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sodascouts
04-30-2009, 12:18 PM
As I was reading the "Don in the Press" thread and saw the mention of "My Thanksgiving," I remembered a line from that song which I thought was genius. I was going to add it to a thread on favorite lyrics that I thought we had in the forum, but I couldn't find it! So I'm starting one.

These are some favorites that I find especially intelligent, witty, or evocative.

"Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge."
- My Thanksgiving

"Turn us all into Methuselah -- But where are we gonna park?"
- Building the Perfect Beast

"It’s plain to see Miss Liberty has not yet come of age
But, she loves to feed the animals
As long as they’re locked up in the cage"
- Workin' It

"You took my breath away
Now I want it back
Ah, you should’ve killed me,
You always looked so good in black"
- You Don't Know Me At All

"After I'm gone, there are some things that I know I will miss:
The taste of your mouth; the smell of the perfume on your wrist"
- Lilah

"I fall asleep with colors flying over sand and foam"
- Long Way Home

Just a few off the top of my head!

DonFan
04-30-2009, 12:43 PM
Great idea for a new thread, Soda! You have listed several of my favorites already--I am working on a list and I will add mine later.

It is funny that you listed that "Miss Liberty" line from "Workin' It" though--I HATE that line.

TimothyBFan
04-30-2009, 12:48 PM
The one that stands out the most for me is the WHOLE song of End Of The Innocence. That is just so poignant to me. Especially...

"O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales"

How old is this song and it can still apply to the way this whole country has been pretty much feeling for awhile now again.

Prettymaid
04-30-2009, 01:45 PM
Although more superficial, the chorus of Boys of Summer has always had an impact on me.

But I can see you - your brown skin shining in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby.

It's the visual I get when I hear these lyrics - it's so keen! It's like I can see the action!

(The song Night Moves by Bob Seger has the same visual impact on me, and I'm sure there are others!)

sodascouts
04-30-2009, 01:46 PM
It is funny that you listed that "Miss Liberty" line from "Workin' It" though--I HATE that line.

I don't like the lines that come right after it, but I think the part I quoted is clever. JMHO!

Brooke
04-30-2009, 02:09 PM
Well, the whole song The Heart of the Matter just gets me everytime. When I first found out Don sang it and wrote it (with JD's help) I just thought to myself, how brilliant is this man?! How does anyone put these thoughts down on paper and make them make sense?

At a particular point in my life these words hit me hard:

There are people in your life who've come and gone
They let you down
You know, they hurt your pride
You'd better put it all behind you, baby
Cause life goes on
You keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside, baby

This one came right up for me. I'll have to think on the rest!

DonFan
04-30-2009, 03:00 PM
I always thought this line from Gimme What You Got was clever and so true:

"A man with a briefcase can steal more money
Than any man with a gun."

And almost all of New York Minute is so poignant:

"And in these days when darkness falls early
And people rush home to the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice and take care of your own
One day they're here, next day they're gone."

And later, these lines really establish a sense of place when he sings:
"The leaves were falling around me, the groaning city in the gathering dark."

DonFan
04-30-2009, 03:03 PM
Well, the whole song The Heart of the Matter just gets me everytime. When I first found out Don sang it and wrote it (with JD's help) I just thought to myself, how brilliant is this man?! How does anyone put these thoughts down on paper and make them make sense? At a particular point in my life these words hit me hard:

There are people in your life who've come and gone
They let you down
You know, they hurt your pride
You'd better put it all behind you, baby
Cause life goes on
You keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside, baby


I completely agree, Brooke. I can think of several points in my life that those particular words have hit me hard, too.

Maleah
04-30-2009, 08:49 PM
Oh my gosh I don't even know where to begin! lol! Great topic!

First of all, I know I've mentioned over and over again how much The Heart of the Matter means to me. I have no doubt that if I were to ever hear it live I would cry. The entire song just touches me but these lines in particular....

"....I'm learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again..."

Even after 13 years, that sums up how I feel about my Mom's death. I know for most people it's a guy/girl relationship song, but other than the first verse that's what I relate it too. It means a lot to me

Also the part where he changes it up and goes

"I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
So I'm thinking about forgiveness, forgiveness
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore"

The part about the flesh getting weak and the ashes scattering...so poetic and takes on a Biblical turn for me. Just an amazing song


Anyway! I'll move on from that, I swear. Here are some more from me -

I Will Not Go Quietly -
"I’m brave enough to be crazy
I’m strong enough to be weak
I see all these heroes with feet of clay
Whose mighty ships have sprung a leak"

New York Minute -
"What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here"

Again, takes on a personal meaning for me. Also I LOVE the verse quoted earlier "And in these days........" Soooooo GOOD!

Boys of Summer -
"Out on the road today
I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back.
You can never look back."
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but"

To me that verse makes the entire song! Especially the underlined words

Goodbye To A River -
"If heaven’s torrent can wash clean
The arrogance that lies unseen"

My Thanksgiving -
"Now the trouble with you and me, my friend
Is the trouble with this nation
Too many blessings, too little appreciation"

Some of my favorite Don lyrics and SO true!

Fan_For_Life
04-30-2009, 10:07 PM
The Garden Of Allah~

It was pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
And the land of opportunity
Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year notoriety got all confused with fame
And the devil is downhearted babe, cause
Theres nothing left for him to claim

He said its just like home
Its so low-down I cant stand it
I guess my work around here has all been done

And the fruit is rotten, the serpents eyes shine
As he wraps around the vine,
In the garden of allah

Goodbye To A River~

Lakes and levees, dams and locks, they put that river in a box
It was running wild and men must have control
We live our lives in starts and fits; we lose our wonder bit by bit
We condescend and in the end we lose our very souls

I make a church out of words as the years dull my senses
And I try to hold on to the world that I knew
I struggle to cross generational fences
And the beauty that still remains; I can touch it through you

Peekaboo
04-30-2009, 10:58 PM
All of you have pointed out some brilliant lyrics by Don. And most of them are my favorites.

Maleah, this part in New York Minute holds a lot of meaning for me as well. For me, it's a reminder of my grandmother. The year she passed was the same year that I really got into the Eagles and I remember rewinding this part over and over on the HFO dvd.


New York Minute -
"What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here"

DonFan
05-01-2009, 08:47 AM
The first time I heard these words in Don's lullaby to his daughter, Annabel, I burst into tears:

"In this cold world folks will judge you though they don't know you at all
And I may not be there to catch you anytime that you might fall.
But you've got my hard head and your mother's grace
And the likeness of the loved ones right there in your face
And I know in the end you'll be who you will be--
Sleep tight, Annabel, you can always count on me."

because I had just lost my father, who gave me the kind of unconditional love and support Don talks about in this song, and I realized he would never be there for me again.

Troubadour
05-02-2009, 05:53 PM
That post made ME cry, DF.

Some of my favourites have already been mentioned, but I will emphasize that The Heart Of The Matter gets me everytime. These are the parts that are extra-special to me:

"What are these voices
Outside love's open door
Make us throw off our contentment
And beg for something more?"

"The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again"

"There are people in your life who've come and gone
They let you down
You know, they hurt your pride
You better put it all behind you, baby
'Cause life goes on
You keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside"

"I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
So I'm thinking about forgiveness"

Honestly. I'm sure it's one of the most beautiful and emotional songs I've ever heard.

I adore these lyrics from Lilah:

"All these comings and goings that cut like a knife
These small, simple pleasures that make up a life"

"Oh Lilah, this ground we hallow is ours to tend, but not to keep"

Long Way Home is another of my favourites.

"There's three sides to every story:
There's yours and there's mine and the cold, hard truth"

I would quote New York Minute, but I love all of the lyrics, and previous posters have already chosen some great ones. What I will say, is that the line towards the end "In a New York Minute, you can get out of the rain" encapsulates the whole meaning of the song for me. Yes, things can change for the worst in a split second, but they can also get better in the same amount of time. There's a lot of hope contained in that line, as well as in the "I believe, I believe" part.

Fan_For_Life
05-02-2009, 09:27 PM
Sunset Grill~~

~You see a lot more meanness in the city
Its the kind that eats you up inside
Hard to come away with anything that feels
Like dignity
Hard to get home with any pride
~These days a man makes you somethin
And you never see his face
But there is no hiding place

~Respectable little murders pay
They get more respectable every day
Dont worry girl, Im gonna stick by you
And someday soon were gonna get in that
car and get outta here

:cool:

eaglesvet
05-03-2009, 02:34 AM
I have to think a bit to write my favorite lyrics, but I had a few quick thoughts. The thread Soda may have been thinking about was "Don moments that make you weak in the knees." Same idea, but a bit more expansive (includes grunts and air intakes, lol.)

Around here, the NYC radio stations will often preface In a New York Minute with a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks...how everything can change in a New York minute. I can't listen to the song in the same way again.:sad:

Koala
05-03-2009, 03:49 AM
My favorite lyrics:

Not Enough Love In The World
Sometimes I wonder where it is love goes
I don't know if even Heaven knows
But I know you had some dreams that didn't quite come true
And now I'm not the one, little girl, who's keeping you.

New York Minute
And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice
And take care of your own
One day they're here;
Next day they're gone

The Heart Of The Matter
I'm learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again
I've been tryin' to get down

The End Of The Innocence
O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales

Ive always been a dreamer
05-03-2009, 10:00 PM
Wow - You all have posted some really good lyrics here. I love all of them. Once again, I haven't had a lot of time on the board this week so I haven't had time to post here. I'll post more here later, but for now, one of the lines I love that hasn't been posted yet from The Last Worthless Evening ...

"there're just so many summers and just so many springs
and this is the last worthless evening that you'll have to spend"

Fan_For_Life
05-20-2009, 07:21 PM
In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Henley's anniversary.. for many, many more. Happy Anniversary.

For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For Ive made a sanctuary of my heart

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day

For my wedding, I dont want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love well need to make it in the world out there

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

I dream, and my dreams are all glory and light
Thats what Ive wanted for my life
And if it hasnt always been that way
Well, I can dream and I can pray
On my wedding day

So what makes us any different from all the others
Who have tried and failed before us
Maybe nothing, maybe nothing at all
But I pray were the lucky ones; I pray we never fall

To want what we have
To take what were given with grace
For these things I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day