Lyrical non-sequiturs

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I drive a Rolls Royce
'Cos it's good for my voice

Marc Bolan, "Children of the Revolution"

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick

― Ferg (Ferg), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

there's a tree on the sidewalk
there's a car by the door
I'll go for a drive in it

and when the wombat comes
he will find me gone
he'll look for a place to sit

The Police, "On Any Other Day"

― Sean Thomas (sgthomas), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

My girl Sasha
Lookin' good on the street
"Mannequin" was filmed at Woolworth's
Boyz II Men still keepin' up the beat, yeah

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 5 June 2003 00:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis."

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 5 June 2003 01:07 (twenty-two years ago)

My girl Sasha
Lookin' good on the street
"Mannequin" was filmed at Woolworth's
Boyz II Men still keepin' up the beat, yeah

This isn't as non-sequitur as it looks. They're talking about the city of Philadelphia.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 5 June 2003 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Meeting friends around the table
I showed an empty crisp packet, said "Christo was here"
Just like Leila Khaled said.

-The Teardrop Explodes

I think most of Julian Cope's Teardrop lyrics are non-sequiturs, which is weird because he always sounds like he's trying to explain something as clearly and carefully as he can.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Thursday, 5 June 2003 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"a redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash
And this emory board is giving me a rash"
-pavement

― elyn (Xii), Thursday, 5 June 2003 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

This isn't as non-sequitur as it looks. They're talking about the city of Philadelphia.

Oh.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 5 June 2003 02:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Mclusky to thread!

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Thursday, 5 June 2003 05:01 (twenty-two years ago)

all of your friends are cunts
your mother was a ball-point pen thief

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 5 June 2003 05:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Duran Duran: What the hell are they on about?

That is all I ever need to say on this subject.

― kate, Thursday, 5 June 2003 08:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"Aiyyo, we light a candle
Run laps around the English channel
Neptunes, I got a cockerspaniel."

From Noreaga's "Superthug".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 5 June 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Donuts on your lawn (Bitchin' Camaro Bitchin' Camaro)
Tony Orlando and Dawn

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 5 June 2003 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

any TMBG lyric.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 11:57 (twenty-two years ago)

example:
Tour the world in a heavy metal band/
But they ran out of gas/ the plane could never land

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 11:57 (twenty-two years ago)

That's not a non-sequitur. It's just illogical.

― kate, Thursday, 5 June 2003 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

A woman came up to me and wanted to change my mind/
By hitting it with a rock she said/ though I am not unkind
I laughed at her little joke/ and I happily walked away/
and hit my head on the wall of the jail/ where the two of us live today.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

One of my favorite things about TMBG is that their lyrics are almost always interpretted as nonsense or nonsequitors and actually almost never ever are.

"Particle Man", fr'instance, is one often tagged as gentle nonsense, but actually is about the conflict between Christianity & Science & Humanism.

That one Custos just posted, I'm not sure what they're talking about honestly, but it does maintain a proper chronology & connection from one line to the next. This is something we can't always say about, I dunno, Wesley Willis' lyrics.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

As for lyrical non-sequitors, I suggest we turn an eye towards the Prophet Dirt McGirt, who has blessed us with many a drunken gem, such as the following:

"I ain't no actor my shit's for real/
Thighmaster/
If I don't get paid 2 or 3 million dollars on Monday/
I'm a bring on the ARMAGEDDON!"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure what they're talking about honestly, but it does maintain a proper chronology & connection from one line to the next.
Which is odd, really...because I botched the lyrics badly. Ooops, My bad. Those lyrics actually came from two different verses.
The real verses go a little like this:
[Verse 1] A woman came up to me and said "I'd like to poison your mind With wrong ideas that appeal to you Though I am not unkind" She looked at me, I looked at something Written across her scalp And these are the words that it faintly said As I tried to call for help:

[Verse 2] A man came up to me and said "I'd like to change your mind By hitting it with a rock," he said, "Though I am not unkind." We laughed at his little joke And then I happily walked away And hit my head on the wall of the jail Where the two of us live today.

Um, But it retains the same rhythm...

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, howsabout this Robyn Hitchcock Lyric..
I was walking up Sixth avenue/ when Balloon Man came right up to me he was round and fat and spherical/ with the biggest grin I ever seen he bounced on up toward me/ but before we could be introduced he blew up very suddenly/ I guess his name was probably Bruce

This time, I copied and pasted rather than rely on my faulty memory.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

This is the second time in as many weeks that I have to slam Scott Weiland for his asinine lyrics:

"What they said was real / Makes me wanna steal / Livin' under house Guess I'm livin' / I'm a mouse / Feelin' uninspired / Think I'll start a fire / Everybody run / Bobby's got a gun / Think you're kinda neat / Then she tells me I'm a creep"

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"A mulatto / An albino / A mosquito / My libido / Yay!"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you feel the way you hate
Do you hate the way you feel
Always closer to the flame
Ever closer to the blade, yeah
I am poison crazy lush
Built these hands to lift me up
We are servants to our formulaic ways
I'm screaming daisies
From 14 miles away
I've got my own time
Got it all today
Make
Up your mind
I need some help
To find this mind, mind, mind

Limbo this and limbo that
You were this and you were that
Ever know that what you fear is what you find
--Bush, "Greedy Fly"

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 5 June 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

No feelings
For anybody else
Except for myself
Your doctor's gone away
Be back another day
See his picture hanging on your wall.

― Burr (Burr), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:33 (twenty-two years ago)

How many fates turn around in the overtime?
Ballerinas that have fins that you'll never find.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

and the jellyfish women all sneeze/
see the one with the mustache say/
jeez, I can't find my knees

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

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