Best Song Lyrics

[Peter]

Have any personal favorites? Here are some of mine.

Peter

“I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”: sung by Lynn Anderson.

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
When you take you gotta give so live and let live
Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
So you better think it over
Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
But what would it matter
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you
I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talkin' about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time,
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden. Songwriters JOE SOUTH

Imagine - John Lennon       

"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin       

"And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our souls
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
 

American Pie - Don McLean  

"And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father Son and Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died"

 

Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan.

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People call say 'beware doll, you're bound to fall'
You thought they were all kidding you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

Ahh you've gone to the finest schools, alright Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
You say you never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
A complete unknown, like a rolling stone

Ah you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discovered that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To have on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

Ahh princess on a steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinking, thinking that they've got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you better take your diamond ring, you better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him he calls you, you can't refuse
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal

How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

 

“Anything Goes.” By Cole Porter
Times have changed
And we've often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today
Any shock they should try to stem
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking.
But now, God knows,
Anything goes.
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose.
Anything goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like,
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose.
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
Truding in nudist parties in
Studios.
Anything goes.

When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Then I suppose
Anything goes.
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
Anything goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux.
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Anything goes.

If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Then Anna shows
Anything goes.
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
Now turns a handspring landing up-
On her toes,
Anything goes.
Just think of those shocks you've got
And those knocks you've got
And those blues you've got
From that news you've got
And those pains you've got
(If any brains you've got)
From those little radios.
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Anything goes. Songwriter: PORTER, COLE

[Peter]

I will add some of my choices for best instrumentals or the rock and roll era.

The Allman Brother’s, “Jessica.” It gets a bit slow in the middle but the refrain is memorable. It is the theme song for an RFD show called The Presley Family.

“Apache” Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band.

“Green Onions,” and “Hang ‘Em High” by Dave Baby Cortez  

“Forty Miles of Bad Road” and “Rebel Rouser” by Duane Eddy

“Grazing in the Grass” by Bill Justis

“Autumn Leaves” by Bill Pursell

“Wipe Out” by The Surfaris

“Hawaii Five-O” and “Walk - Don’t Run” by the Ventures

“Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny

“Tequila” by The Champs

“Misirlou” by Dick Dale. Showcased on the Pulp Fiction sound track. But I remember it was played incessantly around 1963 or thereabouts.

“Green Onions” by Booker T. and the MGs

[Peter]

Boy, did I have a tough life. The year was 1961 and I was thirteen years old. My Dad was Special Services officer at a base inside Fort Campbell Kentucky. He ran the clubs, the pools, the bowling allies, the pinball machines and all the other recreational facilities on the base and one of his jobs was to buy records for the juke boxes on the base. It sounds easy, but people constantly complained about what was in, and what was not in, the jukeboxes. He relied on me to pick songs the younger people might enjoy. I would prepare a list of 40 songs and we would drive to Nashville, to a warehouse district, where I would sit in the car and he would bring back a box of 45’s.

I knew of Roy Orbison and I did not like his occasional pessimism, but I went ahead and wrote on my list, anything new by Roy Orbison. My Dad brought back “Running Scared” and when I got home I listened to it before any AM radio stations played it.

Most people know “Only the Lonely,” “Teen Angle,” “Crying,” and Pretty Woman.” But if any song from the rock and roll era comes close to a triumphant operatic solo, it is Running Scared. The rhythm is loosely based on Ravel’s “Bolero.” The lyrics stand alone, so simple and pure but when paired with the voice of Roy Orbison, the song reaches a potential you would never see from the lyrics alone. When I first played it and it got to the end of the song, I cried in joy. Go listen to it.

Running Scared by Roy Orbison

Just runnin' scared
Each place we go
So afraid
That he might show
Yeah, runnin' scared
What would I do
If he came back
And wanted you?

Just runnin' scared
Feelin' low
Runnin' scared
You love him so
Just runnin' scared
Afraid to lose
If he came back
Which one would you choose?

Then all at once he was standing there
So sure of himself, his head in the air
My heart was breaking, which one would it be?
You turned around and walked away with me

Songwriters: JOE MELSON, ROY ORBISON

[Peter]

This is a bit off but. .. what are the best lyrics ever?

Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton

Here you come again
Just when I've begun to get myself together
You waltz right in the door, just like you've done before
And wrap my heart 'round your little finger

Here you come again
Just when I'm about to make it work without you
You look into my eyes and light those dreamy eyes
And pretty soon I'm wondering how I came to doubt you

All you gotta do is smile that smile
And there go all my defenses
Just leave it up to you and in a little while
You're messing up my mind and filling up my senses

Here you come again
Looking better than a body has a right to
And shaking me up so, that all I really know
Is here you come again, and here I go

All you gotta do is smile that smile
And there go all my defenses
Just leave it up to you and in a little while
You're messing up my mind and filling up my senses

Here you come again
Looking better than a body has a right to
And shaking me up so, that all I really know
Is here you come again, and here I go

Here I go
And here I go
And here I go
Here you come again
And here I go
Here I go
And here I go

[Peter]

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to summer. What’s a good song to celebrate summer? “Heat Wave” sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Give it a listen. Peter

"Heat Wave" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer,

We are having a heat wave
A tropical heat wave
The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising
She certainly can, can-can

She started the heat wave
By letting her seat wave
And in such a way that the customers say that, she certainly can, can-can . . . .

The Meaning Behind The Song: Heat Wave by Ella Fitzgerald September 8, 2023 / By Lynette Coleman: Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of the song “Heat Wave” has captivated audiences for decades. Released in 1933, it quickly became a timeless classic in the jazz genre. The song was written by Irving Berlin, a prolific composer and lyricist who was known for his ability to capture the essence of a particular era. “Heat Wave” is no exception, as it paints a vivid picture of the scorching summer heat and the emotions that it can evoke.

At its core, “Heat Wave” is a metaphor for the intensity of desire and the overwhelming emotions that can accompany it. The lyrics of the song describe the sweltering heat of a summer day and how it mirrors the passionate feelings experienced during an intense romantic encounter. By juxtaposing the physical heat of the weather with the burning desire of love, the song creates a powerful and evocative experience for listeners.

[Peter]

vic damone on the street where you live - Search (bing.com)

On the Street Where You Live.

I have often walked down this street before
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before
All at once am I several stories high
Knowing I'm on the street where you live

Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour out of every door?
No, it's just on the street where you live

And oh, the towering feeling just to know somehow you are near
The overpowering feeling that any second you may suddenly appear

People stop and stare, they don't bother me
For there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be
Let the time go by, I won't care if I
Can be here on the street where you live

Songwriters: Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe

[Backlighting]

This one rings a bell for me.