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Great Songs With Great Lyrics

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moshkito View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 11:34
Hi,

Strange not to see Roy Harper here ... he has a lot of great things in his many albums. I specially like his late 70's and 80's period.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote beholdtheman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 11:29

..This became a really great discussion; very diverse. And some of your examples caused me to think of even more.....

JD...

Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in the air
About an age of power no one had an hour to spare
Where the seeds have withered, silent children shivered, in the cold

Now their faces captured in the lenses of the jackals for gold

ELP

 

..I like how the first and fourth lines have internal rhymes. Then the end of those lines, rhyme with the end of the following line. Is there a name for that type of rhyme pattern?

 

Sacro_Porgo...

Too many things, to respond to all of them. But now I want to go back and revisit some of the classic Genesis. And I also agree with "Wayward Son". That definitely deserves a mention.

 

cstack3...

You reminded me of a couple things, that I've always liked.

Long Distance Runaround..... Hot colour melting the anger to stone

The Teacher The Preacher..... Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time

I don't really have a specific interpretation for these. But I just like the beauty and the flow of the words. Do you have any specific interpretation for any of the verses you presented?

 

A Crimson Mellotron...

I also like Steve Wilson. I nearly referred to "Heart Attack In A Lay By" for the original post. That song always gets me. From there I would say anything from "In Absentia". All those songs are really well crafted.

 

Frenetic Zetetic...

It seems that you have a stronger than average appreciation for words and word craft. I saw "verslibre" in your post, and I had to find it in a dictionary. That opened me up to a new concept for writing lyrics. Also saw the word "amigious" in your post, but couldn't find that anywhere. Did you mean to say "ambiguous"? I have a lot of curiosity and interest in words and word craft. I have about 20 different dictionaries of varying complexity, to help me in that pursuit. If this is also an interest of yours, then maybe you could tell me more about it. If you want to.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Woon Deadn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 09:21
... the Soviet songs practically always had meaningful to highly meaningful lyrics. 

There was, for example, sort of Soviet "My Way" - the song Nadezhda (Hope) prominently performed by Muslim Magomayev: 



Here's the English translation: 

Btw, Mr. Magomayev performed My Way, too. 




Edited by Woon Deadn - September 15 2020 at 09:26
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Woon Deadn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 08:47
Since you've mentioned Bob Dylan, in the USSR the singers of that kind who wrote and sang what they wrote and played the acoustic guitar or so, were called bards - a pretty familiar word for us all, right? 

Soviet bards created many great lyrics. Sometimes even the melodies were memorable (though usually not). 

The most popular Soviet bard was Vladimir Vysotsky - there's a whole site of translations of his songs to various languages: https://wysotsky.com/ 

His notable tunes include: 

 



 

 

and like a hundred more ones. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 08:24
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

John Lennon - Imagine. Lyrics are outstanding. Also, Bob Dylan penned many great lyrics.

From a non-prog standpoint, I think you would also have to add Paul Simon to that trio. Lennon, Dylan and Simon were all outstanding.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 08:18
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

John Lennon - Imagine. Lyrics are outstanding. Also, Bob Dylan penned many great lyrics.

Bob Dylan I agree, but Imagine Confused I disagree...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 08:16
John Lennon - Imagine. Lyrics are outstanding. Also, Bob Dylan penned many great lyrics.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 07:39
The lyrics of Ian Anderson are superb. Witty, biting and literate. Not just anyone could write a full album satirization of medieval mystery and passion plays with allegorical asides, smatterings of Latin, references to obscure 15th century Everyman poems, and can rattle off a line such as:

And your little sister's immaculate virginity 
Wings away on the bony shoulders 
Of a young horse named George
Who stole surreptitiously 
Into her geography revision.
The examining body examined her body....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 06:27
Originally posted by Boboulo Boboulo wrote:

"I hope I die before I get old"
A Who quote? Yes, it is Svetonio!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mormegil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 05:28
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Anything by Rush. Smile

This.
Welcome to the middle of the film.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Boboulo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 03:27
Summer Song (in the Autumn)

Summer song in the autumn, for you didn't catch
the colour of the falling leaves.
So many words have been spoken which you
didn't understand and so couldn't believe.
And the song that you're humming is yesterday's tune -
Someone who you love is leaving you.
You walking in sunshine by the sea with gull crying overhead;
but now the skies are cloudy, and the love you had is dead.
And the water recedes from the farthest dunes -
Someone who you loved is leaving you.
You remember the happiness you had
as you laughed along in the sun
but now your eyes are coming dull,
there's a numbness on your tongue....
You look out at the water which is calling you
over the wind,
then you throw aside your handbag and slowly
walk right in.
And tomorrow you'll be in yesterday's news:
someone who you loved has left you

Peter Hammill
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 02:59
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

I consider Jon Anderson of Yes to be one of the greatest poets of the English language!  I put him up with great romantic poets like Shelley, Keats etc.  

TFTO has some of his greatest work, this is from "The Revealing Science of God" 

Dawn of light lying between
A silence and sold sources
Chased amid fusions of wonder
In moments hardly seen forgotten
Colored in pastures of chance
Dancing leaves cast spells of challenge
Amused but real in thought
We fled from the sea whole
Dawn of thought transferred through moments
Of days under searching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories
Disjointed but with purpose
Craving penetrations offer links
With the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air
A picture of distance
Dawn of our power we amuse
Re descending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as
To reveal passion chasing
Late into corners, and we danced from the ocean
Dawn of love sent within us
Colors of awakening among the many
Won't to follow, only tunes of a different age
As the links span our endless caresses
For the freedom of life everlasting.....


Clap!

I'm also a massive Jon Anderson mark, as it is. I'm one of the few that actually prefer his amigious, mystical rantings! There's lucidity in these words, I swear! Tongue.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A Crimson Mellotron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 01:38
I personally love Steven Wilson's lyrics, anything on the classic VDGG albums, Belew's lyrics are always interesting, and the cringeworthy gush you get from Dream Theater's!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A Crimson Mellotron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 15 2020 at 01:36
Originally posted by MortSahlFan MortSahlFan wrote:

Almost every Roger Waters-led Pink Floyd song... Certainly all of Meddle, Dark Side, WYWH, Animals, The Wall

I would add 'The Division Bell' also, sir. Has some fantastic lyrics.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Boboulo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 23:04
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Anything by Rush. Smile
Yep. Freewill is classic. XTC, Freak Kitchen, The Police/Sting, Steely Dan, Todd, and Big Big Train have great lyrics.
In addition, I would add Van der Graaf Generator / Peter Hammill. And of course, The Who / Pete Townshend.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 22:10
I consider Jon Anderson of Yes to be one of the greatest poets of the English language!  I put him up with great romantic poets like Shelley, Keats etc.  

TFTO has some of his greatest work, this is from "The Revealing Science of God" 

Dawn of light lying between
A silence and sold sources
Chased amid fusions of wonder
In moments hardly seen forgotten
Colored in pastures of chance
Dancing leaves cast spells of challenge
Amused but real in thought
We fled from the sea whole
Dawn of thought transferred through moments
Of days under searching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories
Disjointed but with purpose
Craving penetrations offer links
With the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air
A picture of distance
Dawn of our power we amuse
Re descending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as
To reveal passion chasing
Late into corners, and we danced from the ocean
Dawn of love sent within us
Colors of awakening among the many
Won't to follow, only tunes of a different age
As the links span our endless caresses
For the freedom of life everlasting.....

I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rushfan4 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 21:04
I know a lot of PAers think that they are cheesy, but I really enjoy Ayreon's albums for the lyrics and story telling.  Especially, The Human Equation. 

And of course, I am all for mentioning Rush.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 20:36
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Anything by Rush. Smile
Yep. Freewill is classic. XTC, Freak Kitchen, The Police/Sting, Steely Dan, Todd, and Big Big Train have great lyrics.

Also early Marillion. I prefer the H era of Marillion but don't pay to close attention to the lyrics. I think the lyrics were great in the Fish era though. Also, Echolyn.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 20:34
So much prog has a lot of lyrical beauty and mystique to offer. It would be a fool's task to try to account for it all. But of course there are some which invariably stand out. 

Peter Gabriel both in Genesis and as a solo artist is a master of lively storytelling and fantastic imagery. I point to Supper's Ready (of course) and Family Snapshot...and yeah In Your Eyes. Love that song.

Neil Peart is of course my favorite lyricist of all time. There's not much substantial to say about him that hasn't been said many times, so I'll just mention a couple creme de la creme lyrics: Entre Nous, Bravado, Marathon, 2112, and The Garden

Kerry Livgren of Kansas is particularly interesting in his lyrical dealings with faith, but otherwise another great lyricist. The Wall comes immediately to mind, as well as Portrait (He Knew), and of course Carry On Wayward Son.


Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2020 at 20:12
Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in the air
About an age of power no one had an hour to spare
Where the seeds have withered, silent children shivered, in the cold
Now their faces captured in the lenses of the jackals for gold

ELP
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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