Poll: Best Lyricist - Continue forming our all-star band

Topazzz · 08-28-2005 01:59 PM

LaylaSkye Wrote:In my little world of favorite songwriters, it's would go something like this:

George Harrison
Roger Waters
Bob Dylan
Pete Townshend

~Layla

I'm so with you, Layla! :) George was incredibly talented - and even more incredibly underrated as a songwriter (and guitarist...actually, he was just underrated in general. And he shouldn't be!). I took a seminar my freshman year of college on singer/songwriters, and did my final presentation on George Harrison.

However, I think my vote is going to have to go to Pete Townshend for this one. Of course I love George, Roger, and Bob (among others, although those are probably my favorites), but Pete was the first one to seriously freak me out by knowing EXACTLY HOW I WOULD FEEL...like twenty years before I was born. Scary.

Possibly Related

Topazzz · 08-28-2005 02:02 PM

Radio Slaver Wrote:I can't belive there's only one vote for Pete, i think that was me, but its been awhile

I know, I was a little surprised about that too. I think everyone else should go listen to Who's Next and Quadrophenia! Townshend is brilliant, and in my opinion is only equalled by Roger Waters (and maybe Bob Dylan, sometimes). John Lennon wrote some good stuff too, but (sorry guys) at least for me, he can't even touch Pete and Roger. Cool

Radio Slaver · 08-28-2005 02:41 PM

I dont even own an orginal (not a compilation like echoes) Who album, and I like the songs alot. Pete writes some great lyrics. and to be fair i dont think roger should have been included but hey w/e.

Sadie · 08-28-2005 04:02 PM

I think it would be interesting if people posted some of the lyrics they find to be superior by some of these artists. I don't get how Lennon could not be considered as good as if not better than both Pete and Roger. But maybe if some of they lyrics were posted I would get it. Just saying. Same goes for Dylan. He wrote some of the most profound lyrics in history. Honestly, he should be the one in the lead. And I'm not even a huge Dylan fan. I am however a huge Who fan so I do love Pete's lyrics. But I don't know.

Anyway, here's a great set of lyrics from Dylan.

Desolation Row

They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row

Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row

Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row

Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid

To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row

Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row

Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row

Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words

And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row"

Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row

Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row

Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row

Edited By Sadie on 1125274348

~~Pato~~ · 08-29-2005 03:44 AM

Nowhere Man

He's a real nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

Nowhere Man, don't worry,
Take your time, don't hurry,
Leave it all till somebody else
lends you a hand.

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

John Lennon (1965)

~~GRAPHITE_BLIMPS~~ · 08-29-2005 11:41 AM

1. Waters
2. Hendrix
3. Lennon

snowy white · 12-20-2005 10:40 AM

Morrison is my idole

Poll: Best Lyricist - Continue forming our all-star band
	John Lennon
	Roger Waters
	Other
	Bob Dylan
	Syd Barret
	Paul McCartney
	George Harrison
	Jerry Leiber
	Mick Jagger
	Pete Townshend
	Jim Morrison

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread:		Author	Replies:	Views:	Last Post
	Star Wars VII, VIII & IX	Floydy	6	352	05-07-2013 08:38 AM Last Post: quicksilver
	If you could bring a dead rock star back to life	Spiritinthesky	57	3,411	11-13-2009 09:45 AM Last Post: Monolith
	Blender Magazine-Worst Lyricist poll	cevor	25	1,048	10-22-2007 04:13 PM Last Post: Three Different Ones
	NHL all star	Comfortably9Numb	3	294	01-25-2007 03:37 PM Last Post: Jumpy
	All Star Game - who wins?	floydian72	11	513	07-10-2006 08:48 PM Last Post: IbanezIsTheColour

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Best Lyricist - Continue forming our all-star band
Author	Message