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Points: 20071 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 03 2006 at 11:40
Originally posted by martinprog77 martinprog77 wrote:

''here she comes again,smiling like a horse'' or '' imay be a bit comfused,but my mindis as clear as ever.Im free as a ...FISH'' or ''id  rather be where the chicken farmers rum''.i love the flower kings but sometimes i ....LOLLOLLOLLOLLOL

Maybe she just had big teeth!
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Points: 6336 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 03 2006 at 12:41
Originally posted by king of Siam king of Siam wrote:

" I walk beside you
Wherever you are
Whatever it takes
No matter how far"
Pinch

DT has some reeaaaaaaaaaaally cheesy lyricds in their ballads... and that one is not even among the worst!

...what about the answer lies with you?Dead
"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Points: 10094 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 03 2006 at 23:57
Originally posted by el böthy el böthy wrote:

Originally posted by king of Siam king of Siam wrote:

" I walk beside you
Wherever you are
Whatever it takes
No matter how far"
Pinch

DT has some reeaaaaaaaaaaally cheesy lyricds in their ballads... and that one is not even among the worst!

...what about the answer lies with you?Dead


*ahem*

Thats alright Im okay
It happens every single day
Its all the same
But Im not blind

Its all about you not me
Its all about the things
That youre expecting me to be
Theres not enough time to live
And all that youre expecting me to give

Its all about you not me
Its all about you not me



Though Desmond Child partially wrote them, that has to be DT's worst song lyrically BY FAR (and musically almost)


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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2006 at 16:28
It has to be said, lyrics aren't the genre's strong point. That said, here are a few particular clunkers.

I agree wholeheartedly with that nonsensical Flower Kings track 'Elaine'- 'smiling like a horse'? That almost begs for a reply of 'don't fancy yours much mate'....

Greg Lake's classic 'Everyday a little sadder, madder, someone get me a ladder' is laughably poor. His 'Taste Of My Love' is full of poor double entendres that even David Coverdale would have demurred at!

Rick Wakeman is another regular in the hall of shame. His 'crocodile teeth, lizard's head, bloodshot eyes stained ocean red' screams of pompousness and preposterousness even by prog standards! The 'so they went and took the urine out of me' in the 'comedy' number 'The Breathalyser' is rather terrible too.

Talking of preposterous, I felt Genesis' 'Fireside Song' from their debut was way OTT- 'Once upon a time there was confusion, disappointment, fear and disillusion'. Sounds like 6th formers attempting songs (and I was one until a few months ago- I never attempted a song you'd be pleased to know) which of course, they were at the time.

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Points: 1494 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2006 at 18:09
"Little babies' eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes. Little babies' eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes. Little babies' eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes. Little babies' eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes."
Radiohead scores another masterpiece! A lot of Radiohead's lyrics from Kid A onward are terrible, actually. Especially on Amnesiac and Hail to the Theif. Another sampler "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon...[repeated 4 times]" "There are doors that lock
And doors that don't"

I think Thom had a stroke and forgot how to make words.
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Points: 433 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2006 at 20:52
Got no truck with the la-di-da
Keep my bread in an old fruit jar
Drive you out in a motor-car
Getting fat on your lucky star just making
Easy money.
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Points: 715 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2006 at 14:22
We can easily say Frank Zappa has the best lyrics in the whole prog genre.

So... Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream by KC, anyone?
My music!

"THE AUDIENCE WERE generally drugged. (In Holland, always)." - Robert Fripp
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Points: 2567 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2006 at 14:49
Originally posted by jplanet jplanet wrote:

The chorus on Asia's "One Step Closer":

"One step closer, much closer than before".

Ok, so if you take one step...and you find yourself MUCH closer to something, then it's safe to say that you weren't really very far away from it to begin with. Not that it's not worth singing about...but I mean, you'd figure that it would be a worthwhile accomplishment if you had to take many steps to get much closer...

ANYway...



Couldn't you just have a really big stride?
Bassists are deadly
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Points: 433 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2006 at 08:53
With little exception (Red), King Crimson had mostly crap lyrics.
 
"I'm gonna write a chorus!"
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Points: 89372 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2006 at 13:28
King Crimson are guilty of a lot of mediocre lyrics!

What on earth is a "one-hand clap"?

"I'm gonna learn my licks and play the bottle-neck slide" (or however it goes)

Argent... "hold your head up, hold you head up, hold you head up, hold your head high" (repeat however many times).

Even my beloved Peter Hammill is guilty...

Fishes can't fly
Fishes can't fly
Neither can I
Neither can I

Wink


Edited by Geck0 - November 06 2006 at 13:41
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Points: 588 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2006 at 13:33
Originally posted by billbuckner billbuckner wrote:

With little exception (Red), King Crimson had mostly crap lyrics.
 
"I'm gonna write a chorus!"


That was taking the piss out of overly commercial pop music...Confused
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2006 at 13:56
Somebody mentioned Jourmney to the Centre of the Earth, at least in that case Wakeman has the excuse of the plot, but in the case of the excellent No Earthly Connection (Musically) he has no excuse for the cheesy concept and lyrics:
 
 
Knowing,
Gift of music showing.
Gift of love to show me the way
to the little man.
Teaching the way for the little man.
Show the way the music stems from love.
Music of my soul.

Maker.
Let me meet my Maker.
Let me see the man
who will offer eternal life.
Show me the way to eternal life.
Reincarnete music of my soul.
Music of my soul.

Love, let love guide the way,
for man, to find his music.
Love, let music be love,
to guide man to his soul.
(Music of my soul).
 
Sorry Rick....-..the lyrics are CHEESY.
 
Iván


Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - November 06 2006 at 13:57
            
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Points: 5 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2006 at 13:50
I have heard very few prog bands with good lyrics. Dream theater has maybe the most terrible lyrics ever.

Lyrics for "Under the glass moon"

Edited by PieceOfKake - November 07 2006 at 13:56
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Points: 540 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2006 at 19:29
So see how long I can last
You can pretend that I don't exist for you
And I can laugh about it now
But I hated every minute
I was waiting for your email
And each day that you forgot to call
Just made me feel so low
So low
Christmas 1998
I tried to call
I just couldn't wait
And your message was out of date
So I left my voice on your machine
But you did not respond
OK OK OK you've won
You make me feel so low
So low

(feel so low by porcupine tree)
I forgive him because the music is too beautifull

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Points: 5296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2006 at 19:31
Umm, a lot of the lyrics in V by Spock's Beard are terribly cheesy (and terrible). Good thing the music is awesome.
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Points: 4981 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 08 2006 at 08:31
Originally posted by salmacis salmacis wrote:

It has to be said, lyrics aren't the genre's strong point. That said, here are a few particular clunkers.
 
That statement is untrue to such a large extent that it's hard to find a single word to put on it that will convey just how wrong it is.  Certainly, it has it's weak lyrical moments, but I have NEVER heard a pop song with amazing lyrics, a rap song with amazing lyrics, a country song with amazing lyrics, a straight rock song by a non-prog band with amazing lyrics, come to think of it, I've never heard a song by a non-prog band that was truly EXCELLENT lyrically.  Yes, there are a few songs out there that are good lyrically, and even some artists who were consistently good (and LARGE numbers of these are in proto-prog/prog related), but most of the truly great lyricists lie in Prog.
 
I will say it right now, in non-instrumental songs, lyrics are the most important part for me.  More important than the music, the vocals, it's the lyrics.  Granted, prog music is better than most other music for me because of its complexity, but the lyrics are what do it for me.  Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel, Peter Hamill, Ian Anderson, if you can find me a better lyricist than ANY of these outside of prog, I will be shocked.Shocked
 
Not many people in music could get inside the head of someone as well Hamill.  Not many people could tell a story like Gabriel.  Not many people could write Thick as a Brick.  Not many people could do political satire like Waters.
 
I am a better lyricist than almost anybody outside prog.  This is not to brag, as I don't consider it an accomplishment.  I will be truly proud of my abilities when I am (if ever) as good a lyricist as those four above.  All of whom, you might notice, are prog.
 
So to say that lyrics are prog's weak point is merely to criticize the lyrics of non-prog to death.
 
Other examples of great lyricists:
Peter Sinfield
Christian Vander
That Strawbs guy
That Rush guy
Gentle Giant's people when they were on form
Whoever was doing the most around Caravan's Grey and Pink
John Anderson when he's on form


Edited by inpraiseoffolly - November 08 2006 at 08:39
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 08 2006 at 14:54
There are exceptions to the rule of course, but I'd hardly have called most of Jon Anderson's lyrics 'great'. That's not to say that I don't like their mystical tweeness. But they don't make much sense!The fact that there are so many replies to this thread implies it's not only me that sees the weakness in the genre's lyrics at times. For me, the musicianship is far more important when it comes to prog. Not to say I don't like the lyrics, but does 'Thick As A Brick' REALLY mean that much??

But goodness- you haven't heard lyricists of any other genre that are excellent lyrically?? I'm very perturbed by that statement....People like Lennon/McCartney, Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman, Stevie Wonder etc. are better than almost anyone in prog for lyrics. You don't hear too many people singing the praises of stuff like 'craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp and tender love' the same way you do any of the above. And really, with good reason.
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Points: 4981 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 08 2006 at 16:43
Originally posted by salmacis salmacis wrote:

There are exceptions to the rule of course, but I'd hardly have called most of Jon Anderson's lyrics 'great'. That's not to say that I don't like their mystical tweeness. But they don't make much sense!The fact that there are so many replies to this thread implies it's not only me that sees the weakness in the genre's lyrics at times. For me, the musicianship is far more important when it comes to prog. Not to say I don't like the lyrics, but does 'Thick As A Brick' REALLY mean that much??

But goodness- you haven't heard lyricists of any other genre that are excellent lyrically?? I'm very perturbed by that statement....People like Lennon/McCartney, Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman, Stevie Wonder etc. are better than almost anyone in prog for lyrics. You don't hear too many people singing the praises of stuff like 'craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp and tender love' the same way you do any of the above. And really, with good reason.
 
You note Lennon/McCartney who is Proto-prog, I believe, which I specifically mentioned as a source of good lyricists, though it you look at Beatle's lyrics, they often aren't that good (and often not very original, as half are on the same subject, really...)
 
I will read some of the works of the other lryicists you noted, and see what I think...
 
EDIT:
 
Bob Dylan:
Pros - very well written on occasion, not all on same subject, broke past the love song, often political (on issues that matter!Clap)
Cons - too much weak material, not as much imagery as I would like, too narrative
 
Verdict: good, belongs in my list of lyricists who are not the best, but who are good (the sidenote of my earlier post)
 
Neil Young:
Pros - better imagery than Dylan, often quite political (ClapClapClapClapClap)
Cons - some lines feel like they are there only to rhyme, a lot of it is weak
 
Verdict: even better than Dylan, but has written too many sets of bad lyrics to earn a spot in my best lyricists list, in the same one as Dylan
 
I'll look at the others later.


Edited by inpraiseoffolly - November 08 2006 at 17:12
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Points: 4981 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 08 2006 at 17:14
Also, you say that the number of posts here shows just how bad prog generally is lyrically, when, in reality, you would get just as many or more for any other genre (at least from me, but I hope from everybody else as well).
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