# Worst lyric rhymes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 1, 2021, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876 "2021-09-01T04:57:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/121 "2021-09-07T06:34:54Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Irrelevant. The internet is notorious for posting wrong lyrics. Says the person who backed up their opinion with a video of a band that is conspicuously not the 1971 Doors. > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > But what’s with all the “Christ sake” and all caps. It’s not a competition. I wasn’t referring to internet lyric sites, precisely because they’re outrageously inaccurate. I was referring to printed lyrics from 1971 onwards, and sat here wracking my brain trying to remember if I have any of those sources in my possession. Old books or magazines, LP liners. Nope. Knowing that I was right isn’t much of a cite. I gave up, posted my response, and about 60 seconds later it dawned on me that I happen to own the new uber-definitive collection of Jim’s poems and lyrics, including photos (where available) of the handwritten originals. Furthermore, that 600 page book is in my Kindle which had literally been right there in my lap all the while. So the “Christ sake” and all caps represented me slapping my own forehead, not that there was any way you or anybody else could have known it. Great. I’m now someone who talks to himself and posts it online. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/122 "2021-09-07T06:40:09Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > What you all are ignoring is that either way, the lyric sucks. Not ignoring, just not bothering to mention it. Jim was badly burnt out by the time he wrote it, and it shows. IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/123 "2021-09-07T14:09:30Z")
I always thought that was quite clever ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/124 "2021-09-07T16:38:03Z")
My apologies to Lucas\_Jackson. I was under a tremendous amount of stress yesterday and the day before, I was prickly, not quite myself, and shouldn’t have been posting online. While I hope this explains my verbal outburst, it doesn’t excuse it. Again, I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/125 "2021-09-07T16:57:40Z")
_Sweet dreams are made of this_ _Who am I to disagree?_ -The Eurythmics Just say “these” 😠 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/126 "2021-09-07T17:42:09Z")
I don’t think they were going for a rhyme there. The next lines are: _I traveled the world and the seven seas_ _Everybody’s looking for something_ Not every song must have a rhyme structure. There was a recent thread about songs that don’t rhyme, and a lot of good songs were posted. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/127 "2021-09-07T17:52:13Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t think they were going for a rhyme there. The next lines are: > > _I traveled the world and the seven seas_ > _Everybody’s looking for something_ Except if you say “these”, you GET a rhyme with both the second and third lines, capping with the fourth. And the way its sung is commonly mistaken to be that way because that’s how it sounds. Then you get a bunch of you/you/you/abused rhymes anyway. So it never struck my ear as some innovative structure, just bad rhyming. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/128 "2021-09-07T18:10:38Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Then you get a bunch of you/you/you/abused rhymes anyway. So it never struck my ear as some innovative structure, just bad rhyming. I think they just didn’t give a shit about conventional rhyming. Hey, this was British new wave after all, a kind of anything goes genre. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/129 "2021-09-07T18:12:19Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I think they just didn’t give a shit about conventional rhyming. That’s a reason for the bad rhyme but it’s still a bad rhyme 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/130 "2021-09-07T18:13:02Z")
Ok, I concede that. 😁 (but it never bothered me. It’s such a great song that I don’t even ever noticed structural shortcomings) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/131 "2021-09-07T18:29:24Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > _Sweet dreams are made of this_ > _Who am I to disagree?_ > -The Eurythmics > > Just say “these” 😠 I hate it when people sing it as “these” 😯. I mean, the way Annie sings it does sound like “these” but then the line doesn’t make sense. It’s as if people think it has to rhyme with “seas”. That being said, it occurs to me now that I’ve never actually looked up the lyrics; it _could_ be “these”, for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/132 "2021-09-07T18:48:41Z")
Kid Rock - All Summer long: _And we were trying different things_ _We were smoking funny things_ FFS, how hard is it to find a word that rhymes with “things”? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/133 "2021-09-08T20:57:19Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Except if you say “these”, you GET a rhyme with both the second and third lines, capping with the fourth. And the way its sung is commonly mistaken to be that way because that’s how it sounds. Related: you’ll often hear the B-section of “Oh Chanukah” rendered as: _And while we are playing, the candles are burning bright,_ _One for each night, they shed a sweet light to remind us of days long ago._ when it’s actually “…_burning **low** _.” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/134 "2021-09-09T14:29:13Z")
As I was reaching into the refrigerator for the pickle jar to make a sandwich, I thought of Arlo Guthrie’s Motorcycle Song: _I don’t want a pickle_ _Just want to ride on my motor[sickle]_ _And I don’t want a tickle_ _'Cause I’d rather ride on my motor[sickle]_ Funny or just dumb? I guess it depends on how high you were at the time. The verses ain’t much better: _Just last week I was on my bike_ _I run into a friend named Mike_ _Run into my friend named Mike_ _Mike no longer has a bike._ ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/135 "2021-09-09T14:52:49Z")
_I don’t wanna grow up I’m a Toys “R” Us kid They got a million toys at Toys “R” Us That I can play wid_ Fingernails. Chalkboard. Forever. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/136 "2021-09-09T17:56:29Z")
> [@solost](#): > > As I was reaching into the refrigerator for the pickle jar to make a sandwich, I thought of Arlo Guthrie’s Motorcycle Song: > > _I don’t want a pickle_ > _Just want to ride on my motor[sickle]_ > _And I don’t want a tickle_ > _'Cause I’d rather ride on my motor[sickle]_ > > Funny or just dumb? I guess it depends on how high you were at the time. Those two couplets are a set-up for the punchline in the third couplet: _I don’t want to die_ _Just want to ride my motorcy . . . . . . cle._ It amused me. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/137 "2021-09-09T18:13:06Z")
No, it’s brilliant. You expect "cup of tea, but get “cup of meat”. Like Shakespeare saying “sea of troubles” instead of “host of troubles”. (Thanks to I. Asimov for that comparison.) ---
**Author:** ![JUlrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@JUlrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JUlrey)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/138 "2021-09-10T02:21:37Z")
“Mississippi Queen”! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/139 "2021-09-10T14:49:05Z")
Jeez, welcome back, man! Or woman as the case may be. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876/140 "2021-09-11T15:07:47Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > _I don’t wanna grow up > I’m a Toys “R” Us kid > They got a million toys at Toys “R” Us > That I can play wid_ > > Fingernails. Chalkboard. Forever. Especially since they’d get so pissed when I opened the packages to play with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-lyric-rhymes/949876.md?page=8)