originally posted in:The City of Stories
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Not every song has a purpose or unique meaning. Even fewer tell a story. Whether they represent a concept or theme or simply just tell a story, some of my favorite songs are songs that tell a story. To me it shows the skill of songwriter to write about more than just money, sex, partying, and drugs (although these topics can tell a good story).
Here are some examples:
The Cop - House of Heroes
[spoiler]Some men do it 'cause it pays the bills,
Others want to save the world.
Me myself, I never was a hero though.
Joined the force like my daddy did.
Figured I'd marry young,
But the things I've seen made me take a different road.
'Til you've been in the dark you might never feel it.
'Til you've been in the dark you might think you're guaranteed
But your life can leave, With a spark.
The rain falls on the blessed ones and the damned.
Met my girl about a year ago,
Knew that I'd found a home,
Laughed so much I felt like a kid again
Since that day it's hard to do the job,
It's hard to know what I've known,
So much pain, and so few innocent.
'Til you've been in the dark you might never question,
'Til you've been in the dark you might think you're quarantined,
Yeah, but nothing's free
And your love can leave,
In the dark.
The rain falls on the blessed ones,
The rain falls on the damned,
And you've changed my mind,
I love you more,
Than I love myself,
And I'm scared to death,
That you love me less[/spoiler]
Ghost - House of Heroes
[spoiler]Fell in love in high school
With a brown haired, green eyed girl
I walked her home most everyday
Held her hand, I held the world
We made our plan to run away
I couldn't wait to share her life
We started countin down the days
She couldn't wait to be my wife
I got a job and bought a car
I turned 18 that spring
By summer had my own place
And I bought my baby's ring
Fell in with the wrong crowd
Breakin laws, I broke her heart
By autumn was in handcuffs
Baby's cryin out in her front yard
And that's what hurt the most
I saw it in her green eyes
She had seen a ghost
My mama saw me every week
Tried her hardest not to cry
She told me that she loved me
Disappointment in her eyes
I said, "Mama, I love you too
And I'm gonna make you proud one day"
A month before I got out
They told me mama passed away
And that's what hurt the most
I saw it in her eyes, her son was a ghost
I hate this life I chose
Long before she died her son was a ghost
Now I got my freedom
But it feels like emptiness
In front of the apartment
Where your sister says you live
And there's another man, who fills my empty shoes
And darlin you don't see me
But you know that I see you, I drift off...
I'm gonna fade away
Beyond the city lights
I'm gonna fade away
Through the empty night
I'm gonna fade away
Drifting out your life
I wanna fade away
Through the empty night[/spoiler]
The Gambler - fun.
[spoiler]Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy
All the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes
We've got fifty good years left to spend out in the garden
I don't care to beg your pardon, we should live until we die
We were barely eighteen when we crossed collective hearts
It was cold, but it got warm when you barely crossed my eye
And then you turned, put out your hand, and you asked me to dance
I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight
I swear when I grow up I won't just buy you a rose
I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely
For even if the sun stops waking up over the fields
I will not leave, I will not leave 'til it's our time
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side
It was the winter of '86, all the fields had frozen over
So we moved to Arizona to save our only son
And now he's turned into a man, though he thinks just like his mother
He believes we're all just lovers, he sees hope in everyone
And even though she moved away, we always get calls from our daughter
She has eyes just like her father's, they are blue when skies are gray
And just like him she never stops, never takes the day for granted
Works for everything that's handed to her, never once complains
You think that I nearly lost you when the doctors tried to take you away
Like the night you took my hand beside the fire thirty years ago to this day,
You swore you'd be here 'til we decide that it's our time
But it's not time, you never quit in all your life
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side
You're the love of my life, you know that I will never leave your side
You come home from work, and you kiss me on the eye
You curse the dog, you say that I should never feed them what is ours
So we move out to the garden, look at everything we've grown
And the kids are coming home so I'll set the table; you can make the fire[/spoiler]
Angels In Top Hats - House of Heroes
[spoiler]I waited for you, watching you sleep
machines were breathing for you.
Dolled up in white, wrapped in tubes
You wore them so gracefully
Angels and demons were fighting for you
Your maidens do your bidding
If you wake, mine will be
The first eyes you see
Oh, hey
Hopeless cathedrals, blankets and needles
Oh, hey
Angels in top hats, and cups full of blood
Everything happened so fast
I can't recall the road, the rain
The bag, the blood, the splash
Tell me everything's fine, tell me that she's alright
But she's not, she's not
I see you now only in pieces, in pieces
Janie, can you hear my prayers hit the ceiling?
And can you tell me if my words have meaning?
Can you tell me what my hope is to look like?
Hey, you'll never find another
Hey, hey, you'll never find another end
Hey, hey, you'll never find another
Hey, hey, hey, you'll never find another
Hopeless cathedrals, blankets and needles
Angels in top hats, cups full of blood
Dreams are for dreaming, buckets for bleeding
Eyes are for seeing, but you'll still be sleeping[/spoiler]
By Your Side - House of Heroes
[spoiler]Born on the plains, a farmer's sons
and brothers the same,raised on promises...
we'd stay that way.
As boys we believed, summers at the sea
we were free to become men of good will...
side by side.
And we were children then,foot prints in the sand
And where the ocean bends, we made our promises...
He knows.
Duty soon called, 1943 we enrolled,
together we would be our family's pride...
And we were soldiers then,our bodies in the sand
And like that sand through our hands,
go our grandest plans.
And just to see your face for one moment,
I'd cross the ocean again, the end... is not the end.
And I'll be by your side, on the other side
And I'll be by your side, on the other side
And through the cloud of death,
we find our way back home.
And though I hold your hand,
all must go alone.
And when you see the face of our Maker,
you don't have to be ashamed,
He knows the promises we made.
And I'll be by your side, on the other side.[/spoiler]
Let's see what OffTopic can come up with.
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Spill the Wine by Eric Burdon.