Scratching lyrical (A communal Top 5)

There are moments of magnificence and beauty when the breath of our creator God seems to infuse the mind of the created in a sublime way. Through the crafting of words, a song lyric can capture or recall experiences, people, emotions and time in a way that cuts through the clutter with alarming simplicity. Sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes the reverse happens. Alas, some lyrics become memorable because of their abuse of our curious language.

That's what this Top 5 is all about. The one-liners within songs that make us start searching for sharp objects. They're either cheap rhymes, banal notions or just plain English. A few decades back, a band called Supertramp wrote a song called 'It's raining again'. The sad thing is, it often gets played on some commercial FM radio stations - usually when it's raining again. Brilliant. The song houses the heartfelt cry 'Come on you little fighter, no need to get uptight-er'.

Among other things, this Top 5 is likely to demonstrate that we're equally capable of recalling the dross as we are gold.

So, bring it on. A communal Top 5 or 55 of chalkboard-scratchy one-liners where the writer should have really gone into a room for all of mirrors before saying, 'I think I'll pick up a royalty cheque for this'.

PS. It's more than possible to still like a song that contains a hideous lyric. Tough but possible. Perhaps redemption has stories to tell.

The Communal Top 5:
1. Come on you little fighter, no need to get uptight-er
(Supertramp, 'It's Raining Again')

2. Excuse me forgetting, but these things I do. You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue. Anyway the thing is, what I really mean: those are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
(Elton John, 'Your Song')

3. Roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll'em, Don't do much good, but good Lord, he could roll 'em. Roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, Don't do much good, but good Lord, he could roll 'em. Roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em, Don't do much good, but good Lord, he could roll 'em.
(Neil Diamond, "High Rolling Man")

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