Favorite Lyrics by Decade

Favorite lyrics by decade: Lyrics all come from 1960-2010, no musicals or classical. Probably forgetting a great many, but here are the first 55 I came up with:

00s

Sam Phillips, Taking Pictures:

“Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.”

Daft Punk, Something About Us:

“It might not be the right time. I might not be the right one. But there's something about us I want to say,
‘cause there's something between us anyway.”

The Streets, Weak Become Heroes:

“Then the girl in the cafe taps me on the shoulder. I realize five years went by and I'm older: Memories smolder, winter's colder. But that same piano loops over and over and over.”

Sufjan Stevens, Chicago:

“If I was crying in the van, with my friend, it was for freedom: from myself and from the land.”

PJ Harvey, This Is Love:

“I can’t believe that life’s so complex, when I just want to sit here and watch you undress.”

Tim Minchin, Guilt Song:

“Fuck the poor. I'm not pretending anymore that I really give two shits about some kids in Bangalore. I'm more interested in footy than seeing the Solomons rebuilt, but I'll give you fifty bucks to take away my guilt.”

Maurissa Tancharoen, Nobody’s Asian in the Movies:

“Without the Asians in the movies, without Asians on TV, who’d play the goofy mathematician, the computer technician? A wise old healer from Japan? A short but wealthy businessman? Sell Korean groceries? Do your laundry thank you, prrease? We’re the victims of a crime, we’ll be loving you long time: If your movie is a bore just watch the groupie in the chorus – That’s me.”

The Decemberists, Summersong:

“Ramblin', where to begin? I taste the summer on your peppery skin.”

Santigold, LES Artistes:

“You don't know me I am an introvert, an excavator. I'm duckin' out for now: A face in dodgy elevators. Creep up and suddenly I found myself an innovator.”

Madvillain, All Caps:

“Sometimes he rhyme quick, sometimes he rhyme slow, or vice versa. Whip up a slice of nice verse pie,
hit it on the first try. Villain: the worst guy. Spot hot tracks like spot a pair of fat asses. Shots of the scotch from out of square shot glasses. And he won't stop 'til he got the masses and show 'em what they know not through flows of hot molasses. Do it like the robot, to headspin to boogaloo, took a few minutes to convince the average bug-a-boo. It's ugly, like look at you: It's a damn shame. Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.”

90s

Fiona Apple, Paper Bag:

“He said ‘It's all in your head.’ And I said ‘So's everything,’ but he didn't get it. I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy.”

Nas, NY State of Mind:

“It drops deep as it does in my breath. I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.”

The Magnetic Fields, The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure:

“But I lost my composure, and I shot Ferdinand. Crying ‘It’s well and kosher to say you don’t understand. But this is for Holland Dozier Holland!’”

Liz Phair, Flower:

“You're probably shy and introspective. That's not part of my objective.” Rest of the song redacted…

Everlast, What It’s Like:

“And she asks for the clinic and she gets some static walking through the door. They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a whore. God forbid you ever have to walk a mile in her shoes: ‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to have to choose.”

Belle and Sebastian, Expectations:

“And the head said that you always were a queer one from the start. For careers you say you went to be remembered for your art.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Californication:

“Space may be the final frontier, but it's made in a Hollywood basement. Cobain can you hear the spheres singing songs off Station to Station?”

Ted Hawkins, Big Things:

“I’ve got big things to do: Too soon my life will be through. Got no time to stop and pick up the flowers –  I’ve got catching up to do, yes, I’ve got big things to do. I’ve got a song here to write, I work on it most every night. Creating with hope they will live on forever, yes, I’ve got big things to do. I’ve got so much to do.”

Peter Rowan, Barefoot Country Road:

“And the dust as fine as powder comes up between my toes, bringing back the memories of a barefoot country road.”

80s

Billy Joel, And So It Goes:

“But if my silence made you leave then that would be my worst mistake. So I will share this room with you, and you can have this heart to break.”

Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb:

“When I was a child I had a fever. My hands felt just like two balloons. Now I’ve got that feeling once again – I can’t explain. You would not understand. This is not how I am. I have become comfortably numb.”

The Smiths, Cemetery Gates:

“Keats and Yeats are on your side – but you lose. ‘Cause weird lover Wilde is on mine.”

Guns n Roses, Sweet Child o Mine:

“Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place where as a child I’d hide, and pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by.”

Elvis Costello, Beyond Belief:

“History repeats the old conceits: The glib replies, the same defeats. Keep your finger on important issues with crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues.”

The Replacements, I Will Dare:

“How young are you? How old am I? Let’s count the rings around my eyes.”

70s

Television, Venus:

“‘Did you feel low?’ ‘No.’ ‘Huh?’ ‘I fell right into the arms of the Venus de Milo.’”

Elton John, Bitter Fingers:

“I’m sick of ‘tra la las’ and ‘la dee das’. (Background singers): La dee daaaah!”

Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi:

“They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum. And they charged all the people a dollar and a half to see 'em.”

Patti Smith, Gloria:

“Jesus died for somebody’s sins – but not mine.”

Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run:

“Wendy, let me in, I want to be your friend. I want to guard your dreams and visions. Just wrap your legs ‘round these velvet rims and strap your hand ‘cross my engines.”

John Lennon, Imagine:

“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.”

The Clash, Lost in the Supermarket:

“I’m all lost in the supermarket. I can no longer shop happily. I came in here for a special offer: A guaranteed personality.”

Nick Drake, Road:

“You can take the road that takes you to the stars now. I can take the road that will see me through.”

Neil Young, Old Man:

“Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you. I need someone to love me the whole day through.”

America, Ventura Highway:

“Seasons crying, no despair. Alligator lizards in the air.”

The Who, Behind Blue Eyes:

“Nobody knows what it’s like to be the bad man – to be the sad man – behind blue eyes.”

Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven:

“And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune, then the piper will lead us to reason. And a new day will dawn for those who stand long: and the forests will echo with laughter.”

Jethro Tull, Wind Up:

“So to my old headmaster, and to anyone who cares, before I'm through I'd like to say my prayers. Well, you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school, and have all the bishops harmonize these lines. I don't believe you, you had the whole damn thing all wrong, he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.”

60s

The Kinks, Shangri-La:

“And all the houses in the street have got a name. ‘Cause all the houses in the street they look the same. Same chimney pot same little car same window panes.”

Simon and Garfunkel, Sound of Silence:

“And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said ‘The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls.’”

Peter, Paul, and Mary, Autumn to May:

“Oh once I had a downy swan – she was so very frail. She sat upon an oyster shell, and hatched me out a snail. The snail it changed into a bird, the bird to butterfly. And he who tells a bigger tale would have to tell a lie.”

Bob Dylan, Masters of War:

“And I hope that you die; and your death will come soon. I’ll follow your casket by the pale afternoon. I’ll watch while you’re lowered down to your deathbed. And I’ll stand over your grave to make sure that you’re dead.”

Buffalo Springfield, For What It’s Worth:

“There’s battle lines being drawn. Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong. Young people speaking their minds, getting so much resistance from behind.”

The Zombies, Changes:

“I knew her when summer was her crown, and autumn sad, how brown her eyes… Now, see her walk by, peppermint coat, button-down clothes, buttoned up high.”

The Beach Boys, God Only Knows:

“If you should ever leave me, though life would still go on – believe me – the world could show nothing to me. So what good would living do me?”

The Doors, The End:

“Can you picture what will be so limitless and free? Desperately in need of some stranger’s hand, in a desperate land.”

Country Joe MacDonald, Fixin’ to Die Rag:

“Now come on mothers, throughout the land, pack your boys off to Vietnam. Come on fathers, don’t hesitate, send your boys off before it’s too late. Be the first one on the block to have your boy come home in a box.”

The Animals, House of the Rising Sun:

“Oh mother, tell your children not to do what I have done: spend your lives in sin and misery in the House of the Rising Sun. I got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train. I’m going back to New Orleans, to wear that ball and chain.”

The Beatles, In My Life:

“There are places I'll remember all my life, though some have changed. Some forever, not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends, I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living: In my life, I loved them all.”

Crosby, Stills, and Nash, You Don’t Have to Cry:

“Are you thinkin' of telephones, and managers, and where you got to be at noon? You are living a reality I left years ago, it quite nearly killed me. In the long run it will make you cry, make you crazy, and old before your time.”

Phil Ochs, There But for Fortune:

“Show me the whiskey stains on the floor, show me the drunken man as he stumbles out the door, and I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why, there but for fortune, may go you or go I.”

The Mamas and the Papas, California Dreamin’:

“You know the preacher likes the cold. He knows I’m going to stay California’ dreaming, on such a winter’s day.”

Tim Buckley, Hallucinations:

“I saw you walking only yesterday. When I ran to catch you, you disappeared and the street was gray. The candle died, now you are gone, for the flame was too bright: Now you are gone.”

Pete Seeger, My Ramblin’ Boy:

“Late one night, in a jungle camp, the weather was cold and it was damp. He got the chills, and he got ‘em bad: I lost the only friend I had. So here's to you, my ramblin' boy: May all your rambles bring you joy.”

Joan Baez, Silver Dagger:

“Go court another tender maiden, and hope that she will be your wife. For I've been warned, and I've decided to sleep alone all of my life.”

Florida Trip

So I was in Florida for a week. Here's what happened, in some excruciating detail:

Saturday the flight took off around 1 pm. Got to Miami, found my way to the rental car center, and picked up my more expensive than anticipated car, since the cost of insurance wasn’t covered in the quoted price, and, you know, insurance. Brown Toyota Corolla. Also prepaid gas, which wasn’t a bad idea, since the gas near the rental car center was stupidly (predictably) expensive. Drove about 15 minutes maybe to a place called Hudson House, a ridiculous place. The guy met me, but refused to show me to my room or anything – he talked to other guests, took phone calls, it was infuriating. Didn’t print out any info to check me in, and actually tried to sell me on the concept when I just wanted to get to bed. Showed me the bathroom – the curtain had fallen down in a pile. The room was a bed with a dresser, nothing else like A/C. I slept, I got up early, showered (the curtain fell and I kept showering ‘cause the place sucked) and left.

I drove about an hour to Biscayne National Park (NP), getting there around 8:15 am. Not yet open, but hung out, wandered about. Really nothing to do there that early. At 9 we departed on our boat filled with paddleboards. Nine of us, rest all couples, all NP collectors like me, and mostly from the north – Michigan and Wisconsin and such. On the trip out to Jones Lagoon we see dolphins slapping the mud and clouding the waters to confuse fish – a hunting technique apparently only seen in that spot. We get to the paddle location, it’s pretty, and I kneel or sit for the paddling (no luck with standing, too knock-kneed). Upside-down jellies, baby sharks, not much else. Not sure what I was expecting. Nice experience, though, friendly young tour guides. We get back to the NP HQ around 1 after approx. 2 hours of paddling. A slight redness on my knees from when I was sitting is currently a bit itchy. Get my magnet, and drive to Cubavana, a nice Cuban restaurant. Got pork with onions, with rice and black beans, and sweet plantains. Also got fried plantains for an appetizer, which were a bit odd. Get down to Everglades International Hostel, checked in by one of the two managers, a fellow with dreads who asks me about CA’s marijuana, who shows me around the place. I took a particular fancy to the pink-interiored gazebo, and the hammock. Took a siesta, ‘cause paddling and food, and then head to Walgreens to get some tea for the next couple days, before heading to Rosita’s right next to the Hostel, where I get some chicken nachos which were mighty tasty. Back in the gazebo a conversation with a French-born fellow, maybe 50(?), named Zoubir was a pleasant end to the evening, talking about history and politics.

Monday I woke up after an excruciating night – I think I may have had my first migraine, or perhaps it was my sinuses revolting against the change from cold California to subtropical Florida – my teeth were in agony, I couldn’t sleep. I got enough sleep, thankfully, and had gone to bed early enough, to feel rested, and drove out to the Coe visitor center at the Everglades’ southern entrance. Went to the Anhinga trail, and saw lots of nice wildlife, including anhingas and gators. Fish, turtles, nice conversation, and then went on to the Gumbo Limbo trail, which apart from lizards kind of sucked. Indeed, that was sort of the tone the first two days. When, as a HS Senior, I worked with SEAC on Cumberland Island / Tallahassee, I already saw gators, manatees, etc. Anhingas, frankly, were the best part. Drove through some rain to Flamingo, at the far end of the park, stopping to see a nest of wood storks. Saw manatees at Flamingo, and an osprey at Eco Pond. It was sort of a grey day. Back into the rain I went to the Pa-Hay-Oke boardwalk / platform, where you could gaze into the wilderness…I don’t know. It’s swamp. I’m glad it’s preserved, and I’m glad it’s a World Heritage Site, but I was pretty underwhelmed as I left the park. After a pitstop at the Hostel I drove to The Pit, a BBQ joint about 45 min away, and got gator (chewy and greasy, as foretold) and some mozzy sticks. The service sucked, few people, not a great dining experience. Drove back a different way, down the pike, and got the most cartoonishly tropical, gorgeous, orange and purple sunset ever. That night in the gazebo talked with a French girl, Aude, who was a PhD student in town for a conference, and a fellow Jason, another NP collector.

Awoke Tuesday and headed up to Shark Valley to do the tram tour and observation tower. I got there just after a tour left, so I had about an hour to kill looking around at the critters, like Flamingo there's not much of a visitor center. The tour was very good – lots of wildlife, better than the day before. Baby anhingas and baby gators were highlights. Guide talked about being licensed to extract Burmese pythons, which are a real menace, and we learned about the different ecosystems and vegetation. Got done around 2, and decided to see the historic art deco area of Miami. Drove from Shark Valley out to Lummus Park, Miami Beach, and wandered up and down Ocean Drive and Collins Ave. The beach itself was getting set up for some sort of event, but there were people on it. Took lots of pics of buildings, more my style instead of critters, and got a tasty appetizer platter of hummus, dolmas, eggplant, falafel, tabbouleh, etc. at Miami Mediterranean. Lots of locals, police, etc. eating there. Traffic back to the hostel was a bummer, and hung out in the gazebo listening to Led Zeppelin with the other hostel manager and a couple other guys before bed.

Wednesday, the last day of February, “checked out” (dropped stuff at counter) and headed down the road to Key West, about 2.5 hours’ drive. Got gas on the way, and near Key West stopped and got linner at Hogfish Grill. Conch chowder was unexpectedly a spicier red soup, like a Manhattan style, and the hogfish and chips was good, but the coleslaw was very weird. Went first to the “Little” Truman White House upon arriving at Key West. Took a nice tour, most of the objects are original. They kind of skipped over the nuclear weapons, though. Headed to my hostel / motel and checked in. Walked a few blocks to “the southernmost point of the continental United States” and queued to get my picture taken (It's not actually - but it is for the public). Then walked to Kermit’s, to get some key lime pie before going back to the hostel via Simonton St, and resting. It was still very early, so around 10 I went out to Duvall St, which was bustling, but about half the shops were closed. 

The next day I got up early and got breakfast at Ana’s, a couple blocks from my hostel (sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich with watermelon juice, to go, ‘cause I was in a rush due to a line for food). Got to the airport and found parking, signed my waiver, met more national park collectors, got my snorkel gear and a small cooler of bottled waters (both complimentary). There were two groups flying out at 10, due to demand, I suspect, created from the lack of a ferry. The seaplane can hold nine, or in our case ten, if a guy sits next to the pilot. More NP collectors, of course. We hit about 500 feet in elevation. Saw two shipwrecks on the way out. The plane landed on the water, which was cool, and we had about 2.5 hours on the island, part of which was closed due to seabirds (tons of frigate birds). Got my magnet – what a ridiculous place for a shop! – and toured the fort. Cool place, albeit a bit decrepit. There was a crew working on it, which always seems odd when you’re preserving ruins… Went around to the left (facing the fort entrance) to snorkel. My mustache made that more difficult than need be, and so I had to hold my nose as seawater seeped in. Made it about halfway around the moat walls (exterior, not interior) but my underwater camera failed after one or two shots and broke. Not a huge loss, nothing too spectacular, no rays or turtles like St John, but nice fish, coral, and sponges. The plane back takes off from the water, which is also cool, and I was the last to board, making it right on time. Drive back to the motel, and walk to Mo’s, a Haitian restaurant with incredibly amazing food. I got teriyaki wings to start, and then oxtail, both falling off the bone, with a side of red beans and rice, and veggies – everything cooked perfectly, deliciously, top 50 meals in my lifetime, and topped with a complimentary slice of pumpkin pie. Just run by a couple of laidback Haitian guys with Bluetooth earpieces in. Go up and down Duvall and Simonton again – this time early enough in the evening for things to be open, and buy a book, Devil on the Cross, by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, from a local bookstore (and a virgin mango daiquiri). A jerk from France kept turning off the A/C in the hostel, which made for a rough night. Not sure why I kept running into French people at these places...

Friday had been my “explore Key West” day, but of course much of that had already been done. So that morning I climbed the lighthouse first, then went kitty-corner across the street to the Hemingway home, one of the two official plans I’d made for the day. The tour was sort of pointless, but there are 54 cats, half of them polydactyl, on the property, so that’s neat. After seeing the house in depth from the pool to the writer’s room, I wandered over to Fort Zachary Taylor, the other only official stop. It was a neat little fort, I guess. Not too exciting, well maintained. Hard to compare having seen Ft. Jefferson the day before as the largest masonry-built structure in the western hemisphere. Stop in at the Eco Discovery Center, for the A/C, but there was actually a good little 20 min video on the Keys. By now it was around 2-ish, I head to Firefly, where I get some tasty duck wings (smothered in thick sauce – and actually legs) and a “Key West” Cobb salad, a bed a kale with tons of quality bleu cheese, with a hunk of fried chicken and southern pickles atop. Weird, but tasty. Good for the price. More time to kill, head to the Tennessee Williams Exhibit. His house is still privately owned, but it was a nice little exhibit, and discounted for having gone to Hemingway’s home in the morning. Unlike Hemingway, Williams’ homosexuality was openly discussed and presented. Recouped at the hostel afterwards. For the third night running I wandered up and down Duvall and Simonton, taking in the crowds.

Saturday, I got up earlier than expected, around 8, and checked out. Drove up to Miami, and got to Vizcaya after nearly 3.5/4 hours. Toured and explored it on my own, which was a good choice. Gorgeous, if a tad effete for my tastes. Great gardens, though – just the right size. Nice blend of Italianate style of house and local limestone and such. Gave it that worn feeling. There was a weird stone barge, though, which reminded me of Port Myron’s boat from The Prisoner. My final wildlife encounter came in the form of an iguana walking up to me. From Vizcaya headed to a nearby Portuguese restaurant, Old Lisbon, which had great food, but lousy service. I just got the Portuguese version of paella, which was very tasty, and a huge portion. Mussels, squid, clams, lobster, fish, and shrimp. Once sated from my repast I had a serious quandary – it was very early, and even if I wanted to be at the airport three hours early… But I had no desire to see more of Miami. Dropped my car off (after getting a bit lost due to horrible GoogleMaps directions). The flight departed at 9-ish, fell asleep after playing some plants vs zombies, and got my bag from the carousel around 1:30 am. I drove fast, but not too fast, to get home, taking 101 instead of 17, and parked right around 3:35 am.

So that's my trip! Three National Parks and a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with cool landmarks like Hemingway's house, and the Vizcaya mansion. In all I can sum up this Florida experience as: Generally good food, very warm, lots of water and swamps.

There you go.

NaNoReMo 2018

It's March, and so it is time once again for National Novel Reading Month, a concept initially proposed by the very talented John of The Bathroom Monologues. The idea: You pick up some novel you're supposed to have read, or one that's been sitting on your shelf a long time, a classic ideally, and take the month of March to read it. I've been doing it for years and it has always led to a delightful feeling of accomplishment.

This year I'm starting a few days late, because I just got back from a relaxing trip to Florida. Also I sort of forgot. But I have decided that this year's book will be: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. It has been on my shelf a long time, one of the longest, and more to the point, it's one of the books I've been dreading reading the most (I blame Jack Nicholson - did not like that movie).

I hope the novel is more rewarding than I'm expecting. So far I've not read anything by Kesey, and while NaNoReMo is usually a time for old (pre-20th century) tomes, I have increasingly few of those left...