# Worst opening line of song lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947 "2017-10-15T16:38:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/41 "2017-10-16T16:34:40Z")
“It makes me giggle / Sometimes I wiggle,” from “It Makes Me Giggle,” by John Denver. “Why do birds suddenly appear” from “Close to You” by the Carpenters. Two of the worst songs ever by actual, legitimate artists. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/42 "2017-10-16T17:35:28Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I know this has been debated interminably, here and elsewhere, but does anyone have a from-the-horse’s-mouth, “that settles it once and for all” cite for what the official lyrics are? [This video](https://www.johnfordcoley.com/videos) of a live performance from his own website makes it pretty clear that it’s “I’m not talking ‘bout movin’ in” and “There’s a warm wind blowing the stars around”. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/43 "2017-10-16T17:37:19Z")
Actually, I just watched the interview after the performance, and he even talks about how no one knows what he’s saying! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/44 "2017-10-16T18:46:33Z")
“There’s a warm wind blowing, the stars are out, and I’d really love to see you tonight.” End of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/45 "2017-10-16T20:08:37Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > The line “The world is a vampire” from Bullet the Butterfly’s Wing by Smashing Pumpkins always grated on my nerves for some reason. Agreed but it is more than made up for by the line: “Despite all my rage, i am still just a rat in a cage!” ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/46 "2017-10-16T20:57:05Z")
I know for many **Ozzy** and **Black Sabbath** can do no wrong… But for me ‘_Generals gather in their masses, just like witches in Black Masses_’ stinks the place out. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Vallejo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Rick\_Vallejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Vallejo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/47 "2017-10-16T21:28:20Z")
Sooo how about Michael Jackson’s Bad: “Your butt is mine gonna take you right” Eloquent. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/48 "2017-10-16T22:25:23Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > I know for many **Ozzy** and **Black Sabbath** can do no wrong… > > But for me ‘_Generals gather in their masses, just like witches in Black Masses_’ stinks the place out. > > TCMF-2L Yet another one I love! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/49 "2017-10-17T00:05:05Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Actually, I just watched the interview after the performance, and [England Dan] even talks about how no one knows what he’s saying! 😛 > [@TCMF-2L](#): > > I know for many **Ozzy** and **Black Sabbath** can do no wrong… > > But for me ‘_Generals gather in their masses, just like witches in Black Masses_’ stinks the place out. > > TCMF-2L > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yet another one I love! I’ll go one further than **pulykamell** and say that one is absolute classic awesome sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/50 "2017-10-17T00:27:33Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Buying groceries yesterday and the insipid strains of England Dan and John Ford Coley’s “Really Like to See You Tonight” leached out of the P.A. > > Their oh-so-cazsh\* opening line “Hello, yeah, it’s been a while/Not much, how about you” made me think - ok - are there _really_ any other song lyric openings that are total and complete _ass_, like that one? > > \*could never figure out the diminutive for “casual”. At least he’s not talking about her linen. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/51 "2017-10-17T00:30:16Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > “There’s a warm wind blowing, the stars are out, and I’d really love to see you tonight.” > > End of discussion. I mean, “There’s a warm wind blowing the stars around” is poetic and paints a nice picture. “There’s a warm wind blowing, the stars are out” is a clunky, fragmented sentence that gives a trite, cliched impression of the evening. It’s not like it’s out of the realm of possibilities that he went with the better option. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/52 "2017-10-17T00:53:18Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > I know for many **Ozzy** and **Black Sabbath** can do no wrong… > > But for me ‘_Generals gather in their masses, just like witches in Black Masses_’ stinks the place out. > > TCMF-2L I’ll third the people who love that lyric. It’s a fantastic, pointed image–even more relevant today than in 1970. Complaining that it reuses a word is like complaining blank verse doesn’t rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/53 "2017-10-17T01:35:24Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > I’ll go one further than **pulykamell** and say that one is absolute classic awesome sauce. I think the classic criticism about the line is that it’s lazy rhyming “masses” with itself. Me? I think it’s a wonderful identity rhyme (when a word rhymes with itself) that utilizes wordplay (on the two meanings of “masses”), paints a strong pair of visual images, and creates a strong metaphor. I mean, if we’re overthinking it and all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/54 "2017-10-17T02:48:35Z")
Ay Caramba! Quel horreur! In post #49 I changed the words in a quote box, which I’ve already gotten an infraction for. Mod… dude… oops…sorry… all cool? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/55 "2017-10-17T03:41:02Z")
I’ll get rocks thrown at me for this one, but… > [@](#): > > Hey lady, you, lady, cursin’ at your life > You’re a discontented mother and a rich inventive wife ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/56 "2017-10-17T03:56:32Z")
The worst song of ever got way too damn much airplay when I was a teenager. The opening line,_The marching band came down along Main Street_ is merely inane rather than truly bad, but it warns of the vile pap (“_Billy, don’t be a hero, don’t be a fool with your life, Billy, don’t be a hero, come back and make me your wife_”) that is to follow. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/57 "2017-10-17T04:04:58Z")
yeah a peppy anti war song … ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/58 "2017-10-17T04:34:18Z")
A bunch of Neil Sedaka hits in the 60’s, like “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” began with just stupid nonsense lyrics, like dowm dooby dooby dowm dowm, comma comma… Maybe [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_L6jXY5COI)is the worst one. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/59 "2017-10-17T07:00:39Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Supertramp’s “Take a look a look at my girlfriend, she’s the only one I got.” (“Logical Song”) > An example of Roger Hodgson being a little twee, cute. _Breakfast In America_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947/60 "2017-10-17T13:28:42Z")
This one will never sell, they’ll never understand.–Barry Manilow “This One’s For You” What are you singing about? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-opening-line-of-song-lyrics/798947.md?page=4)