.md?page=2)