Song Lyrics That Means Something

Not the whole song, but one line or phrase that really means something. Something that really hits home, good or bad.

For me, for starters,  is from The Commodores' "Easy."

"Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be..."

"And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking. And racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older. Shorter of breath and one day closer to death."

Pink Floyd - "Time"

When I was young and they packed me off to school

And taught me how not to play the game,

I didn't mind if they groomed me for success,

Or if they said that I was a fool.

Everybody wants to rule the world, or the room at least
And assume that they'll be the one with a crowded funeral

K.Flay - I like myself (most of the time)

"I hope that I don't fall in love with you" Tom Waits

"I'm in love with my sadness"  Zero by Smashing Pumpkins

That one always seemed to hit deep down in my psyche.

-Rob

"Think I found something that's gonna wreck my life..."  - J. Geils Band

Doot doot doodlee doo

Doo doo DOO

Let's get it on - it's time to get down

MFSB - "The Sound Of Philadelphia"

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

"And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking. And racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older. Shorter of breath and one day closer to death."

Pink Floyd - "Time"

"And then one day you find; 10 years has got behind you. No one told you when to run; you missed the starting gun. "

We have students that work with us every summer, while doing the group orientation, i bring up the song Time and these lyrics in particular. Most of the students are familiar with the song, but don't really assign any meaning to those lyrics.

 I tell them my interpretation. Nobody tells you when to grow up or when to start being an adult. Some people just wake up one day and realize that all of their friends have good jobs, families, investments, houses and are years ahead of them in life. While they are still stuck in a dead end job and going to the pub every night. And while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that, don't be upset at those who didn't miss the starting gun. 

"To want what I have, to take what is given, with grace"

Don Henley.

Also, "They're not here, they're not coming.  Not in a million years."

Just because you don't understand what's goin' on don't mean it don't make no sense
And just because you don't like it don't mean it ain't no good
...
Yeah, maybe sometimes I do feel like E36 M3
I ain't happy 'bout it, but I'd rather feel like E36 M3 than be full of E36 M3
And if I offended you, oh I'm sorry but maybe you needed to be offended

In reply to drsmooth :

Along a similar line and not a song, but I commonly quote my step brother, who tells a story of him telling his younger brother one day:

"Look man, living in your VW bus when you are 18 is pretty cool.   Living in your VW bus when you are 30 is pretty sad."

"When you change yourself, you change the world."

Silvera - Gojira

"I wish you love, and happiness, I guess I wish you all the best. I wish you don't do like I do, and ever fall in love with someone like you..."

"A question ain't really a question, if you know the answer too"

-John Prine

"Goodbye is too good a word for you, so I'll just say fare thee well"

- Bob Dylan

"All these years the people said he's acted like a kid. He did not know he could not fly... and so he did"

-Guy Clark

aircooled said:

In reply to drsmooth :

Along a similar line and not a song, but I commonly quote my step brother, who tells a story of him telling his younger brother one day:

"Look man, living in your VW bus when you are 18 is pretty cool.   Living in your VW bus when you are 30 is pretty sad."

Now we know who wrote that famous SNL skit.

Edit...

For me, it's the following line from Rod Stewart's Forever Young:

And when you finally fly away I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime, no one can ever tell

OK, OK, I'll put in a lyric that actually means something:

I wanted a lion

But I ended up with a man

Who wanted a gazelle...

Tanya Donnelly - "Goat Girl"

When you believe in things

That you don't understand

Then you suffer -

Superstition ain't the way...

Stevie Wonder - "Superstition"

"When I die, will they remember not

What I've done, but what I haven't done?

It's not the end that I fear with each breath

It's life that scares me to death"

"Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated" - Rise Against.

drsmooth said:

 I tell them my interpretation. Nobody tells you when to grow up or when to start being an adult. Some people just wake up one day and realize that all of their friends have good jobs, families, investments, houses and are years ahead of them in life. While they are still stuck in a dead end job and going to the pub every night. And while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that, don't be upset at those who didn't miss the starting gun. 

I sorta agree... because I see so much else in the album repudiating the rat race life. I don't think it's telling you that you need to "be an adult". I think you need to not put off living your life until some future day.

No don't, don't sink the boat
That you built to keep afloat.

-Flogging Molly, "Float"

That whole song hits me. Just a reminder that life is hard and messy. We cobble together something imperfect to get through. Don't throw that away by giving into frustration. Just living another day being yourself is victory.

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day 'til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you... Jim Croce

"They laugh because they know they're untouchable, not because what I said was wrong."

Sinead O'Connor, "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Beer Baron 🍺 said:

drsmooth said:

 I tell them my interpretation. Nobody tells you when to grow up or when to start being an adult. Some people just wake up one day and realize that all of their friends have good jobs, families, investments, houses and are years ahead of them in life. While they are still stuck in a dead end job and going to the pub every night. And while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that, don't be upset at those who didn't miss the starting gun. 

I sorta agree... because I see so much else in the album repudiating the rat race life. I don't think it's telling you that you need to "be an adult". I think you need to not put off living your life until some future day.

Plans that either come to naught

Or half a page of scribbled lines

The time has come; the song is over

Thought I'd something more to say...

I'm reading that as saying "do something meaningful before it's too late."  Not necessarily to join the rat race, but to not waste your chances to make or be something.

Trrrrrrr
Shtibididob dom dom dom dom
Yes yes yes yes
Shtib shtibidid
Shtibidi dom dom dom dom
Yes yes yes yes

Elate mi na starta o
4 16 v
4 16 v
Chernoto BMW ooo
E kushmara na vsichki
E kushmara na vichki
Audi Mercedes
Shte vi sksam
Shte vi sksam
Shte mi dishate prata
Obeshtavam obeshtavam

                  Biser King

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

"And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking. And racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older. Shorter of breath and one day closer to death."

Pink Floyd - "Time"

That song had lyrics? I've listened to that song for 50 years (so for hundreds of not a thousand times) and never knew what the words ever where. lol