Best opening lyric in a song...

Grace Slick on Hey Fredrick from the Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers made in 1969. You've got to sing it like Grace to make it work.

Either go away or go all the way in
Look at what you hold
Come back down on a spear of silence
When it flies
You go on through
You come on through
The rediculous no

There - I bet you thought I was going to say: Unemployment's rising in the Chigley end of town and it's speading like pneumonia, doesn't look like going down - well I agree that's better, but I wanted to show I knew some lyrics that didn't come from the pen of Nigel Blackwell - BTW no mention of Nigel or Shirley Collins in the birthday honours list: it's scandalous when they honoured business fat cats again.

And of course Nigel gave us the lyrics like

I've been goading D-list Paul Ross for a laugh
By unloading outside what he'd call his gaff
Old fridge freezers, doors all removed like we're told.
His face at the window on waking a sight to behold.

Paul Ross’ real name is Jonathan Ross, and Jonathan Ross’ real name is Paul Ross.

Possibly Warren Zevon:
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein
Werewolves of London

Two suggestions:

1. I was born in a crossfire huricane...

2. Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine...

Have fun!

Willem

Life's Like That Isn't it?

Oh The Shark Has - Pearly Teeth - Dear!

Sets the scene, I think. [Smiley]! Fredrik

• Guess who just got back today,
  them wild eyed boys that have been away,
  hadn't changed hadn't much to say,
  man I still thinks those cats are crazy
  
  
• Look out, mama, theres a white boat coming up the river
  With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail
  I think you'd better call john,
  cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
  
  
• 
  Them belly full but we hungry.
  A hungry mob is a angry mob
  
  
• I'm sick and tired of hearing things
  From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
  All I want is the truth
  Just gimme some truth
  
  
  
• Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons
  packed up and ready to go
  Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway
  a place where nobody knows
  The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
  I'm getting used to it now
  Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto
  I've lived all over this town
  
  

These obviously all are dependent on the rhythm and vocal of the song.


SJB

Hell for leather, lathered, drunk, you’re soused,
You’re pissed, you’re sunk,
The juke box now is drunk, just along the way,.
I had a call last
Saturday to say I’d thrown
My friends away, reversed the charges
On them all,
I made a lot of calls.

Regards

Jim

I'm rather fond of "There must be some kind of way out of here, said the joker to the thief" from Jimi Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower.

There are many Tom Lehrer songs that have wonderfully amusing openings (National Brotherhood Week - which goes into some detail about everyone hating everyone else - and Smut spring readily to mind).

regards, Tam

I like:

quote:

Traffic's wild tonight"
Diamond smiles her cocktail smile.
Tonight she's in heavy disquise.
She looks at her wrist to clock the passing time.

Brad

Hey Tam,

Don't mean to be a stickler, but that would be Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower...

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
....

There are many Tom Lehrer songs that have wonderfully amusing openings (National Brotherhood Week - which goes into some detail about everyone hating everyone else .....
regards, Tam

Oh, the white folks hate the black folks
And the black folks hate the white folks
To hate all but the right folks
Is an old established rule

But during National Brotherhood Week
National Brotherhood Week
Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark
Are dancing cheek to cheek
It's fun to eulogize
The people you despise
As long as you don't let 'em in your school

Tom Lehrer is suberb - I have a complete set of his albums.

quote:

Originally posted by rocketboy:
Hey Tam,

Don't mean to be a stickler, but that would be Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower...

My apologies to Mr Dylan - in my ignorance I had no idea! Thanks for setting me straight.

regards, Tam

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Tom Lehrer is suberb - I have a complete set of his albums.

There's a great box set of his complete recordings (about 3 discs worth). Though, in fairness, the second two discs, which contain the live performances are much the finest as his spoken introductions are always a treat.

regards, Tam

I really like

Nice girls, not one with a defect,
Picture perfect, so correct,
Red dogs under illegal legs........

Heaven knows what it means, but it's great.

Nigel

Two spring instantly to mind:

Led Zep - "It's been a long time since I rock and rolled"

Van Morrison - "On the bright side of the road"

Peter

quote:

Originally posted by Yeldarb:
I like:

quote:

Traffic's wild tonight"
Diamond smiles her cocktail smile.
Tonight she's in heavy disquise.
She looks at her wrist to clock the passing time.

Brad

SJB

Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone.

quote:

Originally posted by willem:
Two suggestions:

1. I was born in a crossfire huricane...

2. Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine...

Have fun!

Willem

I have to say they impress me too, especially Patti's drawl of a delivery and then the whole thing builds.

I guess my favourite is a little simpler and always effective

One, two, three, four..........



Diccus

22 miles of hard road
33 years of tough luck
44 skulls buried in the ground
crawling down through the muck
aw yeah

I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from hell, blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

Denis

40,000 headmen couldn't make me change my mind
If I had to make the choice between
The deafman and the blind
I know just where my feet should go
And that's enough for me
I turned around and knocked them down
And walked across the sea

Hear the sound of music drifting in the aisles
Elevator Prozac stretching on for miles
The music of the future will not entertain
It's only meant to repress and neutralise your brain

Denis

Although I don't think any of these quite match Hey Frederick, I think they are all good opening lines and rank along side The Finger out of Slipknot went to Rome to see the Pope.

I was walking round our local store
Looking for that two pence off Lenor

Just before our love got lost you said I am as constant as a northern star
And I said, constantly in the darkness, where’s that at?
If you want me I’ll be in the bar

The tax man's taken all my dough, and left me in my stately home

Wouldn't it be nice to get on wiv me neighbours
But they make it very clear they've got no room for ravers

Life is just a bowl of All-Bran
You wake up every morning and it's there

I walked into this bar and the man refused;
He said, We don't serve strangers in blue suede shoes;
We don't give credit, and We don't give way
We have to think about what the people might say

The screen door slams,
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the floor
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again.


And it just gets better and better from there.

Hey Tom,

Brian and I have Thunder Road in the #2 spot for opening lines, but my favourite line from the song is still...

'Make crosses with you lovers, throw roses in the rain...'

'There was one of the gang
Who had Scalextric
And because of that
He thought he was better than you'

'My Uncle Charlie is a cynical man
And his wife's a touch sceptical too
They've got one of those stickers
In the back of their car
It says 'We've seen the prices at the zoo'.

The second song mentioned also has the best ever last lines:

'There is nothing better in life
Than writing on the sole of your slipper with a Biro'

"Taste the whiskey on your breath
It's as much as I can drink these days
And I haven't finished yet
Just keep breathing in my face"

Jerry Joseph "Pure Life"

Pura Vida
Jeff A