10 Songs with Great Lyrics

I had my MP3 on as I sit comfortably at the backseat of our car. The travel was around two hours and I sang to the songs playing in my ears. Then, one of my favorite song of all time suddenly play and gave me the inspiration to write this blog.

I'm a music lover, yes I am. This list is about songs that have great lyrics. Great lyrics, meaning more than the words that it tries to relay. I know some people would disagree with this list, solution, make your own list. This is the first time I'll be making a list in my blog. Here it goes.

10. Where is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas

What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK 
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate 
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all

Chorus

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying 
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us 
Send some guidance from above 
Cause people got me got me questioning 
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)

It just ain't the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in 
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions 
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars' going on but the reasons' undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth 
Then you never know love 
Where's the love y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the truth y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the love y'all?
 

Chorus

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading anomosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling down
It's no wonder why sometimes I'm feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found

Where is the love is the first single of the Black Eyed Peas of their 3rd Album Elephunk. The song was written by the original men members of the group. They tried to tackle issues such as terrorism, racial segregation, government hypocrisy.

Beneath all those rapping is a lyrics that says what is needed to be said. Along with the iconic question mark, BEP asked the world where the love is when all we see is war, discrimination, racism among other things. 

9.  Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones

 Please allow me to introduce myself 
I'm a man of wealth and taste 
I've been around for a long, long year 
Stole many a man's soul and faith 

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ 
Had his moment of doubt and pain 
Made damn sure that Pilate 
Washed his hands and sealed his fate 

Pleased to meet you 
Hope you guess my name 
But what's puzzling you 
Is the nature of my game 

I stuck around St. Petersburg 
When I saw it was a time for a change 
Killed the Czar and his ministers 
Anastasia screamed in vain 

I rode a tank 
Held a general's rank 
When the Blitzkrieg raged 
And the bodies stank 

Pleased to meet you 
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah 
Ah, what's puzzling you 
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah 
(woo woo, woo woo) 

I watched with glee 
While your kings and queens 
Fought for ten decades 
For the gods they made 
(woo woo, woo woo) 

I shouted out, 
"Who killed the Kennedys?" 
When after all 
It was you and me 
(who who, who who) 

Let me please introduce myself 
I'm a man of wealth and taste 
And I laid traps for troubadours 
Who get killed before they reached Bombay 
(woo woo, who who) 

Pleased to meet you 
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah 
(who who)
But what's puzzling you 
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby 
(who who, who who) 

Pleased to meet you 
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah 
But what's confusing you 
Is just the nature of my game 
(woo woo, who who) 

Just as every cop is a criminal 
And all the sinners saints 
As heads is tails 
Just call me Lucifer 
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint 
(who who, who who) 

So if you meet me 
Have some courtesy 
Have some sympathy, have some taste 
(woo woo)
Use all your well-learned politesse 
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah 
(woo woo, woo woo) 

Pleased to meet you 
Hope you guessed my name, mmm yeah 
(who who)
But what's puzzling you 
Is the nature of my game, mmm mean it, get down

First, let me clean my hands and say, I am not a satanist. 

So, this song is about Lucifer. The opening of the song gives the listener a mysterious effect on who the man is. Later, even if you don't know the title of the song, you would know who he is. It is only in the end that the song mentions the man name, Lucifer. But throughout the song you can picture scary images. The lyrics basically stands that everything bad, war, discrimination, is done by Lucifer. 

According to others, this song is also about the Kennedy's assassinations.

Here's a piece from Wikipedia:

The lyrics' focus, however, is on atrocities in the history of mankind, including European wars of religion ("I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the Gods they made"), the violence of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the 1918 massacre of the Romanov family ("I stuck around St. Petersburg when I saw it was a time for a change, killed the Tsar and his ministers — Anastasia screamed in vain") and World War II ("I rode a tank, held a general's rank when the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank").

8. We are the World by Various Artists

There comes a time 
When we head a certain call 
When the world must come together as one 
There are people dying 
And it's time to lend a hand to life 
The greatest gift of all 

We can't go on 
Pretneding day by day 
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change 
We are all a part of 
God's great big family 
And the truth, you know love is all we need 

[Chorus] 
We are the world 
We are the children 
We are the ones who make a brighter day 
So let's start giving 
There's a choice we're making 
We're saving our own lives 
It's true we'll make a better day 
Just you and me 

Send them your heart 
So they'll know that someone cares 
And their lives will be stronger and free 
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread 
So we all must lend a helping hand 

[Chorus] 

When you're down and out 
There seems no hope at all 
But if you just believe 
There's no way we can fall 
Well, well, well, well, let us realize 
That a change will only come 
When we stand together as one 

Do I really need to explain why this song is here? The song is a legend. The lyrics is calling for unity and peace. It's one of the world's best selling single. This song was written by King of Pop Michael Jackson and another great singer, Lionel Ritchie. The song was performed by over 25 best artists of the industry.

We are the World changed how the world views music. It's not merely for entertainment anymore, it's also for humanitarian purposes.  

Here's something from Wikipedia:

"We Are the World" has been recognized as a politically important song, which "affected an international focus on Africa that was simply unprecedented". It has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the world felt inclined to follow. According to The New York Times' Stephen Holden, since the release of "We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made within popular music to create songs that address humanitarian concerns. "We Are the World" was also influential in subverting the way music and meaning were produced, showing that musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively and creatively. Ebony described the January 28 recording session, in which Quincy Jones brought together a multi-racial group, as being "a major moment in world music that showed we can change the world". "We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid, demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but a political and social movement.Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get results.

7. Yesterday by The Beatles

 Yesterday,

 All my troubles seemed so far away, 
Now it looks as though they're here to stay, 
Oh, I believe in yesterday. 

Suddenly, 
I'm not half the man I used to be, 
There's a shadow hanging over me, 
Oh, yesterday came suddenly. 

Why she 
Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. 
I said, 
Something wrong, now I long for yesterday. 

Yesterday, 
Love was such an easy game to play, 
Now I need a place to hide away, 
Oh, I believe in yesterday. 

Why she 
Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. 
I said, 
Something wrong, now I long for yesterday. 

Yesterday, 
Love was such an easy game to play, 
Now I need a place to hide away, 
Oh, I believe in yesterday. 

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. 

It would be a crime to make a list about songs that doesn't have a Beatles on it. This song is practically on every list about songs. It's one of the saddest and greatest song of all time. The lyrics is simple. It tells the story of a weeping man after losing the love of his life. The reason why everyone loves this song is because somewhere in the middle, we lose someone in our lives. Whether it's the love of our life, a family member or even a pet. Everyone can relate to this song. Now, you might say that there are other Beatles song that are way better than this. Yes, maybe, but for me, this takes the price. It's simplicity and melancholic tune definitely is one of the best song. 

Trivia: This song takes the record of having the most cover with almost 3,000 of them! 

6. Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley

Chorus 

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! 
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! 
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! 
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight! 

Preacher man, don't tell me, 
Heaven is under the earth. 
I know you don't know 
What life is really worth. 
It's not all that glitters is gold; 
'Alf the story has never been told: 
So now you see the light, eh! 
Stand up for your rights. come on! 

Chorus

Most people think, 
Great god will come from the skies, 
Take away everything 
And make everybody feel high. 
But if you know what life is worth, 
You will look for yours on earth: 
And now you see the light, 
You stand up for your rights. jah! 

Chorus

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game - 
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a Jesus' name, lord. 
We know when we understand: 
Almighty god is a living man. 
You can fool some people sometimes, 
But you can't fool all the people all the time. 
So now we see the light (what you gonna do?), 
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah! ) 

So you better:

Get Up, Stand Up

Bob Marley is one of the most influential musicians of all time. He is most widely known from his type of music known as Reggae and spreading the Rastafari Movement. He is also known for his unique type of voice and his compelling lyrics. Get Up, Stand Up is one of many songs where Marley tells us about reality.The chorus itself tells the story about the song, "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight".

5. Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

 Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal? 

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts 
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own 
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

<sup>Throughout my research I found out that this song is Rolling Stone's Number 1 on their greatest song of all time list. I personally don't know this song so I listened to it. I don't like the song  that's why it's just number 5 on this list. Bu the lyrics is compelling and Bob Dylan's voice is beautiful. 


Here's something from Wikipedia:</sup>

"The track has been described as revolutionary in its combination of different musical elements, the youthful, cynical sound of Dylan's voice, and the directness of the question in the chorus: "How does it feel?". "Like a Rolling Stone" transformed Dylan's career and is today considered one of the most influential compositions in post-war popular music and has since its release been both a music industry and popular culture milestone which elevated Dylan's image to iconic. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Jimi Hendrix,The Rolling Stones and Bob Marley & The Wailers."

That's how influential the song is, three of the world's most influential musician covered the song. 

4. What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye

 Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today - Ya

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on

In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on

Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby

 

This song is one of my favorite. I love the lyrics. I must admit that I love the version of the Various Artists such as Justin Timberalke, Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears recorded last 2001 to benefit AIDS program in Africa. A friend once told me how amazing it is for artists to write and sing songs that would stand the test of time, and this is one of them. This song was released in 1971 and yet the lyrics still tells the reality of what we are experiencing almost 40 years later. 

Read and listen to the song, enough said, you'll understand why this is a GREAT! song.

^{3. Hotel California by The Eagles}

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,

"this could be heaven or this could be hell"
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the hotel california
Any time of year, you can find it here

Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the captain,

"please bring me my wine"
He said, "we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
They livin it up at the hotel california
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "we are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before 

relax, said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!

I personally love the song and the lyrics. This song has one of the world's most unique tune, so unique, there's nothing like it. The lyrics itself is full of mystery and if you don't read between the line, kinda scary. It also has one of the best guitar solo ever. 

Here's something from Wikipedia about the song:

The song's lyrics describe the title establishment as a luxury resort where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." On the surface, the song tells the tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish luxury hotel that at first appeared inviting and tempting. The song is an allegory about hedonism and self-destruction in the Southern California music industry of the late 1970s; Don Henley called it "our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles" and later reiterated "it's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about." 

The writers of the song would not divulge on the real meaning of the song. According to Don Henley, it would kill the essence of using literary devices in songwriting. So many interpretations have been made about the song. A popular one is about drug addiction. The most compelling line of the song is the last line, "You can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave". Read the lyrics, try to associate it with drug addiction and make your own interpretation of the song. 

2. Imagine by John Lenon 

Imagine there's no Heaven 
It's easy if you try 
No hell below us 
Above us only sky 
Imagine all the people 
Living for today 

Imagine there's no countries 
It isn't hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no religion too 
Imagine all the people 
Living life in peace 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions 
I wonder if you can 
No need for greed or hunger 
A brotherhood of man 
Imagine all the people 
Sharing all the world 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will live as one 

Imagine the world exactly what Lenon said. Who wouldn't like that? This song is so influential, like Yesterday, it's almost on all list about songs. According to Yoko Ono, Lenon's wife, Imagine is a song that practically tells what Lenon would believe. Lenon once said in an interview, "can you imagine a world without countries or religions?" Lenon believes that we are one world, one humanity. 

This is a beautiful song and no one can say otherwise. 

1. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam

Oh, where oh where can my baby be? 
The Lord took her away from me 
She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good 
So I can see my baby when I leave this world. 

We were out on a date in my daddy's car 
We hadn't driven very far 
There in the road, up straight ahead 
A car was stalled, the engine was dead 
I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right 
I'll never forget the sound that night 
The screamin' tires, the bustin' glass 
The painful scream that I heard last. 

Oh, where oh where can my baby be? 
The Lord took her away from me 
She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good 
So I can see my baby when I leave this world. 

When I woke up, the rain was pourin' down 
There were people standing all around 
Something warm rollin' through my eyes 
But somehow I found my baby that night 
I lifted her head, she looked at me and said 
"Hold me darling just a little while." 
I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss 
I found the love that I knew I would miss 
But now she's gone, even though I hold her tight 
I lost my love, my life that night. 

Oh, where oh where can my baby be? 
The Lord took her away from me 
She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good 
So I can see my baby when I leave this world. 
Oooh~ ooooh~

Hold your horses. Before you say anything else, let me explain first. This song is one of my ultimate favorite, this was the song that inspired me to write this list. The lyrics is simple and the way it was sung by Pearl Jam is beautiful. 

This wasn't an original by Pearl Jam and since I'm giving kudos to the lyrics then I should give my salute to Wayne Cochran, the singer songwriter who first recorded this song. However, Pearl Jam's version is the most popular version.

The lyrics tells the story about a lover's car accident. The painful story of the car accident is written so exquisitely you can't help but imagine the scene and be captured by it. 

Here's the rest of the lyrical inspiration by Cochran from Wikipedia:

"Cochran based the rest of "Last Kiss" on an incident in which several teens were killed and two seriously injured when their car struck a flatbed logging truck. Sixteen-year-old Jeanette Clark was out on a date in Barnesville, Georgia on December 22, 1962, the Saturday before Christmas. She was with a group of friends in a 1954 Chevrolet. J. L. Hancock, also sixteen, was driving the car in heavy traffic and while traveling on Highway 341, collided with a trailer truck. Clark, Hancock, and another teenager were killed, and two other teens in the car were seriously injured.Cochran finished the song, which he titled "Last Kiss", and dedicated it to Clark."

So that's my first list ever. Hopefully I will make many more list and I hope you like my choices. I'm sorry if there are errors. I will try to correct them when I see them. 

So, which song do you think has the most compelling lyrics? Whether it's on my list or not, share them. =D

I would like to give credit to Wikipedia and I would like to say I had no copyright infringement intended in using the photos.