Poetry in Lyrics

now that was funny

My Song?



"Oh, you guys are baa-ad..."

Some Crowded House:

It's Only Natural
Written By N. Finn T. Finn

Ice will melt, water will boil
You and I can shake off this mortal coil
It's bigger than us
You don't have to worry about it
Ready or not here comes the drop
You feel lucky when you know where you are
It's gonna come true
Here in your arms I remember

CHORUS
It's only natural that I should want to
Be there with you
It's only natural that you should
feel the same way too

It's easy when you don't try
Going on first impressions
Man in a cage has made his confession
You've seen me at my worst
And it won't be the last time I'm down there
I want you to know I feel completely at ease
Read me like a book
That's fallen down between your knees
Please let me have my way with you

Chorus

It's circumstantial, it's nothing written in the sky
And we don't even have to try
Shaking like mud, buildings of glass
Sink into the bay they'll be under the rocks again
You don't have to say I know you're afraid

Chorus

It's circumstantial, it's something I was born to
It's only natural, can't help it if I want to

His lyrics are powerful, cavfancier-

And this one:


Here's someone now whose got the muscle
His steady hand could move a mountain
Expert in bed but come on now
There must be something missing
That golden one leads a double life
You'll find out
But I don't know where you go
Do you climb into space
To the world where you live
The world where you live
So here we lie against each other
These four walls can never hold us
We're looking for wide open spaces
High above the kitchen
And we're strangers here
On our way to some other place
But I don't know where you go
Do you climb into space
To the world where you live
The world where you live
The world where you live

When friends come round
You might remember and be sad
Behind their eyes is unfamiliar
Do you climb into space
To the world where you live
The world where you live ...

I'm a big Crowded House fan, not just for the lyrics, but also for how seamlessly they work with the music. Here is one from Van Morrison, possibly the most sympathetic song about a drag queen ever written (save for the stuff on the 'Hedwig' soundtrack, but that was more than 20 years later):

Madame George

Down on Cyprus Avenue
With a childlike vision leaping into view
Clicking, clacking of the high heeled shoe
Ford & Fitzroy, Madame George
Marching with the soldier boy behind
He's much older with hat on drinking wine
And that smell of sweet perfume comes drifting through
The cool night air like Shalimar
And outside they're making all the stops
The kids out in the street collecting bottle-tops
Gone for cigarettes and matches in the shops
Happy taken Madame George
That's when you fall
Whoa, that's when you fall
Yeah, that's when you fall
When you fall into a trance
A sitting on a sofa playing games of chance
With your folded arms and history books you glance
Into the eyes of Madame George
And you think you found the bag
You're getting weaker and your knees begin to sag
In the corner playing dominoes in drag
The one and only Madame George
And then from outside the frosty window raps
She jumps up and says Lord have mercy I think it's the cops
And immediately drops everything she gots
Down into the street below
And you know you gotta go
On that train from Dublin up to Sandy Row
Throwing pennies at the bridges down below
And the rain, hail, sleet, and snow
Say goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
And as you leave, the room is filled with music, laughing, music,
dancing, music all around the room
And all the little boys come around, walking away from it all
So cold
And as you're about to leave
She jumps up and says Hey love, you forgot your gloves
And the gloves to love to love the gloves...
To say goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
Dry your eyes for Madame George
Say goodbye in the wind and the rain on the back street
In the backstreet, in the back street
Say goodbye to Madame George
In the backstreet, in the back street, in the back street
Down home, down home in the back street
Gotta go
Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Dry your eye your eye your eye your eye your eye...
Say goodbye to Madame George
And the loves to love to love the love
Say goodbye
Oooooo
Mmmmmmm
Say goodbye goodbye goodbye goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
The love's to love the love's to love the love's to love...
Say goodbye, goodbye
Get on the train
Get on the train, the train, the train...
This is the train, this is the train...
Whoa, say goodbye, goodbye....
Get on the train, get on the train...

I think that will work better as intense music, rather than a 'poem'-
huh, Cav?

It is certainly STARK, and passionate, concerning the dragqueen, 'george'.

Jackie, I suppose that is the trouble with Van...better to listen to than to read...

More Nick Cave:

John Finn's Wife

Well the night was deep and the night was dark
And I was at the old dance-hall on the edge of town
Some big ceremony was going down
Dancers writhed and squirmed and then,
Came apart and then writhed again
Like squirming flies on a pin
In the heat and in the din
Yes, in the heat and in the din
I fell to thinking about the brand new wife of mad John Finn

Well, midnight came and the clock did strike
And in she came, did John Finn's wife
With legs like scissors and butcher's knives
A tattooed breast and flaming eyes
And a crimson carnation in her teeth
Carving her way through the dance floor
And I'm standing over by the bandstand
Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife
Yeah, every eye gaping on John Finn's wife

Now John Finn's wife was something of a mystery
In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty
I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife
Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife
She got perfumed breasts and raven hair
Sprinkled with wedding confettis
And a gang of garrotters were all giving me stares
Armed, as they were, with machetes
And the night through the window was full of lights
Winking and awatching at John Finns' wife
Winking and awatching at John Finns' wife

Next came the cops, all out on the town
But it don't look like no trouble there
As they head for the bar in their lumpy suits
And I slipped my hand between the thighs of John Finn's wife
And they seemed to yawn awake, her thighs
It was a warm and very ferocious night
The moon full of blood and light
And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight
As I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife

Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit
With his quick black eyes and black cheroot
With his filed-down teeth and a hobnail boot
And his fists full of pistols in his pockets
Aiming at me and aiming at his wife
The band fell silent fearing for their lives
And with fear in my guts like tangled twine
Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife
And mad John Finns' wife is all
And the three of us walk out of the hall

Now the night bore down upon us all
You could hear the crickets in the thickets call
And guns did flare and guns did bawl
And I planted my bolo knife in the neck
Of mad John Finn. I took his wretched life
Now I'm over near the bandstand
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife

And John Finns' wife
Took all the flowers down
From her hair
And threw them on the ground
And the flies did hum
And the flies did buzz around
Poor John Finn
Lying dead upon the ground
Lying dead upon the ground

Welcome jjorge,
I really like ''reading" Big yellow taxi. It cuts to the chase, doesn't it? How very much we need to appreciate this grand view- before it is all cut and paved away! I am so glad you joined us.
Often, writers are looking SO HARD for a song that will 'sing' and sell well- and send a message,
they forget it makes a wonderful 'poem'.

Cav this is a great saga, about Finn's wife. I enjoyed 'reading' it-
like a meloncholy 'story'. Nick Cave has some EMOTION, he's real.

Hi Jackie et al,

I'm in the throes of an extended Joni Mitchell reminiscense nowadays, so it's her lyrics that are rolling around in my brain.
This is arguably her best:

'Both sides Now'


Bows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun,
They rain and snow on everyone.
So many things I would have done,
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down and still somehow
It's clouds' illusions I recall;
I really don't know clouds at all.

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels,
The dizzy dancing way you feel,
When every fairy tale comes real,
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show,
You leave 'em laughing when you go.
And if you care, don't let them know,
Don't give yourself away.

I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall;
I really don't know love at all.

Tears and fears and feeling proud,
To say "I love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
They shake their heads, they say I've changed.
Well something's lost but something's gained,
In living every day.

I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall;
I really don't know life at all.
-Joni Mitchell

Damn it, Cav, if that ain't one of my favorite songs. I saw the guy in LA after Mule Variations came out, and it was just an unbelievable show. The best live performance of anything I've ever seen.

you kids've put up a lot in a month or two. think i'll pop back in occasionally to take a peek...

One of my faves too patiodog

Good evening patiodog,
I haven't "met" you, but have read MANY of your posts, both here and in the 'other' forum
I am glad you enjoy Tom Waits. He has lyrics for all of us!!! For Real!
Hope you stick around, join us in remembering poetic 'lyrics'.

jjorge, you have posted one of my all time 'tender' songs. I just melt with the words of this song... in awe-- thoughts-
that are so well put together.
Reading it now- well.... now I am reminiscing.
Good to be reminded of this one.

More ruminations by Nick Cave:

Your Funeral... My Trial

I am a crooked man
And I've walked a crooked mile
Night, the shameless widow
Doffed her weeds, in a pile
The stars all winked at me
They shamed a child
Your funeral, my trial
A thousand Marys lured me
To feathered beds and fields of clover
Bird with crooked wing cast
It's wicked shadow over
A bauble moon did mock
And trinket stars did smile
Your funeral, my trial
Here I am, little lamb...
Let all the bells in whoredom ring
All the crooked bitches that she was
(Mongers of pain)
Saw the moon
Become a fang
Your funeral, my trial

Jack's Shadow

They dragged Jack and his shadow
From the hole
And the bulb that burned above him
Did shine both day and night
And his shadow learned to love his
Little darks and greater light
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
A little longer
Jack wept and kissed his shadow
"Goodbye"
Spat from their dirty dungeons
Into a truly different din
Shat from their institutions
Into a fully different din
And his shadow soon became a wife
And children plagued his latter life
Until one night he took a skinning knife
And stole into the town
And tracked his shadow down
Said the shadow to Jack Henry
"What's wrong?"
Jack said "A home is not a hole"
"And shadow, you're just a gallow that I hang my body from"
"O Shadow, you're a shackle from wich my time is never done"
Then he peeled his shadow off in strips
He peeled his shadow off in strips
Then kneeled his shadow on some steps
And cried "What have I done?"
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
I say "Love is blind"
"And is it any wonder?!"
"And is it any wonder?!"
Jack and his damned shadow
are gone
And though each one of us are want to duly mourn
And though each one of us are want to duly mourn
'Tis done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
Now that Jack's black shadow's gone
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
A little stronger
I swear, love is blind
Ooh, love is blind
Yeah, love is blind
And is it any wonder?
'Tis done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
Now that Jack's black shadow's gone

Here is one from Cake...I like their simple but clever imagery:

Frank Sinatra

We know of an ancient radiation
That haunts dismembered constellations
A faintly glimmering radio station

While Frank Sinatra sings "Stormy Weather"
The flies and spiders get along together
Cobwebs fall on an old skipping record

Beyond the suns that guard this roost
Beyond your flowers of flaming truth
Beyond your latest ad campaigns

An old man sits collecting stamps
In a room all filled with Chinese lamps
He saves what others throw away
He says that he'll be rich someday

We know of an ancient radiation
That haunts dismembered constellations
A faintly glimmering radio station

While Frank Sinatra sings "Stormy Weather"
The flies and spiders get along together
Cobwebs fall on an old skipping record

Cavfancier, you are a HOPELESS romantic! I just know it.
I love this-





actually, I really love them all

guilty as charged jackie...

Cav

Love that one from Cake...wonderful imagery.