Songs with utterly improbable opening lines.

Poststructural Pub
1

I don’t have a list of opening lines I never expect to hear in a song, not ever, but I know one when I hear it.

Recently I heard one; Paul Capsis started off with:

I don’t believe in an interventionist god.

Paul himself is rather improbable. He looks like a diminutive Tiny Tim, he dresses and sings like a soul diva (yes, I mean diva) and he has a quickly increasing cult following.

Meet Paul here:
www.users.bigpond.com/paulcapsis/

Can anyone think of an opening line to top that?

Oddly, the line works well in the song but I couldn’t find a full set of lyrics on the web.

2

The opening line of “She moved through the Fair” is quite a startler, if it’s all you hear:


"My young love said to me, ‘My Mother won’t mind…’ "

3

Hmmm… something like this?

“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together…”

I Am The Walrus
(Lennon/McCartney)
Sergent Pepper Album.

4

Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine.

“Joy to the World”
Doobie Brothers

Some of the musicians I know that survived the '60s don’t consider this improbable at all.

dave boling

5

“Well it was rainin’ the day my Maw got out of prison…”

or

“Grandma got run over by a reindeer…”

:party:

6

Richard Shindell’s “On A Sea Of Fleur De Lis”:

I adore thee Mother Mary but would you change me back to a witch

7

Procol Harem’s “Whiter Shade of Pale”

We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more


(Well, yeah, OK. Then what happened?) :laughing:

8

improbable :confused: :laughing: :confused:

9

Especially, since it was Three Dog Night, as opposed to the Doobies. . .

Which probably means Dave was really there :smiley: (if you know what I mean)

10

michael rennie was ill the day the earth stood still—rocky horror picture show

11

He seems to be completely unreceptive.
The tests I gave him show no sense at all.
His eyes react to light the dials detect it.
He hears but cannot answer to your call.

  • Tommy - the Who

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship’s smoke
Out on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move
But I cant hear what you’re saying.

  • Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we’ll be there and we’ll see you
Ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing too
Twenty-four before my love you’ll see I’ll be there with you

  • Roundabout - Yes

I could go on all day … Maybe I will! :laughing:

djm

12

Lather was 30 years old today
they took away all of his toys.
Grace Slick

13

Paraphernalia
never hides your broken bones.

–Paul Simon, Everything Put Together Falls Apart


You never give me your money,
you only give me your funny paper.

–Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money


A movement is accomplished in six stages,
and the seventh brings return.

–Pink Floyd, Chapter 24

14

I’ll start this off without any words…
–On a Plain, Nirvana

And more from Kobain:
Sell the kids for food…
–In Bloom

15

Uh, that’s not the opening line, that’s the chorus.

16

…throw mamma from the train…a kiss, a kiss…

17

Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,

Land Of A Thousand Dances..

18

“Well, I’ll be damned, here comes your ghost again…”

-Joan Baez, Diamonds and Rust

19

Its the opening line of the chorus. :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley:

djm

20

“Swan, Swan, Hummingbird; hurrah we’re all free now”

-Swan Swan H by REM



The rest of the song is equally cryptic, actually. Something to do with former slaves following the civil war if I remember correctly, but it’s not something you’d really catch on to unless you were told.