Lyrics or quotes that make you cringe.

[DementedSheep]

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".

I know what martydom is, that doesn't mean I think there was cause for someone to make themselves one in this circumstance.

 

[shootthebandit]

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.

Speaking if this song. Is it "lennon read a book of marx" or is it "lenin read a book on marx". I would assume lennon because the next line is "the quartet practiced in the park"

C'mon this is a 7 min+ song im sure he was probably running out of rhyming words

 

[SwimmingRock]

We drink to our youth, to days come and gone
For the Age of Aggression is just about done

Jesus christ, the bards in Skyrim are bad enough singers on their own, but when you are rhyming Gone with Done, it makes me want to bash a keyboard.

I think I've figured out the problem: you're not supposed to listen to any bard in Skyrim. You're supposed to stab them as a warning to the rest.

OT: Instead of typing out a list, I'll simply mention the first time I remember a songs lyrics making me cringe:"Whoomp! There it is!"

 

[Vegosiux]

"Misery builds character."

Though I suppose that one is technically correct. After all, resentment, frustration, pettiness and vengefulness are character traits.

Oh and every single time anyone tries to go with "THE FUTURE" as a sales pitch.

 

[Darthbawls77]

" I can't help it, I was born this way."

Something about the saying when used as an excuse for immoral or corrupt decisions just rubs me the wrong way. We all have instincts and the urge to follow them can be difficult I understand. But when you give into those instincts like you have no free will or choice in the matter is when this phrase is brought up the most I believe.

 

[TWRule]

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.

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.

No, I knew that was part of it - but it was kind of a 'tee hee, he's a sociopath' or 'tee hee, he's crazy but in an admirable way' vibe the audience is apparently supposed to get rather than take it too seriously, which is what I meant. If it was a deadly serious trailer that made it obvious that we should be regarding someone who uses this quote as significantly off, then I probably wouldn't have taken issue with it lol. That's not how it came off to me though.

 

[Blue_vision]

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

I will second this. I understand the idea of trying to make people strive for better, but it's just a really clumsy/dishonest way of putting it.


On the topic of motivational quotes that piss me off, pretty much every anti-authority quote that exists on the internet, especially the image macros with a V mask somewhere in it. I guess the classic one's the "Go to work, get married, have some kids, pay your taxes, pay your bills, watch your tv, follow fashion, act normal, obey the law, and repeat after me: I am free". It just pisses me off to no end.

I really like the parody quote that goes something along the lines of "Get fired, be alone all your life, play in traffic, get arrested, live in poverty. Now, repeat after me: derp."

Thrift shop. I like macklemore but the lyrics are stupid

It's actually "Damn, that's a cold ass honky", where honky is a prejorative term for a white person. The (presumably black and super cool) person in the club is saying that Macklemore's so cool that he (metaphorically) has ice on him.

So yeah, I'll have to say that I do like Macklemore. I think he has some really good/entertaining rhymes, and some unique subject matter (note that his two "big" songs are about bargain shopping and marriage equality, rather unorthodox things for culture in general, let alone hip hop music). At any rate, I'd say he's far, far ahead of most hip hop artists in this day and age.

 

[CarlsonAndPeeters]

Pretty much anything by Taylor Swift. Particularly

"Cause you were Romeo -- I was a scarlet letter"

That doesn't mean anything. You just threw in a motif from another book people have to read in high school. Are you trying to say that the guy you like is a foolish example of the ridiculousness of young love, and that you are a symbol for adultery? No? Okay.

 

[Silverbeard]

Ghost division by Sabaton has one of the finest drum beats I've ever heard...and some of the most bizarre lyrics I've had to experience. They're not even difficult to understand. They're just... odd.

As for quotes, this one always gets me: 'What does not kill you makes you stronger.' No, mysterious speaker, whatever does not kill me will not make me stronger. Losing an arm will not kill me but I don't see myself becoming a master boxer or CEO of a multimillion dollar international giant of the industry. Losing both eyes won't kill me but I can't imagine how much stronger it will make me.

 

[Heronblade]

No, I knew that was part of it - but it was kind of a 'tee hee, he's a sociopath' or 'tee hee, he's crazy but in an admirable way' vibe the audience is apparently supposed to get rather than take it too seriously, which is what I meant. If it was a deadly serious trailer that made it obvious that we should be regarding someone who uses this quote as significantly off, then I probably wouldn't have taken issue with it lol. That's not how it came off to me though.

Lets just say that the vibe you get in the game is far from amusing, in either sense, particularly not the admirable bit.

Of course, the context of what this guy has done and is even as he speaks is doing kind of helps with that.

 

[Queen Michael]

"You can't love other people if you don't love yourself."

I'm sorry, but what? How does this make any sense? Why would people with poor self-confidence be unable to love? Why would a mother with poor self-esteem be unable to love her children?

That stupid, stupid saying...

You tell 'em, Rainbow Dash.

 

[ABLb0y]

Have to say Jessie J singing about how 'It's not about the money, money, money' whilst she's driving around in a swarm of golden Rolls Royces or whatever really pissed me off for some reason. Oh, and most Nickleback songs can be summed up like 'Things would be nicer if things were nicer'.
I know neither of those are particularly original, but I'm just throwing my two cents in.

 

[Jordi]

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.

The thing is: that is the vast, vast majority of people. I think the way to look at things like this is that there are really multiple Romeo and Juliet stories: one is the exact story written by Shakespeare, and another is the story that exists in the minds of 99% of people. Not in the least part because that's often how the story is (re)told (see e.g. that Leo DiCaprio film). You may argue that this latter story isn't "official", and it is stupid to reference. That's a fine point of view, but I think looking at this way makes it easier to understand. Also, I think the criticism that she's just saying words that don't mean anything. She is referencing a story that a lot of people know in the correct way (even if the way those people know it is incorrect).

I don't think the scarlet letter reference works either. Would she be ostracized? I thought her parents were mad at Romeo, not her?

Why not both? What I'm imagining here is that the parents fear that "Romeo" is a stereotypically horny teenage boy who only thinks with his dick and is looking to take advantage of their daughter. So they send him away and tell him to stay away from her/"Juliet". But that doesn't mean they aren't also mad at her for "giving it up" too easily or whatever and telling her to stay away from him.

I think it's entirely possible that she would feel "ostracized". Note that she doesn't actually have to be ostracized, she just has to feel or fear it. In the above interpretation, she may feel like her family sees her as a slut/embarrassment. Also, she continues seeing him against her parents' wishes, so she's probably getting into arguments or getting punished.

Another interpretation is that she may have felt "ostracized" in school. In other songs she's singing about how people were mean to her, so it's possible. In that case, I think the juxtaposition of "Romeo" (often perceived as the ultimate romantic hero in this "folk" version of the story) with her status as an outcast is meant to emphasize how excited she is about it or something.

Would Romeo be ostracized by her parents for dating the princess? But neither Romeo nor Juliette were royalty.

She sings "you'll be the prince and I'll be the princess". That sounds to me like role assignment in a fairy tale: she's saying they'd be a fairy tale couple and it's not to be taken literally. And even if it was, I don't think she's saying that Romeo and Juliet are royalty. She's just referencing "love" stories where her role is Juliet/the princess/scarlet letter and her boy is Romeo/prince charming/whatever.

And why was her dad against it? Clearly it wasn't a big deal, because he just lets the whole thing go.

She's not saying why her dad was against it. All we know is that he changed his mind at some point. But as I said, I can think of some reasons why he might be against it. For instance, he might have been concerned originally that the boy is trying to take advantage of his daughter (or he just thinks they're too young), but changed his mind when the boy proved himself (or they proved that despite their age they could handle the responsibility). That seems like a very plausible scenario to me.

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.

To be honest, I had never heard of the Scarlet Letter (I'm not English, so I feel like I have an excuse). Is it a commonly known tale (not just among "intellectuals" who have read Romeo and Juliet, but in general)? If so, what is the common interpretation? We have seen with Romeo and Juliet that the common interpretation doesn't follow the letter of the source material, so is the same true here? Is "being a scarlet letter" often referenced, and if so what does Joe Average mean by it?

Obviously if everybody agrees on the fact that "a scarlet letter" is "a proud adultress", then the reference would be really weird. If however, it is more commonly associated with being shunned/ostracized, I think it works fine.

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

I think if you look at it a certain way, she did get it right. She's just referencing "Romeo and Juliet" as it exists in the minds of (most of) her audience, rather than in the mind of Shakespeare. If you knew that she was actually referencing, say [a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/"]Romeo + Juliet[/a], would you still feel the same way?

Edit: I am now seriously asking myself why I just got into a long debate on Taylor Swift lyrics... I guess this is the state of my life... I'm not even a fan.

 

[Edl01]

Any line that sacrifices grammar for a rhyme. So pretty much 99% of pop music that comes out nowadays.
Can't we just have a popular singer with good grammar, who writes meaningful songs that aren't just the same love song that we've heard a million times over? One that is still alive that is...

And I swear any pop song that comes out now that isn't a genric love song is a party song that everyone I know will repeat ad nauseum until I am so sick of it I'll want to drill out my eardrums.
Case and point -
"Everyday I'm shuffling"
"Gangam Style"
"Riverside ************"

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

"You want to hug me, what rhymes with hug me"
That whole song is honestly, legitimately, without exaggeration, the absolute worst song I have ever heard in my entire life. It makes me hope for a violent apocalypse that leaves nothing of the race that gave it recognition and validation, but that line in particular exemplifies just how little of a fuck anyone gives about music anymore.

Runners up are
"Me not working hard? Yeah, right, picture that with a Kodak
Or better yet, go to Times Square Take a picture of me with a Kodak"
and any time a celebrity or movie or something is randomly namedropped, first one to come to mind though is
"There's no tom hanks to bring you home."
There's not any sort of context in the song which makes that make sense, by the way.

"You can't love other people if you don't love yourself."

I'm sorry, but what? How does this make any sense? Why would people with poor self-confidence be unable to love? Why would a mother with poor self-esteem be unable to love her children?

ugh yeah my girlfriend throws that at me from time to time. I feel like not being satisfied with myself drives self improvement and motivates me to do things I would like to do rather than things I'm inclined to do. If I was unconditionally happy with myself I'd just jack off and sleep all day.

 

[spartan231490]

None make me want to kick babies, but this one makes me want to kick whoever says it: "In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important" Bull. Fracking. Poop. So many people are unimportant, for that matter, in the context of the show, I can find several unimportant people in each episode.

 

[Soundwave]

"You can't love other people if you don't love yourself."

I'm sorry, but what? How does this make any sense? Why would people with poor self-confidence be unable to love? Why would a mother with poor self-esteem be unable to love her children?

That's a quote about Onanism. If you aren't any good at it, it means you're probably are a terrible lay. I'm surprised someone who has read so much manga wouldn't get it.

 

[Nouw]

"You can't love other people if you don't love yourself."

Huh, I always thought it was something along the lines of "How can you expect others to love you if you don't love yourself." The more you know I guess.

 

[shootthebandit]

Thrift shop. I like macklemore but the lyrics are stupid

It's actually "Damn, that's a cold ass honky", where honky is a prejorative term for a white person. The (presumably black and super cool) person in the club is saying that Macklemore's so cool that he (metaphorically) has ice on him.

So yeah, I'll have to say that I do like Macklemore. I think he has some really good/entertaining rhymes, and some unique subject matter (note that his two "big" songs are about bargain shopping and marriage equality, rather unorthodox things for culture in general, let alone hip hop music). At any rate, I'd say he's far, far ahead of most hip hop artists in this day and age.

Im aware that the lyric is cold ass honkey and the meaning of said lyric. However for comedic rhyming effect the word honkey was replaced with donkey and taking the literal meaning of "cold ass" the donkey appears to have ice on it. I really like thrift shop its got a good beat and the main message of the story is that you dont have to break the bank to be stylish ("but thats 50 dollars for a t-shirt"). It also says not to follow the herd and be an individual ("the same t-shirt as 6 different people"). Which is a big difference from the usual hip hop trope of ("i pull up to the club in my limo, all the ladies be like "hey its him, ooooh". Im top off the guest list so i pull out my check list. Limo....check, armani...check, ray bans...check. Im looking hot in my suit and my jacket. All the ladies be impressed by the size of my.....pay packet") i wrote that in like 2 seconds with literally no thought what so ever. Shows you how easy it is to write a hip hop song (well a terribly cliched one anyway)

Same love has really impressed me lyrically. Really far ahead of the curve. in a culture centred around mysogony its a refreshing change to hear a song empathising with the homosexual community (max respect to you guys)

P.s macklemore is allowed to refer to himself as a honkey. Robin thicke however does not deserve to use this title as he is a massive douchebag who has to reassure people that his genitals are rather large. Im not refuting this fact but i think its safe to say that by reassuring people of this fact chances are its probably not true. I would suggest we get adam savage and jamie heinemann to uncover the truth (using as much explosives on robin thicke as possible) just to be sure he isnt lying

Seriously mr. Thicke dont refer to your self as "im so honkey" and then say "robin thicke has a big dick". We are all aware that us white folks have been blessed with mediocre sized appendages dont try to deny it.