Worst Broadway Lyric ever?- Page 9

[michelle4]

Posted: 1/27/06 at 3:17pm

The entire score of "Starmites" is pretty horrible.

[Marguerite Chauvelin]

Posted: 1/27/06 at 3:21pm

Another Pippin reference:
Would you rather be a left handed flea?
A crab on a slab at the bottom of the sea?
Or a man who never learns how to be free?

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 1/27/06 at 6:28pm

As much as I love Rent, I hate having to hear "You'll see boys." What's that all about anyway?

Posted: 1/27/06 at 6:37pm

I want to have your babies
No "buts", no "ifs", no "maybes"

Dr. Jaykll - Hands down that is my favorite worst lyric thus far. I laughed out loud!

[alanimal]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 2:05am

From Mr. Schwartz:

"Oh Noah,
You go-ah
All the way back to the protazoa!"

From Children of Eden, a show about creationism. Magic.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 2:56am

I never like the lyrics to "Tomorrow" from "Annie" I must say.
"Miss Saigon" was a show where most of the lyrics were unimpressive IMO.
"CATS" was a spectacle but lyrics sucked big time.
Even JCS was sucky lyrics "I don't know how to love him" (That's okay sweetie, you'll think of something, LOL!)
I love Sunset Blvd and Pippin too, but they do have some sucky lyrics.
Worst show of all time lyrics IMO and As of yet, The winner would be:
Well, I cannot even type it - It's an old favorite and has been around forever and everyone will just freak - But I will say it was a huge success in it's day and - I just cannot bear to name it!! It was written by a duo and over 40 years ago, that much I'll say. The film gave a one time oscar winning actress her career start and ... I really shouldn't say anymore. Just never was my cup of tea I guess, Sorry.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 8:20am

"To catch a butterfly and then just tear off it's wings, it's worse than all of these things..." - An Awful lyric from the best song in DRACULA - BEFORE THE SUMMER ENDS

Posted: 1/28/06 at 11:39am

I love THE SOUND OF MUSIC but sometimes I wonder if Mr. Hammerstein had knocked back a few when he wrote these:

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my favorite things."

I always felt Lorenz Hart was the far superior of Richard Rodgers' long time collaborators.

[hortonhearsasam]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 3:00pm

I've got two nominations:

"But you will make it through/'cuz I am liking you" from "Mama Will Provide," Once On This Island

Really? You are liking me?

Also, from Little Women: "I don't know which part is harder/What I know or what's unknown."

Someone from the Department of Redundancy Department should come and take Mindi Dickstein into custody...

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 4:58pm

"Right on down to the Ozdust Ballroom/C'mon, follow me"
Fiyero has just moved there. If he had to ask what the "most swankified" place in town is, he probably does not know where it is, so he could not lead them there.

That annoys me so much.

[Cenoern]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 7:08pm

MISS SAIGON
in "Why God Why?"
Vietnam.. you don't give answers, do you friend..."
and
"Vietnam.. I mean no offense.."

Ugh. Just awful.

Also from MISS SAIGON, the line about the Big Mac. Eep.

[Attendthetale331]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 7:33pm

all of Jekyll and Hyde

Posted: 1/28/06 at 7:37pm

Probably from Little Women's "Somethings Are Meant To Be". This song is beautiful, but this lyric has always irked me.

"We'll dine on bits of moon."

Also, from Jacques Brel's "If You Go Away" which is also a beautiful song:

"We'll sail on the sun we'll ride on the rain, we'll talk to the trees and worship the wind."

And later:

"I'll talk to your eyes that I love so much."

Like many people are saying, Brooklyn has some rather odd lyrics:

"I will be like the raven/in a sky of doves/I'll make you love to hate me/but it's still love/and beneath this suit of armor, I bleed."

WTF.

[K8eeyore]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 8:08pm

Most of the lyrics in "Too Old to be so Young" from ONE NIGHT STAND, including"

Too old for always
Too wise to walk the hallways

What the HELL does that mean? The entire song sounds like Herb Garnder was throwing random words at the end just because they rhymed.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 8:30pm

"Regarding "leave your cheese to sour"... isn't that because cheese and crackers were often served before performances and durig intermission? Or am I just crazy...?"


Let's just say you're slightly confused. Milk is turned to cheese by fermentation. And in the medieval era, pasteurization did not exist (obviously). Thus, the Leading Player is entreating the humble, Middle Ages serf (and by extension, the contemporary audience) to leave behind his workaday responsibilities and engage in some entertainment. It's a perfectly fine lyric.


"But you will make it through/'cuz I am liking you" from "Mama Will Provide...Really? You are liking me?"

It's called patois, darling.


Tootie 'the most horrible' Smith
St. Louis, Missouri


Updated On: 1/28/06 at 08:30 PM

Posted: 1/28/06 at 8:34pm

I really want to come on and rubbish other composers and lyricists, so I am going to have an identity change as I don't want to see my comments appearing under my name in two weeks time on Google. you'll know it's me - cause I'll keep the photo. So - it's goodnight from me ( other Brits will get the joke)...

[Phantomerik15]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 8:36pm

"What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happening" from JC Superstar.
...gets on my nerves everytime.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 9:16pm

LOL to TheEnchantedHunter. I agree that the line about cheese is quite good, considering the time period the play is supposed to be set in. It's never been a lyric I questioned at all. Fields to flower, cheese to sour, it sounds like Mr. Schwartz is cleverly setting a scene for us folks!

Ladyofthelake, your Jacques Brel lyric, is it from that English jukebox of Brel songs or is it a translation from French? Because I believe that show has re-written lyrics.

Cenoern, why are those lyrics awful?

Popular_Elphie, I believe Schwartz was following the old school musical theater tradition of the cool guy who swings into town, sums up the folks, and leads them all in rousing song. No, it's not a good song, but the lyric makes sense.

RoseSayer, you know, I definitely can't say this for sure since my experience only goes back 20 years, but Hammerstein trafficked in feel good messages, and The Sound of Music is a feel good show. Lorenz Hart had more ambivalent feelings about life and much less character specific lyrics (And his lyrics aren't all THAT amazing). For his time Hart was great though. I think Rodger's music is kind of the same with either :P


Hmm... really bad lyric, really bad lyric, really bad lyric *tries to think of one*

"The shock of winter
The coming on of spring
That melting air
The sun gone red
An empty bed
A scent, a sound, a gesture triggering
I am suddenly alive
I am suddenly alone
Knowing I will be alone till I can be alone with you
That is what you do
You appear, you appear"

Bad? Or CHEESY!?

"The sun gone red! ....AN EMPTY BED!!!! italian latin italian latin"

[andycomposer]

Posted: 1/28/06 at 9:40pm

...and it's good evening from him.

Worst lyrics? The entire song THINK OF ME from PHANTOM. Comtains such marvels as
"You never said our love was evergreen
Or as unchanging as the sea".

Also from PHANTOM , this time from the celebrated MUSIC OF THE NIGHT:
"Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write".

What on earth does this mean?

[littleredridinghood]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 12:46pm

Okay, these aren't the worst lyrics ever, and I love Drood, which has a ton of great lyrics, but from "No Good Can Come from Bad":
"Ah, but a waistcoat worn
Can soon be torn
And faggots, too
Til maggots feed on you!"
This makes the audience snicker because of "faggots" (real mature, guys), but it doesn't even make sense, even in the archaic meaning with the bundle of sticks...

[Labashier]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 1:26pm

"Go go go Joseph, you know what they say
Come on now Joseph, you'll make it someday.
Sha la la Joseph, you're doing fine,
YOU AND YOUR DREAMCOAT AHEAD OF YOUR TIME"

Help! Somebody stole my verb!


And, of course, although it's not technically a lyric, "F***! Suck! Duck!"

[gumbo2]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 1:58pm

I haven't read every page so I don't know if 1776 was mentioned but..."Here a Lee, there a Lee, everywhere a Lee a Lee..." I mean c'mon.

[gumbo2]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 2:37pm

And, in response to a BatB one earlier...it's actually worse than how Maurice sings it on the CD. Actual lyrics are, "No I'm not odd nor you, no family ever saner, except one uncle who well maybe let that pass. In all you say or do, you couldn't make it plainer, you are your mother's daughter, there for you are blessed." Pass and blessed don't even come close to rhyming.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 6:58pm

"Pass and blessed don't even come close to rhyming."

That is intentional. Part of comic writing is the unexpected and asymetrical.


Tilde Kooeck
Amsterdam, Netherlands

[justagirl2]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:37pm

I love RENT. However, "I Should Tell You" makes me literally cringe.

"I should tell you,
well here we go
now we -
oh no
I know, this something is, here goes
Here goes
Guess so, it's starting to - who knows, who knows
Who knows where
Who goes there
Who knows, here goes." And so on.
^Excuse me? I certainly don't know, Mimi and Roger.

Everything from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is pretty bad, too.

Finally,
"Still, I'm terrific at a dance
Guys are comin' in their pants
I'm a birdie on the wing
But when I begin to chirp
They say who's the little twerp
Goin pong instead of ping."
^I love A Chorus Line, too, but yeah. OK. Whatever.