Mr. Write's Page

Being a wordsmith, I always appreciate a turn of phrase that is insightful or clever. That’s why this blog regularly features quotes, tunes, stories, and even bumper stickers that I think are worth passing along.

Song lyrics are a rich source of memorable lines, especially in two genres for which I have a special fondness: rock and folk music.

Here is a selection of good ones. Some are profound, some are brash, some poetic, and all are memorable.

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There is a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun. It’s been the ruin of many a poor boy, and, God, I know I’m one. (House of the Rising Sun, The Animals)

It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog. (A Hard Day’s Night, The Beatles)

All the lonely people — where do they all come from? All the lonely people — where do they all belong? (Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles)

Doctor, my eyes — tell me what is wrong. Was I unwise to leave them open for so long.  (Doctor My Eyes, Jackson Browne)

What a field day for the heat. A thousand people in the street. (For What It’s Worth, Buffalo Springfield)

Wasting away again in Margaritaville, searching for my lost shaker of salt. Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, but I know it’s my own damn fault. (Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett)

Because you’re mine, I walk the line. (I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash)

I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. (Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash)

I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I’d love you to love me. I’m begging you to beg me. (I Want You to Want Me, Cheap Trick)

She said, “Tell me, are you a Christian, child?” and I said “Ma’am, I am tonight.” (Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn)

I see a bad moon rising. I see trouble on the way. (Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival)

That ain’t workin’! That’s the way you do it! Money for nothin’, and your chicks for free! (Money for Nothing, Dire Straits)

She blinded me with science! (She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby)

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. (Blowin’ in the Wind, Bob Dylan)

You better start swimmin’ or sink like a stone, ’cause the times, they are a-changin’. (The Times They Are A-Changin’, Bob Dylan)

“Relax,” said the night man, “We are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” (Hotel California, The Eagles)

How long before my soul gets it right? Can any human being ever reach that kind of light? (Galileo, Indigo Girls)

Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind. (Dust in the Wind, Kansas)

Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose. Nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free. (Me and Bobby McGee, Chris Kristofferson)

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will be as one. (Imagine, John Lennon)

You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain. Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill! Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! (Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis)

Get up! Stand up! Stand up for your rights! Get up! Stand up! Don’t give up the fight! (Get Up, Stand Up, Bob Marley)

How can we dance when our earth is turning? How do we sleep while our beds are burning? (Beds Are Burning, Midnight Oil)

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye, singing’ “This’ll be the day that I die. This’ll be the day that I die.” (American Pie, Don McLean)

Some people call me the Space Cowboy, some call me the Gangster of Love. Some people call me Maurice, ’cause I speak of the pompitous of love. (The Joker, Steve Miller Band)

I’ve looked at life from both sides now, from up and down, and still, somehow, it’s life’s illusions I recall. I really don’t know life at all. (Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell)

There’s someone in my head, but it’s not me. (Brain Damage, Pink Floyd)

The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. (Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd)

So you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? (Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd)

And then one day, you find, 10 years have got behind you. No one told you when to run. You missed the starting gun. (Time, Pink Floyd)

Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you. (Every Breath You Take, The Police)

Since my baby left me, I’ve found a new place to dwell. It’s down at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. (Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis Presley)

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. (It’s the End of the World As We Know It, R.E.M.)

You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run. (The Gambler, Kenny Rogers)

I met a gin-soaked bar-room queen in Memphis. She tried to take me upstairs for a ride. (Honky Tonk Woman, The Rolling Stones)

I know, it’s only rock and roll, but I like it! (It’s Only Rock and Roll, the Rolling Stones)

You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need. (You Can’t Always Get What You Want, The Rolling Stones)

Against the wind. We were running against the wind. We were young and strong, we were running against the wind. (Against the Wing, Bob Seger)

I am an antichrist. I am an anarchist. Don’t know what I want, but I know how to get it. (Anarchy in the U.K., Sex Pistols)

Tonight, the light of love is in your eyes, but will you love me tomorrow? (Will You Love Me Tomorrow? The Shirelles)

Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk to you again. (The Sounds of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel)

And a rock feels no pain. And an island never cries. (I Am a Rock, Simon & Garfunkel)

Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. (Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel)

Its a death trap, its a suicide rap. We gotta get out while were young, ’cause tramps like us, baby, we were born to run. (Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen)

And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with. (Love The One You’re With, Stephen Stills)

I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, that the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had. (Mad World, Tears for Fears)

Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead? Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head? (One, U2)

My Maserati does 185. I lost my license, now I don’t drive. I have a limo — ride in the back. I lock the doors in case I’m attacked. (Life’s Been Good, Joe Walsh)

I hope I die before I get old. (My Generation, The Who)

Play that funky music, white boy. Play that funky music right. Play that funky music, white boy. Lay down the boogie, and play that funky music till you die. (Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry)