Favorite Song Lyrics

[FloridaRob]

showing my age but it is a classic-I want it sung at my funeral

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Guy Clark: Ramblin' Jack And Mahan

Ol' Mahan crawled out from behind a couch and said:
"Jack, as far as I can see,
Mistakes are only horses in disguise
Ain’t no need to ride 'em over
'cause we could not ride them different if we tried.

Chorus:
Stayin' up all night,
In the Driskill Hotel.
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan.
Was cowboyed all to hell.
The room smelled like bulls.
The words sound like songs.
Now there's a pair to draw to boys,
I would not steer you wrong.

Jerry Jeff Walker: Women In Texas

I found a woman in Texas,
Who liked what she saw in me
Yeah, I found a lady,
Who figures that maybe,
There might be a chance for me
Who a lady who,
Is showing me the things
True love can do

She's a woman I love her,
I put none above her,
She's right for me
And none of the others,
Could ever discover,
What lifts me when I'm feeling blue
She knows my moods,
Her love is true blue,
And she loves me too

 

[Wimbo]

Here's a couple from my "newer music" files:

Vindicated - Dashboard Confessional

Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye

And roped me in
So, mesmerizing,and so hypnotizing,
I am captivated,I am

{Chorus}
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

So clear
Like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me
So isolated,and so motivated
I am certain now that I am

{Chorus}

So turn
up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment fall forever

Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I'll be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip against the current
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away

{Chorus}

Slight hope
dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...



Superman - Five for Fighting

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird
I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
And it's not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
'Bout a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd
But don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed
But won't you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it's not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
Well it's alright
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy or anything

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me, inside of me
Inside of me, yeah inside of me, inside of me

I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
I'm only a man looking for a dream
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
And it's not easy…
It's not easy to be me

 

[AbeBeta]

Ok - you Texans, I gave you a chance to give a shout out to one of your finest native song writers. Funny how the guy from California has to point these things out. (Yes, his family is who the county is named after).

Flyin' Shoes By Townes Van Zandt

Days full of rain
Skys comin down again
I get so tired
Of these same old blues
Same old song
Baby, it wont be long
fore I be tyin on
My flyin shoes
Flyin shoes
Till I be tyin on
My flyin shoes

Spring only sighed
Summer had to be satisfied
Fall is a feelin that I just cant lose.
Id like to stay
Maybe watch a winter day
Turn the green water
To white and blue
Flyin shoes
Flyin shoes
Till I be tyin on
My flyin shoes

The mountain moon
Forever sets too soon
Bein alone is all the hills can do
Alone and then
Her silver sails again
And they will follow
In their flyin shoes
Flyin shoes
They will follow in their
Flyin shoes

Days full of rain
Skys comin down again
I get so tired
Of the same old blues
Same old song
Baby, it wont be long
Till I be tyin on
My flyin shoes
Flyin shoes
Till I be tyin on
My flyin shoes

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Ok - you Texans, I gave you a chance to give a shout out to one of your finest native song writers.

Not his song, but one of my top 5 TVZ covers.


From his "No Deeper Blue" album, "Marie". Probably my fav TVZ song.

Crazy footnote on him. He was being groomed from an early age to be a future Texas Governor.

 

[Hostile]

Those of you who profess to hate country music miss out on some great lyrics. Like Chris Ledoux's "This Old Cowboy's Hat."



(Spoken) Well there's always been groups of people that could never see eye to eye... an' I always thought if they'd get the chance to sit down and talk face to face they might realize they got a lot in common.....

Well I was sittin' in a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time.
Swappin' rodeo stories with this ole cowboy friend of mine.
When some motor-cycle riders started snickerin' in the back
started pokin' fun at my friend's hat.

One ole boy said hey Tex, where'd you park your horse.
My friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be ingnored.
One husky fellow said, I think I'll rip that hat right off your head.
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said.....
You'll ride a black tornado, cross't the western sky
Rope an ole blue norther and milk it till it's dry
Bull dawg the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboy's hat....

Now partner, this ole hat is better left alone,
She used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on.
My nephew skinned the Rattler that makes up this ole hatband,
But back in 69 he died in Viet_Nam
Now the eagle feather was given to me by an indian friend of mine
But someone ran him down somewheres round that Arizona line
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin
But I don't know if I'll ever see her again.

You'll ride a black tornado, cross't the western sky
Rope an ole blue norther and Milk it till it's dry
Bull dawg the Mississippi pin it's ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboy's hat

Now if your leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me
Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be.
But if you still think it's funny, man, you got my back up against the wall.
And if you touch my hat, your gonna have to fight us all...
Well, right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leaders eyes,
And he turned back t'wards the others and they all just sorta shuffled on outside

But when my friend turned back t'wards me, I noticed his old hat brim
Well it was turned up.. in a big ole texas grin
You'll ride a black tornado cross't the western skies
Rope an ole blue norther, milk it till it's dry
Bull dawg the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.

 

[jterrell]

I have a few... and a wide and varied taste in music... but this also shows my age.

Garth Brooks
Friends in Low Places

Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one
You thought you'd see there
And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said, honey, we may be through
But you'll never hear me complain

'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places

Well, I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
Everything's all right
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door
Hey, I didn't mean
To cause a big scene
Just give me an hour and then
Well, I'll be as high
As that ivory tower
That you're livin' in

'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places

3rd Verse:
I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
And everything is alright
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door
I didn't mean to cause a big scene
Just wait 'til I finish this glass
Then sweet little lady
I'll head back to the bar
And you can kiss my ***


Led Zepplien--Black Dog.. I like a lot of Zeppelin.

Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, cant keep away.

*ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah., ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.

I gotta roll, cant stand still,
Got a flame in my heart, cant get my fill,
Eyes that shine burning red,
Dreams of you all thru my head.
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.

Hey, baby, oh, baby, pretty baby,
Tell me what you do me now.


Didnt take too long fore I found out
What people mean my down and out.
Spent my money, took my car,
Started tellin her friends she wants to be a star.
I dont know but I been told
A big legged woman aint got no soul.


All I ask for when I pray,
Steady rollin woman gonna come my way.
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
And tell me no lies, make me a happy man.

Public Enemy

Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos(hopefully i caught all the necessary edits)

I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me given' a dammm - I said never
Here is a land that never gave a dammm
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...
It occured to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out - but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun - to be another one
Public enemy servin' time - they drew the line y'all
To criticize me some crime - never the less
They could not understand that I'm a Black man
And I could never be a veteran
On the strength, the situation's unreal
I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel

They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin'
Tellin' you what happened the same time they're throwin'
4 of us packed in a cell like slaves - oh well
The same mothertrucker got us livin' is his hell
You have to realize - what its a form of slavery
Organized under a swarm of devils
Straight up - word'em up on the level
The reasons are several, most of them federal
Here is my plan anyway and I say
I got gusto, but only some I can trust - yo
Some do a bid from 1 to 10
And I never did, and plus I never been
I'm on a tier where no tears should ever fall
Cell block and locked - I never clock it y'all
'Cause time and time again time
They got me servin' to those and to them
I'm not a citizen
But ever when I catch a C-O
Sleepin' on the job - my plan is on go-ahead
On the strength, I'ma tell you the deal
I got nothin' to lose
'Cause I'm goin' for the steel

You know I caught a C-O
Fallin' asleep on death row
I grabbed his gun - then he did what I said so
And everyman's got served
Along with the time they served
Decency was deserved
To understand my demands
I gave a warnin' - I wanted the governor, y'all
And plus the warden to know
That I was innocent -
Because I'm militant
Posing a threat, you bet it's muckin' up the government
My plan said I had to get out and break north
Just like with Oliver's neck
I had to get off - my boys had the feds in check
They couldn't do nuthin'
We had a force to instigate a prison riot
This is what it takes for peace
So I just took the piece
Black for Black inside time to cut the leash
Freedom to get out - to the ghetto - no sell out
6 C-Os we got we ought to put their head out
But I'll give 'em a chance, cause I'm civilized
As for the rest of the world, they can't realize
A cell is hell - I'm a rebel so I rebel
Between bars, got me thinkin' like an animal
Got a woman C-O to call me a copter
She tried to get away, and I popped her
Twice, right
Now who wanna get nice?
I had 6 C-Os, now it's 5 to go
And I'm serious - call me delirious
But I'm still a captive
I gotta rap this
Time to break as time grows intense
I got the steel in my right hand
Now I'm lookin' for the fence

I ventured into the courtyard
Followed by 52 brothers
Bruised, battered, and scarred but hard
Goin' out with a bang
Ready to bang out
But power from the sky
And from the tower shots rang out
A high number of dose - yes
And some came close
Figure I trigger my steel
Stand and hold my post
This is what I mean - an anti-nig... machine
If I come out alive and then they won't - come clean
And then I threw up my steel bullets - flew up
Blew up, who shot...
What, who, the bazooka was who
And to my rescue, it was the S1Ws
Secured my getaway, so I just gotaway
The joint broke, from the black smoke
Then they saw it was rougher thatn the average bluffer
'Cause the steel was black, the attitude exact
Now the chase is on tellin' you to c'mon
53 brothers on the run, and we are gone

 

[Faerluna]

Lover, You Should Have Come Over
by Jeff Buckley


Looking out the door
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water

Maybe I'm too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight, you're on my mind so
You never know

Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight?
Child, you know how much I need it.
Too young to hold on
And too old to just break free and run

Sometimes a man gets carried away,
When he feels like he should be having his fun
Much too blind to see the damage he's done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that, really,
He has no-one...

So I'll wait for you... And I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return?
Oh, will I ever learn?
Oh, Lover, you should've come over
Cause it's not too late.

Lonely is the room the bed is made
The open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep
That won't ever come
It's never over,
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over,
all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her...
It's never over,
All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter...
It's never over,
She's a tear that hangs inside my soul forever...

But maybe I'm just too young to keep good love
From going wrong
Oh... lover you should've come over...

Yes, and I feel too young to hold on
I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind
To see the damage I've done
Sweet lover, you should've come over
Oh, love, well I'll wait for you
Lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late.

 

[Duane]

Lover, You Should Have Come Over
by Jeff Buckley

His song Grace is one of my all time favorites and always gives me chills when I hear it.

 

[5Stars]

Here is an old song that is full of hook, story, payoff...a must read! Sounds like it was written for me...

:laugh2:


IM GONNA HIRE A WINO TO DECORATE OUR HOME

Verse:
I came crawlin' home last night
Like many nights before
I finally made it to my feet
As she opened up the door
And she said, "You're not gonna do this anymore."
She said:

Chorus:
I'm gonna hire a Wino to decorate our home
so you'll feel more at ease here and you won't have to roam
We'll take out the dining room table
Put a bar along the wall
And a neon sign will point the way
To our bathroom down the hall.

Verse:
She said: Just bring those Friday paychecks
And I'll cash em all right here
'N I'll keep on tap for all your friends
Their favorite kind of beer
And for you I will always keep in stock
Those soft aluminum cans
And when you're feelin' macho
You can crush em like a man.

Verse:
She said: We'll rip out all the carpet
And put sawdust on the floor
Serve hard boiled eggs 'n pretzels
And I won't cook no more
There'll be Monday Night Football
On TV above the bar
And a pay phone in the hallway
When your friends can't find their car.

(repeat chorus)

Verse:
She said: You'll get friendly service
And for added atmosphere
I'll slip on something sexy
And cut it clear to here
The you can slap my bottom
Everytime you tell a joke
Just as long as you keep on tippin'
Well, I'll laugh until you're broke.

Verse:
She said: Instead of a family quarrel
We'll have a barroom brawl
When the Hamms' bear say's it's closin' time
You won't have far to crawl
And when you run out of money
Then you'll have me to thank
You can sleep it off the next morning
While I'm puttin' it in the bank
She said:

Chorus:
I'm gonna hire a wino to decorate our home
So you'll feel more at ease here
And you won't need to roam
Then when you and your friends get off from work
And you have a powerful thirst
Well, there won't be any reason why
You can't stop off here first.


:laugh2:

Now that is my kind of woman!!

 

[Yeagermeister]

Another favorite of mine

Margaritaville

Nibblin' on sponge cake,
watchin' the sun bake;
All of those tourists covered with oil.
Strummin' my six string on my front porch swing.
Smell those shrimp--
They're beginnin' to boil.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know it's nobody's fault.

Don't know the reason,
Stayed here all season
With nothing to show but this brand new tatoo.
But it's a real beauty,
A Mexican cutie, how it got here
I haven't a clue.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
Now I think,-- hell it could be my fault.

I blew out my flip flop,
Stepped on a pop top;
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home.
But there's booze in the blender,
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know, it's my own damn fault.
Yes, and some people claim that there's a woman to blame, And I know it's my own damn fault.

 

[bbwlover]

Anything by Morrissey... the Smiths

 

[DallasFanSince86]

Garth Brooks
Friends in Low Places

Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one
You thought you'd see there
And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said, honey, we may be through
But you'll never hear me complain

'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places

Well, I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
Everything's all right
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door
Hey, I didn't mean
To cause a big scene
Just give me an hour and then
Well, I'll be as high
As that ivory tower
That you're livin' in

'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places

3rd Verse:
I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
And everything is alright
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door
I didn't mean to cause a big scene
Just wait 'til I finish this glass
Then sweet little lady
I'll head back to the bar
And you can kiss my ***

One of my favorite songs. Actually, I like every song Garth has had.

 

[Sasquatch]

Desert loving in your eyes all the way.
If I listened to your lies would you say
I'm a man (a man) without conviction,
I'm a man (a man) who doesn't know
how to sell (to sell) a contradiction.
You come and go, you come and go.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Didn't hear your wicked words every day
and you used to be so sweet, I heard you say
that my love (my love) was an addiction.
When we cling (we cling) our love is strong.
When you go (you go) you're gone forever.
You string along, you string along.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Every day is like survival (sur-vi-val),
you're my lover (you're my lover), not my rival.
Every day is like survival (sur-vi-val),
you're my lover (you're my lover), not my rival.

I'm a man (a man) without conviction,
I'm a man (a man) who doesn't know
how to sell (to sell) a contradiction.
You come and go, you come and go.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,
you come and go, you come and go.
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,
red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon
You come and go....

Since you like Culture Club so much .... enjoy. :laugh2:

LINK

 

[QT]

And I'm never gonna dance again;
Guilty feet has got no rhythm...

 

[AbeBeta]

And I'm never gonna dance again;
Guilty feet has got no rhythm...

Despite myself, I love that song.

In HS, I was being driven with 5 or 6 friends by a friend's brother -- we were in the back of his truck -- we couldn't hear the music but we could hear him singing his a** off to that song - he had the line above right but seemed to be making up his own lyrics to the rest. Also, he kept singing it for like 20 minutes, well after the tune must have been over. That'll burn something in your brain permanent-like. Awesome.

 

[AbeBeta]

So here's one for you. I don't know how many of you know the songwritee Elliott Smith. He's often noted as the best songwriter of his generation - and regularly compared to John Lennon. Smith committed suicide in 2003, leaving behind a beautiful (and very listenable) body of music. Some folks may recognize his name from Good Will Hunting, where his songs were used extensively.

Here's my favorite of his songs.

Elliott Smith - The Biggest Lie

I'm waiting for the train
Subway that only goes one way
The stupid thing that'll come to pull us apart
And make everybody late
You spent everything you had
Wanted everything to stop that bad
Now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith -
Not the name that you called me with
You turned white like a saint
I'm tired of dancing on a pot of gold-flaked paint
Oh we're so very precious, you and I
And everything that you do makes me want to die
Oh I just told the biggest lie
I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie

 

[AbeBeta]

Here's a more mainstream one for ya.

I think Bruce is a freaking amazing songwriter but I sometimes hate how his band plays behind him. The lack of musical creativity is maddening and often does a diservice to his lyrics.

Born To Run

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
girl I want to know if love is real

Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss

The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
but there's no place left to hide
Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday girl I don't know when
we're gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go
and we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
baby we were born to run

 

[jem88]

A sample of Dylan's genius:

Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying.

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool's gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proves to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.

Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover
That you'd just be
One more person crying.

So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.

As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.

An' though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.

Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.

You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.

A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not fergit
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.

Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.

For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God bless him.

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in.

But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him.

Old lady judges watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.

While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.

My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me?

And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.

 

[jem88]

Elvis Costello has a wealth of great lyrics to choose from:

a sample from Two Little Hitlers:

Dial me a valentine
She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated
She's got a calculator
She's my soft touch typewriter
And I'm the great dictator