Need Lyrical Help!

Swallow Poison
Swallow Poison Posts: 58
edited December 2005 in Words and Music...Communication
HELP!

I've been asked by the band I play bass for to start writing lyrics for our songs, so am in dire need of inspiration.

Please post your favourite PJ lyrics below (and why if you so wish) so that I might divine some inspiration from them.

Cheers.

I'll start:

"I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune". I love the imagery of this lyric. Hence my screen name...
Decipher the illusion, know the facts but retain the magic.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • Eraserhead
    Eraserhead Stoke-on-Trent Posts: 2,983
    "I'm a thief, I'm a liar, here's my church I sing in the choir."
    Manchester 04.06.00, Leeds 25.08.06, Wembley 18.06.07, Dusseldorf 21.06.07, Shepherds Bush 11.08.09, Manchester 17.08.09, Adelaide 17.11.09, Melbourne 20.11.09, Sydney 22.11.09, Brisbane 25.11.09, MSG1 20.05.10, MSG2 21.05.10, Dublin 22.06.10, Belfast 23.06.10, London 25.06.10, Long Beach 06.07.11 (EV), Los Angeles 08.07.11 (EV), Toronto 11.09.11, Toronto 12.09.11, Ottawa 14.09.11, Hamilton 14.09.11, Manchester 20.06.12, Manchester 21.06.12, Amsterdam 26.06.2012, Amsterdam 27.06.2012, Berlin 04.07.12, Berlin 05.07.12, Stockholm 07.07.12, Oslo 09.07.12, Copenhagen 10.07.12, Manchester 28.07.12 (EV), Brooklyn 18.10.13, Brooklyn 19.10.13, Philly 21.10.13, Philly 22.10.13, San Diego 21.11.13, LA 23.11.13, LA 24.11.13, Oakland 26.11.13, Portland 29.11.13, Spokane 30.11.13, Calgary 02.12.13, Vancouver 04.12.13, Seattle 06.12.13, Trieste 22.06.14, Vienna 25.06.14, Berlin 26.06.14, Stockholm 28.06.14, Leeds 08.07.14, Philly 28.04.16, Philly 28.04.16, MSG1 01.05.16, MSG2 02.05.16
  • Swallow Poison
    Swallow Poison Posts: 58
    Eraserhead wrote:
    "I'm a thief, I'm a liar, here's my church I sing in the choir."

    True - excellent lyric.

    Video is pretty amazing too...
    Decipher the illusion, know the facts but retain the magic.
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    dirty frank dahmer he's a gourmet cook yeah
    i got a recipe for anglo-saxin soup yeah
    wanted a pass so she relaxed
    now the little groupie's getting chopped up in the back
    i got a cupboard full of fleshy fresh ingredients
    a very careful at the same time quite expedient
    eats meat a release
    bus driving's harder on your head than on your feet
    dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    a dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    keeps it clean a keeps it copaseptic
    a-little boys and girls their heads are all collected
    a-not crazy a per se
    just a little strange when he gets hungry
    city, state, your town, he will continue
    a stadium, tiny clubs, every venue
    a-his bus a-your trust
    there goes another turned into crust
    dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    a dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    oh middle of the night we're stopped the freeway shoulder
    a-frank's shoveling to bury the leftovers
    a-they're sunk he's drunk
    now he's gonna drive, i'm hiding in my bunk oh
    the band all knows we're too afraid to mention
    a-don't want to be part of frank's luncheon
    a-lose weight a-be safe
    where's mike mccready?
    my god he's been ate!
    dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    a dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    a dirty frank
    a dirty frank, yeah
    why that dirty frank was a bad mother...shut your mouth!
    hey man, i'm just talking about dirty frank
    ok i think that's enough


    It's classic, gross, humorous, and yet socially timely ;)
    There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous
    The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
  • danielheyes
    danielheyes Posts: 362
    i hope someday you'll have a beautifull life, i hope you'll be a star,in somebody else's sky but why,why,why cant it be oh cant it be mine......

    puts a lump in my throat everytime.........
    When I was born, the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father, I'm very sorry. We did everything we could. But he pulled through......
  • smallocean
    smallocean Posts: 5
    The one that inspired the nick:

    Little secrets, tremors
    Turned to quake
    The smallest oceans still get big, big waves..

    Fells like in a seastorm
  • angryyoungman
    angryyoungman Medford, NY Posts: 1,028
    danielheyes wrote:
    i hope someday you'll have a beautifull life, i hope you'll be a star,in somebody else's sky but why,why,why cant it be oh cant it be mine......

    puts a lump in my throat everytime.........
    agreed. one of the lyrics that really got me into the band
    . . ."i am lost, im your guide, but im by your side, I AM RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE!!!"
    i have wished for so long, how i wish for you today
    JEFFREY ROSS ROGERS 1975-2002

    9.10.98 NYC / 8.23.00 JONES BEACH /4.30.03 UNIONDALE / 7.9.03 NYC /5.12.06 ALBANY/ 6.1.06 E.RUTHEFORD/ 6.3.06 E. RUTHEFORD/ CAMDEN 6.19.08/ NYC 6.24.08/ NYC 6.25.08/ HARTFORD 6.27.08/ CHICAGO 8.24.09/ PHILLY 10.31.09/ HARTFORD 5.15.10/ NEWARK 5.18.10/ NYC 5.20.10/ CHICAGO 7.19.13/ BROOKLYN 10.18.13/ BROOKLYN 10.19.13/ HARTFORD 10.25.13/ NYC 9.26.15/ 4.8.16 FT. LAUDERDALE/ 4.9.16 MIAMI / 5.1.16 NYC/ 5.2.16 NYC / 8.5.16 BOSTON / 8.7.16 BOSTON/ 8.20.18 CHICAGO/ 9.2.18 BOSTON/ 9.4.18 BOSTON/ 9.18.21 ASBURY PARK

    finally, FUCK TICKETMASTER
  • danielheyes
    danielheyes Posts: 362
    angryyoungman wrote:
    agreed. one of the lyrics that really got me into the band
    . . ."i am lost, im your guide, but im by your side, I AM RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE!!!"


    touche my friend!! another belter!! all from the greatest era of my life that i look back on with a wry smile!!!
    When I was born, the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father, I'm very sorry. We did everything we could. But he pulled through......
  • guildenstern
    guildenstern Posts: 92
    all that's sacred comes from youth.
    ThisIsNotAnExit
  • Jeremy1012
    Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    angryyoungman wrote:
    . . ."i am lost, im your guide, but im by your side, I AM RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE!!!"
    i may be wrong but i always thought it said "i am lost. i am NO guide". any light to be shed on that?
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • angryyoungman
    angryyoungman Medford, NY Posts: 1,028
    Jeremy1012 wrote:
    i may be wrong but i always thought it said "i am lost. i am NO guide". any light to be shed on that?
    you may be right. i may be crazy. but it just may be a lunatic your looking for
    i have wished for so long, how i wish for you today
    JEFFREY ROSS ROGERS 1975-2002

    9.10.98 NYC / 8.23.00 JONES BEACH /4.30.03 UNIONDALE / 7.9.03 NYC /5.12.06 ALBANY/ 6.1.06 E.RUTHEFORD/ 6.3.06 E. RUTHEFORD/ CAMDEN 6.19.08/ NYC 6.24.08/ NYC 6.25.08/ HARTFORD 6.27.08/ CHICAGO 8.24.09/ PHILLY 10.31.09/ HARTFORD 5.15.10/ NEWARK 5.18.10/ NYC 5.20.10/ CHICAGO 7.19.13/ BROOKLYN 10.18.13/ BROOKLYN 10.19.13/ HARTFORD 10.25.13/ NYC 9.26.15/ 4.8.16 FT. LAUDERDALE/ 4.9.16 MIAMI / 5.1.16 NYC/ 5.2.16 NYC / 8.5.16 BOSTON / 8.7.16 BOSTON/ 8.20.18 CHICAGO/ 9.2.18 BOSTON/ 9.4.18 BOSTON/ 9.18.21 ASBURY PARK

    finally, FUCK TICKETMASTER
  • Brisk.
    Brisk. Posts: 11,581
    "I'm a thief, I'm a liar, here's my church I sing in the choir."

    what do those lyrics mean
  • danielheyes
    danielheyes Posts: 362
    I BrisK I wrote:
    "I'm a thief, I'm a liar, here's my church I sing in the choir."

    what do those lyrics mean

    To me its an ironic sarcastic line about the hierarchy of the world promising a better world and getting the "choir"(other politicians) to sing it out loud.

    The Evolution part of the song you should be able to relate to that if you listen to the rest of the song in comparison to your line......
    When I was born, the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father, I'm very sorry. We did everything we could. But he pulled through......
  • spin spin
    spin spin Posts: 9
    "There is no wrong or right but I'm sure there's good and bad"

    So true. So simple.
    Let us proclaim the history of faith.
  • U-R
    U-R Posts: 223
    for what it's worth, i'd imagine that if you don't write it yourself based on your own experiences, it won't read as well on paper and certainly won't sound as good when sung
    if you love somebody, set them free. if somebody loves you, don't fuck up
  • red mos
    red mos Posts: 4,953
    Jeremy1012 wrote:
    i may be wrong but i always thought it said "i am lost. i am NO guide". any light to be shed on that?
    According to http://www.sing365.com it says "I am lost I am NO guide" but I could see how that could easily be misunderstood because it's a hard lyric to make out.
    PJ: 10/14/00 06/09/03 10/4/09 11/15/13 11/16/13 10/08/14
    EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
  • UpHereInMyTree500
    UpHereInMyTree500 Posts: 1,772
    do what Bobbie Dylan did and take inspiration from newspaper reports
    Wave came crashing...
  • Pearl Jam and toast
    Pearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    "I Got Memories, I Got Shit" from "I Got Shit"

    perfectly symbolic of the anger, frustration, and regret the song is about.
    Come on pilgrim you know he loves you..

    http://www.wishlistfoundation.org

    Oh my, they dropped the leash.



    Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!

    "Make our day"
  • Pearl Jam and toast
    Pearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    "i'm lost i'm no guide" makes a lot more sense.

    that's how i hear it said.

    we all know Ed screws up lines (both intentionally and unintentionally) so it could be both really.

    plus.. gramatically..

    if it was "i'm your guide" the next line would have to be "and i'm by your side"

    but instead he says "but i'm by your side"

    yes?
    Come on pilgrim you know he loves you..

    http://www.wishlistfoundation.org

    Oh my, they dropped the leash.



    Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!

    "Make our day"
  • Innocent_Bystander
    Innocent_Bystander Posts: 615
    In the moonlight...

    Gettin'. Wind out to get back. It's a...
    Steady shore to her land.
    It's gettin' closer to the fence.
    In the moonlight...

    Givin'. Two lost wings.
    A beautiful star sea.
    A wonderful sense of beauty.
    In the moonlight...
    It's a love drawn nearer.
    Darkened days are spent in.

    A night bird is followin' you all the time.

    Under a star-lined ceiling...
    And darkness, so sleep. Ah,...
    Your sense is revealed...
    In the moonlight...
    It's a love drawn nearer.
    Darkened days are spent in.

    A night bird is followin' you all the time.

    It's a love drawn nearer.
    Darkened days are spent in.

    A night bird is followin' you,... it's followin' you.
    A night bird is followin' you all the time.
    Life reveals what is dealt through seasons
    Circle comes around each time
  • Gizmo
    Gizmo Posts: 38
    The lyrics is what got me into Pearl Jam in the first place ... they're amazing! So there's just too many ... and the one from black is very special to me also ... Other than that, here's some I can think of:

    To myself I surrender, to the one I'll never please

    We were but stones, your light made us stars

    I turned my back, now there's no turning back

    I let go of a rope, thinking that's what held me back
    and in time I've realized, it's now wrapped around my neck ...

    (Thumbing my way is just full of this kind of gems)

    I could literally just go on and on ... there is a thread somewhere with people's favorite PJ verses ... might be worth checking out! Was a while ago though ...
    (Arnhem 29/08/2006 - Antwerp 30/08/2006 - Antwerp 31/08/2006 - Dusseldorf 2007 - Werchter 2007 - Berlin 2009)
    - If you're not confused, you're not really paying attention to what's going on -
    - Still so many answers I don't know, realise that to question is how we grow -

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