11.11.07

...that get me revved



I like to sing. When I'm listening to certain songs there is nothing that can stop me from singing certain lines. I think it's because the lines carry conviction that I share. Here are some of those lines.
When the boy was a boy, the girl was a girl
they found eachother in a wicked world
Strong in some respects,
but she couldn't stand for the way he begged and gave in
Pride is for men
young girls should run and hide instead
You risk the game by taking dares with "yes"

"Eat for Two" by 10,000 Maniacs

And I love when folks
Look right at me
And what I'm doing
Or have done
And lay it on about
How groovy I am
And that I'm looking grand
And every single word
Makes me think I'll live forever
Never knowing that they probably
Won't remember what they said tomorrow
Tomorrow I could be dead

"The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & The Pride Of Life" by Smalltown Poets

When youre done
With being beautiful and young
When that course is run, then come to me

"I'll Be That Girl" by Barenaked Ladies

In a seedy karaoke bar
By the banks of the mighty Bosphorus
Is a Japanese man in a business suit singing 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'
And the muscular cyborg German dudes dance with sexy French Canadians
While the overweight Americans wear their patriotic jumpsuits

"Wheels" by Cake

I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.

"Rockin' in The Free World" by Neil Young

Your father was a pervert
Face down in the dirt
He taught you how to hurt
My father was a miner who lived in the suburbs
Let's live in the suburbs
If I let where I'm from burn I can never return!

"Vampire/Forest Fire" by Arcade Fire

Hey my love do you believe that we
Might last a thousand years
Or more if not for this?
Our flesh and blood it ties
You and me right up
Tie me down
Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain
Were climbing two by two
To be sure these days continue

"Two Step" by Dave Matthews Band

So leave me alone
You ought to be proud that I'm getting good marks
Needle in the hay

"Needle in the Hay" by Elliott Smith

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"The Flowery Song" by Five Iron Frenzy

Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are,
Ha ha ha bless your soul
You really think you're in control

"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley

just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean its there.
(theres someone on your shoulder)
(theres someone on your shoulder)
There there!

"There There" by Radiohead

When I was just a baby, my mama told me, "Son,
Always be a good boy; don't ever play with guns."
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowin' I hang my head and cry.

"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

Things will stay the same so I'll remain
And show just who I am
Seeing things around me
Bonnie and Clyde
Graffiti with no message
Doctors, medicines, or pride
But it doesn't really matter
They're blowin' in the wind
On the cover of a magazine
Hallelujah
Babylon is falling

"Hallelujah" by k-os

Cry for guatemala, with a corpse in every gate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would not hesitate

"If I Had A Rocket Launcher" by Bruce Cockburn

You look like a perfect fit
For a girl in need of a tourniquet
But can you save me
Come on and save me
If you could save me
From the ranks of the freaks
Who suspect they could never love anyone

"Save Me" by Aimee Mann

I've seen so much in so many places
So many heartaches, so many faces
So many dirty things
You couldn't even believe
I would stand in line for this
There's always room in life for this
Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart

"Extreme Ways" by Moby

If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel
On your knees boy

"Mysterious Ways" by U2

But don't cry
Know the tears'll do no good
So dry your eyes

"Life is Sweet" by Natalie Merchant

Those here without the lord,
How do you cope?

"Breakfast" by Newsboys

There's the progress we have found (when the rain)
A way to talk around the problem (when the children reign)
Building towered foresight (keep your conscience in the dark)
isn't anything at all (melt the statues in the park)
Buy the sky and sell the sky and bleed the sky and tell the sky
Don't fall on me (What is it up in the air for) (It's gonna fall)

"Fall On Me" by R.E.M.

Elle me regardait
Et elle souriait
Elle m'a fait penser à rien en ce moment
Et comme le vent elle s’en allait
Et moi je suis réveillé
Oui moi je suis réveillé

"No Sleep" by Sam Roberts

It doesn’t mean much
It doesn’t mean anything at all
The life I’ve left behind me
Is a cold room
I’ve crossed the last line
From where I can’t return

"Sweet Surrender" by Sarah McLachlan

God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.

"Barrett's Privateers" by Stan Rogers

Just cast your cares and
Please beware of snakes
They come in all shapes and sizes
Tempt you, put scales on your eyelids

"Irene" by Toby Mac

His head it felt heavy
As he cut across the land
He went deeper into black
Deeper into white
He could see the stars shine
Like nails in the night
He felt the healing, healing
Healing, healing hands of love
Like the stars shiny, shiny...from above
He put his hands in the pocket
His finger on the steel
The pistol weighed heavy
His heart he could feel
Was beating, beating
Beating, beating oh my love
Oh my love, oh my love
Oh my love.

"Exit" by U2

All you funny little men
With that fever in your eyes
You say you put them with the others, put them with the others
You should never analyse
He fucked the watermelon women like a thief in the night
All the time, all the time radiating
More heat than light

"More Heat than Light" by The Veils

Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.

"Idiot Wind" by Bob Dylan

My friend Greg says it's all good
As the eastern seaboard's blown away
Now everything is going half-price
So look at all the money we saved
And all the politicians shake their asses
Looking for the backdoor

"Members Only" by Sheryl Crow
Yeah, I'm not partial to long blog posts either... I need a drink of water. What are some songs you can't help but sing along to?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Back in the day I used to know the words to most of the songs on the radio riding the bus to school. Some of those old songs come on and it surprises me that I remember the words. Funny, I can remember things from 20 years ago but can't remember conversations days ago. Old timers disease I guess.

April said...

I can't help singing to Feist's "1234", Annie Lennox "Sweet dreams",
"Monday, monday" by the Mamma's and the Papa's, "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams, Blue Rodeo's "What am I doing here", Sherly Crow "You're my favorite mistake", Dido "White Flag", Paul Simon's "60 ways to lose your lover"... the list goes on

Zaak said...

Sirdar - I think it has a lot to do with the music part of it. A melody is so much easier to remember than words, so the words come a little easier. I think that's why Jewish boys sing long passages of the Torah at their Bar Mitzvahs.

April - It's "50 Ways..." and I can't not sing along with that one either. Was that just bait? And Sherly? You're making it very hard not to correct. But I'll agree to your truce terms if you keep commenting.

Anonymous said...

Hey Zaak, I like your selections. Haven't heard the smalltown poets' version, but I heard the 77's do the original back in the day and it's always been one of my favourites.

One of the songs I've loved for the past couple years is Check the Meaning - Richard Ashcroft. You really should give it a listen if you haven't.

"Guess it's life, doing it's thing
Making you cry, making you think
Yeah life, dealing it's hand
Making you cry and you don't understand
Life, doing it's thing
Making you cry now, making you think of
Pain, doing it's thing
Making you cry yeah, making you sing"

Great song, and it lasts forever...like 8 mins long.