The Lyrics Lounge

[blueeyz]

Hi there! Welcome to The Lyrics Lounge!

I decided to start this thread so there would be a place for us fans to post and discuss/dissect/analyze/interpret our favorite lyrics. The lyrics that have moved us, inspired us, made us think. The lyrics that have come from Marty or anyone “Marty-related”: Lovehammers, L.A. Guns, and the bands they’ve covered. Or….anybody you deem relevant to this thread.

What prompted this was a question I posed to the Poetry thread: “out of all the songs that Marty has written, which songs do you feel are the best, LYRICALLY AND POETICALLY. I'm just asking about the words, not guitar riffs, etc.”

So…any takers?

-Blueeyz5

[jillywilly65]

If it's okay I think I'd like to delete the lyrics I posted at the poetry thread
and move em over here. Would that be okay Blue? Do they have to be LH's or LAG or Marty stuff only?

Jilly

[palari]

All the Lh songs and Marty songs have moments that I love so I will probably spend quite a bit of time in this thread. Thanks Blue

pieces of me, flashes of you, lifeless collages of what we knew...
Velvet - Ultrasound

Those are the first lyrics that came to me upon reading your post.

I like that phrase because it really does speak to the way memories work sometimes...pieces and flashes that all come together to form a feeling.

They don't have any life or energy of their own...they are just echoes that draw on the energy of the past.

I love the way Marty can put words together that evoke a sense, a feeling that I can recognise and relate to.

[blueeyz]

Hi Palari! When I asked the question over at the Poetry thread, 'Velvet' was mentioned as a favorite too. The same lines were quoted, except a little differently:

"These pieces on me, flashes of you
Lifeless collages of what we do"

"Pieces" is a good word because it also has that connotation of brokenness.

Hey Jilly, it's okay if you want to share those lyrics over here.

-Blue

[palari]

I remember listening to my new copy of Murder on My Mind while I was out walking one day.

Say You're Sorry was playing as I started to cross the road.

Let yourself fall, fall into me, drown yourself in my body

That line just stopped me in my tracks and almost got me killed. It is so damned evocative. What an invitation! There is nowhere to go but into that picture, into the sensation of falling and drowning...

[lesley]

Jul 7, 2008 17:17:23 GMT -5 palari said:

Let yourself fall, fall into me, drown yourself in my body

I've always loved those lines too. It's very evocative, and also a great opener to pull you into the song ("fall into" - immerse yourself - "drown" - in the song).

[blueeyz]

That line has a sensual feel to it. Glad you shared it, Palari. Even more glad that you lived to tell about it!

I love the lyrics from Bob Schneider’s C’mon Baby (obviously covered by Marty and LH). For example:

i want to stop the world and hide
but there's nowhere to run and no place left inside
just want to stop and catch my breath
spend one second on this earth not scared to death

I like the outside vs. the inside, the external vs. the internal. The image of running away from the scariness and dangers of the outside world to a warm, safe, indoor shelter. But there’s no room there. The image of escaping the threats, dangers, and unfamiliarities of the external world to a place of peace, safety, and familiarity within yourself. But if you can’t find that place within yourself….where can you go? Those lyrics, although simply put, describe despair at its deepest and darkest, in my opinion.

Good stuff.....

Blue

[bostongirl]

Blue - THis is a wonderful idea.... I love it!!!!!
Palari - it is good to see you here again, and i am also glad that you were not killed.

Bulletholes will always be a very important song to me. And i have often wondered if i am the only person on this earth that interpreted it as a song about control. Total control.

Disintegrated the pearly gates. I need to see you, I'm coming through. Decide my fate on a later date. Nothings going to stop me from saving you. . For me, it meant, i love you so much that if you died, i could control you, heaven, and earth so much that i could bring you back from heaven. Perhaps I heard it that way b/c i was in a place trying to control things that were totally out of my control.

Anyway - good thread. I love reading everyone's thoughts on the lyrics.

Liz

[julianah]

Blue suggested I post what I wrote in the Poetry thread the other day. (Thanks, Blue!) I went on quite a ramble about my favourite lyrics:

Velvet is one of my favourites, lyrically and poetically.

These pieces on me, flashes of you
Lifeless collages of what we do

During the first few HUNDRED times I listened to the song, I thought he was saying "mellifluous" rather than "lifeless." That's an example of the beauty of interpretation. I prefer "mellifluous" even if it doesn't make sense to most people in that context. The sounds of the words in that song... just the way they resonate in my ears (regardless of meaning)... are truly mellifluous... so I thought his use of that word was perfect... even though he DIDN'T use that word and it was just in my own mind.

The words are so evocative and sensual. I like the repetition of the words penetrate and penetration and not just for the reasons you might think. The line, Does my voice penetrate? takes me to that place of wanting to be understood... wanting the person I'm in love with to HEAR and UNDERSTAND who I am and what I am saying and feeling... and take part of my soul and feelings inside himself. The music takes it to another level in setting a mood, but the lyrics are very powerful (at least to me) on their own.

The other song that comes to mind is Into The Deep End. I asked Marty what this song is about during an interview and he said he didn't know. He said it was the first song they wrote together, so it was just a group of young guys getting excited about actually writing a song. Because the meaning isn't blatant and there isn't a strong, clear narrative, the lyrics let my imagination run wild. It leaves so much room for interpretation. I sense something sinister in it... young love/obsession gone too far, murder, and regret. I'm sure other people hear something completely different when they listen to the lyrics of that song... and that's the beauty of it.

I'm also partial to Real Man. I think it's interesting that it's written from the perspective of a woman. I recall reading that Billy was inspired while watching a stripper in a bar and that was the beginning of that song. It's a challenging creative exercise for lyricists to develop a character and write from that character's perspective... and it's all the more interesting when a man is putting himself in a woman's shoes... especially a woman who is feeling so oppressed and trapped by the way men view her. That song does a brilliant job of conveying how that woman feels -- being used and subjugated. Listening to that song, I have often wondered HOW she came to be where she is now and if she will ever change her life. It's rare for a song to leave me thinking about a character's back-story and imagining her as a real person with stories, experiences, and feelings we will never know about.

Call of Distress -- I love these lines,

deflated helium balloons,
distant birthdays when I was happy.

Those 9 words capture such a sense of hopelessness, despair, and loneliness... I like the juxtaposition of the cheery words, helium balloons, birthdays, and happy with deflated and distant. Suicide is the leading cause of death in my extended family (and was shockingly common in my high school), so that song can be incredibly painful for me to listen to. Somehow, it makes me feel closer to those I have lost, though. You know, "the solace of shared experience"... It's comforting to know that you're not ALONE... Someone else knows what it's like to feel that way.

Wow, I've rambled on, and on, and on. I could probably write a freaking thesis on my favourite LH lyrics.

Marty's no Leonard Cohen, obviously. But Leonard has about 40 years on him. I look forward to hearing what Marty (and the rest of the Lovehammers) are going to come up with next.

P.S. If you're interested in poetic lyrics, check out Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' new album, Dig Lazarus Dig! If you don't mind harsh, sometimes jarring lyrics, I think you'll be blown away. There are very few pretty moments in that album's lyrics, but Nick Cave has a brilliant way with words. He's a true original. Some of his metaphors are pure genius, in my opinion. You can read the lyric booklet as a book of poetry. It stands alone without the music. There are some very beautiful lyrics on some of his earlier albums. Google Ship Song and Straight to You -- two of the most beautiful love songs I've heard. The Challengers album from New Pornographers is also worth checking out if you're ever looking for poetic inspiration. Adventures in Solitude is my favourite song on that album.

[jet]

Out of all the LH songs the line from Throw My Head is my favourite

Try and regain focus, mind is blown

It says everything about my life since 2005.

Jul 8, 2008 8:12:00 GMT -5 julianah said:

P.S. If you're interested in poetic lyrics, check out Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' new album, Dig Lazarus Dig! If you don't mind harsh, sometimes jarring lyrics, I think you'll be blown away. There are very few pretty moments in that album's lyrics, but Nick Cave has a brilliant way with words. He's a true original. Some of his metaphors are pure genius, in my opinion. You can read the lyric booklet as a book of poetry. It stands alone without the music. There are some very beautiful lyrics on some of his earlier albums. Google Ship Song and Straight to You -- two of the most beautiful love songs I've heard. The Challengers album from New Pornographers is also worth checking out if you're ever looking for poetic inspiration. Adventures in Solitude is my favourite song on that album.

Julianah,

I absolutely love Nick Cave the new CD Dig Lazarus Dig and the Ship Song are particular favourites. Into My Arms, The Mercy Seat and West Country Girl are also high on my list.

He wrote a book a few years back, King Ink, which is a mixture of poems and song lyrics, well worth a read if you can find it (I got my copy off eBay). He also wrote a book called And the Ass Saw the Angel which is one of the most interesting, disturbing and well written books I've ever read.

Its doesn't matter what our differences are...its all about the music.

[palari]

Oh yes Dig Lazarus Dig is one of my all timer favourite albums. My favourite track is Today's Lesson...but I also love Grinderman, which was a Nick Cave side project.

No Pussy Blues is my favourite track from that one.

I changed the sheets upon her bed
Combed the hair across my head
Sucked in my gut but still she said
She just didn't want to

...the man is f*ckin' funny!

[julianah]

Hey Jet and Palari. Thanks for all the Nick Cave info. I can't stop listening to him... and reading the lyrics. My bf dug out his copy of Henry's Dream for me and I'm loving that. I will definitely try to find the books you mentioned, Jet... and I'm going to check the used CD shop for Grinderman. The man is a genius, IMO, so I'm interested in anything he has a part in. My bf's band is doing a cover of "Ship Song" as part of their regular setlist and it makes me every time.

[BBE]

This is a great idea for a thread!

If we're talking lyricists other than Marty, I have just 2 words to say: PETE TOWNSHEND!!!!!

The first time I ever read some of his lyrics, and they were only the lyrics, not the music, a shock of recognition went through me, because it felt like the man was writing the thoughts that are in my own mind. That was what hooked me into The Who, even before I was familiar with much of the music. Then when I discovered that their music was one sonically satisfying gem after another, they got a fan for life.

I'm going to post this entire song, because it's my favorite Pete solo song, and one of the coolest love songs I've ever heard. I feel this one, for sure.


A Little Is Enough

They say that love often passes in a second
And you can never catch it up
So I’m hanging on to you as though eternity beckons
But it’s clear that the match is rough
Common sense would tell me not to try and continue
But I’m after a piece of that diamond in you
So keep an eye open
My spirit aint’ broken
Your love’s so incredible
Your body’s so edible
You give me an overdose of love
But just a little is enough

I’m like a connoisseur of champagne cognac
The perfume nearly beats the taste
I eat an oyster and I feel the contact
But more than one would be a waste
Some people want an endless line, that’s true
But all I have to have’s a little time with you
A smile sets me reeling
A kiss feels like stealing
Your love is like heroin
This addict is mellowing
I can’t pretend that I’m tough
Just a little is enough

Just like a sailor heading into the seas
There’s a gale blowing in my face
The high winds scare me but I need the breeze
And I can’t head for any other place
Life would seem so easy on the other tack
But even a hurricane won’t turn me back
You might be an island
On the distant horizon
But what little I see
Looks like heaven to me
I don’t care if the ocean gets rough
Just a little is enough

Common sense would tell me not to try and continue
But I’m after a piece of that diamond in you
So keep an eye open
My spirit aint’ broken
Your love’s so incredible
Your body’s so edible
You give me an overdose of love
But just a little is enough


--Pete Townshend, “Empty Glass", 1980, Eel Pie Recording Productions Ltd./ Atlantic Records