This might come as a surprise to some of you who witness daily that my ability to butcher the English language greatly outweighs my attempts to master it, but I do read a lot; my taste in music, 80’s obsession aside, is more for the lyrics rather than the sound.
I enjoy intelligent lyrics and plays-on-words which might have a whole lot to do with my constant linking of Aesop Rock and Sage Francis in the DUAN comments.
Lately, considering the goings-on of current events, I keep thinking of this song: “Low Light, Low Life” by P.O.S ft Dessa, Cecil Otter, and Sims.
I‘ve posted the lyrics below in case the sound isn’t your bag:
Barrel full of powder, ship full of tea
Closer by the hour, bringing sick to the seas
Bellies full of barter, thick with the thieves
Once they hit the harbour, it’s a wick in the breeze
There goes another one, right out from under ’em
Different seashore, same thirty stores
There goes another one, right out from under ’em
Worldwide mining town, steal it up, sell it down
And not too long ago, mom and pop owned this shop
Prognosis progress, the Dow owns the block
Here to sell ’em salvation or elevation, sort of
Signal disorder, it’s Celebration, Florida
They got the medicine to fix your mood
‘Til you learn to mind your place and eat that Sysco food
You crave the arrogance the rich folk ooze
Take life, waste life just to get those jewels
It seems we’ve fallen out of favour, the era ended on us
Now the money’s just paper, the houses all haunted
We had a hell of a run before it caught up
For all the corners cut, we got an avalanche of sawdust
Life of the party, we’re the death of the novel
The glass is half empty so pass the next bottle
It’s flight of the salesman, death of the bumblebee
Nothing left for the attorneys and the tumbleweeds
They say that God’s on the right, so goes the rhetoric
But I think that cross is a kite that left a skeleton
And I think that Russell was right, but that’s irrelevant, friend
For all I know there’ll be nothing left to defend tomorrow
Sugar in the gas tank, nothing in the cashbox
Thought that we were so sick, looking like it’s smallpox
The bullets are still on the shelves
But when the armory empties, we’re melting down the bells
It’s the end of law & order…
Dick Wolf!
Aware in America, rocking a cheap sheep suit
Pulled wool, weave through
Stay on course ’til pulled over by that pulled pork
Cops keeping the peace piece… cocked
Catch and release like a sportsman, see ’em in the court then
Piss poor paying them a portion, huh
Funny how they distort extortion
Never better, P.O.S. dance to the rhetoric
Lean to the left, call me terrorish, rock with it
Dance fever got ’em peeping out the prints on the floor
True believers keep they eyes on the horizon
Catch me sizing up the silent, check the crooked grind
Watch me 50/50, keep the balance between the coping and the feeble mind
I hope the broken folk rewind
Nothing much for token jokers here, skate off, we doing fine
Heads will roll
Low light low life, recite that untold
Keep with the goals, rehearse for the eleventh hour
It will be arrow after arrow after bullet after sunflower
Heads will roll
Low light low life, recite that untold
Keep with the goals, rehearse for the eleventh hour
It will be barrel after barrel after barrel of that gunpowder
I’m often curious as to the songs the DUAN community here at Deadsplinter love for the lyrics so I figured it’d be cool for y’all to share below.
Thank you for your continuous support of Deadsplinter!
Tom Morello has been crushing it with his Twitter game lately
Three words you softly said revolving slowly round my head. I made mistakes but I’m true to you. Brolin, 3 Words. This is a beautiful song on many levels.
just point me at the thing you need broke
this my job…and im a goddamn professional
Kyle Craft – Heartbreak Junky
The Beatles – Happiness Is A Warm Gun
You know I love John Prine’s lyrics. But I’m also a big Elvis Costello fan, a lot of his songs have felt very personal to me, including this one –
Party Girl
I have seen the hungry look in their eyes
They’d settle for anything in disguise of love
Seen the party girls look me over
Seen ’em leaving when the party’s over
The same with The Hold Steady’s lyrics.
How A Resurrection Really Feels
some nites she felt protected. some nites she felt afraid. she spent half last winter justa trying to get paid. from some guy she’d originally thought to be her saviour.
Elvis Costello is still vastly underrated and has only gotten better.
I’ve always liked the lyrics to this Beach Boys song, Busy Doin’ Nothin’ which include directions to Brian Wilson’s house as well as him trying to remember someone’s phone number.
The Beach Boys – Busy Doin’ Nothin’
Drive for a couple miles
You’ll see a sign and turn left
For a couple blocks
Next is mine, you’ll turn left on a little road
It’s a bumpy one
You’ll see a white fence
Move the gate and drive through on the left side
Come right in
And you’ll find me in my house somewhere
Keeping busy while I wait
Marvin Gaye What’s Going On Live 1972
Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, eh eh
Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, oh oh oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what’s going on
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Ah, what’s going on
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on brother
Right on babe
Mother, mother, everybody thinks we’re wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply ’cause our hair is long
Oh, you know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh oh oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
C’mon talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you what’s going on, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Right on baby
Right on baby
When it comes to lyrics, there are two songs that always stand out to me. The first is the Crash Test Dummies’ “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”:
‘Cause you’re so kind, I know you would not mind
You’d send away the ghosts that haunt me now
And the things I fear just wouldn’t seem so near
When I stroll out late at night, there would be nothing rattling at my heels
There are nights when all my aching bones won’t let me sleep
Demons come to plague me as I lie in bed
But I know if you were sleeping there beside me then
That you could fend them off and they would let me rest
The other is John Prine’s “Day is Done”:
We’ll carve our names
On a tree
Then we’ll burn it down
So no one in the world will see
And we’ll make love
While we watch the flame
Then we’ll walk away
As if we never had no shame
Greg Brown is right up there with John Prine in my book. Most of his songs are pure poetry as well.
I lived awhile without you
Darn near half my life
I no longer see our unborn children
Born to you my unwed wife
But yesterday I had a vision
Beneath the tree where we once talked
Of an old couple burning
Their love letters so their children
Won’t be shocked
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
The Nightwatchman – The Road I Must Travel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vohUk1ydFYc
Ok so I’m posting new Phoebe Bridgers tomorrow because her album just came out and it was beautiful. But here is Demi Moore from her first album.
Take a dirty picture, babe
I can’t sleep and I miss your face
In my hands and in my knees
Tell me what you wanna do to me
Tell me what you’ll do, please
I don’t wanna be alone
I don’t wanna be alone anymore
You got quiet on the other line
Said the sun was coming up
And I laughed until I couldn’t breathe
Now I’m too tired to go to sleep
Now I can’t breathe, and I can’t sleep
I don’t wanna be stoned
I don’t wanna be stoned anymore
Don’t wanna be alone
Don’t wanna be alone anymore
I could feel alone
I could, I got a good feeling
It doesn’t happen very often
Phoebe Bridgers – Demi Moore
Late Night DUAN: Filthy lyrics edition!
Ginuwine – Pony
https://genius.com/Ginuwine-pony-lyrics