Whar is your favourite song lyric?
Posted by: erik scothron on 14 February 2006
Not necessarily your favourite song but the best lyric as poetry say, something that can be enjoyed on it's own without music.
To kick off: The year of the cat - by Al Stewart
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress
running like a watercolour in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat
She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow
'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
By the blue tiled walls
near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says,
I feel my life Just like a river running thru
The year of the cat
Well, she looks at you so cooly
And her eyes shine like the moon in the sea
She comes in incense and patchouli
So you take her, to find what's waiting inside
The year of the cat
Well, morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away the choice
and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But for now you're going to stay
In the year of the cat
To kick off: The year of the cat - by Al Stewart
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress
running like a watercolour in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat
She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow
'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
By the blue tiled walls
near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says,
I feel my life Just like a river running thru
The year of the cat
Well, she looks at you so cooly
And her eyes shine like the moon in the sea
She comes in incense and patchouli
So you take her, to find what's waiting inside
The year of the cat
Well, morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away the choice
and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But for now you're going to stay
In the year of the cat
Posted on: 15 February 2006 by Willie Mo
For poignancy I’ve always liked “Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name”, one line emphasising so much about her life, no relationship or children. Slightly better than the Hey Jude line “the movement you need is on your shoulder”, telling Julian Lennon to shrug off the break up of Cynthia and Johns marriage.
But for being out of the ordinary I like Alex Harvey’s lyrics especially for;
“There’ll be no lights on the Christmas tree mother their burning big Louie tonight”
But they got him in the final chase
Louie was running in a losers race
And on the day his case begun
He was Public Enemy Number One
But the jury's back, they all agree
It's murrrderrrr in the first degree
Tie him down and shave his hair
Cause tonight Big Louie's gonna get the chair
Now there's no lights on the Christmas tree mother
They're burning Big Louie tonight
There's no electricity mother
They're burning Big Louie tonight
But for being out of the ordinary I like Alex Harvey’s lyrics especially for;
“There’ll be no lights on the Christmas tree mother their burning big Louie tonight”
But they got him in the final chase
Louie was running in a losers race
And on the day his case begun
He was Public Enemy Number One
But the jury's back, they all agree
It's murrrderrrr in the first degree
Tie him down and shave his hair
Cause tonight Big Louie's gonna get the chair
Now there's no lights on the Christmas tree mother
They're burning Big Louie tonight
There's no electricity mother
They're burning Big Louie tonight
Posted on: 15 February 2006 by seagull
quote:Originally posted by ROTF:
Seagull.
Are you a PH fan?
I am and have been since the early seventies.
Mrs S can't stand his voice so I don't play his/their stuff as much as I would like.
Saw the VdGG re-union gig last year at the Royal Festival Hall, superb, can't wait for the Live CD of the gig (Hugh Banton is busy working on it now apparently).
Sometimes, it's very scary here,
sometimes it's very sad,
sometimes I think I'll disappear
betimes I think I ha
Posted on: 15 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by Willie Mo:
But for being out of the ordinary I like Alex Harvey’s lyrics especially for;
“There’ll be no lights on the Christmas tree mother their burning big Louie tonight”
Hi Willie Mo and welcome - what great choice for a first post - sensational.
Rotf
Posted on: 15 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by seagull:quote:Originally posted by ROTF:
Seagull.
Are you a PH fan?
I am and have been since the early seventies.
Mrs S can't stand his voice so I don't play his/their stuff as much as I would like.
Saw the VdGG re-union gig last year at the Royal Festival Hall, superb, can't wait for the Live CD of the gig (Hugh Banton is busy working on it now apparently).
Sometimes, it's very scary here,
sometimes it's very sad,
sometimes I think I'll disappear
betimes I think I ha
I always thought the lyrics to VdGG's first single "People You Were Going To" were really amazing. There is an updated version of Nadir's Big Chance - though I think I prefer to the original take (just - it's a close call).
Posted on: 16 February 2006 by TimE
John Prine is the king of silly, but poignant(?) songs:
When I woke up this morning, things were lookin’ bad
Seem like total silence was the only friend I had
Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down... and won
And it was twelve o’clock before I realized
That I was havin’ .. no fun
Chorus:
But fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun
Last time I checked my bankroll,
It was gettin’ thin
Sometimes it seems like the bottom
Is the only place I’ve been
I chased a rainbow down a one-way street... dead end
And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen
Repeat chorus:
Well, I sat down in my closet with all my overalls
Tryin’ to get away
From all the ears inside my walls
I dreamed the police heard
Everything I thought... what then?
Well I went to court
And the judge’s name was hoffman
Ah but fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun
Well done, hot dog bun, my sister’s a nun
one of the few people to always put a smile on my face
When I woke up this morning, things were lookin’ bad
Seem like total silence was the only friend I had
Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down... and won
And it was twelve o’clock before I realized
That I was havin’ .. no fun
Chorus:
But fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun
Last time I checked my bankroll,
It was gettin’ thin
Sometimes it seems like the bottom
Is the only place I’ve been
I chased a rainbow down a one-way street... dead end
And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen
Repeat chorus:
Well, I sat down in my closet with all my overalls
Tryin’ to get away
From all the ears inside my walls
I dreamed the police heard
Everything I thought... what then?
Well I went to court
And the judge’s name was hoffman
Ah but fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun
Well done, hot dog bun, my sister’s a nun
one of the few people to always put a smile on my face
Posted on: 16 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
Just been reading an old Guardian article about Nigel Blackwell from here. It ends with the author's favourite lyrics.
'A million housewives every day/ pick up a tin of beans and say:/ "What an amazing example of synchronisation"'
From The Best Things In Life, on Back Again In The DHSS LP.
'She's the main man in the office/ and she treats me like a lackey/ But I can put a tennis racket up against my face/ and pretend I'm Kendo Nagasaki'
From Everything's AOR, on McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt CD.
'Never trust a crown green bowler/ under the age of 30'
From Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite, on This Leaden Pall CD.
'Opinionated weather forecasters telling me it's going to be a miserable day./ Miserable to who?/ I quite like a bit of drizzle,/ so stick to the facts'
From A Country Practice, on Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral.
'Lord I've tried the best I can/ I've asked everybody in Kazakhstan/ but I still don't understand/ - Bob Wilson, anchorman./ I've been to Kent, Gwent and Senegal/ I've been to look for Jim Rosenthal/ found him on his knees by the Wailing Wall/ crying Bob Wilson, anchorman'
From Bob Wilson - Anchorman, on Editor's Recommendation.
'A million housewives every day/ pick up a tin of beans and say:/ "What an amazing example of synchronisation"'
From The Best Things In Life, on Back Again In The DHSS LP.
'She's the main man in the office/ and she treats me like a lackey/ But I can put a tennis racket up against my face/ and pretend I'm Kendo Nagasaki'
From Everything's AOR, on McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt CD.
'Never trust a crown green bowler/ under the age of 30'
From Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite, on This Leaden Pall CD.
'Opinionated weather forecasters telling me it's going to be a miserable day./ Miserable to who?/ I quite like a bit of drizzle,/ so stick to the facts'
From A Country Practice, on Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral.
'Lord I've tried the best I can/ I've asked everybody in Kazakhstan/ but I still don't understand/ - Bob Wilson, anchorman./ I've been to Kent, Gwent and Senegal/ I've been to look for Jim Rosenthal/ found him on his knees by the Wailing Wall/ crying Bob Wilson, anchorman'
From Bob Wilson - Anchorman, on Editor's Recommendation.
Posted on: 16 February 2006 by nicnaim
ROTF,
Your legendary dedication to HMHB has picked my curiosity to the point that I almost feel it is my duty to buy at least one of their albums. What would be the one you would choose?
Getting back on topic, one of my favorite lyrics , because it makes me smile is:
Step Right Up - Tom Waits
Step right up, step right up, step right up,
Everyone's a winner, bargains galore
That's right, you too can be the proud owner
Of the quality goes in before the name goes on
One-tenth of a dollar, one-tenth of a dollar, we got service after sales
You need perfume? we got perfume, how 'bout an engagement ring?
Something for the little lady, something for the little lady,
Something for the little lady, hmm
Three for a dollar
We got a year-end clearance, we got a white sale
And a smoke-damaged furniture, you can drive it away today
Act now, act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you
They come in all colors, one size fits all
No muss, no fuss, no spills, you're tired of kitchen drudgery
Everything must go, going out of business, going out of business
Going out of business sale
Fifty percent off original retail price, skip the middle man
Don't settle for less
How do we do it? how do we do it? volume, volume, turn up the volume
Now you've heard it advertised, don't hesitate
Don't be caught with your drawers down,
Don't be caught with your drawers down
You can step right up, step right up
That's right, it filets, it chops, it dices, slices,
Never stops, lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn
And it mows your lawn and it picks up the kids from school
It gets rid of unwanted facial hair, it gets rid of embarrassing age spots,
It delivers a pizza, and it lengthens, and it strengthens
And it finds that slipper that's been at large
under the chaise lounge for several weeks
And it plays a mean Rhythm Master,
It makes excuses for unwanted lipstick on your collar
And it's only a dollar, step right up, it's only a dollar, step right up
'Cause it forges your signature
If not completely satisfied, mail back unused portion of product
For complete refund of price of purchase
Step right up
Please allow thirty days for delivery, don't be fooled by cheap imitations
You can live in it, live in it, laugh in it, love in it
Swim in it, sleep in it,
Live in it, swim in it, laugh in it, love in it
Removes embarrassing stains from contour sheets, that's right
And it entertains visiting relatives, it turns a sandwich into a banquet
Tired of being the life of the party?
Change your shorts, change your life, change your life
Change into a nine-year-old Hindu boy, get rid of your wife,
And it walks your dog, and it doubles on sax
Doubles on sax, you can jump back Jack, see you later alligator
See you later alligator
And it steals your car
It gets rid of your gambling debts, it quits smoking
It's a friend, and it's a companion,
And it's the only product you will ever need
Follow these easy assembly instructions it never needs ironing
Well it takes weights off hips, bust, thighs, chin, midriff,
Gives you dandruff, and it finds you a job, it is a job
And it strips the phone company free take ten for five exchange,
And it gives you denture breath
And you know it's a friend, and it's a companion
And it gets rid of your traveler's checks
It's new, it's improved, it's old-fashioned
Well it takes care of business, never needs winding,
Never needs winding, never needs winding
Gets rid of blackheads, the heartbreak of psoriasis,
Christ, you don't know the meaning of heartbreak, buddy,
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon
'Cause it's effective, it's defective, it creates household odors,
It disinfects, it sanitizes for your protection
It gives you an erection, it wins the election
Why put up with painful corns any longer?
It's a redeemable coupon, no obligation, no salesman will visit your home
We got a jackpot, jackpot, jackpot, prizes, prizes, prizes, all work guaranteed
How do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it
We need your business, we're going out of business
We'll give you the business
Get on the business end of our going-out-of-business sale
Receive our free brochure, free brochure
Read the easy-to-follow assembly instructions, batteries not included
Send before midnight tomorrow, terms available,
Step right up, step right up, step right up
You got it buddy: the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away
Step right up, you can step right up, you can step right up
C'mon step right up
(Get away from me kid, you bother me...)
Step right up, step right up, step right up, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Step right up, you can step right up, c'mon and step right up,
C'mon and step right up
Regards
Nic
Your legendary dedication to HMHB has picked my curiosity to the point that I almost feel it is my duty to buy at least one of their albums. What would be the one you would choose?
Getting back on topic, one of my favorite lyrics , because it makes me smile is:
Step Right Up - Tom Waits
Step right up, step right up, step right up,
Everyone's a winner, bargains galore
That's right, you too can be the proud owner
Of the quality goes in before the name goes on
One-tenth of a dollar, one-tenth of a dollar, we got service after sales
You need perfume? we got perfume, how 'bout an engagement ring?
Something for the little lady, something for the little lady,
Something for the little lady, hmm
Three for a dollar
We got a year-end clearance, we got a white sale
And a smoke-damaged furniture, you can drive it away today
Act now, act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you
They come in all colors, one size fits all
No muss, no fuss, no spills, you're tired of kitchen drudgery
Everything must go, going out of business, going out of business
Going out of business sale
Fifty percent off original retail price, skip the middle man
Don't settle for less
How do we do it? how do we do it? volume, volume, turn up the volume
Now you've heard it advertised, don't hesitate
Don't be caught with your drawers down,
Don't be caught with your drawers down
You can step right up, step right up
That's right, it filets, it chops, it dices, slices,
Never stops, lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn
And it mows your lawn and it picks up the kids from school
It gets rid of unwanted facial hair, it gets rid of embarrassing age spots,
It delivers a pizza, and it lengthens, and it strengthens
And it finds that slipper that's been at large
under the chaise lounge for several weeks
And it plays a mean Rhythm Master,
It makes excuses for unwanted lipstick on your collar
And it's only a dollar, step right up, it's only a dollar, step right up
'Cause it forges your signature
If not completely satisfied, mail back unused portion of product
For complete refund of price of purchase
Step right up
Please allow thirty days for delivery, don't be fooled by cheap imitations
You can live in it, live in it, laugh in it, love in it
Swim in it, sleep in it,
Live in it, swim in it, laugh in it, love in it
Removes embarrassing stains from contour sheets, that's right
And it entertains visiting relatives, it turns a sandwich into a banquet
Tired of being the life of the party?
Change your shorts, change your life, change your life
Change into a nine-year-old Hindu boy, get rid of your wife,
And it walks your dog, and it doubles on sax
Doubles on sax, you can jump back Jack, see you later alligator
See you later alligator
And it steals your car
It gets rid of your gambling debts, it quits smoking
It's a friend, and it's a companion,
And it's the only product you will ever need
Follow these easy assembly instructions it never needs ironing
Well it takes weights off hips, bust, thighs, chin, midriff,
Gives you dandruff, and it finds you a job, it is a job
And it strips the phone company free take ten for five exchange,
And it gives you denture breath
And you know it's a friend, and it's a companion
And it gets rid of your traveler's checks
It's new, it's improved, it's old-fashioned
Well it takes care of business, never needs winding,
Never needs winding, never needs winding
Gets rid of blackheads, the heartbreak of psoriasis,
Christ, you don't know the meaning of heartbreak, buddy,
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon
'Cause it's effective, it's defective, it creates household odors,
It disinfects, it sanitizes for your protection
It gives you an erection, it wins the election
Why put up with painful corns any longer?
It's a redeemable coupon, no obligation, no salesman will visit your home
We got a jackpot, jackpot, jackpot, prizes, prizes, prizes, all work guaranteed
How do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it
We need your business, we're going out of business
We'll give you the business
Get on the business end of our going-out-of-business sale
Receive our free brochure, free brochure
Read the easy-to-follow assembly instructions, batteries not included
Send before midnight tomorrow, terms available,
Step right up, step right up, step right up
You got it buddy: the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away
Step right up, you can step right up, you can step right up
C'mon step right up
(Get away from me kid, you bother me...)
Step right up, step right up, step right up, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Step right up, you can step right up, c'mon and step right up,
C'mon and step right up
Regards
Nic
Posted on: 16 February 2006 by Mark Dunn
From Roy Wood's "Here We Go Round The Lemon Tree":
'Could I calm her down by throwing stones at her?'
Mark
'Could I calm her down by throwing stones at her?'
Mark
Posted on: 16 February 2006 by Colin Lorenson
All I ask of you, is make my wildest dreams come true.....Rose Darlin'...the Dan
White flags of winter chimneys, blowing truce against the moon....Joni
Silence has become our only currency, you pay me and I'll be sure to pay you back...Jonatha Brooke
To many to mention
White flags of winter chimneys, blowing truce against the moon....Joni
Silence has become our only currency, you pay me and I'll be sure to pay you back...Jonatha Brooke
To many to mention
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Squonk
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
THE BOSS
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
THE BOSS
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by nicnaim:
ROTF,
Your legendary dedication to HMHB has picked my curiosity to the point that I almost feel it is my duty to buy at least one of their albums. What would be the one you would choose?
Regards
Nic
Hi Nic
That's a very difficult question.
If you're not too concerned about the recording quality then Back In The D.H.S.S./The Trumpton Riots EP is the first album and EP combined on CD and contains some real gems - 'Everybody's Doing The Len Ganley Stance', 'Albert Hammond Bootleg' and 'All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit'
If you want them at their most polished then I'd go for Trouble Over Bridgewater this contains 'Irk The Purists', 'Ballad Of Climie Fisher'.
'Gubba Look-a-Likes', 'Look Dad No Tunes' and finishes with the superb 'Twenty Four Hour Garage People'.
Perhaps, somewhere in-between is as good a place as any so why not try Cammell Laird Social Club which contains "The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train)", "The Referee's Alphabet", "Breaking News" and
"27 Yards Of Dental Floss". If you click here then you can hear "Breaking News" and "The Referee's Alphabet".
HMHB used to put out lots of MP3s on the web site, but got fed up with eBay allowing copies of what they were giving away to be sold. Nigel objected to seeing people ripped off. So now there are only a few Peel session tracks on www.hmhb.co.uk
If you do go for one then please let me know what you think
All the best, Rotf
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Sloop John B
Well we were heroes then, and the girls were all pretty
And a uniform was a lucky charm, bought you the key to the city
We used to dance the whole night through
While Al Bowlly sang "The Very Thought Of You"
Now Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Well I gave my youth to king and country
But what's my country done for me but sentenced me to misery
I traded my helmet and my parachute
For a pair of crutches and a demob suit
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Hard times, hard hard times
Hostels and missions and dosser's soup lines
Can't close me eyes on a bench or a bed
For the sound of some battle raging in my head
Old friends, you lose so many
You get run around, all over town
The wear and the tear, oh it just drives you down
St Mungo's with its dirty old sheets
Beats standing all day down on Scarborough Street
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Can't stay here, you got to foot-slog
Once in a blue moon you might find a job
Sleep in the rain, you sleep in the snow
When the beds are all taken you've got nowhere to go
Well I can see me now, I'm back there on the dance floor
Oh with a blonde on me arm, red-head to spare
Spit on my shoes and shine in me hair
And there's Al Bowlly, he's up on a stand
Oh that was a voice and that was a band
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
And a uniform was a lucky charm, bought you the key to the city
We used to dance the whole night through
While Al Bowlly sang "The Very Thought Of You"
Now Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Well I gave my youth to king and country
But what's my country done for me but sentenced me to misery
I traded my helmet and my parachute
For a pair of crutches and a demob suit
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Hard times, hard hard times
Hostels and missions and dosser's soup lines
Can't close me eyes on a bench or a bed
For the sound of some battle raging in my head
Old friends, you lose so many
You get run around, all over town
The wear and the tear, oh it just drives you down
St Mungo's with its dirty old sheets
Beats standing all day down on Scarborough Street
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Can't stay here, you got to foot-slog
Once in a blue moon you might find a job
Sleep in the rain, you sleep in the snow
When the beds are all taken you've got nowhere to go
Well I can see me now, I'm back there on the dance floor
Oh with a blonde on me arm, red-head to spare
Spit on my shoes and shine in me hair
And there's Al Bowlly, he's up on a stand
Oh that was a voice and that was a band
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Sloop John B
From HMHB my favourite has to be from a song on This Leaden Pall, called 4ad3dcd
"your'e going on after crispy ambulance"
loses a bit out of context I suppose.
"your'e going on after crispy ambulance"
loses a bit out of context I suppose.
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by nicnaim
ROFT,
Thanks for the links, I've had a good chuckle to the lyrics which are very witty. It was also great to hear some of Peel's "bon mots" again.
At the risk of upsetting you, it is the issue of musicality that excites me into rushing out to buy records. Unfortunately, on that basis HMHB do not hit the spot for me.
Have you got any Monochrome Set records? Not dissimilar to HMHB in humour terms, perhaps a bit more arty type clever, if you get my drift, but great tunes as well IMHO.
Hats off to you for your continued dedication to the HMHB cause.
Regards
Nic
Thanks for the links, I've had a good chuckle to the lyrics which are very witty. It was also great to hear some of Peel's "bon mots" again.
At the risk of upsetting you, it is the issue of musicality that excites me into rushing out to buy records. Unfortunately, on that basis HMHB do not hit the spot for me.
Have you got any Monochrome Set records? Not dissimilar to HMHB in humour terms, perhaps a bit more arty type clever, if you get my drift, but great tunes as well IMHO.
Hats off to you for your continued dedication to the HMHB cause.
Regards
Nic
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Fisbey
the mobs in town and the guns are out
and Louie knows what it's all about
he's gunning down the cops
with machine gun tops
Groovey!
and Louie knows what it's all about
he's gunning down the cops
with machine gun tops
Groovey!
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by Sloop John B:
From HMHB my favourite has to be from a song on This Leaden Pall, called 4ad3dcd
"your'e going on after crispy ambulance"
loses a bit out of context I suppose.
Great choice - hear it in context here
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by nicnaim:
ROFT,
Thanks for the links, I've had a good chuckle to the lyrics which are very witty. It was also great to hear some of Peel's "bon mots" again.
At the risk of upsetting you, it is the issue of musicality that excites me into rushing out to buy records. Unfortunately, on that basis HMHB do not hit the spot for me.
Have you got any Monochrome Set records? Not dissimilar to HMHB in humour terms, perhaps a bit more arty type clever, if you get my drift, but great tunes as well IMHO.
Hats off to you for your continued dedication to the HMHB cause.
Regards
Nic
Nic - I'm not upset and I'm glad you had a chuckle at what you heard.
Yes I do have some tracks by Monochrome Set and I like their material. Television Personalities are another that come to mind.
But there are only three artists that I have ever felt the need to buy everything that they ever released and get anything that is new as soon at it is available. The Beatles are one (although I've not got anything like a complete collection) and HMHB are another (and as far as I know I have got a complete collection).
All the best, Rotf
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Dave Hartley
As far as Lyrics you'd have to go some way to come anywhere near Bob Dylan's.
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row
Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row"
Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
This is one of many and a great song to boot.
Dave
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row
Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row"
Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
This is one of many and a great song to boot.
Dave
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by domfjbrown
quote:Originally posted by Simon Matthews:
Sorry - can I get two bites at the cherry?
The Smiths - Funny, sad, timelss and very very English.
"But sometimes I'd feel more fulfilled
Making Christmas cards with the mentally ill
"
"Oh ... sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you should be
Bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
Oh ... "
OH YES! And then there's other choice nuggets such as:
"I've never had a job
Because I never wanted one"
"So I broke into the palace
With a sponge and a rrrrrrusty spanner
She said 'I know you and you cannot sing'
I said 'That's nothing - you should hear me play pi---ano'"
And Moz himself has his moments too:
"On this seaside town
that they forgot to close down
armageddon
come armageddon
come armageddon come"
"I'm so sorry
I-hah-hah-haha-ha-hi'm so
So-ry-hoh-ry-ho-haaa
Why do you come here?
when you know it makes things hard for me
when you go
oh why do you come?"
Any singer that can make the word "I" last that long commands respect. Almost as good as any bit on a Libertines/Babyshambles track where Pete Doherty overexaggerates the word "why" so it comes out like "whah-hyyyaahh". Class.
Of course, another clasic line is from Marianne Faithfull:
"'Cos she had cobwebs up her fanny
and I believe in giving to the poor"
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Basil
quote:Of course, another clasic line is from Marianne Faithfull:
"'Cos she had cobwebs up her fanny
and I believe in giving to the poor"
Why D'Ya Do It, classic break-up song!
These lines always send a chill through me.
The evening sun touched gently on the eyes of lucy jordan
On the roof top where she climbed when all the laughter grew too loud
And she bowed and curtsied to the man who reached and offered her his hand,
And he led her down to the long white car that waited past the crowd.
At the age of thirty-seven she knew she'd found forever
As she rode along through paris with the warm wind in her hair ...
That voice!
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Basil
Ignore
Posted on: 17 February 2006 by Fisbey
Plastic's real when you're real sick.
Posted on: 19 February 2006 by Dougunn
I never felt magic as crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky
Northern Sky Nick Drake
And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I'd see when day was done
Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh, so weak in this need for you
Place To Be Nick Drake
Get's me every time!
Douglas
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky
Northern Sky Nick Drake
And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I'd see when day was done
Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh, so weak in this need for you
Place To Be Nick Drake
Get's me every time!
Douglas
Posted on: 19 February 2006 by Clive B
Whoever listed "Al Bowlly's in Heaven" - good choice (I adore the Norma Waterson version). But Richard Thompson has actually written a number of great songs. I rather like "I Misunderstood".
Someone mentioned Bob Dylan. Safe bet indeed. Just about all the lyrics on "Blood on the Tracks" - immaculate album.
I don't know who it's by, but I rather like the anti-war sentiment of June Tabor's version of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda".
Regards,
CB
Someone mentioned Bob Dylan. Safe bet indeed. Just about all the lyrics on "Blood on the Tracks" - immaculate album.
I don't know who it's by, but I rather like the anti-war sentiment of June Tabor's version of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda".
Regards,
CB
Posted on: 19 February 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by Clive Blackman:
I don't know who it's by, but I rather like the anti-war sentiment of June Tabor's version of The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.
Regards,
CB
Eric Bogle wrote The Band Played Waltzing Matilda