What's your favorite lyric from a song?


Just curious what stays with people...
arthursmuck
From Ol' Man River- Don't like livin' but keep on dyin'. Not very uplifting but profound.
Very profound indeed, Jim (Broadstone). A correction to the words, though, if I may. They are actually "I'm tired of livin' and scared of dyin'."

Here is a link to the famous performance of the song by the great Paul Robeson in the 1936 version of "Showboat".

Best regards,
-- Al
Thanks, Al. You're absolutely right; I looked it up and those lyrics are, indeed, as sung in Showboat. Even those specific lyrics, though, as many others, were changed by Robeson for the performance. Many others, it seems, were modified along the way to adjust for changes in cultural sensitivities and the song has been performed by hundreds of different artists. In 1952 it was one of my favorite songs and we played it on a wind up Victrola.
Heroes - Bowie

I, I will be king
And you, you will be my queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes, just for one day
We can be us, just for one day

I, I can remember
Standing, by the wall
And the guns shot above our heads
And we kissed,
as though nothing could fall
And the shame was on the other side
Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever
Then we could be Heroes,
just for one day
Invitation To The Blues by Tom Waits; for those backroad diner goddess' & the wonder of their spell.