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Your positive experiences with lyrics?
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David_D View Drop Down
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Points: 13530 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 17 2023 at 12:08

So, some lyrics give you a lot to think about, Prophesy, and especially Peter Hammill's. Some of his lyrics may also very well 
be those I'm most fond of myself.







Edited by David_D - April 17 2023 at 12:24
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I prophesy disaster View Drop Down
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Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

So, some lyrics give you a lot to think about, Prophesy, and especially Peter Hammill's. Some of his lyrics may also very well be those I'm most fond of myself.
 
There is one other Peter Hammill (VdGG) lyric that I should mention:
 
"I prophesy disaster and then I count the cost... I shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am almost lost."
 
This lyric comes from "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Before the phrase "I prophesy disaster" became my username, it was the name of a VdGG compilation album I had. This compilation album was one of the first CDs I purchased during the '90s, and my second VdGG CD (after "H to He, Who am the Only One", which I purchased because I had worn out my LP). At this stage, I had most VdGG albums on vinyl, but did not have "The Aerosol Grey Machine" or "Vital", and "I Prophesy Disaster" had a number of tracks I didn't already have. I eventually got "The Aerosol Grey Machine" and "Vital", but "I Prophesy Disaster" was a good album to have while my VdGG collection was incomplete. It could be said that my username came from the name of the compilation album more so than from the lyric in "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Even so, that lyric from "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" was considered significant enough to name a compilation album after it, and I agree.
 
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Points: 3895 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2023 at 06:11
I agree with grumpyprogfan with Rush and Kansas offering some good perspectives and motivation. Working two jobs and busting my ass these days, Ronnie James Dio never misses, Man On The Silver Mountain has been my theme song as of late. Totally outside the realm of prog. I think Death has some really cool messages in their music. All Things Must Pass has some really positive messages that can relax and recenter a difficult day.

The Wall by Kansas start to finish is a great frame of reference for me. And honestly, not prime Kansas but I think of the line from Hold On often, "Hold on, cause it's closer than you think, and you're standing on the brink. Hold on- cause there's something on the way, your tomorrows not the same as today.

And honestly, many of my favorite Rush lyrics come from the 80s Grace/Power Windows era. Even though much of it is on the nose cheese, I love Marathon, Manhattan Project, Grand Designs and the likes

I think most of all, the song Think of Me With Kindness by Gentle Giant has had one of the most profound lyrical impacts of me. The perfect song to mark the end of a relationship that just didn't work out, or the growing apart/parting of an old friend. I Think of You by Renaissance is a good sort of contrast to this.


Edited by dougmcauliffe - April 18 2023 at 06:22
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David_D View Drop Down
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Points: 13530 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2023 at 08:28
Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

So, some lyrics give you a lot to think about, Prophesy, and especially Peter Hammill's. Some of his lyrics may also very well 
be those I'm most fond of myself.

But I have also to say that I like much lyrics from a lot of other artists, and that can be for different reasons, and always 
together with the specific sonic parts of the music.



Edited by David_D - April 18 2023 at 08:51
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I have to fully agree with this take. After doing a full song analysis on 'Time' I was re-introduced to the weight of this LP. The lyrics on this album completely changed my world view at the time and I have never been the same since. It's really sad to see possibly the greatest progers of the past like Roger and David in such turmoil. 
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AJ Junior View Drop Down
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Points: 213 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AJ Junior Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2023 at 11:50
I've seen a lot of great picks on this thread, and my top lyricists and band lyrics would probably be Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Rush, Kansas, and definitely Steely Dan. Each of these bands has a different lyrical style with some being more closely related to each other. Rush and Kansas typically tend to appeal to the taste of the common man and rock much harder while a band like Supertramp can deliver deep conceptual lyrics with softer instruments like the fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer along with Hogson's melancholy voice. My personal favorite type of lyrics though is the pessimistic styles of PF and Steely Dan (the latter of which probably being my all time favorite lyrical band). The lyrics of all of these bands truly changed me as a person. 
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Points: 10145 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2023 at 13:38
^Steely Dan for sure. Excerpt from "Deacon Blues"

"This is the night of the expanding man
I take one last drag as I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be"
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Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

I think most of all, the song Think of Me With Kindness by Gentle Giant has had one of the most profound lyrical impacts of me. The perfect song to mark the end of a relationship that just didn't work out, or the growing apart/parting of an old friend. I Think of You by Renaissance is a good sort of contrast to this.
I can relate to this last part A LOT. When lyrics actually started to mean something to me in college, this song (as well as The Song Is Over by The Who) opened to the door to that realization. 

Also, good to see you on the fora again Doug! I missed your input. I see those jobs be keepin ya busy.
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Points: 13431 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote octopus-4 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 19 2023 at 07:31
The guy who was one of the best lyricists ever is unfortunately Italian. I mean Fabrizio De Andre'. In the same legacy I'd put Leonard Cohen
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Points: 25 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DangHeck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 23 2023 at 11:57
Most recently, I finally listened to Hellfire by Black Midi, released last year, and I think that Geordie Greep's insane monologuing is just getting more and more interesting. I like abstract imagery for sure, whether it's from the esoteric or the psychedelic, it doesn't matter all that much to me.

In another way, I am charmed by inuendo, like with classic Psych Rock being about getting blasted on psychedelics (and weed), so that's always fun.

I lastly thought about more specifically tongue-in-cheek lyrics, like the pissy content of AWATS by Todd Rundgren. So, whether it's really rich lyrical content, painting a picture, or silly, snide lyrics, I'll take it gladly.
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Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

^Steely Dan for sure. Excerpt from "Deacon Blues"

"This is the night of the expanding man
I take one last drag as I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be"

This has definitely caused a chill, time to time. Smile
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Points: 12788 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 23 2023 at 14:34
I would say Ian Anderson and Peter Gabriel are exceptional lyricists, probably two of the most literate songsmiths in the prog canon.  
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Still by Peter Sinfield. I remember reading an interview with him in which the interviewer mentioned that there seemed to be some "digs at Fripp" nestled in the lyrics, and that Great Deceiver may have been a "tit-for-tat."

Interviewer clearly was not familiar with the status of Crimson's lyrical duties in 1973.

Anyway, when I finally listened to Still, I was on high alert for said digs at Fripp, and found quite a treasure trove of them in Envelopes of Yesterday:
 
"To eat, it seems, I needed you for crumbs your need was me"

I am unsure where in this sentence Sinfield intended to put the comma, but it's a wonderful double meaning ("I needed you for crumbs, your need was me" versus "I needed you, for crumbs your need was me" -- which one of them needed the crumbs?) with a bit of meaningful imagery thrown in there, crumbs being small amounts of bread, and bread being money -- very Sinfieldian (does anyone say that other than me? LOL)


"We cheered and passed the sanguine flask till the ice man made me see"

Sanguine: a shade of red, and an adjective meaning confident or hopeful. Ice man? Sounds like Fripp.


"Don't blame me if my smoke and steam obscured your rutted track,
 I only meant to startle you not offer you my back
 To ride upon and overload with your jars of unbaked clay.
 You can find your guide to the pulpit ride
 in the dreary envelopes of yesterday."

Whether this is talking about Fripp or not, it's a fine example of Sinfield: King of the Circuitous and Metaphor-Strewn Insult! Big smile


Envelopes of Yesterday also has a line about boobs (which Sinfield manages to also make a metaphor), a line which I will invariably forget about while trying to introduce Sinfield-solo to mixed company... Confused


Edited by yes-no-and-why - May 30 2023 at 01:33
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Nice post, yes-no-and-why, and my welcome to you on the PA forum. Smile 
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"Lose your mind responsibly" LOL
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Originally posted by I prophesy disaster I prophesy disaster wrote:

Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

So, some lyrics give you a lot to think about, Prophesy, and especially Peter Hammill's. Some of his lyrics may also very well be those I'm most fond of myself.
 
There is one other Peter Hammill (VdGG) lyric that I should mention:
 
"I prophesy disaster and then I count the cost... I shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am almost lost."
 ...

Hi,

... where do the actors go, after the show? ...
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Music in of itself can move me, and poetry can move me, but when the two are combined in a cohesive way, it can move me to tears. One of my main issues with some of Yes' music is that I have a hard time understanding and interpreting the lyrics, to the point where it almost feels arbitrary. Sometimes the music reflects that.

The other day I was taking a walk and listening to one of my favorite songs of all time, "Never the Same" by Echolyn. The song is about the loss of a loved one and what grief feels like. I have a hard time listening to that song without getting emotional. Though I've never experienced grief, I can sympathize with the lyrics.

"After the song is over
The dance goes on, so dance away
When all is said and done
Remember what's been given, not taken away"
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I love Subsignal's lyrics, and thusly some of Sieges Even's, because they're beautiful, but I often have no idea how to decipher them outside of some obvious examples.
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