Lyrics you could live without

[Moonlit_Angel]

At first I thought this was very cheezy too, but someone on another forum brought to my attention that he may be singing "the air is heavy as a drug" . It's much better lyrically, but "drug" and "luck" don't rhyme as well as "truck" and "luck". I haven't listened closely enough to tell, but everytime I hear it, I think it does sound like it could be "drug", and I believe that's the line cuz it's way better! Ignorance is bliss.

You're not alone...that's what I think he's saying, too. I know I've found lyrics to songs before online, and the lyrics were way off with the song, so while the lyric thing may say that Bono's saying, "truck", the lyric thing may be wrong and he may be saying "drug" instead. It would make more sense, anyway, and it may not be in exact rhyme with the word "luck", but people have managed to make words that normally don't rhyme somewhat rhyme in songs, so...

Angela

 

[senrab]

I love Ultraviolet and Trying to Throw Your Arms, but...

"Oh sugar, don't you cry"

"I took an open top Beetle through the eye of a needle"

 

[FallingStar]

I love Ultraviolet and Trying to Throw Your Arms, but...

"Oh sugar, don't you cry"

"I took an open top Beetle through the eye of a needle"

Hmmmm, what's that bad at calling a beloved person 'sugar' or 'sweetheart'. The word 'sugar' is just used as a pet name like 'baby' in that context.....

And this other verse is actually a really cool one in my eyes. The Beetle is upposed to be the camel of the old saying 'A camel will go through the eye of a needle before a rich man comes to heaven' - I don't know the exact English saying, but probably you know what I mean. Do you?

 

[senrab]

?3??>$i]Originally posted by FallingStar [/i]


Hmmmm, what's that bad at calling a beloved person 'sugar' or 'sweetheart'. The word 'sugar' is just used as a pet name like 'baby' in that context.....

And this other verse is actually a really cool one in my eyes. The Beetle is upposed to be the camel of the old saying 'A camel will go through the eye of a needle before a rich man comes to heaven' - I don't know the exact English saying, but probably you know what I mean. Do you? [/QUOTE]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling a loved one "sugar"...I just think it's mushy. lol

You are right - the saying of Christ's is "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." I guess Bono was looking for a word that rhymed with "needle".

 

[Basstrap]

I think I agree with a lot of you, but some are too picky. Bono is a lyricist that often uses contempory phrases...and sometimes that sounds odd.
like "smartest ass"
or references to coke and big macs

I personally love the lyrics in Pop and I think if people read them in the right frame of mind they would see them of the clever words they are.

The worst U2 lyrics for me all come from ATYCLB

Grace, it's the name for a girl

A mole
Digging in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation

 

[FallingStar]

A mole
Digging in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation

There's just one thing that comes to my mind when I hear that verse.....Elevated Bono threads

 

[Cowgirl]

"...and the cartoon network turns into the news"
i think is a very clever lyric and definitely fit in well with the themes of that album.

i actually object more to the constipated "oh oh oh"s in the refugee, than any one lyric.

i thought it was drug to begin with then heard it for about the 10th time and instantly heard truck, and actually burst out laughing and said to myself "did he just sing heavy as a truck?!!!"

truck, mole and monkey should not be used on u2 albums. but who am i to tell bozo what to do?

 

[BostonAnne]

i thought it was drug to begin with then heard it for about the 10th time and instantly heard truck, and actually burst out laughing and said to myself "did he just sing heavy as a truck?!!!"

truck, mole and monkey should not be used on u2 albums. but who am i to tell bozo what to do?

That's funny - I heard truck to begin with because I read it from the lyric sheet, but when I listened for drug after reading this thread - I now hear drug! We should have a poll!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

We should have a poll. I agree. .

I was talking to my sister about this a couple of nights ago-the song "Grace" is really growing on me...I'm really starting to like that song more...but there's one line in there that's just sorta "eh", and that's:

Not on a ramp or on chalk

As for the comments on the whole "a mole, digging in a hole" thing...that doesn't bother me too much, for some reason.

Meh. Go figure.

Angela

 

[UltravioletU2]

Good idea about the poll!

Anyone know how to do one? I'm not sure.

 

[Zoots]

lame lyrics

How did these get left out...

The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea

Is it like a tape recorder
Can we rewind it just once more

She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips
Between her fingertips

 

[UltravioletU2]

Re: lame lyrics

How did these get left out...

The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea

I actually think this lyric is clever. It was written when rock wasn't as mainstream as it once was, and hip hop was becoming very mainstream. Therefore hip hop was metaphorably driving the "big cars".

I'm sure you knew that, but I think it's clever.

 

[FallingStar]

Re: lame lyrics

Is it like a tape recorder
Can we rewind it just once more

Okay, okay it's your own opinion and I don't want to try to change your mind , but that line is really a cool one. I mean to ask Gd 'if there's an order in all of this disorder' and to ask him if He could try to explain it again to the singer.....it's not that stupid in my eyes.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Re: Re: lame lyrics

Okay, okay it's your own opinion and I don't want to try to change your mind , but that line is really a cool one. I mean to ask Gd 'if there's an order in all of this disorder' and to ask him if He could try to explain it again to the singer.....it's not that stupid in my eyes.

I agree...I like those two lines. I think they're cool as well.

Angela

 

[Zoots]

The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea

Is it like a tape recorder
Can we rewind it just once more

Actually you know what, on second thought...these lines aren't bad but just a little cheesy/poor/could've been improved etc. Again just my opinion anyway.

 

[elevation2u]

"the air is heavy, heavy as a truck"
"Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey baby"
"Freshmen squeaky clean"

 

[FallingStar]

"Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey baby"

What song? Zoostation?

 

[elevation2u]

yea

 

[lady lemonade]

I think I agree with a lot of you, but some are too picky. Bono is a lyricist that often uses contempory phrases...and sometimes that sounds odd.
like "smartest ass"
or references to coke and big macs

I personally love the lyrics in Pop and I think if people read them in the right frame of mind they would see them of the clever words they are.

The worst U2 lyrics for me all come from ATYCLB

I agree, I absolutely love the lyrics on POP and but have problems with a lot of the stuff on ATYCLB.

Especially: Peace on Earth (trees/enemis), Grace (it's a name for a girl), New York (hot as a hairdryer in your face), and Wild Honey (monkeys/trees). Some pretty lazy songwriting if I dare say so

argh, Bono, how could you...

 

[Zoots]

I agree, I absolutely love the lyrics on POP and but have problems with a lot of the stuff on ATYCLB.

Especially: Peace on Earth (trees/enemis), Grace (it's a name for a girl), New York (hot as a hairdryer in your face), and Wild Honey (monkeys/trees). Some pretty lazy songwriting if I dare say so

argh, Bono, how could you...

agree!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Well, yeah, those rhyming bits in those songs may seem lame at first to some of you, but when you look at them in the context of the rest of the song...they're actually pretty good lyrics (like the whole "trees/enemies" thing from "Peace On Earth"-the verse with those rhyming lines is actually quite an interesting verse), at least that's how I see it (except for that "New York" line, I agree, that one kinda bugs me, too).

Btw, lady lemonade, I love your sig. Those quotes from Bono are cute.

Anywho, back on topic...

Angela

 

[Imprimis]

Miami, Playboy Mansion...

I think Miami is wonderful. The whole song is amazingly ironic and random, which is the point. "We could make something beautiful, something that wouldn't be a problem...at least not in Miami." The lyrics apart from the music, however, are quite stupid. The properties of tone, pacing and The Edge's guitar all work to provide this strange, off-putting atmosphere. The lyrics to Playboy Mansion are extremely superficial, but that's the point. Bono's looking at the surface. I don't think it's all that wonderful, except for the verse: "And though I can't say why, know I've got to believe." After all the crap he witnesses, there's still this little bit of faith he can't get rid of. I think that's a big part of what it means to be a U2 fan. Of course, as always, these are simply my opnions.

Jen

 

[Imprimis]

New York is the worst dong Bono ever wrote

New York, in my book, is completely irredeemable. Bono can't claim naivete, as he could in earlier songs, such as Shadows and Tall Trees. What Mrs. Brown's washing has to do with, I'm afraid I'll never know. But New York is awful. It's horrifyingly self-conscious and cheesy. It's rather depressing because I think the music is wonderful. But come on:

"The Irish have been coming here for years
Feel like they own the place
They got the airport, city hall, concrete, asphalt, they even got the police
Irish, Italians, Jews and Hispanics, religious nuts, political fanatics in the stew
Living happily not like me and you
That's where I lost you"

Lost who? And why aren't we happy? He's got two threads going on here, his own perspective and the history of the city. Unfortunately, they don't mesh well.

"In New York I lost it all to you and your vices
Still I'm staying on to figure out my midlife crisis
I hit an iceberg in my life but you know I'm still afloat
You lose your balance, lose your wife in the queue for the lifeboat
You gotta put the women and children first
But you've got an unquenchable thirst for New York"

Does anyone know what he's talking about? Okay, mid-life crisis...I thought he went through that four years ago with Pop. What iceburg does he mean, is this some Titanic reference? He really needs to be more clear about what he's getting at. There almost seems to be no point to the song except for some bittersweet nostalgaic thing that I fear may have to do with Sinatra's version. He bellows 'New York,' but I can't see why.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I also really don't like Wild Honey. Somebody wrote a thread about Wild Irish Rose, which has always been one of their most intriguing songs, in my opinion. I think Bono should have done something with that rather than explore the realm of monkeys in trees. Wild Irish Rose is a much better image.

On the whole, however, I think Bono's lyrics are genuinely original and beautiful, if not always lucid. They show the listener his soul, and that's the most any fan can ask.

Jen

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

There's just one thing that comes to my mind when I hear that verse.....Elevated Bono threads

Do I wanna know?

Anywho, another one that I find kinda odd: "You know some places are like your auntie"

?

I still like the song "Miami", though...it may be the weirdest song I've ever heard...but there's just something about it that I find cool. Go figure.

Angela

 

[bono_luvva]

i like most U2 lyrics...not so keen on monkeys and trees....
the thing a few posts back bout the rhyming thing...just take a look at the song 'the tide is high' yes..of course man and turn rhyme!!!

 

[Salome]

I personally love the lyrics in Pop and I think if people read them in the right frame of mind they would see them of the clever words they are.

The worst U2 lyrics for me all come from ATYCLB

I personally love the lyrics in ATYCLB and I think if people read them in the right frame of mind they would see them of the pure words they are.

The worst U2 lyrics for me all come from POP


it's the blind leading the blond
it's the stuff the stuff of country songs

does love ... light up your Christmas tree?

referee won't blow the whistle God is good but will he listen

Michael Jackson ... history

 

[new orleans]

So, so lyrics on Achtung baby

MIAMI....MY MAMMY....

WTF?

I also agree with just about every one above exept the cartoon network turning into the news....basically a metaphor for something fun/good going bad?????

The Wild honey lyrics can also seriously jump in a lake---"I was a monkey?? Stealin honey from a swarm of bees??" had to have been written by his young children or something, I swear.....

I will admit there are some slight lyrical downslides in a few songs in ATYCLB....*hides*

My opiniion---lyrical peak was Achtung Baby. Go ahead...try to find one bad lyric in there!!

on me for thinking this.....

Baby, can we still be friends

 

[pax]

Hey hey, sha la la.

 

[MiniFly]

A-hem...*cough* "Coffee is cold, but it'll get you through"...
All together now: "HUH?"

Oy.

Miami isn't too hot either....wait...yeah it is...um...it's the humidity, you know.....ah nevermind

I have an unexplainable detestation of Wild Honey.

The chorus for Stuck in a Moment! ARGH! "Too many notes", as the Emperor once said in Amadeus, one of the greatest movies of all time.

 

[mcranston]

While I agree that Bono's lyrics are subpar or even lower at times, we have to remember that sometimes he isn't the best lyricist. After all, he doesn't even write the lyrics until the song is completely written. For Joshua Tree and Acthung it took a while for Bono to apply lyrics to the songs. So many of the lyrics are forcd.

There are many lyrics of New York I hate ... album version or that modified version after September 11 played live.

"In New York summers get hot
Well into the hundreds
You can walk around the block
Without a change of clothing"

"You better put the women and children first
But you've got an unquenchable thirst for New York"


Now dont get me wrong, I love New York City .... but he could have written better lyrics about it. The Post 09-11 lyrics were even more pitiful.