Lyrics From Songs That Seem To Make No Sense

[Yorkeez4]

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

I guess you never tried the pills.

 

[CTtoSanDiego]

Zappa!
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss
Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
To somebody else . . . but then, on the other hand I would
Keep the wax
N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss
N' swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top (that's why I'm movin' to Montana)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)

 

[AidanFan20]

Nobody got that at all.

Untrue.

 

[Dogstar]

Zappa!
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss
Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
To somebody else . . . but then, on the other hand I would
Keep the wax
N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss
N' swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top (that's why I'm movin' to Montana)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)

A Lotta Zappa songs could had made this post.

 

[meyers7]

Well if you could ever figure out what the lyrics were (or if he didn't change them in concert so often), maybe we could figure out if they made sense.

Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam

 

[Aluminny69]

 

[Drumguy]

The lyrics were actually In the Garder of Eden, but lore says they were drunk and stoned when they recorded it and changed history

 

[Aluminny69]

In case you missed the Lyrics, perhaps this will help:

(spoken): "A preachment, dear friends, you are about to receive
On John Barleycorn, nicotine, and the temptations of Eve"
(Bronx cheer)

No parkin' by the sewer sign
Hot dog, my razor broke
Water drippin' up the spout
But I don't care, let it all hang out

Hangin' from a pine tree by my knees
Sun shinin' through the shade
Nobody knows what it's all about
It's too much, man, let it all hang out

Saw a man walkin' upside down
My TV's on the blink
Made Galileo look like a Boy Scout
Sorry 'bout that, let it all hang out

Sleep all day, drive all night
Brain my numb, can't stop now
For sure ain't no doubt
Keep a open mind, let it all hang out

It's rainin' inside a big brown moon
How does that mess your baby up, leg?
Eatin' a Reuben sandwich with sauerkraut
Don't stop now, baby, let it all hang out

 

[Forego]

Nobody got that at all.

Hmmm.... Would you have gotten this response instead? This was my first choice. Too cryptic?

 

[Centerstream]

The lyrics were actually In the Garder of Eden, but lore says they were drunk and stoned when they recorded it and changed history

Um...thanks for the translation but I think that information is pretty obvious to anyone that listened to FM radio in the late 60s and the 70s.
And the story is that the guy that wrote the song while drunk on wine (lead vocals and organist), played it to the drummer while still inebriated and he is the one that wrote down the phrase. And then they recorded it using the version that the drummer wrote down.

 

[Jackcatscal]

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

Makes all the sense in the world if you're (cough) "heightened."

 

[Jackcatscal]

Both the name of the group ("? and the Mysterians") and the lyrics:

And when the sun comes up
I’ll be on top
You’ll be right down there lookin’ up
And on my way
Come up here
But I don’t see you  wavin’ down
I’m way down here

 

[Jackcatscal]

How can it be that no one's mentioned Dylan yet? The master of the obscure:

Johnny's in the basement,
mixin' up the medicine
I'm on the pavement,
thinkin' about the government
The man in a trench coat,
badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough,
wants to get it paid off
Look out kid, it's somethin' you did
God knows when, but you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alleyway,
looking for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap in a pig pen
Wants 11 dollar bills – you only got 10

 

[Just.A.Fan]

I guess you never tried the pills.

It's a reference to hallucinogenic drugs (LSD).

 

[Yorkeez4]

It's a reference to hallucinogenic drugs (LSD).

I am aware of that. My main point was that the lyrics make sense if you listen carefully and understand them. If you listen to some of Grace Slicks interviews on drugs you will find her knowledgeable and her thoughts very interesting and obviously something that she was around for years.

 

[CL82]

John Lennon said he was tired of every writer and fan hyper analyzing their lyrics, so he told his bandmates (paraphrasing):

"Let em try and figure this one out, it should be fun"

It sounds very much like their early songwriting process in which they would just use placeholder words until they came up with the lyrics that worked. In this case, they just didn't do the last part.

 

[CL82]

Hmmm.... Would you have gotten this response instead? This was my first choice. Too cryptic?

I would've gotten it, but it is an obscure reference.

 

[Bigboote]

Here’s an old song from Scotland. I’m typing out the first verse

As I was walking all alane
I heard twa corbies making mane
And tane ontae the thither did say
Where shall we gang and dine the day

The entire song is about two crows (or ravens) discussing where they’ll eat. There are English versions that are more intelligible.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I declare myself the winner! Beautiful beyond mercy but duh?

 

[Scud49]

Can't forget the Bonzo Dog band:

I'm the Urban Spaceman, baby
I've got speed
I've got everything I need
I'm the Urban Spaceman, baby
I can fly
I'm a supersonic guy
I don't need pleasure
I don't feel pain
If you were to knock me down
I'd just get up again
I'm the Urban Spaceman, baby
I'm making out
I'm all about

 

[Scud49]

Love this song as a kid. Still do. Guess that tells you where my mind's really at.

The funniest sound I ever heard
(Papa-oom-mow-mow)
(Papa-oom-mow-mow)
But I can't understand a single word
(Papa-oom-mow-mow)
(Papa-oom-mow-mow)
But if he's serious or if he's playing
Woo, my my is all he's saying
Papa, woo
Baba-baba-baba-woo!

 

[BBallF]

Hmmm.... Would you have gotten this response instead? This was my first choice. Too cryptic?

I give up.

 

[BBallF]

How can it be that no one's mentioned Dylan yet? The master of the obscure:

Johnny's in the basement,
mixin' up the medicine
I'm on the pavement,
thinkin' about the government
The man in a trench coat,
badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough,
wants to get it paid off
Look out kid, it's somethin' you did
God knows when, but you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alleyway,
looking for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap in a pig pen
Wants 11 dollar bills – you only got 10

I don't know maybe they thought his lyrics are too straight forward like:

"Girls'faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of though, somehow".

Yup. Even the Byrds couldn't make this one easy.

 

[Huskee11]

I love this song by Pink Floyd but the lyrics are somewhat baffling.....

 

[uconnfan68]

Creedence… “there’s a bathroom on the right”.