Your favourite Costello first lines of a song
- miss buenos aires
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- verbal gymnastics
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You're absolutely right of course.
The thing is, Elvis has so many brilliant opening lines.
I like the opening line of the new song Needle Time.
"I wish that I didn't hate you least as much as I do"
Bitter and twisted Elvis. I doubt he wrote this on the piano after the Impostors shows when he was writing the songs to North!
The thing is, Elvis has so many brilliant opening lines.
I like the opening line of the new song Needle Time.
"I wish that I didn't hate you least as much as I do"
Bitter and twisted Elvis. I doubt he wrote this on the piano after the Impostors shows when he was writing the songs to North!
Last edited by verbal gymnastics on Tue May 18, 2004 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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The best first line may be THE first line:
"Now that your picture's in the paper being RHYTHMICALLY ADMIRED and you can have anyone you have ever desired, all you have to tell me now is why, why,why?"
I'm surprised no one picked:
"Bad lovers face-to-face in the morning, shy apologies and polite regrets."
"Now that your picture's in the paper being RHYTHMICALLY ADMIRED and you can have anyone you have ever desired, all you have to tell me now is why, why,why?"
I'm surprised no one picked:
"Bad lovers face-to-face in the morning, shy apologies and polite regrets."
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I've been on tenterhooks, ending in dirty looks, listening to the muzak, thinking bout this n that.
We're all going on a summer holiday
Vigilante's coming out to follow me.
Heard somebody say they're out to collar me.
Anybody wanna swallow me?
All the bedroom lights go out
As the neighborhood gets quiet
Everything in heaven and earth is almost right
But there's a wife who's wondering where her husband could be tonight
And when the phone rang only once she took a dreadful fright
We're all going on a summer holiday
Vigilante's coming out to follow me.
Heard somebody say they're out to collar me.
Anybody wanna swallow me?
All the bedroom lights go out
As the neighborhood gets quiet
Everything in heaven and earth is almost right
But there's a wife who's wondering where her husband could be tonight
And when the phone rang only once she took a dreadful fright
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- verbal gymnastics
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laughingcrow wrote:I agree with MBA's prediction...so sorry to bump this thread up, but 'new contender'...
'I wish that I didn't hate you, least not as much as I do...and squander all my contempt for a little nothing like you!'
Needle Time
Snap!verbal gymnastics wrote:I like the opening line of the new song Needle Time.
"I wish that I didn't hate you least as much as I do"
Bitter and twisted Elvis. I doubt he wrote this on the piano after the Impostors shows when he was writing the songs to North!
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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- King Hoarse
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Most of the best ones have already been submitted, but I echo Welcome To The Working Week, Hand In Hand, New Lace Sleeves, Shot with His Own Gun, Loved Ones, Home Truth, Tokyo Storm Warning, Satellite, All This Useless Beauty, Tart...ten will do. Here are ten more:
The sun struggles up
Another beautiful day
And I felt glad in my own suspicious way
December 1965 in Caracas
When Arnie La Flamme took his piece of the pie
When he packed up the casino chips, the IOU, and the abacus
And switched off the jukebox in "A Fool Such As I"
Enter Madam X painted in a shocking pink spangled dress
Her teeth are perfect but her mouth is loose
Outside my window
Not long before sleep arrives
They come with their sirens
And they sweep away all the boys
Busy draining the joy from their lives
The never said their prayers out loud
(makes me think of Richard Thompson songs like "Streets Of Paradise", "God Loves A Drunk", "Down Where The Drunkards Roll" etc.)
See how the elements obey
Eyes are blue
Skies are grey
Nothing I do can make you stay
I'm glad it will rain today
Georgie grew to hate her name
It sounded like a tiny man
Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill
Thank you for the flowers
I threw them on the fire
(And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed
GOD they were ugly children
So you're the little bastard of that brother of mine
Trying to trick a poor old woman
'Til I almost had a weakness
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew I was betrayed
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
The sun struggles up
Another beautiful day
And I felt glad in my own suspicious way
December 1965 in Caracas
When Arnie La Flamme took his piece of the pie
When he packed up the casino chips, the IOU, and the abacus
And switched off the jukebox in "A Fool Such As I"
Enter Madam X painted in a shocking pink spangled dress
Her teeth are perfect but her mouth is loose
Outside my window
Not long before sleep arrives
They come with their sirens
And they sweep away all the boys
Busy draining the joy from their lives
The never said their prayers out loud
(makes me think of Richard Thompson songs like "Streets Of Paradise", "God Loves A Drunk", "Down Where The Drunkards Roll" etc.)
See how the elements obey
Eyes are blue
Skies are grey
Nothing I do can make you stay
I'm glad it will rain today
Georgie grew to hate her name
It sounded like a tiny man
Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill
Thank you for the flowers
I threw them on the fire
(And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed
GOD they were ugly children
So you're the little bastard of that brother of mine
Trying to trick a poor old woman
'Til I almost had a weakness
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew I was betrayed
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
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wait...here's more!
She wears a wedding ring her sister lent
To throw them off the scent
Just let them guess, it's what they expect
Who in the world has bitten her neck?
She's discovered wearing last night's dress
The carnal and cunning, she couldn't express
Who do you think she's trying to impress?
I'd wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny feller
The crowd would hoot and holler for more
I wore a drunk's red nose for applause
Oh yes I was a comical priest
"With a joke for the flock and a hand up your fleece"
Drooling the drink and the lipstick and greasepaint
Down the cardboard front of my dirty dog-collar
The family circle gather round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangle on your knee without mishap
stirs something in your memory and something in your lap
To throw them off the scent
Just let them guess, it's what they expect
Who in the world has bitten her neck?
She's discovered wearing last night's dress
The carnal and cunning, she couldn't express
Who do you think she's trying to impress?
I'd wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny feller
The crowd would hoot and holler for more
I wore a drunk's red nose for applause
Oh yes I was a comical priest
"With a joke for the flock and a hand up your fleece"
Drooling the drink and the lipstick and greasepaint
Down the cardboard front of my dirty dog-collar
The family circle gather round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangle on your knee without mishap
stirs something in your memory and something in your lap
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