Lyrics or quotes that make you cringe.

[Use_Imagination_here]

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled on the world was convincing people he didn't exist"

I hear this constantly and I have absolutely never seen any point to it whatsoever.

 

[Zipa]

Most rap lyrics nowadays, I will let Bill Bailey explain it as he does it best.

 

[Jack Joe Tip Toe]

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled on the world was convincing people he didn't exist"

I hear this constantly and I have absolutely never seen any point to it whatsoever.

It's from "The Usual Suspects" but I don't know how you could use that line outside of referring to that movie.

 

[FPLOON]

Anytime someone says "my balls" somewhere in their "sex-driven" song, and it's not a song made for a porno, then I cringe a little in my own laughter...

If the lyrics end up contradicting the "artist" themselves (i.e. Jay-Z's "Holy Grail"), then that's also worth a cringe-worthy laugh...

Also, any song lyric that ends up butchering another more respectful song lyric somewhere in the song (i.e. a Nirvana lyric snippet in a HAPPY POP song), that's just more cringing than something to laugh at...

 

[FPLOON]

Thrift shop. I like macklemore but the lyrics are stupid

Now, in that song's defense, that's not even on of their BEST songs... Not even close...
I still don't get why Thrift Shop is still more popular than any of Macklemore's other BETTER songs?
(I almost had that same exact question referring to Gangnam Style...)

OT: Another lyric that just makes me laugh more then cringe comes from this one Zelda rap, where it sounds like the rapper was high when he wrote it...

"That shit was immaculate...
From the front to the back of it...
With my bow and arrow accurate...
I don't know what rhymes with 'accurate'..."

And the last bit of the rap involves describing a "big-ol' fucking" rupee and not being able to get "the fucking beetle that on the fucking wall"... without actually rapping... "The fucking thing's up there..."

 

[DementedSheep]

For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert

"So hot out of the box
Can we pick up the pace
Turn it up, heat it up
I need to be entertained
Push the limit, are you with it?
Baby don't be afraid
Imma hurt you real good baby

Let's go it's my show, baby, do what I say
Don't trip off the glitz that I'm gonna display
I told you, Imma hold ya down until you're amazed
Give it to ya til you're screamin' my name

No escaping when I start
Once I'm in I own your heart
There's no way you'll ring the alarm
So hold on until it's over"

yeah...I doubt he intended that sound as rape-y as it dose. For some reason I hate it when people refer to people as "baby" unless they are an actual baby and want to slap him just for using the word "glitz".

I probably shouldn't say this one cause it's tied in with religion but Cassie by Flyleaf. Most song can have horrible lyrics and I won't really care but with that one the subject matter and the lyrics are enough to put me off because I see it as a pointless waste of life rather than a good thing.

"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
Say "Yes" to pull the trigger
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger"

If I recall correctly, this is a reference to the Columbine High School massacre. A girl was hiding under a desk, one of the shooters found her and knowing she was religious this exchange happened.

Though there's some debate as to whether the exchange actually took place, or if it was even Cassie Bernal that this happened too.

I haven't read up on this subject in a while though, so I might have a few details wrong.

Yeah I heard, it's one of the reason I don't like the song. It paints her saying yes knowing he would shoot her as a good thing and that the singer would do the same.

That's not how I interpreted the song at all. The way I heard it, it sounded as though the singer was saying she would also answer yes in the same circumstances.

That's what I meant sorry. I can see how that sentence was confusing. The song makes it sound like saying yes is why she got shot. There is time for standing up for what you believe in and making a statement but this was not ongoing oppression of a group or trying to keep beliefs silent, it is a couple of students going off. You're not doing anything by declaring yes rather than lying and saying no other than throwing your life away.

 

[Heronblade]

And yes, when I saw the trailer for Farcry 3 awhile back which used this quote - even though it was used in a way that was supposed to be playful and humorous rather than serious - it made me not want to play the game. I can't imagine someone saying this in a way that isn't totally vacuous, even if it's 'good-humored' vacuity.

Spoiler: Minor and inconsequential spoiler here

It might change your mind to know that the quote is used as part of a ranting monologue by an undoubtedly insane sociopath. It is not intended as a serious comment, nor as a humorous one, but rather to emphasize the individual's fragile state of mind.

OT: My first choice has already been spoken for, time for option B.

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" This is in my opinion a weak attempt to excuse the failings of certain human beings. Power, even absolute power, is not a corrupting force, it is a catalyst. One that often brings out the worst in those who wield it. But it is also just as easily capable of bringing out the best in the same. Many of humanity's greatest throughout history only grew in strength of character upon coming into power.

The problem we have, and the reason the previous quote seems to be accurate more often than not, is that those who actually seek power tend to be among the least capable of handling it responsibly. In spite of this, we keep handing power to these same people.

 

[JDLY]

"beautiful like diamonds in the sky"

Not sure what song it is this sentence is from, but it annoys me to no end. The person who wrote these lyrics most likely was trying to reference the stars in the night's sky, as I have often heard that starts sparkle just like diamonds in the night's sky. However, the way this sentence is phrased, they are talking about actual diamonds in the sky and well, we all know that airborne diamonds aren't a naturally occurring phenomenon, so I have absolutely no idea what kind of image the people of this song are trying to paint here...

Maybe a bit petty, but *aaaaah* [img="http://images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/1/12/Von_Karma_Breakdown_3.gif"]
( http://images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/1/12/Von_Karma_Breakdown_3.gif )
Image courtesy of http://wikia.com/aceattorney

That's from Rihanna's song "Diamonds"

Spoiler: The original

The only reason I know that is because one of my favorite bands, Steam Powered Giraffe, jokingly did a cover of it. And the cover is a hell of a lot better than the original. Seriously, if you wanna hear amazing vocals go watch this video.

Spoiler: The much better cover because of amazing vocals

And if you like that go check out their original music, there's quite a bit of it and another album is on the way shortly.

 

[shootthebandit]

Thrift shop. I like macklemore but the lyrics are stupid

Now, in that song's defense, that's not even on of their BEST songs... Not even close...
I still don't get why Thrift Shop is still more popular than any of Macklemore's other BETTER songs?
(I almost had that same exact question referring to Gangnam Style...)

I like macklemore and i like thrift shop. I know its far from their best song but its still kinda funky. I suppose buying a grandads old coat from 99 cents is a better lyric than someone like florida singing about bugattis and maybachs.

Im really digging 'same love' at minute. Lyrics on that song are really good

Edit: gangnam was popular as a novelty song. Its the kinda song that a club will play 3/4 of the way through a night when everyone is drunk. We all know the dance and it has a good beat. The whole club is just gonna start dancing as opposed to bopping your head to the latest jay-z track or fist bumping to the latest avicii tune.

 

[VodkaKnight]

Anything by Taylor Swift.
Oh my god, Taylor Swift.

 

[SKBPinkie]

This is pretty much why 90% of my music collection is instrumental. Honestly, the human voice is an instrument that I can definitely do without. Second of all, most lyrics are either too damn "deep" or way too simple for my taste.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

"beautiful like diamonds in the sky"

Not sure what song it is this sentence is from, but it annoys me to no end. The person who wrote these lyrics most likely was trying to reference the stars in the night's sky, as I have often heard that starts sparkle just like diamonds in the night's sky. However, the way this sentence is phrased, they are talking about actual diamonds in the sky and well, we all know that airborne diamonds aren't a naturally occurring phenomenon, so I have absolutely no idea what kind of image the people of this song are trying to paint here...

Maybe a bit petty, but *aaaaah* [img="http://images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/1/12/Von_Karma_Breakdown_3.gif"]
( http://images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/1/12/Von_Karma_Breakdown_3.gif )
Image courtesy of http://wikia.com/aceattorney

Yeah, I dislike that song too. I really dislike the voice of the singer as well.. just doesn't appeal to me at all.

Also high up in my list of shitty lyrics is the large amount of singers who want to set stuff on fire:
"Tonight, we are young, so we set the world on fire" Sorry, what.
"This girl is on FIRREEEEEEEAAAAAAAA" Ouch.

Then there's that "I won't give up" from Jason Mraz. I hear it on the radio from time to time. The whole "god knows we're worth it" and "We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in". The world isn't going to collapse over yet another shitty love song, bleh.
The Lazy Song is up there as well in the list of annoying lyrics.

I'm just not a big fan of those love-song type things that are just ranting about partying or breaking up. Luckily, with me only hearing those songs on the radio from time to time and English not being my first language, I often don't pick up on the lyrics if I don't pay attention to the song & the instruments/singer are.. "unclear" ?

 

[Jordi]

Taylor Swifts "Love Story." I can forgive bad writing as the product of a feeble mind, but this jumbled up amalgamated mess of failed symbolism and references made me physically ill.

"Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes."

...what? Romeo and Juliet wasn't a love story, it was a tragedy about two sixteen year old dipshits who got married after one day. Then everyone died. It wasn't supposed to be romantic. The Scarlet Letter was about a woman who was abandoned by her husband, so she had an affair, and got pregnant out of wedlock. Then she was ostracized by society. What does any of this have to do with anything? Did Taylor run off with another guy after knowing him for one day, then get pregnant with his baby, so everyone hated her? That's how it sounds. I don't think that's whay she was going for. It's sick... she just, she just says words, and they don't mean anything. It's like explosive diarrhea of the mouth. Does she even think about any of the things she writes, or does she jut list thing she's vaguely heard of before? I'm feeling ill, I need to lay down.

This is pretty funny though.
http://bigenoughumbrella.tumblr.com/post/15352556534/t-swizzle-and-the-scarlet-letter-an-overanalysis-of

I'm not sure how you can deny that the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet contains a love story. In fact, it is widely considered the love story. It's about two people who are so in love that they go against their families' wishes to be together, get married within one day and don't want to live in a world without the other. You can think that's stupid, but clearly there is a love story in there.

I don't really know much about the scarlet letter, but I'm pretty sure she's referring to the ostracization she is or would be facing. Or at least, that's what she's afraid off. In the end it obviously turns out fine though, because her guy talks to her dad who unlike Capulet is 100% fine with their relationship.

I don't think she's trying to accurately tell the tale of Romeo and Juliet (or any other known literary work for that matter). Rather, I think the correct interpretation here is that a teenage girl who is giving her perspective on an early romance and drawing parallels with some stories she knows (and may or may not have interpreted naively on account of being a teenager). I think the "real" story is that she liked some boy when she was young and her father/parents disapproved (likely because of her age) (there are some really obvious parallels to R+J here). I don't know why she would feel "ostracized" (for the scarlet letter part), but it could be anything from her feeling awkward/insecure/unpopular to her family disapproving of sneaking around with her boyfriend in "secret". Then for whatever reason her family came around (possibly because the boyfriend actually went to talk to them and show he's a decent guy) and they could live happily ever after as prince and princess in their fantasy love story. (Although knowing some other songs, they likely broke up immediately so Taylor could date 100 other guys to write songs about.)

 

[Duck Sandwich]

Basically any "you must take extreme risks in order to be a success in life" quote. Like this one:

"If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate."

People always try to apply that to job searches, and any huge, life changing decisions, but anyone in a situation where failure is met with more than a slap on the wrist is in for a rude awakening. People always want to see others take risks because people who take risks are more entertaining, not because they actually care about the people who they're telling to take risks.

 

[FPLOON]

I like macklemore and i like thrift shop. I know its far from their best song but its still kinda funky. I suppose buying a grandads old coat from 99 cents is a better lyric than someone like florida singing about bugattis and maybachs.

Im really digging 'same love' at minute. Lyrics on that song are really good

Edit: gangnam was popular as a novelty song. Its the kinda song that a club will play 3/4 of the way through a night when everyone is drunk. We all know the dance and it has a good beat. The whole club is just gonna start dancing as opposed to bopping your head to the latest jay-z track or fist bumping to the latest avicii tune.

Don't get me wrong... "Same Love", right now, is my favorite song to come from Macklmore so far... and I can only listen to "Thrift Shop" through a Sonic Heroes mashup... (since the Kidz Bop version found a way to do that to me...)

Flo Rida can "rap" over an Avicii beat for all I care... since they both "sometimes get a feeling"... "Yeah..."

I also stopped listening to the original Gangnam style and substituted for a mashup version featuring Panty and Stocking... Plus, I find "Gentleman" be the better novelty song than "Gangnam Style" coming from Psy's international hits... and Jay-Z's "Holy Grail" is head-bopping, I guess, even though the only thing that I can remember from that song was the Nirvana reference...

 

[Lieju]

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled on the world was convincing people he didn't exist"

I hear this constantly and I have absolutely never seen any point to it whatsoever.

It's from "The Usual Suspects" but I don't know how you could use that line outside of referring to that movie.

Well, people have quoted that at me (Claiming it's from the Bible) as 'proof' why atheists are wrong and working for the Devil. It's kinda frustrating, because the idea is that the very lack of evidence is evidence for Devil existing.

 

[SantoUno]

Any Gloryhammer song. They are desperately trying to be a symphonic power metal band on par with Rhapsody of Fire, but I just cannot take them seriously when the "storyline" of their songs is about a sorcerer named "Zargothrax" taking over a fantasy world with an army of undead unicorns... -.-'

Spoiler: Here's a taster.

The unicorn invasion of Dundee!

They came with the first light of dawn
setting their sights on Dundee
led by the sorcerer Zargothrax
slaying all people he sees
they ride to war on once noble beasts
corrupted by wizard spell
the unicorns used to be good
now they are forced to serve hell

Down from the mountains
and across the river Tay
an army of undead unicorns
are riding into the fray

Fireballs and lighting are raining from the sky
chaos and bloodshed while all the people die
in this epic battle begins the final war
tragedy will strike this day, prepare thee for
the unicorn invasion of Dundee

The townpeople had little hope
they were not ready for war f
ireballs make everybody die
and buildings collapse to the floor
the beautiful princess was raped
and taken prison with cry
Angus McFife swears a mighty oath
"I will make Zargothrax die!"

Awesome. You're the first to post about a genre of metal I am damn well intimate with. Never heard of Gloryhammer before. Gave it a listen. I'll admit, I don't really care if their lyrics are cheesy. I always put music/instrumentation first and foremost. I gotta say they still sound pretty decent. Some sickass keyboards (I'm a keyboardist, so that gets my respect).

Essentially anything Cannibal Corpse. Actually, most death metal for that matter.

Oh, you're writing about death, torture and rape? Wow, talk about cool, guys.

How old are they? The lead singer is 44? Does that count as a disability?

I used to totally be into death metal and black metal and all that stuff - when I was 13. They write about absolute nonsense and then dilute their lyrics with unnecessarily large words to hide the fact that they're really not as smart and superior as they would like you to believe. Then they condescend on other forms of music, claiming that the music they make is 'real' and 'rewarding.'

Please, your music is almost entirely a facade. There are fantastic musicians and artists among you, like The Faceless or Devin Townsend, but the rest are just cheap imitations with lyrics that contain absolutely no literary value apart from 'sounding cool.' If mainstream pop is more art than fashion, then why do you guys shoot down absolutely anything that isn't Meshuggah? Why do you guys attack innovation? Why do you guys look down upon people who prefer different styles of music? Why do you all have long hair and beards? Why do you call any band that doesn't "look metal" core?

Metal elitism is the biggest joke I've ever had the pleasure to experience.

I agree with you on some points, but I am pretty sure they are well aware of the nature of death metal on how it can come across as juvenile. If they still do it because they don't care and want to have fun, then that's absolute maturity there.

The lyrics from Firework by Katie Perry. Eugh! They make me want to punch a wall.

One of the atrocities is this
'Do you ever feel like a plastic bag.'

WTF?!
NOO! You stupid woman! NO ONE HAS EVER FELT LIKE A PLASTIC BAG AT ANY POINT IN THEIR LIFE, EVER!

The lyrics from Imagine are trite, vomitious, garbage.

All Justin Beiber songs are hideous.

All Pinks lyrics are atrocious, whiney, tryhard, emo, drivel.

Applause to you sir! Yours is the first to actually make me laugh hard.

I mean REALLY?? Plastic bag??

Although there is the metaphor of going with the flow...like a plastic bag caught in an updraft...

Excuse me while I leave my computer and ponder on life...

 

[TIMESWORDSMAN]

I love the song "American Pie", it's one of my favorite working songs, but in the preamble "door step" is rhymed with "more step".

Don, you just rhymed step with step. You don't do that.

 

[lacktheknack]

Quote: No matter what follows the phrase "In this moment, I am euphoric", it will make me want to cry myself to sleep.

I witnessed the birth of the quote, and it was a truly painful birth.

Song: Just... absolutely everything in "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke.

Yeah I heard, it's one of the reason I don't like the song. It paints her saying yes knowing he would shoot her as a good thing and that the singer would do the same.

I know this is going to blow your mind, but many people would. And they view it as a good thing.

Read up on the Catholic attacks on Protestants back when Protestantism was becoming a thing. Notice how many hundreds of people were burned to death/dipped in tar/disembowelled/etc because they wouldn't deny their religious affiliations.

It's called "martyrdom".

 

[Fox12]

Taylor Swifts "Love Story." I can forgive bad writing as the product of a feeble mind, but this jumbled up amalgamated mess of failed symbolism and references made me physically ill.

"Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes."

...what? Romeo and Juliet wasn't a love story, it was a tragedy about two sixteen year old dipshits who got married after one day. Then everyone died. It wasn't supposed to be romantic. The Scarlet Letter was about a woman who was abandoned by her husband, so she had an affair, and got pregnant out of wedlock. Then she was ostracized by society. What does any of this have to do with anything? Did Taylor run off with another guy after knowing him for one day, then get pregnant with his baby, so everyone hated her? That's how it sounds. I don't think that's whay she was going for. It's sick... she just, she just says words, and they don't mean anything. It's like explosive diarrhea of the mouth. Does she even think about any of the things she writes, or does she jut list thing she's vaguely heard of before? I'm feeling ill, I need to lay down.

This is pretty funny though.
http://bigenoughumbrella.tumblr.com/post/15352556534/t-swizzle-and-the-scarlet-letter-an-overanalysis-of

I'm not sure how you can deny that the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet contains a love story. In fact, it is widely considered the love story. It's about two people who are so in love that they go against their families' wishes to be together, get married within one day and don't want to live in a world without the other. You can think that's stupid, but clearly there is a love story in there.

I don't really know much about the scarlet letter, but I'm pretty sure she's referring to the ostracization she is or would be facing. Or at least, that's what she's afraid off. In the end it obviously turns out fine though, because her guy talks to her dad who unlike Capulet is 100% fine with their relationship.

I don't think she's trying to accurately tell the tale of Romeo and Juliet (or any other known literary work for that matter). Rather, I think the correct interpretation here is that a teenage girl who is giving her perspective on an early romance and drawing parallels with some stories she knows (and may or may not have interpreted naively on account of being a teenager). I think the "real" story is that she liked some boy when she was young and her father/parents disapproved (likely because of her age) (there are some really obvious parallels to R+J here). I don't know why she would feel "ostracized" (for the scarlet letter part), but it could be anything from her feeling awkward/insecure/unpopular to her family disapproving of sneaking around with her boyfriend in "secret". Then for whatever reason her family came around (possibly because the boyfriend actually went to talk to them and show he's a decent guy) and they could live happily ever after as prince and princess in their fantasy love story. (Although knowing some other songs, they likely broke up immediately so Taylor could date 100 other guys to write songs about.)

I'll have to disagree with you about Romeo and Juliet. It's considered a great love story by people who have never read it. There are things within the text that depict the romance as frivolous and shallow. It starts with Romeo heart broken because he was dumped by another woman. He goes to crash his ex girlfriends party, but while he's there he sees Juliette. He immediately "falls in love with her," completely forgetting the girl he just swore he was in love with. He immediately asks Juliette to marry him, knowing nothing about her. Shakespeare himself is showing us that Romeo is flighty, and has no control over his emotions. He just wanders from woman to woman, and has no understanding of what an adult relationship is like. I'm not being cynical. As a result of his actions his friends are killed, and everyone dies. If anything, Shakespeare is actually deconstructing the whole "love at first sight" thing. Romeo and Juliette is to romance what Game of Thrones is to fantasy. It is not considered a "romance" story by anyone with a literary background. It is a tragedy.

I don't think the scarlet letter reference works either. Would she be ostracized? I thought her parents were mad at Romeo, not her? Would Romeo be ostracized by her parents for dating the princess? But neither Romeo nor Juliette were royalty. And why was her dad against it? Clearly it wasn't a big deal, because he just lets the whole thing go. Besides, a scarlet letter was worn by a woman so that everyone would know she was an adulterer. In the Scarlet Letter book she decorates her letter so that everyone knows that she's not sorry for what she did, and she refuses to hide her shame. But Taylor Swift isn't proudly wearing her scarlet letter because she's hiding in the song, which defeats the point of the metaphor. None of the metaphors fit together. She just threw a bunch of vaguely romantic sounding references together without any real thought.

I agree with the last part of your post. I get that she was just trying to write a tweeny bop pop song for young girls, but if your going to use a word or reference, you should atleast understand what it means. It's the same reason I listed ironic by Alanis Morissette earlier. If your going to make something the foundation of your whole song, make sure you use it right. Otherwise the whole structure comes tumbling down. Don't write a song about love stories, then list a bunch of things that are actually the opposite of a love story. In any case I've put way too much thought into this