Releases from such wordsmiths as The Mountain Goats, The Silver Jews, Stephen Malkmus and Subtle meant this was also going to be a huge year for lyrics.

Here some of my favourite so far:

"I was a hater in the depths of an emotional hibernation / You sat me down
We had some drinks and you told me all kinds of insanity / I asked your friend if you were available / She answered, "No, but yes, oh well, oh well, yes and no"" (Of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance). I just love the way that quote from the friend captures the way Scandinavians speak English.

"Biting the prick that feeds me in my sister's bathroom / How can I function man / in the face of all this butchery / My mind is exploding with sloppy murders" (Of Montreal - And I've seen a bloody shadow") Kevin Barnes doesn't care what anyone thinks of him...He's just laying out there for everyone to see.

"Why am I so damaged, girl? / Why am I such poison, girl? / I don't know how long i can hold on / If it's going to be like this forever" (Of Montreal - Touched something's hollow) I find the lyrics to this short song quite moving.

"Pain works on a sliding scale / So does pleasure in a candy jail...I came all this way to see your grave / To see your life as written paraphrased...Life in a candy jail...the warden keeps the data on your favorite brands" (The Silver Jews - Candy Jail) Some of my favourite lyrics from a great song. Is the warden a rehab councillor, a drug dealer, or neither?

"Open field with a window / Open field with no child / Open Field (The Silver Jews - Open Field). I think it's about the freedom you have if you don't have children, but on the other hand the view is empty.

"Squirrels imported from Connecticut / Just in time for fall / How much fun is a lot more fun? / Not much fun at all. (The Silver Jews - Strange Victory, Strange Defeat) Some Classic Bermanisms here.

good thread. i'll be back here when i'll have some more time.

Some More:

"If you grew up with white boys
who only look at black and puerto rican porno
cause they want something that their dad don't got
then you know where you're at...

doing elton at karaoke and forgetting all the verses
blowing kisses to disinterested bitches
playing lead lay in a bad way on broadway
sending sexy smses to my ex’s new man cause i can"
(Why? - Good Friday)
This album really is poetry from start to finish.

"in the tourist bar i lost fifty euros
to the guy with the walnut shells and the marbles
it really pissed me off, so ooh i thought i'd go
back to get my money but all my homies warned me
oh no, those gypsies probably got knives"
(Why - The Hollows)
This has got to bring a chuckle to anyone who's ever traveled around Europe.

"I sleep on my back cause it's good for the spine
and coffin rehersal"
(Why? - Fatalist Palmistry)
Best opening line to a song ever?

"if i remain lost and die on a cross
at least i wasn't born in a manger"
(Why - The fall of Mr. Fifths)
This would make a great bumper sticker.

"I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam
And no one in her right mind would make her home my home
My heart’s an autoclave...

When I try to open up to you I get completely lost
Houses swallowed by the earth, windows thick with frost
And I reach deep down within, but the pathways twist and turn
and there’s no light anywhere, and nothing left to burn"
(The Mountain Goats - Autoclave)
This is my favourite song off Heretic Pride.

Kind of a re-post from the "Best Moments 2008" Thread, but still:

We want a lover and a sister, but we know thats not right.

- Winter - Dodos

Not every pony grows up to be a pegasus

Like The Rest Of Us - Atmosphere

Arthritis in my hand from writing / But I'm a docter they don't understand my writing / So I stop writing / Now I'm like lighting / And you ain't Vince Young so don't clash with the Titan

Dr. Carter - Lil Wayne

Hey jackboot / Fuck your war! / 'Cause I'm fat and in love / and no bombs are falling on me / thats for sure

Red Dress - TV On The Radio

quote:

Originally posted by Thisheregiraffe:
Some More:
"in the tourist bar i lost fifty euros
to the guy with the walnut shells and the marbles
it really pissed me off, so ooh i thought i'd go
back to get my money but all my homies warned me
oh no, those gypsies probably got knives"
(Why - The Hollows)

This is exactly the line I was trying to find time to submit. There are times when Alopecia is a bit too profane in a way I feel is profane just for the sake of being profane. But I completely agree otherwise with it being the lyrical album of the year. Another favorite of mine:

"i thought i had a pebble in my sock
i pulled it off and shook out a wasp
it stumbled out lost, and without a pause
unstung as i was, still i stomped it."
Why? - These Few Presidents

"Eating pizza's really great / So is destroying everything you hate!"
-Be Your Own Pet, "Black Hole."

"Beer is not dark / Beer is not light / It just tastes good / Especially tonight."
-British Sea Power, "Waving Flags."

"Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best!/
He wrote like wet papier mache / Oh but he went the Hemingway / Weirdly on wings and with maximum pain / We call upon the author to explain"
-Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, "We Call Upon The Author."

"When the smaller picture is the same as the bigger picture / you know that you're fucked."
-Los Campesinos! "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks."

Best opening line of the year:
"Me and my friends are like / The drums on 'Lust For Life'"
-The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer."

There are also many great lines on the Okkervil River album - too hard to choose just one right now.

"As a child I knew
that the stars could only get brighter
then we could get closer
leaving this darkness
behind

"Now that I'm older
the stars shed light upon my face
but when I find myself alone
I feel like I, I am blind"

"Blind", Hercules and Love Affair

Night surgeon dons his robes
To take apart a fellow amateur
Well I’ve heard it once said
One gives what one gets
Oh I didn’t go out into this world
Just to get stung by rich mans hornets
Who amongst us has left these things undone
Who let these animals into my kingdom
-Shooting Rockets (From The Desk of Nights Ape)- Destroyer (or any lyric from this song)

We sing, is that marionette real enough yet to step off of that set and decide what a dance might mean to it. Ruining the place where the ensuing melee escape. We packed up all of our bags the ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks as we pace beneath flags black and battered rattling our swords in service of some fated, foreign, war.

Lost Coastlines- Okkervil River (If Will Sheff wrote a book, I would definitely read it)

All of this talk about the strength of the lyrics of Alopecia has made me go back and give this album another shot. I agree that the lyrics are strong, although I also agree with Shad that they are too profane for my tastes in some instances.

The lyrics that always grabbed me are from "The Hallows":

Even though I haven't seen you in years,
Yours is the funeral I'd fly to from anywhere.

These lyrics always grabbed me as being powerfully sad. It always makes me think of people that I love, admire, or respect that I have allowed to slip through the cracks.

The album is a lot stronger than I originally gave it credit for. Even when the songs miss (lie "Song of the Sad Assassin, for instance), the songs remain interesting. It will climb up my list some.

Edit: Ooops! Those lyrics are from "These Few Presidents". I'm such an idiot sometimes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: The Fall of Troy,

"On The Edge Of A Cliff"- The Streets

"I'm really ok, thanks
there's nothing to witness,"
I said as I looked back from the edge of the cliff.
The old man looking down bent over the ridge
just looked with a grin
as if a blessing had just hit him
I slumped on the jut of the cliff,
"Just leave me alone,
this is none of your business."

"I will," said the old man,
"but just one thing..."
What he said was so lovely it stunned me:

"I lay right there once
on the edge of the rock
I was ready to jump
I was ever so lost
but this gentlemen stopped
and said something I never forgot:

'For billions of years
since the outset of time
every single one of your ancestors survived
every single person on your mums and dad's side
successfully looked after and passed onto you life
what are the chances of that like?
it comes to me once in a while
and everywhere i tell folk
it gets the best smile.'"

And then the old man walked away
and out of sight
till the sound of him hiking
turned to the sound of silence
I juss froze in a profound surprise
and from down on my pride
I found a smile to my eyes
and for many days again
I would be passing the same cliff
and on many occasions
I would chance on the same thing
laying in the moss
in the same way I was
would be another man
looking like he needed a change of luck
so I'd say:

"I lay right there once
on the edge of the rock
I was ready to jump
I was ever so lost
but this gentlemen stopped
and said something I never forgot:

'For billions of years
since the outset of time
every single one of your ancestors survived
every single person on your mums and dad's side
successfully looked after and passed onto you life
what are the chances of that like?
it comes to me once in a while
and every where i tell folk
it gets the best smile.'"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: His Dudeness,

All this talk about Alopecia and no mention of the one I thought most obvious. My favorite is the chorus from Fatalist Palmistry.
"But God put a psalm on my palm that you can't read
I'll be embalmed with it long before you'll see"

I also really like Thrice's take on I Corinthians 13 on Moving Mountains.
"Yeah movin' mountains ain't no thing to me
I've faith enough to cast 'em to the sea
But I don't know the first thing about love
I don't know the first thing about love"

The end of Dr. Carter gives me goosebumps 3/4 of the time like a big dork.
"Wait, as I put the light down his throat, I can only see flow/ his blood starting to flow/ his lungs starting to grow/ this one's starting to show strong signs of life/ where's the stitches, here's the knife/ smack his face, his eyes open/ I reply with a nice(?), 'Welcome back hip-hop, I saved your life'"

And my favorite hood rich line comes from Bun B's "Damn, I'm Cold."
"See when I got that slab money, I put the Rivi' on blades
When I got that 'lac money, I candied the Escalade"

That's just what came off the top o' the dome.

Black River Killer- Blitzen Trapper

Great story to that song. ^

The lyric that comes off the top of my head (from Why?) is from the Fall of Mr. Fifths. (My favorite song on the album.)

"Oh I've stayed scarce this last year yes.
But be assured in unrest. I'm unavoidable like death this Christmas. Is this twisted? Why be upset? I never said I didn't have syphillis Mrs. Listless..."

Lyrics may be wrong, but when I sing the song in my head.... that's what comes out.

quote:

Originally posted by frontman17:
Night surgeon dons his robes
To take apart a fellow amateur
Well I’ve heard it once said
One gives what one gets
Oh I didn’t go out into this world
Just to get stung by rich mans hornets
Who amongst us has left these things undone
Who let these animals into my kingdom
-Shooting Rockets (From The Desk of Nights Ape)- Destroyer (or any lyric from this song)

We sing, is that marionette real enough yet to step off of that set and decide what a dance might mean to it. Ruining the place where the ensuing melee escape. We packed up all of our bags the ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks as we pace beneath flags black and battered rattling our swords in service of some fated, foreign, war.

Lost Coastlines- Okkervil River (If Will Sheff wrote a book, I would definitely read it)

Yes! Even though I thought Stand-Ins wasn't their best of work, it still had amazing lyrics. "Lost Coastlines" and "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" are my favorite songs and contain my favorite lyrics. "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" breaks my heart almost as much as "A Stone."

quote:

Originally posted by Thisheregiraffe:
"I sleep on my back cause it's good for the spine
and coffin rehersal"
(Why? - Fatalist Palmistry)
Best opening line to a song ever?

It's up there. Not only is the phrase brilliant but it jumps out at you right at the beginning, and the melody is super catchy to boot.

I've been talking up Los Campesinos' Hold on Now, Youngster all the time anyways so may as well continue.

And every sentence that I spoke began and ended in ellipsis.
Each of eight fingers gripping what he wrote, clung on tightly, like parenthesis.
And for each correctly used apostrophe, I could feel my heart sink inside my chest in front of me. (Knee Deep in ATP)


And no more conversations about what Breakfast Club character you'd be
I'd be the one that dies
( Answer: No One Dies)
Well then what's the point?
You should have built have a statue, and so I did of you
And you were ungrateful, and slightly offended at the dimensions of it
You said you looked less like the Venus de Milo, and more like your mother in a straightjacket
I think it's great that you're doing fine now, but enough is enough
And I've had enough (We Are All Accelerated Readers).

quote:

Originally posted by joymonger:
"Lost Coastlines" and "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" are my favorite songs and contain my favorite lyrics. "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" breaks my heart almost as much as "A Stone."

Yes~! Thank you for likeing "A Stone". That song knocks me dead.

"A Stone" is such a sad, sad song. And its final stanzas are so beautiful. It's like Sheff goes off into this tangent but it fits so perfectly.

quote:

Originally posted by Thisheregiraffe:
"I sleep on my back cause it's good for the spine
and coffin rehersal"
(Why? - Fatalist Palmistry)
Best opening line to a song ever?

ohhh, i always thought it was "cough in rehearsal." that makes so much more sense. quite clever, wish i'd caught that the first time. it'd probably have made a bigger impression that way.

quote:

Originally posted by kalibtweli:

quote:

Originally posted by Thisheregiraffe:
"I sleep on my back cause it's good for the spine
and coffin rehersal"
(Why? - Fatalist Palmistry)
Best opening line to a song ever?

ohhh, i always thought it was "cough in rehearsal." that makes so much more sense. quite clever, wish i'd caught that the first time. it'd probably have made a bigger impression that way.

Yeah, it's uncomfortable how similar "coffin" and "cough in" are. Which is ironic because you know, people don't ever "cough in a coffin". I mean, verbally they are pretty much the same thing though, just like "People" and "Peep Hole". It took a long time to explain that one to one of my 'English-as-a-second-language' friends once.

Some of my favorite lyrics this year are from Sam Robert's Love at the End of the World. Such as:

"I was too afraid to read the newspaper
Working in the basement of a skyscraper"
From The Pilgrim


"You've been a saint
I've been a sinner
You're a fat cat
I'm getting thinner
I'm having trouble telling wrong from right
These slippery handshakes that keep me awake at night"
From Up Sister


"Now I've come unhinged
I'm a door in a frame
Well I'm never quite closed
But I ain't open to change"
From Words and Fire


"We were apostles
They were the high priests
We lived the hustle
The keepers of the backbeat

It used to be that the kids were the ones who knew how to get off
It was a yell from the swamp, now it's only coming out as a cough
I can't sell my songs so I'm gonna have to give them away
I can't sell myself since my hair started turning to grey

If nobody listens, then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?

I just don't understand why the kids don't know how to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know how to dance to rock and roll
The high priests are calling all disciples back to the fold
Because the kids don't know how to dance to rock and roll"
From Them Kids

I'm still really enjoying Department of Eagle's In Ear Park and I'm starting to find new depths in it's lyrics. The songs really run together as a story. Towards the end of the album it starts touching on the subject of death. One of my favorite songs is "Waves of Rye", but I love the closing lyric.

"Heaven is a Ballroom with high scielings
Filled with white balloons and smoke machines."

It's nostalgia wrapped in nostalgia. At that moment it even sounds like a song that could be playing at some school dance in the 70s. It's a great image and a great moment. Interlude follows it up perfectly also.