Waxing Lyrical, Oxford - I am sorry ! - but the those PSB lyrics are DEEPLY PROFOUND.

Unlike pretty much all other pop lyrics - it is in their nature to be sentimental and trivial.

Not Waxing Lyrical, Cambridge, UK

I vote for the annoying Fergie song that does a great disservice to London:

"How come everytime you come around,
My London, London bridge, wanna go down like,
London, London, London, wanna go down like,
London, London, London, we goin’ down like…"

SE1-er, London,

I turn on the tap and run some water
Flick a little switch on the wall

Kettle's on - 'The Feeling'

Actually most of their songs have 'interesting' lyrics!

Also completely agree with whoever mentioned the lyrical genius which is 'She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah'

Sally, Newcastle upon Tyne,

There's a teeth-grindingly bad Robbie Williams couplet (can't remember the song - or maybe I've tried to blank it out)

"When the truth dies, very bad things happen"

Lazy or what?

Andy, WInchester, UK

Bono is guilty of many offences against the English language, but

"The air is heavy, heavy as a truck"

is particularly obscene

simon, ireland,

Not that I, or i imagine many Times readers, am a fan, but 90's boy band Five (or 5ive!) haven't been mentioned yet...

'I ain't got no manners cus I eat with my fingers!'

Insightful and rebellious...

Ben Morrell, Nottingham,

Might I put in a word for Queen - 'Don't stop me now'?

"I'm burnin' at 200 degrees
that's why they call me Mr Farenheit"

200 degrees F won't even boil a kettle - and Brian May has a PhD in astrophysics (or some such...)

Robin, Gloucester, UK

I've just seen a ghost - i'd rather have a piece of toast - D Reem or whatever her silly name was

ted pittman, sidcup, kent uk

Macarthur Park

"I left my cake out in the rain
and I'll never get that recipe again....."

Must be the dumbest, dreariest song ever.

Gara, Sydney, Australia

Can't believe no one's mentioned Barry Manilow's 'Bermuda Triangle - try and see it from my angle'.

Aims low and misses.

Incidentally, V. funny about New Order's honey (that's not a lyrical contender).

john, st albans, UK

Natalie Imbruglia is surely a strong contender for the most toe-curling couplet of all time:

"I can sting like a bee/ Careful how you treat me."

Painful.

Ted, Oxford,

"Here comes love. It's like honey. You can't buy it with money." "Crystal", New Order.
Actually you can buy honey. It's next to the jam in Sainsbury's.

Sally, London,

Has anybody ever wondered what
"It seems to me you've lived your life like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to when the rain came in" means? meaningless, trite, nonsensical and undoubtedly the worst lyric ever

Charlie, boothwyn, pa

There's a (half) line from from a Stephen Stills song called "I See you" that was also covered by Yes on their first album

...I see you, at your door, second floor, First World War...

but then anything By Jon Anderson of Yes would be a candidate.

Gerard Denvir, Downpatrick, N. Ireland

Anything by Spandau Ballet.
It's english Jim but not as we know it

JS, london, uk

For baltantly misunderstanding that a metaphor functions by comparing things to other things, Cast are guilty of crimes against the English language with this little shocker:

'You've got to fly/ It's just like flying through the air'.

So flying is, apparently, a lot like flying. Wow.

Earlier postings revolving around the work of Natasha Beddingfield reinded me of this:

'Wordsworth, Byron, Shelly and Keats resided it over a hip hop beat'.

Which shows that name dropping just looks silly.

Megan, Cardiff,

Whenever I hear Bryan Ferry singing: "I was blind, can´t you see" in the song 'Take A Chance With Me', I cringe; I just don't like that proximity of terms in a supposedly poetic parlance.

Anandgyan, Montreal, Canada

Winter Wonderland.

In the meadow we will build a snowman
And pretend that he is Parson Brown
If he says "You married?" we'll say "No, man"
But you can do the job when you're in town.

YECH!!!!

Carolyn Randall, Los Angeles, California USA

But will anything ever top Elvis' Wear My Ring Around Your Neck?/ "Won't you wear my ring around your neck, to tell the world you're mine by heck."

Steve Owens, San Francisco, USA

To spoil a little of the fun, the "Live and Let Die" lyric is actually "In this ever changing world in which we're living" not "... in which we live in". Marginally more correct.

Stephen, Bozeat, UK

Go ask the dust for any answers
Come back strong with 50 belly dancers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Hannah Moynihan, Southend, England

Depeche Mode: "People are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully" so clumsy, and doesn't actually make any real sense - just some words that happen to rhyme.

julie, St. Helier, Jersey

Unquestionably: "If you wanna wait till later, hands off my detonator" -- "Read My Lips" by Melissa Tkautz

Richard, Brisbane, Australia

I know this is probably cheating but...

'My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo,
I like to sink her with my pink torpedo'

Anyone?

Max, Italy,

Pet Shop Boys, "Go West":

There where the air is free
We'll be (We'll be) what we want to be (Aah aah aah aah)
Now if we make a stand (Aah)
We'll find (We'll find) our promised land (Aah)

Army of Lovers, "Carry My Urn to Ukraine" (pretty much anything by AofL for that matter, but I just happen to like this song very much):

While the train is in motion
Enbalm me in lotion
And toast magic potions
I drink and I'm dead
Raise a flag on the Russian soil
Kiss the ground on a mortal coil
Slowly progress through Belarus
Cannibals cook a slavic mousse
Cosmonaut bred in Baykonur
Hail contessa hail De la Cour
Phosphorate like a beast to bait
I cremate I delegate


Translations welcome :D

Waxing Lyrical, Oxford, UK

How did someone miss Angels
"so when I’m lying in my bed
thoughts running through my head
and I feel that love is dead
I’m loving angels instead"
A song I truly hate!

Si, christchurch, New Zealand

"Everybody Wang Chung tonight!" I Wang Chunged once but everybody said I got it backwards!

Mike, St. Louis, USA

Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

fred, london,

"I found her diary underneath a tree and started reading about me" by Bread

GP, Nantucket,

What's even more fun is the plethora of misunderstood lyrics:

'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.

Slow Walkin' Walter
Fire engine guys

Don't go out tonight
It's bound to change your life
Yeah. There's a bathroom on the right.

. . . to name but three.

s, Saskatoon, Canada

Come on people! Neil Diamond must rate here! Have you forgotten the
horrible chorus lyrics for "I am"

"I am a cried to one there/ and no one answered/ not even the chair"

Aaron, East Meadow, NY, USA

Peaches come in a can they are put there by a man.
"Peaches" by Preisdents of the United States of America

bsmith, Austin, TX

Ladies & Gentlemen, your exits are located here, here and here
To fasten your seatbelt insert the fitting
To use the life vest, slip it over your head
Pull firmly on the red cord and blow into the mouthpiece

Ba-ba-da, Ba-ba-da, Ba-da-da-ba, ba-da
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ba-ba-da, Ba-ba-da, Ba-da-da-ba, ba-da

It's our entry. And it makes Daz Sampson sound good.

Mary, London,

A contribution from the Australian band The Cat Empire:
"I met a mexican called Juan
(Theres a party on the hill would you like to come)
Yeah
(and bring a bottle of rum)
Can't afford it, but I bought it"

Also, for a nonsensical line:
"Do I really feel the way I feel?"
Thanks, Cher.

Pamela, Windsor, England

Please consider Elton John and Bernie Taupin's 's sphincter-clutchingly banal:

"If I were a sculptor, but, then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do."

You said it, Bernie!

Kim, London, England

Hip/Hop and Rap takes the cake.
Excerpt from Big Daddy Kane's tune RAW:
"I get hectic, like a girl on a contracep-tic..."
~~~~~

JRichmond, Atlanta, GA, USA

You can't honestly have this list without the worst lyrics of all:

"Someone left the cake out in the rain.
I don't think that I can take it,
cuz it took so long to bake it,
and I'll never have that recipe again ... Oh NO!!!!"

Game Over. All your base belong to us.

Krunchy, Fall River, MA, USA

How could anyone forget what is surely the most deliriously ungrammatical lyric ever penned? Step forward Paul McCartney (Live And Let Die):

'But in this ever-changing world in which we live in...'

My favourite forced false rhyme comes from Bette Davis Eyes:

'She's precocious,
And she knows just what it takes to make a pro blush'

But then a lot of Dylan's lyrics are utter kak as well. So many to choose from, but perhaps the best is from The Gates of Eden:

'The lamp-post stands with folded arms,
Its iron claws attached
To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail
Through its shadow's metal badge'

Well, that's all clear then...

Paul Leigh, Maidenhead, Berkshire

While I find Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home" to be a particularly insipid song, this line is especially cringe-worthy:

Like a blind dog without a bone I was a gyspy lost in the twilight zone
I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold.

(Yikes.)

Sharyn, North Bay, Canada

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

Tonight there's going to be a jailbreak, somewhere in this town"

I am guessing the jail would be good place to start!

Adrian, Harrogate,

Yes, I'd nominate the Black Eyed Peas as well- namely, that classic piece of modern linguistic art 'My Humps'.

My humps, my humps,
My lovely lady lumps...

There's more but my brain disintegrated after the last time I was forced to listen to it.

AviatorDan, Birmigham,

Hear Hear! The Black-Eyed Peas are responsible for one of the most annoying lyrics to grace modern times.

Heather, London, UK

Lenny Kravitz -

I wish that I could fly
Into the sky
So very high
Just like a dragonfly

Sounds like something you would make up in primary school creative writing class

Mary, London, England

Duran Duran are surely the undisputed champions when it comes to stupid meaningless lyrics. The Reflex is just one of many examples:

You gone too far this time
But Im dancing on the valentine
I tell you somebodys fooling around -
With my chances on the dangerline
Ill cross that bridge when I find it
Another day to make my stand, oh..
High time is no time for deciding
If I should find a helping hand, oh..

Paul , Zurich ,

Man, surely the most annoying line of the last few years is "Where is the love?" by the black-eyed peas?

Gilman, Shenzhen, PRC

What about the latest offering from Natasha Bedingfeld?

"I'm in a big, big, big, big ocean/In a tiny little boat" followed not long after by "Babies, babies, babies, babies, babies/there's a baby - there's one - babies everywhere!"

Actually many of her lyrics are a little on the forced side!

Caroline, Newcastle upon Tyne,

What about -

Love In An Elevator
Livin' it up whn I'm goin' down
Love In An Elevator
Lovin' it up till I hit the ground

by Aerosmith?
And what is Oasis doing on the list, anyway??

Abigail, Huntingdon, England

Australian band, Eskimo Joe from the song "Sarah". Which starts,

"Sarah...won't you tell me your name?"

gill, sydney, australia

My vote for the worst song lyric is short - absolutely NOT sweet.

From George Michael's "Careless Whispers"...
"guilty feet have got no rhythm"

Pardon?

Dianne, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA

Weird! So many people have breen trashing quite witty and imaginative (if offbeat ) songs like 'Land down under', while ignoring the truly mawkish and cheesy, the trite and bland, the lazy and illiterate.

I can't believe no one's mentioned John Lennon' s ghastly 'Imagine'. Not only banal but ungrammatical, with lines like 'and no religion too'. Surely some of the worst lyrics of all time.

Janet Davis, Sydney, Australia

Imagine by John Lennon. The most overrated platitudes of all time.

Hannah, London,

is anything worse than Placebo's "Pure Morning"? --
A friend in needs a friend indeed,
A friend with weed is better,
A friend with breasts and all the rest,
A friend who's dressed in leather,

pretty daring huh?

JB, Vancouver, BC

And of course the perennial classic from Pulp:

"I took her to a supermarket, I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there."

Really makes you think.

Scott Millson, Toronto, Canada

Sting's entire oeuvre.

Hannah, London,

The worst, and the best................ sung by the imcomparable Gene Pitney

It hurts to be in love
Especially when the one you love
turns out to be someone
Who's not in love with you.

almost anything ever sung by Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Axl Rose or Richard Harris. Oh and er, Dido,The Troggs (love 'em though),Bill&Boyce, George Harrison, Ozzy Osbourne and T Texas Tyler.

English language only? Nederpop is in a class of its own.

Horsam, The Hague, Netherland.

She loves you yeah,yeah,yeah
She loves you yeah,yeah,yeah,
She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah......oooooh....The Beatles

Keith Pirelli, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

And missing are

We can dance if we want to/We can leave your friends behind/'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance/Well they're no friends of mine

and
Buying bread from a man in Brussels/He was six foot four and full of muscles/I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"/He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich

Greyranger, here,

How about 'Wall of Vodoo's' Mexican Radio
"I wish I was in Tijuana
Eating barbequed iguana"

John D, NP, usa

If you don't understand the meaning of songs lyrics it doesn't mean that everyone does !!!!!!!

sky', Almaty, Kazakhstan

But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.

That and any other line from Seasons in the Sun

by Terry Jacks

john, london,

Stranglers, Peaches:
"I can think of a lot worse places to be. Like down in the streets. Or down in the sewer. Or even on the end of a skewer."

JIm, Frankfurt, Germany

Surely
1) "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar / when I met you" beats all the above?
2) "I was conceited, it wasn't nice / You heard me say that smoking was my only vice" (Abba)
3) "I like to move it"
4) "I am happy now living without you" (Ace of Base)
5) "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right / here I am, stuck in the middle with you"
6) "Don't know much about history, don't know much biology / don't know much about a science book / don't know much about the French I took"
7) "Seven days was all she wrote / A kind of ultimatum note / She gave to me" (Sting, much regret)
8) "I met this girl on Monday / I took for a drink on Tuesday / We made love on Wednesday and on Thursday and Friday and Saturday / We chilled on Sunday"
9) "I'm an alien" (Sting again)
10) "I'm afraid of Americans" (Bowie)

And a special contribution: "Pour un flirt avec toi, je ferais n'importe quoi / pour un flirt avec toi"

Pierre B, Paris,

The worst I ever read was the opening of a song by Paul McCartney:
I know I was a crazy fool
To treat you the way I did
But something took a hold of me
And I acted like a dustbin lid.

Stephen Murray, Mexico City, Mexico

If you don't understand the meaning of songs lyrics it doesn't mean that everyone does !!!!!!!

Every of these lyrics does have a deep sense !!!!!!!


If you are not agree that “War is stupid and people are stupid”, you're must be blind !!!!!!!

sky', Almaty, Kazakhstan

At least those lyrics are different, original, rather than the samey sort of stuff that is all too prevalent. Bizarre isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Cally, Southampton, UK

what about Tribe Called Quest's 'I left my wallet in El Segundo' - "I ordered enchiladas and i ate em"

Sam, warwick,

My favorite is from Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" -
Then one day in early spring,
when flowers bloom and birdies sing,
the angels came

JNGoldsmith, Liege, Belgium

I'm still going to hold out for the song,"Dropkick me Jesus,through the goal posts of life.".

ron, toronto,

What? No room for the Cranberries' Animal Instinct which starts with the magnificent,
'Suddenly something has happened to me
As I was having my cup of tea
Suddenly I was feeling depressed
I was utterly and totally stressed'?
I demand a recount.

Ken Donald, Chelmsford,

The worst lyrics have to be the following:
1. When an artist/group refer to their own name in the song;
2. Anything referring to 'this song' - 'sing this song'; 'I wrote this song'; etc.
Absolutely criminal - cheap, lame, unimaginative and completely unconvincing.

Leigh, Bekasi, Indonesia