# What's your favorite song lyric written in the first person? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582 "2004-01-15T14:59:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dark_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/1 "2004-01-15T14:59:38Z")
Right now I’m really digging _“If I could have my wasted days back, would I use them to get back on track?”_ from **Metallica’s** “Frantic”. There’s plenty of others but this one is in my head right now. Any others??? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/2 "2004-01-15T15:10:15Z")
I’m rather partial to “In My Life” by John Lennon. But there are probably a million more. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/3 "2004-01-15T16:45:12Z")
Even though I’m a guy, Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen.” (I was with her right after she married her girlfriend in Toronto, and she’s a sweetheart.) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/4 "2004-01-15T16:51:37Z")
“Damn I wish I was your lover I’ll rock you till the daylight comes Make sure you are smiling and warm” Is a sentiment I’d like to hear more of in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/5 "2004-01-15T17:17:53Z")
“When I think about you, I touch myself” - I Touch Myself, DiVinyls. Incredibly sexy sentiment “I’m stranded all alone in the gas station of love, and I have to use the self servcie pumps” - One More Minute, Weird Al Yankovic. Aren’t most songs written in the first person? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/6 "2004-01-15T17:23:58Z")
“I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/7 "2004-01-15T17:36:34Z")
“If I had one wish, I would ask for a big enough a\*\* for the whole world to kiss” — Eminem ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/8 "2004-01-15T17:52:49Z")
[Sun comes up, it’s Tuesday Morning](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/cowboy-junkies/33697.html) Description: Inner dialogue over the course of a day making no attempt to rhyme. Strangely evocative when set against the Junkies’ narcotic groove. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/9 "2004-01-15T17:53:41Z")
"But now my wait is over, and as this final hour drags by I ain’t about to tell you that I don’t deserve to die. But there’s twenty-seven men here, mostly black, and brown, and poor, And most of them are guilty, but who are you to say for sure? So when the preacher comes to get me, and they shave off all my hair Could you take that long walk with me, knowing hell is waiting there? Could you pull that switch yourself, sir, with a sure and steady hand? Could you then still tell yourself, sir, that you’re better than I am?" “Billy Austin” by Steve Earle ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/10 "2004-01-15T17:57:54Z")
a probably-forgotten favorite from my younger decades: … I try to move my arm and there’s no feeling And when I look, I see there’s nothing there. The face beside me has stopped its holy (holey?) bleeding; The girl I knew has such a distant stare. (Chorus) IIIIIIII remember We were flying low And we hit something in the air IIIIIIII remember We were flying low And we hit something in the air Then I look at the attendant His face is pale as it can be He bends down and whispers something softly He says, there’s no chance for me. … – from “D.O.A.”, band name forgotten. (funny, haven’t thought about that song in ages, but it popped right up when “first person” was mentioned.) what? you thought only the current crop of teenagers know about angsty or got enthralled by images of death? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/11 "2004-01-15T18:08:42Z")
I had this dream, where I relished the fray… ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/12 "2004-01-15T21:08:24Z")
I’ll take this as a sign, as it was the first one that popped into my head: I’ll be there today with a big bouquet of cactus I’ve got this rig that runs, runs on memories And I promise, cross my heart, they’ll never catch us But if they do, just tell them it was me –Leonard Cohen, “I Can’t Forget” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/13 "2004-01-15T21:21:11Z")
Saw Bob Dylan live, and he blew my preconceptions by playing around with his songs, many of which were unidentifiable at first. A steamy sax solo led into Bob singing _“Early one morning the sun was shining / HE was laying in bed…”_ And I realized that he was doing my favorite first-person song as a third-person. With a different meaning, different emphasis. :: ::studio version:: _She was married when we first met / soon to be divorced. I helped her out of a jam I guess / but I used a little too much force._ :: ::live:: _She was married when they first met / to a man four times her age. He left her penniless in a state of regret / it was time to bust out of that cage._ :: ::studio version:: _So I drifted down to New Orleans / where my luck it was to be employed / part-time on a fishing boat / right outside of Delacroix_ :: ::live:: _So he drifted down to new Orleans / where they treated him like a boy. /He nearly went mad in Baton Rouge / he nearly drowned in Delacroix_ Gotta hear it to believe it. The Live At Budokon version is close, IIRC. What I didn’t capture was the Dylanesque phrasing, like [bob]“time to busssst out UHHHHHV that CAAAYge”.[/bob] **Tangled Up In Blue** 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/14 "2004-01-15T21:43:31Z")
Y’know, I remember some of these lyrics even though it’s been years since I’ve heard the songs. And I could’ve typed the entire Dylan song as well as the alternative version without even trying hard. The power of first person. ps: that live version is close to that on “Real Live” ('84). Another 3rd-person version is from “The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3” ('91). They’ve got clips at [bobdylan.com](http://bobdylan.com). pps: \*She was workin’ in a topless place And I stopped in for a beer/ I just kept lookin’ at the side of her face In the spotlight so clear. And later on as the crowd thinned out I’s just about to do the same/ She was standing there in back of my chair Said to me, “Don’t I know your name?” I muttered somethin’ underneath my breath, She studied the lines on my face/ I must admit I felt a little uneasy When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe… Tangled up in blue.\* ---
**Author:** ![Adjustable\_Beavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Adjustable\_Beavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adjustable_Beavis)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/15 "2004-01-15T21:51:32Z")
Some lines from Hurt have been running through my head lately… What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end … If I could start again A million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way A line from an old Rush song (name of the song escapes me at the moment). “Now I lay me down in dreamland I know perfect is not for real I thought we might get closer But, I’m ready to make a deal…” Lastly, Everlong. Very special for very personal reasons… Hello I’ve Waited Here For You Everlong Tonight I Throw Myself Into… … Breathe Out So I Can Breathe You In ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/16 "2004-01-15T22:16:57Z")
I’m kind of partial to, _So now I’m prayin’ for the end of time, to hurry up and arrive_ _'Cause if I have to spend another minute with you I don’t think that I could really survive…_ Meatloaf, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/17 "2004-01-15T22:33:27Z")
From **Needles In My Eyes** by The Beta Band _I crept in and stole I your mind I think I’m having trouble with mine_ And also from The Beta Band, from the song **Dragon** \*I never been the type to sing all night but Aaaaaaaaah! \* ---
**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:** [January 15, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/18 "2004-01-15T23:40:46Z")
So, they collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed And shipped us back home to Australia The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane The proud, wounded heroes of Souvla And when our ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where my legs used to be And thanked Christ there was no one there waiting for me To grieve and to mourn and to pity – And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, The Pogues (by Eric Bogle) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/19 "2004-01-16T01:03:14Z")
By Hank Williams (Hank Senior, of course) “I’m so lonesome I could die” Hear that lonesome whooperwill He sounds too blue to fly The midnight train is runnning low I’m so lonesome I could cry I never seen a night so long When the leaves turned brown and died The moon just went behind the clouds I’m so lonesome I could die The silence of the falling stars Lights up a purple sky And as I wonder where you are I’m so lonesome I could die ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582/20 "2004-01-16T01:17:48Z")
“I’d give up forever to touch you.” -John - er, whatshisname of the Goo Goo Dolls, _Iris_ “He is high on intellectualism. I’ve never been there, but the brochure looks nice.” -Sheryl Crowe, _All I Wanna Do_ “Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover.” -George Harrison, _Something_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-lyric-written-in-the-first-person/224582.md?page=2)