Favorite/Most Clever Rhymes

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 11/1/20 at 9:12am

If you had to pick one stanza in one song that blew you away by the cleverness of its rhyming, what would it be?

My favorite is in Love Sick from WOMEN ON THE VERGE:

You think that Cupids got a bow?
Well, no.
Cupids got a *needle, itll*
Find a vein.
Careful, cause youll *bleed a little*,
But pretty soon romance will marinate your brain.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/1/20 at 2:07pm

I think that “Stand with our brothers as they fight against tyranny/I know that Alexander Hamilton is here and he would rather not have this debate” is brilliant.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/1/20 at 4:25pm

You Want To Produce Films And Write Songs?

You Need Somewhere To Do It!

It's What We Used To Dream About

Think Twice Before You Poo-Poo It

 

This is always what springs to mind when this question comes up.

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 2:17am

Of course, Sondheim has quite a few yummy rhymes, but I really think his rhymes for Pacific Overtures (sorry, I'm on mobile and can't italicize) are some of his most exciting.

A couple from "Chrysanthemum Tea"


"It's an HERB that's suPERB
For disTURBances at sea"

(And later)

"If the tea the Shogun drank will
Serve to keep the Shogun tranquil"

And then in "Please Hello"


"Emperor read our letter? If no
Commodore Perry very sad
Emperor like our letter? If so
Commodore Perry very merry
President Fillmore still more glad"

And many more from this song as well.


I get a real charge out of that last one.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 2:32am

When a person’s personality is personable / He shouldn’t oughta sit like a lump / It’s harder than a matador coercin’ a bull / To try to get you off of your rump.”

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 5:43am

He's shy on height, he's short on weight, but he's the only man can make my coffee percolate. .

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 9:08am

TotallyEffed said: "When a person’s personality is personable / He shouldn’t oughta sit like a lump / It’s harder than a matador coercin’ a bull / To try to get you off of your rump.”"

Dang it, you took mine! 

I'm a sucker for finding multiple rhymes for a certain word/set of words, like this line from "We Know" from Hamilton:

"As you can see I kept a record of every check in my checkered history/Check it again against your list and see/Consistency."

And I love interior rhymes within a line, like this line from "No Way" from Six:

"So you read a Bible verse that I'm cursed cause I was your brother's wife/You say it's a pity cause quoting Leviticus 'I'll end up kiddiless' all my life."

[tmdonahue]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 9:10am

Sondheim of course.  "Uptown/Downtown" in Follies was replaced with "Story of Lucy and Jessie."  The replaced song is on the same idea as the new song of two conflicting sets of desires in the same person.  Wonderful rhymes.  My favorite quatrain is

"She sits at the Ritz with her splits of Mumms
"And starts to pine for a stein with her Village chums
"But with the Schlitz in her mitts down in Fitzroy's Bar
"She thinks of the Ritz, so it's so schizo."

Updated On: 11/3/20 at 09:10 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 10:29am

In view of her penchant

For something romantic,

De Sade is to trenchant

And Dickens too frantic,

And Stendhal would ruin

The plan of attack,

As there isn't much blue in

"The Red and the Black."

De Maupassant's candour

Would cause her dismay,

The Brontes are grander

But not very gay,

Her taste is much blander,

I'm sorry to say,

But is Hans Christian Ander-

Sen ever risque?

Which eliminates A...

Updated On: 11/2/20 at 10:29 AM

[The Rural Juror]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 10:53am

What's my secret?

Frankly dear, forgive my candor, 

Family secret, all to do with herbs.

Things like being careful with your coriander, 

That's what makes the gravy grander!

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 4:52pm

There are far too many fantastic lyrics out there, but the one that comes immediately to mind is from Pacific Overtures, which has this bit from the British Admiral that I've always admired. Not only is it perfectly thought out in terms of making sure you can understand the patter (lots of hard consonants separating all the syllables!), but it builds beautifully to the punch line and contains some lovely internal rhymes (bolded):

Her Majesty considers the arrangements to be tentative
Until we ship a proper diplomatic representative
We don't foresee that you will be the least bit argumentative
So please ignore the man-of-war we brought as a preventative

[Tom5]

Posted: 11/2/20 at 11:50pm

I recently re-listened to Cole Porter's 'Always True To You In My Fashion'. His Lyrics and Music a perfect match and both stunning. Also, Meredith Wilson's 'A Sadder But Wiser Girl' but for this one you need a high IQ to get it!

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/3/20 at 8:12am

Check out the Seth MacFarlane swing version of "Sadder but Wiser Girl." It's got what I imagine are additional/extended lyrics for the sheet music or pop versions of the song, which don't appear in the show version.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/3/20 at 12:25pm

Not to be vulgar my first thought was:

Grab your d***
And double click
For porn, porn, porn

It never fails to put a smile on my face.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/3/20 at 12:25pm

Not to be vulgar my first thought was:

Grab your d***
And double click
For porn, porn, porn

It never fails to put a smile on my face.

[tmdonahue]

Posted: 11/3/20 at 2:57pm

To Owen22:  Yes!  I also love the idea of the three songs written to be, eventually, sung together.  "Now," "Soon" and "Later."  "...It's intolerable being tolerated."  On and on.  What a wit.

Updated On: 11/3/20 at 02:57 PM

[Elegance101]

Posted: 11/3/20 at 3:14pm

From A Weekend in The Country (A Little Night Music):

ANNE: It's that woman, it's that Armfeldt

PETRA: Oh, the actress?

ANNE: No, the ghoul! / She may hope to make her charm felt / but she's mad if she thinks I would be such a fool

It's a small moment, I just think the Armfeldt/"charm felt" rhyme is satisfying and the rhythm of the last line rolls off the tongue perfectly.

[Boq101]

Posted: 11/4/20 at 12:46pm

With dangers cropping up
And sweet young strangers popping up like weeds
So if you wish official pardoning
You better do a little gardening
Ya know ya needn't be so gen'rous with your seeds
Your fertile lies don't fertilize
It needs work

- It Needs Work, City of Angels

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 11/4/20 at 5:37pm

Is it a squirrel? Is it a beaver? Kinda both, but not quite either! from Groundhog Day

The entirety of School Song from Matilda. I had to listen to it a few times before I figured it out but when I did I was like MIND = BLOWN.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that Tim Minchin is a genius.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 11/4/20 at 7:25pm

"So I'm the oldest and the wittiest / And the gossip in New York City is insidious" 

 

Updated On: 11/4/20 at 07:25 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 11/5/20 at 5:01pm

Should there be a marital squabble, available Bob’ll be there with the glue.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/6/20 at 11:31am

Another one that comes to mind:

When a person's personality is personable,
He should not sit like a lump.
It's harder than a matador coercin' a bull
To try to get you off of your rump.
So single and attentive and attractive a man
Is everything a person could wish,
But turning off a person is the act of a man
Who likes to pull the hooks out of fish.

 

The whole verse is genius, but "personable" rhymed against "coercin' a bull" really sticks out as ultimate brilliance to me.

[UrNotAMachine]

Posted: 11/6/20 at 12:28pm

"This is how Samson was shorn. In in her style a Delilah reborn."

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 11/6/20 at 3:27pm

That freckle on your skin

Can do a feller in

And the shade is mighty thin in Oklahoma

Where the leading cause of death......

Is melanoma

MELANOMA!!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 11/6/20 at 3:40pm

What's the muddle.

In the middle?

That's the puddle.

Where the poodle did the piddle