Favourite Song lyrics

Jesus, this is good…


‘Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner’ - Warren Zevon

Roland was a warrior
From the Land of the Midnight Sun
With a Thompson Gun for hire
Fighting to be done
The deal was made in Denmark
On a dark and stormy day
So he set out for Biafra
To join the bloody fray

Through '66 and 7
They fought the Congo War
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
The days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their Knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese

Roland the Thompson Gunner
Roland the Thompson Gunner

His comrades fought beside him
Van Owen and the rest
But of all the Thompson Gunners
Roland was the best
So the CIA decided
They wanted Roland dead
That son-of-a-bitch Van Owen
Blew off Roland’s Head

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Time Time Time for another week of war
Norway’s bravest son
Time stands still for Roland til he evens up the score
They can still see his headless body
Stalking through the night
In the muzzle flash of Roland’s Thompson Gun
In the muzzle flash of Roland’s Thompson Gun

Roland searched the continent
For the man who’d done him in
He found him in Mombassa
In a bar room drinkin’ Gin
Roland aimed his Thompson Gun
He didn’t say a word
But he blew Van Owen’s body
From there to Johanasburg.

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Talkin about the man
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

The eternal Thompson Gunner
Still wanderin through the night
Now it’s ten years later
But he still keeps up the fight
In Ireland, In Lebanon
In Palastine and Berkley
Patty Hurst
Heard the burst
Of Roland’s Thompson Gun
And bought it.

2 Likes

‘Lawless Avenues’ - Jackson Browne

Papa hit him, Mama kissed him
Made him go to Catechism
With the sisters in their black and white
And all the time those city streets
Were teaching him another kind of wisdom
When to run and when to fight
Up at the playground after school
Listening to tales of the prison system
And those lawless avenues

Dawn on a half darkened street
A child’s footsteps repeat
And something there turns them
Down those lawless avenues

Silent Joe went down so bad
He was the strongest fighter the avenues had
Stabbed in the chest–he went down swinging
Someone from some other part of town
No one even seen it coming down
And you don’t hear no church bells ringing
And in the violent night the police light
Sweeps across the lots and the yards
Following those lawless avenues

Down on a half darkened street
Armies advance and retreat
And struggle to take control
From those lawless avenues

Manuelito’s sister Rosa
Ran away with a surfer from Hermosa
Manuel Ito, cuida a Rosa,
Hay mira como estan las cosas!
(Manuelito take care of Rosa
–Look at how things are)

But who could blame her after she saw
Every boy die who could have gotten close to her
Rosa es joven u solo quiere
ver la belleza del mundo
(Rosa is young and only wants
To see the beauty of the world)

Manuel said–
“You gotta fight for what you want in this life”
Just before they shipped him overseas to 'Nam
Otra guerra sin razon
Otra guerra sin fin, sin honor
(Another war without reason,
Another war without end, without honor)

And she was fighting to understand
When they shipped Manuelito’s body home
All she heard was one more shot
Echoing down lawless avenues

Hoy amigo, tal igual como ayer,
La lucha en el barrio no cambia
Nuestros hijos son los que han de crecer
Por ley de la calle, viviendo entre abrazos
Y chingazos
(Today my friend, just like yesterday,
The struggle in the barrio doesn’t change.
Our children are the ones to grow up
By the law of the street
Living between hugs and blows)

Down on a half darkened street
Fathers’ and sons’ lives repeat
And something there turns them
Down those lawless avenues

En el calor de la calle
(In the heat of the street)
Buscan valor en la calle
(Looking for valor in the street)
Hasta final de la calle
(Till the end of the street)


“Uncle Son” - The Kinks

He was just a workin’ man,
Simple rules and simple plans,
Fancy words he didn’t understand,
He loved with his heart,
He worked with his hands.

Liberals dream of equal rights,
Conservatives live in a world gone by,
Socialists preach of a promised land,
But old Uncle Son was an ordinary man.

Bless you Uncle Son,
They won’t forget you when the revolution comes.

Unionists tell you when to strike,
Generals tell you when to fight,
Preachers teach you wrong from right,
They’ll feed you when you’re born,
And use you all your life.

Bless you Uncle Son,
They won’t forget you when the revolution comes.

1 Like

“Counting Out Time” - Genesis

I’m counting out time,
Got the whole thing down by numbers.
All those numbers!
Give me guidance!
O Lord I need that now.

The day of judgement’s come,
And you can bet that I’ve been resting,
for this testing,
Digesting every word the experts say.
Erogenous zones I love you.
Without you, what would a poor boy do?

Found a girl I wanted to date,
Thought I’d better get it straight.
Went to buy a book before it’s too late.
Don’t leave nothing to fate.
And I have studied every line, every page in the book,
And now I’ve got the real thing here, I’m gonna take a look, take a look.

This is Rael!

I’m counting out time, hoping it goes like I planned it,
'cos I understand it. Look! I’ve found the hotspots, Figs 1-9.
-still counting out time, got my finger on the button,
“Don’t say nuttin-just lie there still
And I’ll get you turned on just fine.”
Erongenous zones I love you.
Without you, what would a poor boy do?

Touch and go with 1-6.
Bit of trouble in zone No. 7.
Gotta remember all of my tricks.
There’s heaven ahead in No. 11!
Getting crucial responses with dialation of the pupils.
“Honey get hip! It’s time to unzip, to unzip. Whipee!”
-Move over Casanova-

I’m counting out time, reaction none to happy,
Please don’t slap me,
I’m a red blooded male and the book said I could not fail.
I’m counting out time, I got unexpected distress from my mistress,
I’ll get my money back from the bookstore right away.
Erongenous zones I question you-
Without you, what would a poor boy do?
Without you, mankind handkinds thru’ the blues.

1 Like

“For Everyman” - Jackson Browne

Everybody I talk to is ready to leave
With the light of the morning
They’ve seen the end coming down long enough to believe
That they’ve heard their last warning
Standing alone
Each has his own ticket in his hand
And as the evening descends
I sit thinking 'bout Everyman

Seems like I’ve always been looking for some other place
To get it together
Where with a few of my friends I could give up the race
And maybe find something better
But all my fine dreams
Well thought out schemes to gain the motherland
Have all eventually come down to waiting for Everyman

Waiting here for Everyman-
Make it on your own if you think you can
If you see somewhere to go I understand
Waiting here for Everyman-
Don’t ask me if he’ll show - baby I don’t know

Make it on your own if you think you can
Somewhere later on you’ll have to take a stand
Then you’re going to need a hand

Everybody’s just waiting to hear from the one
Who can give them the answers
And lead them back to that place in the warmth of the sun
Where sweet childhood still dances
Who’ll come along
And hold out that strong and gentle father’s hand?
Long ago I heard someone say something 'bout Everyman

Waiting here for Everyman-
Make it on your own if you think you can
If you see somewhere to go I understand

I’m not trying to tell you that I’ve seen the plan
Turn and walk away if you think I am-
But don’t think too badly of one who’s left holding sand
He’s just another dreamer, dreaming 'bout Everyman

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we’ll take our chances
'Cause God’s stopped keeping score

I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all God’s children
Crept out the back door

And it’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it’s much, much too late
Well, maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh, you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say, “What’s mine is mine and not yours”
I may have too much but I’ll take my chances
'Cause God’s stopped keeping score

And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can’t come back
'Cause he has no children to come back for

It’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it’s much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

George Michael

2 Likes

For a band where English isn’t their native tongue, these are great lyrics. Even if you disregard the poppy chorus, parts of the verses are pretty dark and serious.

“The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” - Aha

Touch me
How can it be?
Believe me
The sun always shines on T.V.
Hold me
Close to your heart
Touch me
And give all your love to me
To me

I reached inside myself but found
Nothing there to ease the pressure
Of my ever-worrying mind

All my powers waste away
I fear the crazed and lonely looks
The mirror’s sending me these days

Touch me
How can it be?
Believe me
The sun always shines on T.V.
Hold me
Close to your heart
Touch me
And give all your love to me
To me

Please don’t ask me to defend
The shameful lowlands of the way
I’m drifting gloomily through time

(touch me)

I reached inside myself today
(give all your love)
Thinking there’s got to be some way
To keep my troubles distant

Touch me
How can it be?
Believe me
The sun always shines on T.V.
Hold me
Close to your heart
Touch me
And give all your love to me

Hold me
Close to your heart
Touch me
Give all your love to me

To me

1 Like

Isn’t this the best track ever written on this planet??? :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

When footlights dim in reverence to prescient passion forewarned
My audience leaves the stage, floating ahead perfumed shift
Within the stammering silence, the face that launched a thousand frames
Betrayed by a porcelain tear, a stained career

You played this scene before, you played this scene before
I the mote in your eye, I the mote in your eye
A misplaced reaction

The darkroom unleashes imagination in pornographic images
In which you will always be the star, always be the star, untouchable
Unapproachable, constant in the darkness
Nursing an erection, a misplaced reaction
With no flower to place before this gravestone
And the walls become enticingly newspaper thin
But that would be developing the negative view
And you have to be exposed in voyeuristic colour
The public act, let you model your shame
On the mannequin catwalk, catwalk
Let the cats walk, and the cat walks

I’ve played this scene before, I’ve played this scene before
I the mote in your eye, I the mote in your eye
A misplaced reaction, satisfaction

You can’t brush me under the carpet, you can’t hide me under the stairs
The custodian of your private fears, your leading actor of yesteryear
Who as you crawled out of the alleys of obscurity
Sentenced to rejection in the morass of anonymity
You who I directed with lovers will, you who I let hypnotise the lens
You who I let bathe in the spotlights glare
You who wiped me from your memory like a greasepaint mask
Just like a greasepaint mask

But now I’m the snake in the grass, the ghost of film reels past
I’m the producer of your nightmare and the performance has just begun
It’s just begun

Your perimeter of courtiers jerk like celluloid puppets
As you stutter paralysed with rabbits eyes, searing the shadows
Flooding the wings, to pluck elusive salvation from the understudy’s lips
Retrieve the soliloquy, maintain the obituary
My cue line in the last act and you wait in silent solitude
Waiting for the prompt, waiting for the prompt

You’ve played this scene before

6 Likes

‘West Gwillimbury’ - Ron Sexsmith

Well, my hair was blowing all wild and free
The sunlight shone extraordinarily
I paid my dues and I’ve said my piece
I’ve had my fill of poison berries
The world was out there waiting just for me
In West Gwillimbury (Gwillimbury)

All the grass grew up to my eyelids there
The clouds all bathed in blue amazing
I tripped on over the thorns and stared
At cows of distant farms a-grazing
Them cows were out there milking it for free
In West Gwillimbury

Out in the country
Get back down to earth
Sipping a coffee sitting down, a first
I swear I’ll never ruin another shirt
The ghost of childhood waiting up for me
In West Gwillimbury

When my life’s becoming all work, no play
When nature’s son has lost its Mother
I’ll slip the noose of this old rat race
To sing my song on a porch swing, brother
The world is out there waiting just for me
In West Gwillimbury (Gwillimbury)
All the fields are out there swaying merrily
In West Gwillimbury (Gwillimbury)
Gwillimbury

2 Likes

If I ruled the World - Tony Benett
Always thought it was Jamie Cullum who wrote it since I discovered it on one of his albums years ago.
I’m not keen on Benett however boy how I love this song sung by Jamie.

If I ruled the world,
Every day would be the first day of spring.
Every heart would have a new song to sing,
and we’d sing of the joy every morning would bring.

If I ruled the world,
Every man would be as free as a bird.
Every voice would be a voice to be heard,
take my word we would treasure each day that occurred.

My world would be a beautiful place
Where we would weave such wonderful dreams.
My world would wear a smile on its face,
like the man and the moon has, when the moon beams.

[piano solo]

If I ruled the world,
Every man would see the world was his friend. Yeah
There’d be happiness that no man could end,
no my friend, not if I ruled the world.

Every hand would be held up high,
There’d be sunshine in everyones sky.
If the day ever dawned,
will I rule the world.

Every hand would be held up high,
Every star would shine in everyones sky.
If the day ever dawned,
will I rule the world.

Surprised by that Zaz. I can remember my granddad singing this around the house when we were growing up. Your right of its association with Tony Bennett, however Harry Secombe recorded this a couple of years before Bennett in 1963. :smiley:

2 Likes

Bennett was always ripping Secombe off. Bugger for it.

1 Like

Ah there you go I was wrong all along the line :laughing:. In a live version by Cullum he was presenting the song as previously sung by Benett so I thought he had written the original.
Wikipedia’s information about the song is even more complex!
Every day is a school day :grin:
I looooove Jamie’s version.

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Think it was originally written for a musical?

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According to what I read, yes!

1 Like

Latin Quarter - Niamh
Niamh, you have to believe
That when December hangs above your roof
The winter’s only half the truth
That smile of yours is all the proof you need

Niamh, no tricks up my sleeve
I’m not asking you to take a card
Or make a choice you find too hard
Life’s made of moments we discard and leave
Believe

Here’s an ancient saying that I just made up
‘It’s the drowning man who understands it all’
And I know you won’t be throwing me a lifeline
But maybe, just maybe, you could call…

Niamh, it’s you that I breathe
And my breathing tells me I exist
But barely since the last we kissed
Now I’m a paid-up pessimist in need

Niamh, don’t be so naïve
It’s beyond us to right every wrong
Took all I had to write this song
It’s summer now and far too long, indeed

Believe,
Oh, Niamh,
Believe,
Oh Niamh…

1 Like