Lyrics at its Best

[Aprilfrost]

Ich würde gerne ein Thema aus dem Lyrics-Techniken-Thread hier weiter verfolgen und habe meinen letzten Beitrag dort hierher kopiert.

BBQ.m kannst Du mal ein Beispiel für einen besonders gelungenen Springsteen-Text liefern? Ich neige dazu, dir zuzustimmen. Was ich so von ihm kenne (Born in the USA, My Hometown, Streets of Philadelphia), sind ja damals wie heute hochaktuelle Themen. Und Bruce ist alles andere als ein Ja-Sager. Vielleicht kennst Du auch einen klanglich besonders schönen Text?

[DocFederfeld]

Ich bin ja nicht BBQ , aber ich finde, daß z.B. The River und Atlantic City sehr gelungen sind:

THE RIVER
I come from down in the valley
where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
when she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
and man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
and the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle
No flowers no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we did ride

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
my baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride

____________________________________________

ATLANTIC CITY
Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now, they blew up his house, too
Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do
Now, there's trouble bustin' in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gamblin' commission's hangin' on by the skin of his teeth

(chorus)
Well now, ev'rything dies, baby, that's a fact
But maybe ev'rything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

(chorus)

Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold
But with you forever I'll stay
We're goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold
Put on your stockin's baby, `cause the night's getting cold
And maybe ev'rything dies, baby, that's a fact
But maybe ev'rything that dies someday comes back

Now, I been lookin' for a job, but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers and don't
get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well, I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end
So, honey, last night I met this guy and I'm gonna
do a little favor for him

(chorus)

[BBQ.Master]

Da kann ich dem Doc nur zustimmen, weil ich auch diese beiden Texte für sehr gute Beispiele halte, aber folgende sind genauso gut:

"Magic"

I got a coin in my palm
I can make it disappear
I got a card up my sleeve
Name it and I'll pull it out your ear
I got a rabbit in my hat
If you want to come and see
This is what will be, this is what will be

I got shackles on my wrist
Soon I'll slip 'em and be gone
Chain me in a box in the river
And I'll rise singin' this song
Trust none of what you hear
And less of what you see
This is what will be, this is what will be

I got a shiny saw blade
All I needs' a volunteer
I'll cut you in half
While you're smiling ear to ear
And the freedom that you sought's
Driftin' like a ghost amongst the trees
This is what will be, this is what will be

Now there's a fire down below
But it's comin' up here
So leave everything you know
And carry only what you fear
On the road the sun is sinkin' low
There's bodies hangin' in the trees
This is what will be, this is what will be

"Youngstown"

Here in north east Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' yellow creek
They built a blast furnace
Here along the shore
And they made the cannon balls
That helped the union win the war

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

Well my daddy worked the furnaces
Kept 'em hotter than hell
I come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarfer
A job that'd suit the devil as well
Taconite, coke and limestone
Fed my children and made my pay
Then smokestacks reachin' like the arms of god
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

Well my daddy come on the 0hio works
When he come home from world war two
Now the yards just scrap and rubble
He said, "Them big boys did what Hitler couldn't do"
These mills they built the tanks and bombs
That won this country's wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam
Now we're wondering what they were dyin' for

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

From the Monongaleh valley
To the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalacchia
The story's always the same
Seven-hundred tons of metal a day
Now sir you tell me the world's changed
Once I made you rich enough
Rich enough to forget my name

In Youngstown
In Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

When I die I don't want no part of heaven
I would not do heavens work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me
To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell

Oder auch der sehr starke Text von "State Trooper"

New Jersey Turnpike ridin' on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow, out where the great black rivers flow
License, registration, I ain't got none but I got a clear conscience
'Bout the things that I done
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me
Please don't stop me, please don't stop me

Maybe you got a kid, maybe you got a pretty wife the only thing that I got's been both'rin' me my whole life
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me
Please don't stop me, please don't stop me

In the wee wee hours your mind gets hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby
Radio's jammed up with talk show stations
It's just talk, talk, talk, talk, till you lose your patience
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me

Hey, somebody out there, listen to my last prayer
Hiho silver-o, deliver me from nowhere

[BBQ.Master]

Aber Neil Young kann es noch besser:

"Cortez The Killer"

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.

And his subjects gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.

They carried them to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.

And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.

He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.

"Ambulance Blues"

Back in the old folky days
The air was magic when we played.
The riverboat was rockin' in the rain
Midnight was the time for the raid.

Oh, Isabela, proud Isabela,
They tore you down and plowed you under.
You're only real with your make-up on
How could I see you and stay too long?

All along the Navajo Trail,
Burn-outs stub their toes on garbage pails.
Waitresses are cryin' in the rain
Will their boyfriends pass this way again?

Oh, Mother Goose, she's on the skids
The shoe ain't happy, neither are the kids.
She needs someone that she can scream at
And I'm such a heel for makin' her feel so bad.

I guess I'll call it sickness gone
It's hard to say the meaning of this song.
An ambulance can only go so fast
It's easy to get buried in the past
When you try to make a good thing last.

I saw today in the entertainment section
There's room at the top for private detection.
To Mom and Dad this just doesn't matter,
But it's either that or pay off the kidnapper.

So all you critics sit alone
You're no better than me for what you've shown.
With your stomach pump and your hook and ladder dreams
We could get together for some scenes.

I never knew a man could tell so many lies
He had a different story for every set of eyes.
How can he remember who he's talkin' to?
'Cause I know it ain't me, and I hope it isn't you.

Well, I'm up in T.O. keepin' jive alive,
And out on the corner it's half past five.
But the subways are empty
And so are the cafes.

Except for the Farmer's Market
And I still can hear him say:
You're all just pissin' in the wind
You don't know it but you are.

And there ain't nothin' like a friend
Who can tell you you're just pissin' in the wind.

I never knew a man could tell so many lies
He had a different story for every set of eyes
How can he remember who he's talking to?
Cause I know it ain't me, and hope it isn't you.

"Hitchhiker"

When I was a hitchhiker on the road, I had to count on you
But you needed me to ease the load and for conversation too
Or did you just drive on through ?

You didn't see me in Toronto when I first tried out some hash
Smoked through a pen and I'd do it again but I didn’t have cash
I didn’t have the cash.

Then I tried amphetamines and my head was in a glass
Taped underneath the speedometer wires of my '48 Buick's dash
But I knew that wouldn't last.

Then came California where I first saw open water
In the land of opportunity I knew I was getting hotter
I knew I was getting hotter.

But the neon lights and the endless nights they took me by surprise
The doctor gave me valium but I still couldn't close my eyes
I still couldn't close my eyes.

Then came paranoia and it ran away with me
I couldn't sign my autograph or appear on TV
Or see or be seen.

Living in the country looked good to me
Smoking grass while the summer passed in the real organic scene
Where everything was green.

Then we had a kid and we split apart, I was living on the road
A little cocaine went a long long way to ease that different load
And my head did explode, my head did explode.

I wish I was an Aztec or a runner in Peru
I could build such beautiful buildings to house the chosen few
Like an Inca from Peru.

Many years have come and gone
Like friends and enemies
I tried to leave my past behind
But it's catching up with me.

I don't know how I'm standing here
Living my life
I'm thankful for my children
And my faithful wife.

"Peaceful Valley Boulevard"

One day shots rang across the peaceful valley
God was crying tears that fell like rain
Before the railroad came from Kansas City
And the bullets hit the bison from the train
Shots rang across the peaceful valley
White man laid his foot upon the plain.

The wagon train rolled through the dusty canyon
The settlers full of wonder as they crossed
A gentle creek where two old oaks were standing
Before the west was won there was a cost
A rain of fire came down upon the wagons
A mother screamed and every soul was lost.

Change hit the country like a thunderstorm
Ancient rivers soon began to boil
People rushed like water to California
At first they came for gold and then for oil
Fortunes were made and lost in lifetimes
Mother earth took poison in her soil.

An electro cruiser coasted towards the exit
And turned on Peaceful Valley Boulevard
"People make the difference" read a billboard
Above a long line of idling cars.

Who'll be the one to lead this world
Who'll be the beacon in the night
Who'll be the one to lead this world
Who'll be the beacon in the night
Who'll be the one to lead the nations
And protect God's creations

A polar bear was drifting on an ice floe
Sun beating down from the sky
Politicians gathered for a summit
And came away with nothing to decide
Storms thundered on, his tears of falling rain
A child was born and wondered why.

[BBQ.Master]

Natürlich muss hier auch Peter Gabriel erwähnt werden:

"Mercy Street"

Looking down on empty streets, all she can see
Are the dreams all made solid
Are the dreams all made real

All of the buildings, all of those cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head

She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
She pictures a soul
With no leak at the seam

Let's take the boat out
Wait until darkness
Let's take the boat out
Wait until darkness comes

Nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
Nowhere in the suburbs
In the cold light of day

There in the midst of it so alive and alone
Words support like bone

Dreaming of mercy street
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of mercy street
I swear they moved that sign
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms

Pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
Tugging at the darkness, word upon word

Confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
To the priest, he's the doctor
He can handle the shocks

Dreaming of the tenderness, the tremble in the hips
Of kissing Mary's lips

Dreaming of mercy street
Wear your insides out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of mercy street
I swear they moved that sign
Looking for mercy
In your daddy's arms

Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy

Anne with her father is out in the boat
Riding the water
Riding the waves on the sea

"Lay Your Hands On Me"

Sat in the corner of the Garden Grill
with plastic flowers on the window sil
No more miracles, loaves and fishes
been so busy with the washing of the dishes
Reaction level's much too high
I can do without the stimuli

I'm living way beyond my ways and means
living in the zone of the inbetweens
I can see the flashes on the frozen ocean
static charge of cold emotion
Watched on by the distant eyes
watched on by the silent hidden spies

But still the warmth flows through me
And I sense you know me well
No luck, no golden chances
No mitigating circumstances now
It's only common sense
There are no accidents around here

I am willing - lay your hands on me
I am ready - lay your hands on me
I believe - lay your hands on me, over me

Working in gardens, thornless roses
fat men play with their garden hoses
Poolside laughter has a cynical bite
sausage speared by the cocktail satellite
I walk away from from light and sound
down stairways leading underground

But still the warmth flows through me
And I sense you know me well
It's only common sense
There are no accidents around here

I am willing - lay your hands on me
I am ready - lay your hands on me
I believe - lay your hands on me, over me
over me

Lay your hands on me
Lay your hands on me
Lay your hands on me, over me

"Biko"

September '77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead

When I try to sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead

You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead

And the eyes of the world are watching now
watching now
watching now

[BBQ.Master]

Allerdings gibt es auch sehr schöne Texte von anderen sehr guten Songwritern:

"Where The Blues Come From" von Chris Rea

When a griot sings his perfect song
I found the place where I belong
What the griot sings I recognise
That soulful tune that made me cry
In the story born inside his song
I finally found
Where the blues come from

His music came from a distant land
It moved and changed with the desert sand
Upon the shores of hell his music froze
And came to be what we all now know
Where the blues come from

A wise old man he told me this
When the pain you feel and the music kiss
melted down into a devil’s brew
Then sadness came and she turned it blue

When you’re lonely you will know this song
When it hurts so deep and stays so long
Though its dark you know where you belong
Then you will know, you will know
Where the blues come from

"Telegraph Road" von Mark Knopfler (der Text ähnelt Springsteens "The River")

A long time ago came a man on a track
Walking thirty miles with a sack on his back
And he put down his load where he thought it was the best
Made a home in the wilderness
Built a cabin and a winter store
And he ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore
The other travelers came walking down the track
And they never went further, no, they never went back
Then came the churches then came the schools
Then came the lawyers then came the rules
Then came the trains and the trucks with their load
And the dirty old track was the telegraph road

Then came the mines and then came the ore
Then there was the hard times then there was a war
Telegraph sang a song about the world outside
Telegraph road got so deep and so wide
Like a rolling river ...

And my radio says tonight it's gonna freeze
People driving home from the factories
Six lanes of traffic
Three lanes moving slow ...

I used to like to go to work but they shut it down
I got a right to go to work but there's no work here to be found
Yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed
We're gonna have to reap from some seed that's been sowed
And the birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road

I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights
Yeah, life was just a bet on a race between the lights
You had your head on my shoulder you had your hand in my hair
Now you act a little colder like you don't seem to care ...
Well just believe in me baby and I'll take you away
From out of this darkness and into the day
From these rivers of headlights these rivers of rain
From the anger that lives on the streets with these names
'cos I've run every red light on memory lane
I've seen desperation explode into flames
And I don't want to see it again ...

From all of these signs saying 'sorry but we're closed'
All the way down the telegraph road

[Aprilfrost]

Danke für die Lyrics-Flut, BBQ. Du bist ja kaum zu bremsen. Ich werde mir die Texte am Wochenende mal bewußt durchlesen und die Songs dazu hören.
Apropos Flut...
Ich mag den Text und die Textgestaltung von Peter Gabriels "Here Comes The Flood". Grandiose Textphrasen wie
Stranded starfish have no place to hide
still waiting for the swollen Easter tide
oder
and as the nail sunk in the cloud, the rain
was warm and soaked the crowd.
Das spricht, singt und hört sich wunderbar an.

Here Comes The Flood

When the night shows
the signals grow on radios
All the strange things
they come and go, as early warnings
Stranded starfish have no place to hide
still waiting for the swollen Easter tide
There's no point in direction we cannot
even choose a side.

I took the old track
the hollow shoulder, across the waters
On the tall cliffs
they were getting older, sons and daughters
The jaded underworld was riding high
Waves of steel hurled metal at the sky
and as the nail sunk in the cloud, the rain
was warm and soaked the crowd.

Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent
in any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive

[BBQ.Master]

Hier ist ein weiterer Text von Neil Young. Seit ich das Stück zum ersten Mal gehört habe, frage ich mich, wovon der Text genau handelt.

"No Hidden Path"

Sometimes when I go walkin'
Among the tall trees
I feel the light comin' down on me
Under moon, under sun
I feel the chosen one
Through the mist, come walkin' here with me

And the leaves on the ground
Make a rustling sound
In the wind now blowing in my face
It's that cool wind again
And I feel my missing friend
Whose counsel I can never replace

Show me the way and I'll follow you today
Show me the way and I'll follow you today

Show me the way
No more darkness. No more wasted time
Show me the way
Let me stay here with this heart of mine
And with you I feel no hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path

How you change, how you change
And how you rearrange
Everything that touches me

Now you're her, now you're her
And she's sleeping here with me
Everything that touches me

Ocean sky, sea of blue
Let the sand wash over you
Giving all that you can give

Will the northern lights still play
As we walk our distant days
Giving all that we can give

Show me the way and I'll follow you today
Show me the way and I'll follow you today

Show me the way
There's a cold wind, blowin' through my mind
Show me the way
But I'm holdin' on to the threads of time
And with you I feel no hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path
No hidden path

Will the northern lights still play as we walk our distant days
Ocean sky, sea of blue, let the sun wash over you

Will the northern lights still play as we walk our distant days
Ocean sky, sea of blue, let the sun wash over you

Will the northern lights still play as we walk our distant days
Ocean sky, sea of blue, let the sun wash over you

[Aprilfrost]

Auf alle Fälle ein schöner Text. Passt auch gut in den Herbst. Und irgendwie geht es wohl auch um Verlust.

[BBQ.Master]

Hier sind zwei weitere, sehr gute Texte von Neil Young:

"Love And Only Love"

Long ago in the book of old,
Before the chapter where dreams unfold
A battle raged on the open page,
Love was a winner there overcoming hate
Like a little girl who couldn't wait.

Love and only love will endure
Hate is everything you think it is
Love and only love will break it down
Love and only love, will break it down
Break it down, break it down.

Tomorrow is a long long time if you're a memory
Trying to find peace of mind
Spirit come back to me,
Give me strength and set me free
Let me hear the magic in my heart.

Love and only love will endure
Hate is everything you think it is
Love and only love will break it down
Love and only love, will break it down
Break it down, break it down.

Long ago in the book of old,
Before the chapter where dreams unfold
A battle raged on the open page,
Love was a winner there overcoming hate
Like a little girl who couldn't wait.

Love and only love will endure
Hate is everything you think it is
Love and only love will break it down
Love and only love.

"Love To Burn"

Late one night I was walking in the valley of hearts.
A spirit came to me and said: You gotta move to start
You gotta take the first step
You gotta grow to be tall
And then she me told something, something that I'll never forget.

You got love to burn.
You better take your chance on love.
You got to let your guard down
You better take a chance,
A chance on love.
Take chance on love
On love.

In the valley of hearts there's a house full of broken windows
And the lovers inside just quarrel all the time
Why'd you ruin my life?
Where you takin' my kid?
And they hold each other saying: How did it come to this?

You got love to burn.
You better take your chance on love.
You got to let your guard down
You better take a chance,
A chance on love.
Take chance on love
On love.

Late one night I was walking in the valley of hearts.
A spirit came to me and said: You gotta move to start
You gotta take the first step
You gotta grow to be tall
And then she me told something, something that I'll never forget.