What are some of the best lyrically written songs that you listen too? Great lyrics are just as big a part as good music to go along with it. Put them both together in a song and you've done something pretty damn awesome. Here are my first 2 entries, both songs are by Mike Pinto. He's an amazing lyricist, and his songs kick ass. Ok CP, what ya got?
Knocked up
Betty got knocked up,
while the husband was locked up,
baby was unplanned,
and the papa was a mailman.
it was a special delivery,
with no signs of chivalry,
a knock at the door,
and Betty got what she was looking for,
on the bathroom floor.
Spread her legs as her husband served a 5-to-10,
even embezzling money form the government,
well fuck the government.
Shes a sucker for a man in uniform,
hes a mother-fucker lyin' called her beautiful,
both were good and ready,
Betty got sweaty,
you could cut the tension with a dull machete.
Oh, Betty got locked up,
husband was locked up,
answers to the name of Xavier,
tryin' his best to get out on good behavior.
Meanwhile, Bettys got a child inside her,
no man, no man could be her provider, or stand beside her
The mailman ain't convinced one bit,
he just thinks that Betty needs a man around to babysit.
Well it was cool when he was all up in her,
but hes stickin' around cooking no ones dinner, well its
too bad, the love that they had
faded to fast, you know the mailman couldn't last too long
too long, so here I go with another fucking love song.
Well Betty thinks its time to go to court,
cuz she could really use the child support,
but from the start you know that Betty had the case won,
the mailman's gonna need a second occupation
OoOoh
Betty got knocked up, husband was locked up
baby was unplanned, papa was a mailman
special delivery, HA,
no signs of chivalry, HA,
knock at the door and Betty got what she was looking for,
Looking back at all these things in retrospect
shes wonder when her heart? Xavier's gonna wring her neck.
He's gonna wring her neck,
her neck, her neck! Ooh!
And late one night she got a call on the telephone,
thought it was Xavier with the news he was coming home
but no, it was the mailman on the Coastal Highway
he went postal, shot somebody!
He said goodbye and he drove his car into the ocean,
she shed no tear cuz in her heart she was hopin'
to pay a visit to her lover in stripes,
"Ya know the babys got the mailmans eyes?"
Ooh! Betty got knocked up!
Betty got knocked up, YEA! YEA! YEA!
Yes she did, yes she did, yes she did.
Ooh, Betty got knocked up.
Tricky Nicki
Tricky Nicky always ran around town
She’s the type of girl who'll turn your frown upside-down
Five fucking minutes in the sack and you’ll return
With a dozen roses and some weed to burn
Shit you think I’m babbling but Nicky’s always dabbling
With coke she’ll smoke your grass, toss your ass like a javelin
Before you get thrown here’s advice of my own
You better take out a mother-fucking loan
And it goes...
Tricky Nicky’s gonna spread her disease
Don’t bother to play the father. She can’t have no babies
She’ll take your money and she’ll take your Benz
And for a tab of ecstasy she’ll do you and a friend
What a shame, what a shame Tricky Nicky’s not the same
As she was before she got sucked in the cocaine game
The coke she’d steal would make her feel good for an hour or two
‘Til she woke up with her throat cut in a hospital room
Oh you’ll have to forgive me I have spoke too much
You see as my pen hits the paper my lips hit the Dutch
Well you know how that goes but lets continue to flow about
Poor old Tricky Nicky’s scenario
It was an emergency as she went under the knife
As doctors urgently tried to save Nicky’s life
There was a burglary and she was too high to fight
Cause she was staying with a dealer that she met that night
Woah...
[Solo]
Tricky Nicky always ran around town
She’s the type of bitch who'll turn your frown upside-down
Five fucking minutes in the sack and you’ll return
With a dozen roses and some weed to burn
Shit you think I’m lying but Nicky didn’t die
And the scar on her neck would only reflect the pain she keeps inside
So pass the story right on through
'Cause that is all that you can do
'Cause Tricky Nicky’s coming to a town near you [Reply]
Originally Posted by Frazod:
Simon and Garfunkel also had some songs with amazing lyrics. The two that really stand out to me are Sound of Silence and The Boxer.
These clips are from a concert they did in 2009 that must have been damned near magical to experience in person. Paul and Art have known each other since they were kids and have famously annoyed the fuck out of each other for over half a century, but they truly seemed to enjoy themselves and each others' company on this night. Enjoy.
Somewhere Down in Texas - Jason Boland and The Stragglers
When I look south I see the storm clouds roll
On their way to Old Mexico
I don’t wanna be alone
And the rays of light through my Shiner Boch bottle
Make me wanna turn the key and put down the throttle
And get lost down 35
When I get tied down by the ties that bind
Seems like I'm never gonna find the time
To do what I need.
That's to find me a place where I can think
Talk about love, and laugh, and drink.
And there's someone there who cares.
Chorus:
Cause no matter how big the storms
I know I can find me a place that’s warm
The sun is shining somewhere in Texas
I hope it’s shining on her
Somewhere down in Texas
In a place that big a man could get lost
Never mind the time, forget about the cost
There’s more important things
She’s somewhere smiling north of San Antone
I’ve got her number but I stare at the phone
Cause I still want to believe
Chorus
To hell with horoscopes and empty dreams
To hell with Valentino and his cut off pair of jeans
Cause I know I can make it there
On a twelve pack and a prayer
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
Somewhere Down in Texas - Jason Boland and The Stragglers
When I look south I see the storm clouds roll
On their way to Old Mexico
I don’t wanna be alone
And the rays of light through my Shiner Boch bottle
Make me wanna turn the key and put down the throttle
And get lost down 35
When I get tied down by the ties that bind
Seems like I'm never gonna find the time
To do what I need.
That's to find me a place where I can think
Talk about love, and laugh, and drink.
And there's someone there who cares.
Chorus:
Cause no matter how big the storms
I know I can find me a place that’s warm
The sun is shining somewhere in Texas
I hope it’s shining on her
Somewhere down in Texas
In a place that big a man could get lost
Never mind the time, forget about the cost
There’s more important things
She’s somewhere smiling north of San Antone
I’ve got her number but I stare at the phone
Cause I still want to believe
Chorus
To hell with horoscopes and empty dreams
To hell with Valentino and his cut off pair of jeans
Cause I know I can make it there
On a twelve pack and a prayer
Chorus
Love Jason Boland's songs and songwriting. [Reply]
When the wind don't blow in Amarillo
And the moon along
The Gunnison don't rise
Shall I cast my dreams
Upon your love, babe
And lie beneath
The laughter of your eyes
It's snowin' on Raton
Come morning I'll be through
Them hills and gone
Mother thinks the road
Is long and lonely
Little brother thinks
The road is straight and fine
Little darling thinks
The road is soft and lovely
I'm thankful that old road
Is a friend of mine
Bid the years good-bye
You cannot still them
You cannot turn
The circles of the sun
You cannot count the miles
Until you feel them
And you cannot hold
A lover that has gone
Tomorrow the mountains
Will be sleeping
Silent 'neath a blanket
Green and blue
All that I shall hear
The silence they are keeping
I'll bring all their promises to you
Well, I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
So I had one more for dessert
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
And I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I'd smoked my brain the night before
On cigarettes and songs that I'd been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking
Then I crossed the empty street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken
And it took me back to somethin'
That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
Makes a body feel alone
There ain't nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city sidewalks
Sunday mornin' comin' down
In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
Listened to the song they were singin'
Then I headed back for home
And somewhere far away a lonesome bell was ringin'
And it echoed through the canyons
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
Makes a body feel alone
There ain't nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city sidewalks
Sunday mornin' comin' down
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
Makes your body feel alone
There ain't nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city sidewalks
Sunday mornin' comin' down
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Kris Kristofferson
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train
When I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained
And rode us all the way into New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
I's playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues
Windshield wipers slappin' time
I's holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', it ain't nothin' honey, if it ain't free
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
From the Kentucky coal mines to the California sun
Yeah, Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby kept me from the cold
One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He's lookin' for that home and I hope he finds it
Well, I'd trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday
To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', and that's all that Bobby left me
Well, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
And feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee, yeah
La da da, la da daa, la da daa da daa da daa
La da da da daa dadada Bobby McGee-ah
La li daa da daa daa, la da daa da daa
La la laa la daada Bobby McGee-ah yeah
La di da, ladida la dida la di daa, ladida la dida la di daa
Hey now Bobby now now Bobby McGee yeah
Lo lo lo lolo lo lo laa, lololo lo lolo lo lolo lo lolo lo la laa
Hey now Bobby now now Bobby McGee yeah
Lord, I called him my lover, I called him my man
I said I called him my lover, did the best I can
C'mon, hey now Bobby now, hey now Bobby McGee, yeah
Lo lo Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh
Hey, hey, hey, Bobby McGee, Lord
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: F. Foster / K. Kristofferson
I grew up a-dreamin' of bein' a cowboy,
Lovin' the cowboy ways.
Pursuin' the life of my high-ridin' heroes,
I burned up my childhood days.
I learned all the rules of the modern-day drifter,
Don't you hold on to nothin' too long.
Just take what you need from the ladies, then leave them,
With the words of a sad country song.
My heroes have always been cowboys.
And they still are, it seems.
Sadly, in search of, and one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams.
Cowboys are special with their own brand of misery,
From being alone too long.
You could die from the cold in the arms of a nightmare,
Knowin' well your best days are gone.
Pickin' up hookers instead of my pen,
I let the words of my youth fade away.
Old worn-out saddles, an 'old worn-out memories,
With no one and no place to stay.
My heroes have always been cowboys.
And they still are, it seems.
Sadly, in search of, and one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams. [Reply]
There once was a cat with a hungry belly
The name of the cat was Whiskers Jelly
His throat was dry and his bowl was bare
Meow me furry cats, meow
Soon may the kittyman come
With birds and mice and some tasty nums
One day when the critters come
We'll eat ’til our bellies are full
Well, Jelly got his boys and they gathered 'round
They scattered seeds from a sack they found
In hopes the seeds they spread on the ground
Will bring small critters aboot
Soon may the kittyman come
With birds and mice and some tasty nums
One day when the critters come
We'll eat ’til our bellies are full
Well the gang was bored and morale had dipped
'Til one of the seeds grew green catnip
They sniffed and they snacked and they all got ripped
They all had a meow that night
Soon may the kittyman come
With birds and mice and some tasty nums
One day when the critters come
We'll eat 'til our bellies are full
Well, their heads were hung when the morn was nigh
The nip was strong and they all got high
Their bellies were shrunk and their bowls still dry
Oh, bring us some mice today
Soon may the kittyman come
With birds and mice and some tasty nums
One day when the critters come
We'll eat 'til our bellies are full [Reply]
These lyrics always spoke deeply to me, they contain some profound truths...
Ninety thousand screaming watts
Honey dripping from her pot
Fill the cup to the top tonight
This deadly sin is all we know
Pleasure victim whos next to fall
The question is will you please us all tonight
Tonight tonight tonight
We need a lover tonight x 3
Stand tall and ring the bell
The final stroke sends you to hell
Take your body like a hammer and a nail
The taste of love it might be yours
Slide down my knees and taste my sword
Can you feel the power inside tonight
Tonight tonight tonight
We need a lover tonight x 3 [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
Somewhere Down in Texas - Jason Boland and The Stragglers
When I look south I see the storm clouds roll
On their way to Old Mexico
I don’t wanna be alone
And the rays of light through my Shiner Boch bottle
Make me wanna turn the key and put down the throttle
And get lost down 35
When I get tied down by the ties that bind
Seems like I'm never gonna find the time
To do what I need.
That's to find me a place where I can think
Talk about love, and laugh, and drink.
And there's someone there who cares.
Chorus:
Cause no matter how big the storms
I know I can find me a place that’s warm
The sun is shining somewhere in Texas
I hope it’s shining on her
Somewhere down in Texas
In a place that big a man could get lost
Never mind the time, forget about the cost
There’s more important things
She’s somewhere smiling north of San Antone
I’ve got her number but I stare at the phone
Cause I still want to believe
Chorus
To hell with horoscopes and empty dreams
To hell with Valentino and his cut off pair of jeans
Cause I know I can make it there
On a twelve pack and a prayer
Chorus
That one and Proud Souls are apex Boland IMO. I'm the first to admit I'm no connoisseur of songwriting, but I'll die on the hill that the writing of those 2 songs were REALLY good. Part of it might be his performances, but goddamn you could just feel the sorrow.
I know tear in your beer country gets a bad name but done right it hits like a hammer, and Proud Souls and Somewhere Down in Texas are prime examples. Not a wasted word, everything is moving the narrative forward and the storytelling is goddamned compelling.
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
Somewhere Down in Texas - Jason Boland and The Stragglers
When I look south I see the storm clouds roll
On their way to Old Mexico
I don’t wanna be alone
And the rays of light through my Shiner Boch bottle
Make me wanna turn the key and put down the throttle
And get lost down 35
When I get tied down by the ties that bind
Seems like I'm never gonna find the time
To do what I need.
That's to find me a place where I can think
Talk about love, and laugh, and drink.
And there's someone there who cares.
Chorus:
Cause no matter how big the storms
I know I can find me a place that’s warm
The sun is shining somewhere in Texas
I hope it’s shining on her
Somewhere down in Texas
In a place that big a man could get lost
Never mind the time, forget about the cost
There’s more important things
She’s somewhere smiling north of San Antone
I’ve got her number but I stare at the phone
Cause I still want to believe
Chorus
To hell with horoscopes and empty dreams
To hell with Valentino and his cut off pair of jeans
Cause I know I can make it there
On a twelve pack and a prayer
Chorus
Boland might be the best songwriter of the last 20 years in country music. [Reply]
You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again
Come, let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come, let me love you
Come love me again
Let me give my life to you
Come, let me love you
Come love me again
You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again [Reply]
John Denver was the first concert I ever attended. My Buddy Skip and I were juniors in HS and his dad was director of entertainment and food services for TWA in KC he got all kinds of concert tickets. We kinda made fun of John in school but it was a concert in the municipal auditorium. We couldn't drive yet so his dad dropped us off. Skip brought hash and weed lol unsure of the people at the concert we waited till the light went down and the pot wafted in the air so we lit up. We watched a great concert and Denver brought down the house never laughed at the man again. That was the beginning of a lot of concerts and drugs. That went on for many years till I was the last man standing all my friends had wives and kids. I grew up got a real job and gave up drugs. But man what a ride it was. [Reply]
What are some of the best lyrically written songs that you listen too? Great lyrics are just as big a part as good music to go along with it. Put them both together in a song and you've done something pretty damn awesome. Here are my first 2 entries, both songs are by Mike Pinto. He's an amazing lyricist, and his songs kick ass. Ok CP, what ya got?
Knocked up
Betty got knocked up,
while the husband was locked up,
baby was unplanned,
and the papa was a mailman.
it was a special delivery,
with no signs of chivalry,
a knock at the door,
and Betty got what she was looking for,
on the bathroom floor.
Spread her legs as her husband served a 5-to-10,
even embezzling money form the government,
well fuck the government.
Shes a sucker for a man in uniform,
hes a mother-fucker lyin' called her beautiful,
both were good and ready,
Betty got sweaty,
you could cut the tension with a dull machete.
Oh, Betty got locked up,
husband was locked up,
answers to the name of Xavier,
tryin' his best to get out on good behavior.
Meanwhile, Bettys got a child inside her,
no man, no man could be her provider, or stand beside her
The mailman ain't convinced one bit,
he just thinks that Betty needs a man around to babysit.
Well it was cool when he was all up in her,
but hes stickin' around cooking no ones dinner, well its
too bad, the love that they had
faded to fast, you know the mailman couldn't last too long
too long, so here I go with another fucking love song.
Well Betty thinks its time to go to court,
cuz she could really use the child support,
but from the start you know that Betty had the case won,
the mailman's gonna need a second occupation
OoOoh
Betty got knocked up, husband was locked up
baby was unplanned, papa was a mailman
special delivery, HA,
no signs of chivalry, HA,
knock at the door and Betty got what she was looking for,
Looking back at all these things in retrospect
shes wonder when her heart? Xavier's gonna wring her neck.
He's gonna wring her neck,
her neck, her neck! Ooh!
And late one night she got a call on the telephone,
thought it was Xavier with the news he was coming home
but no, it was the mailman on the Coastal Highway
he went postal, shot somebody!
He said goodbye and he drove his car into the ocean,
she shed no tear cuz in her heart she was hopin'
to pay a visit to her lover in stripes,
"Ya know the babys got the mailmans eyes?"
Ooh! Betty got knocked up!
Betty got knocked up, YEA! YEA! YEA!
Yes she did, yes she did, yes she did.
Ooh, Betty got knocked up.
Tricky Nicki
Tricky Nicky always ran around town
She’s the type of girl who'll turn your frown upside-down
Five fucking minutes in the sack and you’ll return
With a dozen roses and some weed to burn
Shit you think I’m babbling but Nicky’s always dabbling
With coke she’ll smoke your grass, toss your ass like a javelin
Before you get thrown here’s advice of my own
You better take out a mother-fucking loan
And it goes...
Tricky Nicky’s gonna spread her disease
Don’t bother to play the father. She can’t have no babies
She’ll take your money and she’ll take your Benz
And for a tab of ecstasy she’ll do you and a friend
What a shame, what a shame Tricky Nicky’s not the same
As she was before she got sucked in the cocaine game
The coke she’d steal would make her feel good for an hour or two
‘Til she woke up with her throat cut in a hospital room
Oh you’ll have to forgive me I have spoke too much
You see as my pen hits the paper my lips hit the Dutch
Well you know how that goes but lets continue to flow about
Poor old Tricky Nicky’s scenario
It was an emergency as she went under the knife
As doctors urgently tried to save Nicky’s life
There was a burglary and she was too high to fight
Cause she was staying with a dealer that she met that night
Woah...
[Solo]
Tricky Nicky always ran around town
She’s the type of bitch who'll turn your frown upside-down
Five fucking minutes in the sack and you’ll return
With a dozen roses and some weed to burn
Shit you think I’m lying but Nicky didn’t die
And the scar on her neck would only reflect the pain she keeps inside
So pass the story right on through
'Cause that is all that you can do
'Cause Tricky Nicky’s coming to a town near you
Nice! Back when I sold beer I did some promotions with Mike in San Diego. He is a great and humble guy. Fantastic performer. [Reply]
