"Sweet Charity:
"Im the bells of Saint Peters in Rome,
Im tissue paper on a cone"
are you fu*king kidding me? Tissue Paper on a cone????"
Other's have already explained to you why this is a brilliant lyric, but if you seriously didn't know you missed the whole point of the song. I'd hate to see what else you've missed.
love Chess, but One Night in Bangkok has got some stinkers.
"Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist
Whose every move's among the purest
I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine"
and
"Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness"
I like how upbeat So much Better from LB is, but the lyrics honestly....
"The vittles we et were good, you bet!" -Carousel
Reading old posts is painful. Delete :)
Someone mentioned "Into the Woods" and although I think Sondheim is an absolutely brilliant lyricist, and his lyrics for ITW are no exception, I was always puzzled by the Witch's line in "Stay With Me":
Princes wait there in the world, it's true.
Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too
Perhaps Princes are so superlative that they are considered to be outside the category of "human"
"Your Eyes" from Rent. Lots of awful lyrics in Rent, but that's totally the worst--especially because it's supposedly the culmination of all his hard work and love.
Chorus Member Joined: 7/19/08
Two of my all-time favorite bad lyrics:
From EVITA: "What's the use of the strongest heart in a body that's falling apart?" WHOOPS! THERE GOES AN EAR!
From INTO THE LIGHT: "Science without the data's like gazpacho without the tomatoes!"
LITTLE WOMEN - Better - "Turn around, go back to Concord/Leave New York behind unconquered"
How is that lyric in "Better" bad?
It makes total sense.
It makes sense, but they rhyme 'Concord' with 'conquered', which is basically like repeating a word.
It makes sense, but they rhyme 'Concord' with 'conquered', which is basically like repeating a word.
Imagine sitting in a room, trying to find inspiration for a song...and then suddenly, it hits you.
OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS.
It's brilliant. It's a hit!
Grey Gardens: Five-Fifteen (still love the song though lol)
"Have the piano tuned and moved outdoors,
By cocktail hour, mine, not yours!"
Ummm is he having a seperate cocktail hour?
Your Eyes is a song "written" by Roger.
I think that lyric in Grey Gardens is a reference to Gould's alcoholism. He drinks a lot, so his idea of a cocktail hour would be totally different from everyone else's.
hmm perhaps Christine just sings it so fast that it blends and loses the meaning.
"The vittles we et were good, you bet!"
This is one of my favorite Hammerstein lyrics. I think Sondheim would agree. I'm curious, what do you think makes it a bad lyric buffy?
Your Eyes is a song "written" by Roger.
so is Your Eyes intentionally poorly written?
"hmm perhaps Christine just sings it so fast that it blends and loses the meaning."
...Nope. That one's pretty obvious.
Yeah, well, I don't find it THAT obvious when she sings it. When I see her facial expression during the song, yes, it's obvious. But we're speaking strictly of the songs and their lyrics. If I had not seen the show, I would not realize what she was implying.
"Those are the legal laws" from Camelot.
Because there are illegal ones?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
From The Baker's Wife:
"He gives it his all / So why do I sit here / Remembering Paul"
The lyric that really bothers me in "So Much Better" is "Is that my name upon that list / Does someone know that I exist." Just makes me cringe.
Aida, RENT, and Wicked probably have the worst lyrics overall, though. If you listen to "Elaborate Lives," the song really doesn't make much sense.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/19/08
Stand-by Joined: 7/11/08
Maybe it's not the worst lyric out there, but it makes me cringe..
In the Heights - "It won't be long now"
"No pare, Sigue sigue! Did you see me? Freaky Freakit!"
I listen to 'latin' music, and that whole "no pare, sigue sigue" is a no-brainer! It's practically in every merengue/reggaeton song!
I'd say most, if not all, of the In the Heights lyrics are pretty damn negligible.
"I'd say most, if not all, of the In the Heights lyrics are pretty damn negligible."
Im not even going to comment on how stupid that statement is
And wow you can tell how old everyone whos posting in this thread is picking shows like Wicked, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening etc (all of which i think are ok to quite good lyrically)
Really bad lyrics are
"Its a simple little gig you help me kill a pig, and ive got some plans for the blood"
Out For Blood - Carrie
"All we ever do is park, then for hours you grope me in the dark, we would go bowling if you really cared"
Don't Waste The Moon - Carrie
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