I would wager that most people don’t pay attention to song lyrics. To that point, I reckon the majority of Americans think Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” is a tribute to the country, rather than a scathing commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their return from war.
But the great thing about music is a listener can take as much or as little from a song as he wants. For my wife, the words aren’t so important. As a result, her favorite Springsteen songs are “Pour Me A Drink Theresa” and “Spanish Johnny.” (Don’t bother Googling them. Those are her titles for “I’ll Work For Your Love” and “Incident On 57th Street.”)
Me, I love the words. They’re why I enjoy Springsteen so much. Someday, I’ll come up with a list of my favorite Springsteen lyrics. Until then, here are 10 of my favorite song lyrics, in no particular order.
“My biggest mistake was loving you too much…and letting you know.”
The Band, “Don’t Do It”
“God it’s so painful, something that’s so close and still so far out of reach.”
Tom Petty, “American Girl”
“You make me feel so close to home, so far away, like nowhere else I’ve ever been.”
Kenny Loggins, “Too Early For The Sun”
“You don’t need a penny just to hang around. But if you’ve got a nickel, won’t you lay your money down?”
John Fogerty, “Down on the Corner”
“She gets a long letter, sends back a postcard. Times are hard.”
James Taylor, “Mexico”
“We never even said a word. We just walked out and got on that bike. And we rolled. And we rolled clean out of sight.”
Bob Seger, “Roll Me Away”
“I started a joke, which started the whole world crying. But I didn’t see that the joke was on me.”
Bee Gees, “I Started A Joke”
“Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king and a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything.”
Bruce Springsteen, “Badlands”
“The only baggage you can bring is all that you can’t leave behind.”
U2, “Walk On”
“No matter how close to yours another’s steps have grown, in the end there is one dance you’ll do alone.”
Jackson Browne, “For A Dancer”
There’s at least one person reading this and screaming, “Where are Bob Dylan and Neil Young?” Well, John, I figured that list was best left to you. In the meantime, perhaps the peanut gallery has other lyric suggestions. I’d love to read (and hear) them.
