Shit lyrics you thought were amazing when you were sixteen.

- some The The song

KRS-1 'Sound of the Police'

by 16 I had more or less given up on lyrics. Oh wait, there was that one track that went "WISSENSWERTES WISSENSWERTES UBER ERLANGEN" or some such, I thought that was brilliant for some reason.

The Cure - "From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea"

...although on reflection, they're not all that shit at all. this question has holes all over it, cos it's far too personal a matter.

Someone at my high school used those NIN lyrics as their yearbook quote, it was pretty funny.

I used to like the delivery of "I got myself a gun today, hey-ey" at the end of the House of Love's 'Plastic' bit I suppose it's a bit 'ooh guns'.

-- CharlieNo4

along with the Smiths and DM (though with Depeche Mode I think I always *knew* their lyrics were crap)

Er, actually I put something from NIN as a yearbook quote in high school, realized a day later how stupid this was, and managed to grab the form with my info from the yearbook staff before they entered the data & cross out the quote, so I luckily had no yearbook quote at all.

Oh my beautiful liar
Oh my precious whore
My disease, my infection
I am so impure"

I just wrote that FROM MEMORY. My head is so full of crap.

oh i miss the kiss of treachery the aching kiss before i feed the stench of a love for a younger meat and the sound that it makes when it cuts in deep the holding up on bended knees the addiction of duplicities as bit by bit it starts the need to just let go my party piece

but i never said i would stay to the end so i leave you with babies and hoping for frequency screaming like this in the hope of the secrecy screaming me over and over and over i leave you with photographs pictures of trickery stains on the carpet and stains on the scenery songs about happiness murmured in dreams when we both us knew how the ending would be...

(and yeah sadly that was from memory too)

(x-post)

'Oh Jesse honey, is it hard to take
Does it feel so bad to be 28?'

WHAT???

yes, LLoyd, did that seem meaningful at the grand old age of 23 when you wrote it?

That said, a lot of his songs still please me now.

Sometimes I try to do things and it just doesn't work out the way I wanted to.
I get real frustrated and I try hard to do it and I take my time and it doesn't work out the way I wanted to.
It's like I concentrate real hard and it doesn't work out
Everything I do and everything I try never turns out
It's like I need time to figure these things out
But there's always someone there going

Hey Mike:
You know we've been noticing you've been having a lot of problems lately.You know, maybe you should get away and maybe you should talk about it, maybe you'll feel a lot better

And I go:
No it's okay, you know I'll figure it out, just leave me alone I'll figure it out. You know I'll just work by myself.

And they go:
Well you know if you want to talk about it I'll be here you know and you'll probably feel a lot better if you talk about it.

And I go:
No I don't want to I'm okay, I'll figure it out myself and they just keep bugging me and they just keep bugging me and it builds up inside and it builds up inside.

So you're gonna be institutionalized
You'll come out brainwashed with bloodshot eyes
You won't have any say
They'll brainwash you until you see their way.

I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized

They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
to give me the needed professional help
to protect me from the enemy, myself

I was in my room and I was just like staring at the wall thinking about everything but then again I was thinking about nothing
And then my mom came in and I didn't even know she was there she called my name and I didn't even hear it, and then she started screaming MIKE! MIKE!
And I go:
What, what's the matter
And she goes:
What's the matter with you?
I go:
There's nothing-wrong mom.
And she goes:
Don't tell me that, you're on drugs!
And I go:
No mom I'm not on drugs I'm okay, I was just thinking you know, why don't you get me a pepsi.
And she goes:
NO you're on drugs!
I go:
Mom I'm okay, I'm just thinking.
She goes:
No you're not thinking, you're on drugs! Normal people don't act that way!
I go:
Mom just give me a Pepsi please
All I want is a Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me
All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me.
Just a Pepsi.

They give you a white shirt with long sleeves
Tied around you're back, you're treated like thieves
Drug you up because they're lazy
It's too much work to help a crazy

I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized

They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself

I was sitting in my room and my mom and my dad came in and they pulled up a chair and they sat down, they go:
Mike, we need to talk to you
And I go:
Okay what's the matter
They go:
Me and your mom have been noticing lately that you've been having a lot of problems, you've been going off for no reason and we're afraid you're gonna hurt somebody, we're afraid you're gonna hurt yourself.
So we decided that it would be in your interest if we put you somewhere where you could get the help that you need.
And I go:
Wait, what do you mean, what are you talking about, we decided!? My best interest?! How can you know what's my best interest is? How can you say what my best interest is? What are you trying to say, I'm crazy? When I went to your schools, I went to your churches, I went to your institutional learning facilities?! So how can you say I'm crazy.

They say they're gonna fix my brain
Alleviate my suffering and my pain
But by the time they fix my head
Mentally I'll be dead

I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized

They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself

What does it matter i'll probably get hit by a car anyway

"Downward Spiral" is a different story -- "Reptile" and all the other lyrical attempts to be gruesome and creepy were a bit embarrassing then, and remain so today.

no way those lyrics are awesome! ZANY ANTICS is a phrase I want to see in more music.

"Pretty Hate Machine" probably does own this thread, but "The Only Time" is the worst lyric on there (although I also was into the "devil wants to fuck me in the back of his car" line, as dumb as that seems now). But most of the PHM still kick ass, i.e. 10 different flavours of getting dumped/fucked over/etc. = teenage angst at its finest.
"Downward Spiral" is a different story -- "Reptile" and all the other lyrical attempts to be gruesome and creepy were a bit embarrassing then, and remain so today.

-- Barry Bruner (brune...), July 28th, 2004.

OTM, though the programming/production and overall sound of The Downward Spiral is what makes it one of my favorite albums.

I thought Gavin was on some heavy metaphysical shit when I was 14.

I bleach the sky
Every night
Loaded on wrong
And further from right
Spinning around
Two howling moons
Cos there always there
Whatever I do

The river is loaded
I've been there today
Took it some questions
She does me again
I'd die in your arms
If you were dead too
Here comes a lie
We will allways be true

Going up
When coming down
Scratch away
It's the little things that kill
Tearing at my brains again
The little things that kill
The little things that kill

Bigger you give
Bigger you get
We're boss at denial
But best at forget
Cupboard is empty
We really need food
Summer is winter
And you always knew

Going up when coming down
Scratch away

I touch your mouth
My willy is food
Addicted to love
I'm addicted to fools
I kill you once
I kill you again
We're starving and crude
Welcome my friends to

The little things that kill

I bleach the sky
Every night
Loaded on wrong
And further from right
Spinning around
Two howling moons
Cos there always there
Whatever I do

The river is loaded
I've been there today
Took it some questions
She does me again
I'd die in your arms
If you were dead too
Here comes a lie
We will allways be true

Going up
When coming down
Scratch away
It's the little things that kill
Tearing at my brains again
The little things that kill
The little things that kill

Bigger you give
Bigger you get
We're boss at denial
But best at forget
Cupboard is empty
We really need food
Summer is winter
And you always knew

Going up when coming down
Scratch away

I touch your mouth
My willy is food
Addicted to love
I'm addicted to fools
I kill you once
I kill you again
We're starving and crude
Welcome my friends to

The little things that kill

-- Josh Love (heaveninrowboat...), July 28th, 2004.

OTM, GOD YES, OTM!

I want to be
A cowboy star upon the screen
Oh hey I want to drive
My cowboy car across the scene
Oh hey I want to write
The magazines the housewives read
And I want to be
In control of everything
I want to be King

I want to make the toys
You buy for Christmas Eve
Yeah and I want o be
The father of the ethnic child
Who stars on T.V.
Oh yeah and I, I want to write
The magazines the housewives read
Oh hey and I want all the leaders
Of the Thirld World
To answer to me
I want to be King
I want to be King
So maybe now the Pope
Will bow and kiss my ring
I wanna be King

(actually, kinda great)

The title of the last track on The Fragile always makes me laugh - "Ripe (With Decay)"

Must be your skin that I'm sinking in
Must be for real cos now I can feel
And I didn't mind
It's not my kind
Not my time to wonder why
Everything's gone white
And everything's grey
Now you're here now you're away
I don't want this
Remember that
I'll never forget where you're at
Don't let the days go by
Glycerine
I'm never alone
I'm alone all the time
Are you at one
Or do you lie
We live in a wheel
Where everyone steals
But when we rise it's like strawberry fields
I treated you bad
You bruise my face
Couldn't love you more
You got a beautiful taste
Don't let the days go by
Could have been easier on you
I couldn't change though I wanted to
Could have been easier by three
Our old friend fear and you and me
Glycerine (repeat)
Don't let the days go by
Glycerine
I needed you more
When we wanted us less
I could not kiss just regress
It might just be
Clear simple and plain
That's just fine
That's just one of my names
Don't let the days go by
Could've been easier on you
Glycerine

My reflection, dirty mirror
There's no connection to myself
I'm your lover, I'm your zero
I'm in the face of your dreams of glass
So save your prayers
For when we're really gonna need'em
Throw out your cares and fly
Wanna go for a ride?

She's the one for me
She's all I really need
Cause she's the one for me
Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
And cleanliness is godliness, and god is empty just like me
Intoxicated with the madness, I'm in love with my sadness
Bullshit fakers, enchanted kingdoms
The fasion victims chew their charcoal teeth
I never let on, that I was on a sinking ship
I never let on that I was down
You blame yourself, for what you can't ignore
You blame yourself for wanting more
She's the one for me
She's all I really need
She's the one for me
She's my one and only

I still love that song, but then I still love hardcore punk in general. I have no shame.

so so embarassing.

also, mid 80's metallica.

A sad fact widely known
The most impassionate song
To a lonely soul
Is so easily outgrown
But don't forget the songs
That made you smile
And the songs that made you cry
When you lay in awe
On the bedroom floor
And said : "Oh, oh, smother me Mother..."
No ...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La ...

The passing of time
And all of its crimes
Is making me sad again
The passing of time
And all of its sickening crimes
Is making me sad again
But don't forget the songs
That made you cry
And the songs that saved your life
Yes, you're older now
And you're a clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you

The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled (the passing ...)
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with the cause
I'm holding the torch
In the corner of your room
Can you hear me ?
And when you're dancing and laughing
And finally living
Hear my voice in your head
And think of me kindly

Peaches come from a can,
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown.
And if I had my little way, I'd eat peaches everyday,
Sun soakin' bulges in the shade.

Movin to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches,
Movin to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches,
Movin to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches,
Movin to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches.

I took a little nap where the roots all twist,
Squished a rotten peach in my fist,
And dreamed about you, woman.
I poked my finger down inside, make a little room for an ant to hide,
Nature's candy in my hand, or can, or pie.

Millions of peaches, peaches for me,
Millions of peaches, peaches for free,
Millions of peaches, peaches for me,
Millions of peaches, peaches for free,
LOOK OUT!

Millions of peaches, peaches for me,
Millions of peaches, peaches for free,
Millions of peaches, peaches for me,
Millions of peaches, peaches for free,
LOOK OUT!
(repeat till fade)

In retrospect the lyrics don't seem quite as profound as they did when I was younger.

But it was long ago and it was far away
Oh God it seems so very far
And if life is just a highway - then the soul is just a car
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer then they are (x4)...

The fellow with whom I shared an apartment in Manhattan once told me that Metallica's lyrics were "thoughtful." Mind you, at the time he was around 24.

- from "C'mon & Love Me" by Kiss.

Actually, wait a minute.....that IS brilliant!

wait... what?

-- rentboy (rentboyd...), July 28th, 2004.

Haha. Totally overblown and juvenile but I love 'em coupled with the delivery.

i admit im guilty to a lot of the said ones like Cure, Manics, NIN, etcetc,,,

Ha. OTM.

hahaha, I couldn't even be an angst-ridden indie-teenager, I had to go for the song with the sax solo...

(I would go for the Manics/NIN line also but I was way older than 16)

also see FELL ON BLACK DAYS

OTM. "there's nothing in life but pleasure and pain" was a personal favorite.

I never paid much attention to lyrics, but I was usually impressed with Neil Peart's Rush lyrics, with their silly puns and general showoff-ness. Yeesh.

"the earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
at the blasphemy in my old jangly walk"

Although even at 16, I still thought that was a bit silly.

Posting Bush lyrics is never inappropriate, though.

"Daddy didn't pay attention, and Mommy didn't care
King Jeremy the wicked, ruled his world."

And at 16 "Where everything feels like a movie, and you bleed just to know you're alive" from Iris-Goo Goo Dolls

What does it matter i'll probably get hit by a car anyway

this is still hilarious. period.

Do you mean in general, or specifically Smashing Pumpkins?

Well, "breed" is a nirvana song, so no not specifically the Pumpkins. I guess I shouldn't have been so specific. What I meant was, there are a lot of popular and respected groups (the cure, pink floyd) cited in the thread, so what's an example of somethign equally prominent that's good?

Well, they are both ridiculously overrated.

I used to think that last line was funny.