Thursday, July 19, 2007

Song Lyrics

There are some songs that are really meaningful because the lyrics apply to you- to your life.

These are the songs where the rythym doesn't matter and the beat's not what's most important. It's the lyrics that speak to you- and everything else just helps.I would be very interested in knowing some of your meaningful song lyrics (and please remember to give the name of the artist and the song. They can be as popular or un-popular as you wish. They can be lyrics from 50 years ago, as far as I'm concerned.)

And if you would explain WHY these particular lyrics stand out to you, I'd appreciate that as well.

(At the moment, I'm in love with Ben Folds' Best Imitation of Myself and Dashboard Confessional's The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. There are many more, of course, but those are important.)

17 comments:

haKiruv said...

I like a lot of songs from a lot of different genras. I've currently been listening to John McLaughlin's new album and his song "Indiana". You can listen to it on his website. He's an up and coming artist who's an aquintance of my brother.

John McLaughlin
"Indiana"

i'm glad i never lived next to the water,
so i could never get used to the beach,
and i'm glad i never grew up on a mountain,
to figure out how high the world could reach

i love the miles between me and the city,
where i quietly imagine every street,
and i'm glad i'm only picturing the moment,
i'm glad she never fell in love with me

for some the world's a treasure to discover,
and your scenery should never stay the same,
but they're trading in their dreams for explinations,
all in an attempt to entertain but

i love the miles between me and the city,
where i quietly imagine every street,
and i'm glad i'm only picturing the moment,
i'm glad she never fell in love with me

the trick of love's to never let it find you,
it's easy to get over missing out,
i know the how's and when's,
but now and then she's all i think about

i wonder how it feels to be famous,
but wonder is as far as i will go,
'cause ill probably lose myself in all the pictures,
and end up being someone i dont know,
so it's probably best i stay in Indiana,
just dreamin' of the world as it should be,
where every day is a battle to convince myself,
i'm glad she never fell in love with me


I live in a small town and have lived in many places in Indiana. I know what it means to be a Hoosier and have absolutely loved it here. Watching a multi-colored sunset across a humid field of corn and soybean or waking up to blue sky and flowering spring scents is something I'll definately miss when I move to a Jewish community. At the same time, I visited West Roger's Park one summer and fell in love with the community. It was so different and exciting. All the culture, shops, shuls, walking down the streets, etc. Last summer I spent almost two hours reading the titles of everybook in a bookstore on Devon for the shear novelty of being in my first Jewish bookstore. Such a big city is where a lot of my dreams and fears are. So, I'm stuck in between the world in which I live and this dream world. A part of me doesn't want to leave. A part of me wants to stay and remain ignorant and just fade away in this comfortable homeostatis. But then I don't see, too, how my future can be here. I don't think my soul would let me.

the only way i know said...

Eisley - 'Brightly Wound'
from the musical Wicked - 'For Good'
Keane - 'Cant Stop Now'
oldie - 'the way you look tonight'
Il Divo - 'Follow your Heart'

Anonymous said...

À la claire fontaine

À la claire fontaine,
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné

Refrain :
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai

Sous les feuilles d'un chêne,
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche,
Un rossignol chantait

Chante rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi je l'ai à pleurer

J'ai perdu mon amie,
Sans l'avoir mérité
Pour un bouquet de roses,
Que je lui refusais

Je voudrais que la rose,
Fût encore au rosier
Et que ma douce amie
Fût encore à m'aimer

You may read the English translation and listen to this beautiful children's song here:
http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=141&c=22

Shoshana said...

I've always hung onto "Strong Enough" by Sheryl Crow. It just connects.

Chana said...

Thanks to everyone!

Oh, and put me down for loving Caruso and No Good Deed, too.

e-kvetcher said...

Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --
She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

-- sincerely, l. cohen


Hard to say why it speaks to me... but it does. You can find a dissection of the song here...

Anonymous said...

For me, Billy Joel and Garth Brooks are my poets and the melodies stir my soul too. The Stranger (BillyJ) pretty much says it all so you have to read it in its entirety:

"Well we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and
Show ourselves
When everyone has gone
Some are satin some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
They're the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on

Well we all fall in love
But we disregard the danger
Though we share so many secrets
There are some we never tell
Why were you so surprised
That you never saw the stranger
Did you ever let your lover see
The stranger in yourself?

Don't be afraid to try again
Everyone goes south
Every now and then
You've done it, why can't
Someone else?
You should know by now
You've been there yourself

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes

Well we all fall in love
But we disregard the danger
Though we share so many secrets
There are some we never tell
Why were you so surprised
That you never saw the stranger
Did you ever let your lover see
The stranger in yourself?

Don't be afraid to try again
Everyone goes south
Every now and then
You've done it why can't
Someone else?
You should know by now
You've been there yourself

You may never understand
How the stranger is inspired
But he isn't always evil
And he is not always wrong
Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire
You'll give in to your desire"


This from "Honesty" (BJ again)

"When I'm deep inside of me
don't be too concerned.
I won't as for nothin' while I'm gone.
But when I want sincerity
tell me where else can I turn.
Because you're the one I depend upon".

Vienna (BJ)
"You got your passion, you got your pride, but don't you know that only fools are satisfied, dream on but don't imagine they'll all come true...When will you realize?..."


"I Go To Extremes" (BJ)
"Out of the darkness, into the light
Leaving the scene of the crime
Either I'm wrong or I'm perfectly right every time
Sometimes I lie awake, night after night
Coming apart at the seams
Eager to please, ready to fight
Why do I go to extremes?"

One way to introduce yourself to the poetry and spirit of Garth Brooks is to watch the live version of "I Got Friends in Low Places" performed in Central Park on You Tube. Then, read the lyrics.

Under the category of perhaps the best lyrics of all pop music and with possibly the greatest correlation to Jewish Hashkafah and please watch it on You Tube and read the lyrics:
This from Unanswered Prayers:

"Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when youre talkin to the man upstairs
That just because he doesnt answer doesnt mean he dont care
Some of gods greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

"Carry On my Wayward Son" from Kansas. Awesome melody. Check out the live version again. They still rock.
"Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know"

"Basketcase" (Green Day)
really about me, but not the stoned part.

"Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or I'm just stoned"

Under the category of an "old lady" near 40 reminiscing nostalgically about times gone by:

Winds of Change (Scorpions), great great great song.
"follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close,like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Chorus:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change"

The Time of Your Life (Green Day)

"Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.

It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.

Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

(music break)

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."

Jack and Diane (John Cougar Mellencamp) yes, I remember him before the mellencamp stuff.

"hold onto sixteen as long as you can,
changes come around real soon make us women and men"

"Summer of '69" Bryan Adams
"Oh and when I look back now, the summer seemed to last forever, and if I had a choice, yeah, I'd always wanna be there, those were the best days of my life."

Auld Lang Syne (Dan Fogerty)
"We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how"

1985 (Bowling For Soup)
"Where’s the mini-skirt made of snake skin
And who’s the other guy that's singing in Van Halen
When did reality become T.V.
What ever happen to sitcoms, game shows
(on the radio was)

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

She hates time make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop!"

On the topic of staying true to Judaism: Invincible (Pat Benatar)

"and with the strenghth of conviction there is no sacrifice"


I also appreciate (can't say "love") Eminem. "Hallie's Song." The entire "Lose Yourself" and his choice of sampling.

Love the emotion and the richness of the lyrics like this one:

"Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot"

Now, I hope I can get back to work. I am reorganizing my kitchen cabinets.

Anonymous said...

Feel free to edit me. I get obssessive about music (and many other things). Especially in the summer when I am not in a classroom.

Scraps said...

Another vote for "Time of Your Life" by Green Day.

Also, "Iris" by GooGoo Dolls:

"And I don't want the world to see me,
'Cuz I don't think that they'd understand.
When everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am..."


כשהלב בוכה by Sarit Hadad...love that song... (I'll just post a snippet from the chorus, because it's too long for me to type all in Hebrew.)
בעיני דמעה, הלב בוכה בשקט
וכשהלב שותק, הנשמה זועקת


"You Raise Me Up"--it's been covered by so many artists, I have no idea who sang it first. But I like the version by Celtic Women best because of the awesome harmonies. :)
"You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas,
I am strong when I am on your shoulders,
You raise me up to more than I can be..."


That's just a short rundown. There are more I could come up with, I'm sure.

(For a few MONTHS I had "Taylor the Latte Boy" stuck in my head--thanks, SJ... :-P)

Scraps said...

By the way, I just read the lyrics to the songs you linked and they're fantastic. I'd especially like to hear The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most.

Irina Tsukerman said...

Frank Sinatra

My Way

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!


Meaningful to me, because that's how I want to feel about my life when I'm facing "the final curtain"

the only way i know said...

raggedy mom
i love BJ too
thanks for all the wonderful lyrics

Erachet said...

Erg. I don't know.

Defying Gravity, I Hope You Dance, Wunderkind (from Narnia), and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. For now. If I think of others, I'll let you know. I know there are more.

haKiruv said...

I find it interesting that some of you guys like country.

Anonymous said...

Country is life. Married with a couple of kids, loves poetry--how could you not love country? I had to get a bit old and seasoned to like it. Going South on a family road trip this summer. Looking forward to good country music stations.

Scraps said...

Ooh, erachet, I forgot "I Hope You Dance" and "Defying Gravity"! I love those too. :)

Erachet said...

Adding two more!

1. Purpose

2. One of my favorites:

What do you do with a B.A. in English,
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree.

I can't pay the bills yet,
'Cause I have no skills yet,
The world is a big scary place.

But somehow I can't shake,
The feeling I might make,
A difference,
To the human race.