Conference mr1pst::music

The voice is an instrument.

    Oooh - good topic, Edd . . .
    
    	I'd have to say that lyrics and music are equal, but different.  A
    good tune will catch my attention, and appeal to me, but clever lyrics,
    or a paticularly good turn of phrase will as well.  And if a song has
    *both*, well then I'm twice as happy.
    
    	It's also true, though, that it's pretty rare that lyrics will
    stand on their own as poetry - usually they *need* the music ( whether
    it be excellent or mediocre ) to make rhythmic 'sense'.  But you can
    still read lyrics and appreciate and 'literary' quality, it just
    usually doesn't compare to the lyrics/music combination.  
    
    	Did that make *any* sense? ;-)
    
    						Jim
    

    
    Disagree....
    
    Interesting lyrics can certainly make an otherwise weak song worth
    listening to.  Of course it depends on how you define a "song".  Is it
    two completely seperate and distinguishible entities called "music"
    and "lyrics".
    
    An example... Public Enemy.  What they have to say is as important to
    their "music" as how they say it.  Green Jell(o|y)'s Three Little Pigs. 
    Without the cute lyrics, that song would be completely worthless.  The
    lyrics at least made it interesting the first few times hearing it. 
    Most of the songs on U2's War album.  By itself, the music on that
    album, for the most part, is pretty bland, but when married to the
    lyrics, it makes for some very powerful songs.  In this case, I think
    the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
    
    And lyrics go along with the music.  It wouldn't sound right if
    Metallica were singing about green pastures in their songs, even if the
    music was exactly the same.  Likewise, it wouldn't make much sense if
    the stuff John Denver sings about was accompanied by an angry heavy
    metal crunch.
    
    Later...
    Steve
    
    

    re: Metallica & green pastures, John Denver and metal crunch...
    
    Nah, no difference. Sure, painting a mental picture of John Denver in
    front of a 5150 doesn't seem "right", but that's based on all our old
    notions of JD and metal.
    
    Edd

    
    	Edd - that's only cuz you can't sequence lyrics.
    
    

    
    Re last few . . .
    
    	Yeah, although most of my favorite songs have dark + disturbing
    lyrics, but very happy, upbeat tunes- a lot of Robyn Hitchcock's music
    comes to mind . . .
    
    						Jimbo
    

Once again, it's different strokes for different people (sic).

I find the lyrics to be a very important component to many (but not
all) songs.  My SO, on the other hand, couldn't care less about them.

-Hal

    
    No matter if you like instrumental stuff or vocal stuff, no one, and I
    mean NO ONE can deny the fact that vocals, lyrics, the words, whatever,
    have given rock-and-roll (are we talking about that ?) the incredible
    impact it has enjoyed as the vehicle for expressing anything. 
    
    From Bill Haley's desire to Rock around the Clock to whatever it is
    that Eddie Vedder is screaming about these days, there it is. Music
    without lyrics gets in your ears. Music with lyrics gets in your face. 
    And anyone else's within earshot.
    
    Both types of music create images, both can be pretty inane. Both can
    be incredibly profound. But even though I concentrate on the
    instrumental side as my preference, it wouldn't be the same without the
    historical references to and imagery of things like 'teenage wastelands',
    'whiter shades of pale', 'yellow snow', 'new jerusalems', 'kicking out
    the jams' and 'hemi-powered drones screaming down the boulevard', as
    well as places like 'Penny Lane' and 'Armenia, City in the Sky'.
    
    When a piece of music uniquely underlines and reinforces a lyric, or a 
    lyric is the perfect compliment to a chord, it's synergy. It's Roger 
    Daltrey screaming "YEAAAHHHHHHH" on top of an exploding A chord. The
    sum is greater than the individual parts. It's magic. 
    
    But, now, something like Amon Duul's 'Ein Deutches Nepal'...well, that
    I could do without. ;-)
    
    Peter
    
    

    Re: .0
    
    This coming from a Steely Dan freak...sheesh.  If words are
    unimportant, then why aren't you spending all your time listening to
    Dave Sanborn instead of Walt and Donny?  
    
    One obvious place lyrics are important: acapella music
    
    							Luciano Papprazzi

    > This coming from a Steely Dan freak...sheesh.
    
    Ya know, it wasn't until YEARS after "The Royal Scam" was released that
    I realized "Kid Charlemagne" was about a drug dealer. I could recite
    the words verbatum, but they were just words. It could have been about
    some French Prince ("This is a story all about how my kingdom flipped,
    turned up side down...") for all I knew. (Argh! I can't believe I just 
    did that...)
    
    ...but B&F *could* have wrote about anything and it would still be a
    cool song. The words are simply an afterthought.
    
    Edd

    Aw. c'mon Edd...the *meaning* of the words might be of no import, but
    the words themselves are quite integral.  
    
    The fact is that while the common analysis of "Kid C." is that it's
    about a dealer, I don't believe B&F ever said it was (correct me if I'm
    wrong) and they *have* stated that their words are often meaningless to
    them as well.  But the *sound* of the words is carefully chosen, and in
    fact has a lot to do with the impact of their songs.
    
    Look at ole Bobby D., for him the words were *everything*, even when
    they were at their most indecipherable.
    
    							Brian

    
    If you just listened to the music of most older Jackson Brown
    songs, you'd not be overly impressed. It's nice stuff but nothing
    great. When you add the lyrics to such beauties as "For Everyman"
    or "Late for the Sky", etc, they make much more of an impact.
    I swear that Jimmy Buffet knows only about 4 chords, but he writes
    great lyrics that tell a story and are very enjoyable to listen to.
    If you took away the lyrics, it would be difficult to distinguish
    one song from another.
    
    If you just listened to the words of most Steely Dan, you'd most
    likely not get much out of it (PS - if you can't figure out that 
    "clean this mess up, else we'll all end up in jail, the test tubes 
    and the scale..." isn't about drug dealin', then you need to listen
    less Rush Limbaugh and more Beavis & Butthead ;^) Although SD's music 
    can easily stand on it's own (check out Larry Carlton's instrumental 
    version of "Josie") when combined with their lyrics, it's truly amazing.
    
    I do think that well-written lyrics can make up for poorly-written music. 
    If you took away Eddie Vedder's singing/wailing, Pearl Jam's music would 
    be very forgettable. Even if you don't understand the words, the emotions 
    come across loud and clear. However, it takes much more skill to impart 
    emotions by means of the music alone (this actually requires talent, 
    as opposed to an attitude, an MRX distortion pedal and flannel)
    
    
    /Billy_K

    Sorta restating what was said in .1:
    
    In my opinion good music stands on its own, but so do good lyrics.
    
    I think one of the few bands to achieve that is Kansas.  I think 
    they write INCREDIBLE lyrics.
    
    	My personal Kansas fav: 
    
    		"The Wall" (not to be confused with Pink Floyd)
    
    > NO ONE can deny the fact that vocals, lyrics, the words, whatever, have
    > given rock-and-roll (are we talking about that ?) the incredible impact
    > it has enjoyed as the vehicle for expressing anything.
    
    Well, if you're trying to say that the lyrics were somehow more
    important to the "impact" than the music then...
    
    Well... then you've just called me a "no one" cause I disagree.
    
    re: EDD
    
    > I could recite the words verbatum, but they were just words. It could
    > have been about... some French Prince for all I knew.
    
    I regard that vast majority of lyrics out there as redundent unoriginal
    crap, and because of that, my "default mode" of listening pretty
    much is like that: I never both to even think about what the lyrics
    mean although I recognize and remember the words.
    
    There's probably a lot I'm missing because of that but... I also
    believe there's a lot of junk I don't waste valuable brain time on. 
    ;-)
    
    	db

    
    Dave...
    
    Buddy. Pal. Friend.
    
    What I'm trying to say is that the music without the lyrics would not
    have been as commercially successful during the early and growing days
    of the idiom. 
    
    Whether you agree with me or not is irrelevant, and bears no impact on
    what I think of you, or anyone else for that matter.
    
    Insert smiley face here.
    
    Peter 

    >The Voice is an Instrumental.
    
     Lyric is a note.
    
    If I write down a lyric here.
    Will you call it MUSIC??
    
    Every music will lead you to somewhere it want.
    How?  Let's see
    
    "The Great Pretender" 
     by The Plaster ....... soft and romantic
     by Freddi Mucury ..... powerful voice with rock style
     by Jazz Artist ....... no lyric, just lead by sax
    Many difference made by the same melody and lyric.
    
    If any music has 
     good lyric, melody 
     great singer, instrumental player
    go together in the way it want.
    That will be wonderful!!
    
    Nat.
        

    
    
    
    
    
Brian,
    
>    One obvious place lyrics are important: acapella music
    
	Well . . . not *always* . . .
    
    	doo wop doo wop, skiddadop ba-doom bang boom
    
    			Jim 'Cab Calloway Fan' Carroll :-)
     

    re: Brian & db
    
    I think you're both on to why I say the words are at least secondary,
    and, at worst, unimportant to the tune.
    
    Brian speaks about how the "sound" of the words are important, and I
    agree. They are now taking the part of an instrument, but their meaning 
    is irrelevant.
    
    On the way in this morning I was listening to "Trans Island Skyway"
    from Fagen's latest. If you pay attention to the words you realize the
    piece is about a trip in a futuristic steam-powered car. Given Fagen's
    anal nature, I suspect he put as much effort into getting words that 
    "sounded" right, as he did into delaying the snare by 10ths of a usec.
    Yet, without too much effort, I was able to change the words so the
    song was about a guy living in a decrepit old house, yet still
    retaining the same word sounds Fagen used...
    
    	V1	"I was warned yesterday, about the place at 13 Erie,
    		 About the sand and 'bout the fleas,
    		 There's a seam in the den, 
    		 Sill plate is gonna let go,
    		 And the locks don't match the keys.
                                .
                                .
                                .
       refrain   The door screens are f****d up,
    		 The sink's blocked with Bondo,
    		 This ooze, flowing mud will be
    		 Up to the sidewalk, better check out the floor, man
    		 This roof could be trouble.
    
       chorus	 Steamin' up the Transom and Skylight... (etc)
    
    You can call these words dumb, silly or bash them any way you want, but
    they tell a completely different story than Fagen's, yet they still
    retain much the same sound. There's undoubtedly many more stories that
    could be told with the same sounds, which is my point. Fagen told the
    story *he* thought of and made a collage of sounds using instruments
    and word-sounds. I took the same instruments and word-sounds and told a
    different story. The "poetry" or meaning is so easily swapped out it 
    *can't* be an integral part of the song.
    
    Edd
    		  

    For me I think the lyrics and the music are both equally important in
    order for me to really like a song.  I think it's just about 50/50.  In
    all of my favorite music, I like both the lyrics and the music, and, of
    course, the other aspect is that I like the sound of the lead singer's
    voice and the way they sing.  So, maybe, I would divide the appeal of
    music, for me,  into three equal parts - the lyrics, the music, and the
    singer's voice.  Actually, now that I *really* think about it - :-) - I
    think that maybe, for me, the sound of the singer's voice is the most
    important, and then the lyrics and music in equal parts.
    
    When I think of my favorite singers, for example, Van Morrison, what I
    love the most is the sound of his voice and the way he sings, but I
    also love the sound of his music, and the way he arranges it, and I
    love his lyrics.  It's definitely a combination of the three.
    
    I think another reason that lyrics are very important to me is that I
    really believe in the importance of words, and the important of the
    ability of people to express their feelings with words.  It seems that
    all my life I've been looking for words - in poems, in songs, and in
    books - that help express and clarify for, for me, the way I feel about
    life (the universe & everything).  I love to read novels, short
    stories, poetry, and song lyrics.  So, for me, I think a large part of
    the appeal of popular music is that it's another medium for me to look
    for words that express my feelings.
    
    Lorna
    

    Re; .17
    
    Edd,
    
    Maybe Weird Al will do a Steely Dan ripoff soon....
    

The thing about a great note topic is that it compels you to respond. Good shot,
Edd!

Lyrics are important, all right, but not necessarily to the *musical* aspect of
a piece. If you view songs with lyrics as communicating on *two* levels, there's
one level where they matter as words and one where they don't.

IMHO the abovementioned "musical" aspect includes harmony, melody, and rhythm,
each of which is independent of the *meaning* of the lyrics. IOW, scat singing
and/or songs in languages you don't understand are every bit as "meaningful," on
this level, as songs with understandable (to you) words. In this sense, music
communicates at a purely emotional level. (Or, for those into it, on an
intellectual level devoid of aesthetics. I could never get into that, myself.)

*BUT* (and this is a big but), this emotional power opens the door for
more explicit communication via meaningful lyrics. The music opens the door, the
lyrics storm in meeting no resistance to speak of: all the emotional barriers
have been eliminated. This is, IMO, the big advantage that lyrics set to music
have over poetry.

The lion's share of my own songs focus on Christian themes, and I've found the
above viewpoint reinforced in my experience performing them. The same is true of
much secular music with a "serious" (IOW, intentionally meaningful) theme.
Previous notes have given a few examples- Jackson Browne comes to mind, for
instance.

Bob

>    What I'm trying to say is that the music without the lyrics would not
>    have been as commercially successful during the early and growing days
>    of the idiom. 
    
    I agree with the above statement.
    
    However, I would also add that the rock would not have been as
    commercially successfully... if it weren't for the boldness of the
    music.
    
    I.E. it was the combination of the lyrics and the music, neither being
    more essential to the success than the other.
    
    	db

    
    RAP - Lyrics = ?
    
    
    
    	-=Dave=-
    

    
>    RAP - Lyrics = ?
 
    	Rap - lyrics = A heavy bass line? ;-)

    	Actually, it's a good point - there are types of music where lyrics
    ( and lyrical style, I suppose ) can be more important than others.  For 
    example, can you have a 'real' C & W tune without a 'twangy' voice ( and 
    singing about your truck/wife/dog )? :-)
    
    	Bob Ashforsh made a good point a few back - it helps to think of it
    as occuring on different levels - whether the levels are equal or not
    depends on your point of view and musical tastes, I guess . . .
    
    						$.02  - Jim

    
    So far this discussion has remained in the pop domain.  In the
    classical domain you can find examples of all three attitudes (i.e.,
    it's the music, it's the words, it's both together).  A lot of people
    who don't care for opera just eat up Wagner without the words (well,
    just the "good parts").  But then you consider things like Schubert
    Lieder or Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde or the Second and Eighth
    Symphonies, and the notion of only the music or only the words is
    incomprehensible.
    
    Me, I'm basically an instrumentals guy, as much of the appeal of music
    for me comes from its abstraction, and words have a somewhat concrete
    effect.  But sometimes the words are absolutely necessary to the whole
    experience.
    
    len.
      

/* RAP.C - a random rap lyrics generator */
 
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <ctype.h>
 
static char     col1[6][30] = {
	"Move it out,",
	"Get on up,",
	"Pump it up,",
	"Get on down,",
	"Shake it out,",
	"Pump the jam,"
};
 
static char     col2[6][30] = {
	" to triple beat, ",
	" get body heat, ",
	" feel the beat, ",
	" get around, ",
	" the joint is jumpin', ",
	" feet are stompin', "
};
 
static char     col3[6][30] = {
	"in the city streets\n",
	"you'll be humpin'\n",
	"'til the night is over\n",
	"shake your meat\n",
	"I'm bustin loose\n",
	"with disco heat\n"
};
 
main()
{
	int	chor[2][3];
        int     i,j,getpid();
        long   	now;
 
/* Generate random seed */
 
        now = time(&now) / rand();
        srand(getpid() + (int)((now >> 16) + now + time(&now)));
 
/* Generate chorus and title */
 
	for (i = 0; i < 2; i++)
		for (j = 0; j < 3; j++)
			chor[i][j] = rand() % 6;
	printf ("\n\"%s\" by Mixmastermeatbeaters\n\n",col1[(chor[0][0])]);
 
/* Print out song */
 
	verse();
	chorus(chor);
	verse();
	chorus(chor);
	lastline(chor);
	printf("-----\n");
}
 
chorus(chor)
int	chor[2][3];
{
	int	i;
 
	printf("\n(chorus)\n");
	for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
		printf("%s",col1[(chor[i][0])]);
		printf("%s",col2[(chor[i][1])]);
		printf("%s",col3[(chor[i][2])]);
        }
	printf("\n");
}
 
verse()
{
	int	i;
 
	for (i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
		printf("%s",col1[rand()%6]);
		printf("%s",col2[rand()%6]);
		printf("%s",col3[rand()%6]);
        }
}
 
lastline(chor)
int	chor[2][3];
{
	int	i;
 
	for (i = 0; i < 17; i++) {
		printf("%s",col1[chor[1][0]]);
		printf("%s",col2[chor[1][1]]);
		printf("%s",col3[chor[1][2]]);
        }
	printf("\n");
}

    I think Lorna was onto something.  Consider, the human voice is the most
    expressive 'instrument' there is.  The highest praise you'll hear for an
    instrumentalist is usually some sort of vocal quality ("the cellos were
    singing", "he makes that guitar talk", etc.).
    

    Re  .27
    
    It's a shame, Bobby McFerrin is an extremely talented vocalist, but
    we've all heard _Don't Worry, Be Happy_ so many damn times, that we
    sort of mentally ( or physically! ) cringe when we hear his name...
    
    						Jimbo
    

    
    ref. .25
    
    It actually compiles very nicely.
    
    
    Lale

    Re: .25
    
    Hey, this thing is great!  Three songs written in less than a minute.
    
    Maybe you should sell it to the Band-in-a-Box developers.
    
    							Afrika Bamboozle

re: .29

>                        -< couldn't link it though ;-) >-

Lale:

Do you normally write C programs on your computer?  If not, I suspect
I know why you couldn't link it.  If you tell me the exact error message,
I can probably tell you what to do (not to be confused with where to go,
of course! :-).

-Hal

    Hal,
    
    Yes, I occasionally write C code on this system. I did define the
    libraries if that's what you mean? Did you try to link it? I am
    probably missing one of the libraries. I could find it if I thought
    about it, I thought that much of a test was enough ;-) It was a PSECT
    problem. I will capture the error and let you know.
    
    We have ratholed into history, literature, everything. But linking C
    programs? ;-)
    
    Lale
    

       <<< Note 565.25 by TPSYS::CLARK "Can you picture what will be?" >>>

}}/* RAP.C - a random rap lyrics generator */
    
    	Oh sure!  I give a little math quiz and YOU bring a calculator to
    class!!    8*)
    
    
    	-=Dave=-
    

re: .32

Lale:

    Yes, I was thinking of  the link libraries.  Oh well! :-)

    It linked fine on my system.

>    We have ratholed into history, literature, everything. But linking C
>    programs? ;-)

    I nominate this one for the MUSIC rathole hall of fame! :-)
    

    re: .25
    
    Hmmm... it compiled and linked OK on my system.  This is great - do you
    have one for blues songs, or is that too easy?  I can use it at the
    next jam session I go to.
    
    Dave

    
    Oh, puke. First we had machines writing the music. Now they're writing the
    lyrics. The only thing they should be doing is the publishing.
    
    Seriously, what do some of the samples look like ? 
    
    

    
    re .0
    
    Art is art, and each person likes a different presentation.  Lyrics
    are just another dimension to add to instrumentals.  For some people,
    good lyrics really add a lot.  Could be they enyoy the poetry, or that
    it brings back a memory, or that they like the ideals promoted.
    
    Heck, what do you think about "talking" movies?  :^)
    
    I don't understand .0 any more than I would "Good photography doesn't 
    require filters... or color... or wide-angle lenses.  It should stand on 
    its own."
    
    - Sean (who loves instrumentals, but not solely)
    

/* BLUES.C - a random blues lyrics generator */
 
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <ctype.h>
 
static char     col1[3][30] = {
	"My woman gone and left me",
	"Got fired from my job",
	"Can't get no motovatin'"
};
 
static char     col2[3][30] = {
	" that's why I feel so sad.",
	" and now I got the blues.",
	" now ain't that a shame."
};
 
static char     col3[3][30] = {
	"Gonna head on down the road,",
	"Ain't nothin' for me here,",
	"I feel so sad and lonely,"
};
 
static char     col4[3][30] = {
	" worst time I ever had.",
	" oh Lord you know it's true.",
	" got noone else to blame."
};
 
main()
{
        int     i,j,k,getpid();
        long   	now;
 
/* Generate random seed */
 
        now = time(&now) / rand();
        srand(getpid() + (int)((now >> 16) + now + time(&now)));
 
	for (i=0; i<3; i++) {
	  j = rand() % 3;
	  k = rand() % 3;
	  printf("%s%s\n", col1[j],col2[k]);
	  printf("%s%s\n", col1[j],col2[k]);
	  j = rand() % 3;
	  printf("%s%s\n\n", col3[j],col4[k]);
	}		
}

    
    Clark, please stop. ;-)
    
    I managed to link the rap one. I had had a bogus definition.
    Here is one of the outputs (someone asked):
    

"Pump the jam," by Mixmastermeatbeaters

Get on up, to triple beat, with disco heat
Pump it up, get body heat, 'til the night is over
Get on down, the joint is jumpin', you'll be humpin'
Move it out, get around, I'm bustin loose

(chorus)
Pump the jam, feel the beat, with disco heat
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets

Get on down, feel the beat, you'll be humpin'
Pump it up, get around, I'm bustin loose
Get on down, to triple beat, shake your meat
Pump it up, feet are stompin', I'm bustin loose

(chorus)
Pump the jam, feel the beat, with disco heat
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets

Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets
Shake it out, get body heat, in the city streets

-----
    
    

Can't get no motovatin' now ain't that a shame.
Can't get no motovatin' now ain't that a shame.
I feel so sad and lonely, got noone else to blame.

My woman gone and left me now ain't that a shame.
My woman gone and left me now ain't that a shame.
I feel so sad and lonely, got noone else to blame.

My woman gone and left me that's why I feel so sad.
My woman gone and left me that's why I feel so sad.
Ain't nothin' for me here, worst time I ever had.

    

    
    Jeez, now all you've got to do is repeat the last word of each stanza
    maybe three, four times, and you got John Lee Hooker....
    
    Peter
    

    
    Elton John once remarked that he didn't know exactly or sometime even a
    bit of what Bernie Taupin was trying to convey in his lyrics but who
    cares, the lyrics work for him. 
    
    Some Beatles' song lyrics are also quite perplexed.
    "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was taken as "LSD" but actually
    it was only a coincidence.
    
    
    

    
    
    Given our attitudes toward mother DEC these days, the following
    seems very appropriate:
    
    I wanna bite the hand that feeds me
    I wanna bite that hand so badly
    I wanna make them wish they never seen me
    
    Artist an tune please.
    
    -Ed       

   "Radio Radio" by Elvis Costello.

   -- Sam

    
    Correctomundo!
    
    Some of my friends sit around every evening
    And they worry bout the times ahead
    And everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
    And the promise of an early bed....
    
    -Ed
    

    "overwhelmed by indifference"  - boy, have I ever felt that way at
                                     times, especially at work
    
    Lorna
    

    
    
>    And the promise of an early bed....
    
    Are you 100% sure on this line?  I hear:
    
    And the promise of an early death...
    

    
    Yeah, prolly makes more sense.
    
    

    Since you're onto Costello Lyrics, can anyone make improvements on
    these, from Imperial Bedroom (Beyond Belief)?:
    
    I might make it California's Fault
    Be lost in Geneva's Deepest Vault
    Just like the canal's on Mars
    and the great Barrier Reef
    I come to you beyond belief
    
    This is from the chorus, and I've probably screwed up plenty here, so
    help me out!
    
    Kevin

> Since you're onto Costello Lyrics, can anyone make improvements on
> these, from Imperial Bedroom (Beyond Belief)?:

I'm not familiar with the song, but my version of 'Imperial Bedroom' has
the lyrics on it. If your's doesn't, let me know and I'll try to remember
to copy them for ya sometime.

alan

    My version of this CD definetly does not have the lyric sheet, and I
    would appreciate a copy immensely! This is my favorite EC, and I have
    spent many hours trying to decipher the lyrics. Drop me a line if you
    get them copied.
    
    Thanks much,  Kevin

    
    Re .51
    
    Your dead on for the chorus.  I have the disc here now and went through
    the chorus four times to be sure.  As far as the rest of the lyrics,
    your on your own...  it does sound a littel like Swahili though. 8)
    
    Tim

    
    My favourite lyrics of all times:
    
    	I've got all my wisdom teeth
    	Two up top, two beneath
    
    ;-)
    
    Lale
    (who doesn't have any of her wisdom teeth. One never showed up and three
    were taken out in two different general anesthesia sessions granting me
    two weeks of vacation ;-))

    re: -1
    
    	What about:
    
    		"How does a duck know what direction south is?
    		And how to tell his wife from all the other ducks?"
    
    possibly a close second from the second album.
    
    -jesse

    
     Hello,
    
    Was wondering if someone could send me the words for Roger Miller's
    "King of the Road".
    
    One of the guys in my group needs it for a song his son is 
     doing in school.
    
    Thanks in advance
    
    Ron
    
    GIAMEM::DESCHAMPS
     

    Interesting concept. I had one friend raised on classical music and
    used to laugh at R&R lyrics. Don't think I will ever forget his
    favorite phrase, "Man, them lyrics tell a real story". Could not see
    the value in "I got a girl named Boney Moronie" or "ramadam ramadam a
    ding dong". Another only like instrumentals as he thought ALL singers
    sounded horrible and ruined good music. If I can't understand the
    person clearly I don't care what they are trying to say. So many sound
    as though they have a mouth full of marbles and crap, or as Michael
    Bolton feel they have to scream at you. They can shove that "in your
    face" attitude and I cannot understand why anyone lays out their hard
    earned dollars for a chance to destroy their hearing with a headset.
    
    Then again, can't imagine the song Georgia having the impact that it
    does without Ray Charles singing it. So many songs would be tolerable 
    without lyrics but I doubt would be as successful. Try to imagine the
    song "Brown-Eyed Girl" without Van Morrison. Think it would pale in
    comparison.
    
    Then again imagine trying to write lyrics for Chariots of Fire.