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Mar 2007

Being most uncertain: And This Remains

by Jim Bliss

It’s the old ‘first lines blog meme’ again. You know the drill by now; I set my music player on random, took only one track per artist, and obviously no track where the title is in the first line… leave your guesses in the comments (feel free to check out lyricsfreak.com if one of them is bugging you, but please don’t look one up on a search engine and then post the answer here). Instrumentals have also been cut out for obvious reasons.

  1. I listen for your footsteps, coming up the drive – The Beatles: Don’t Pass Me By – PMM
  2. Searchlights on the skyline, just looking for a friend
  3. Well, I’ll just skip the boring parts… chapters one, two and three
  4. Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools – The Smiths: The Headmaster Ritual – Phil
  5. One summer evening drunk to hell, I sat there nearly lifeless – The Pogues: A Pair of Brown Eyes – Phil
  6. Well since she put me down I’ve been out doin’ in my head – The Beach Boys: Help Me Rhonda – Chris Brooke
  7. Revolution never comes with a warning – Spearhead: Yell Fire! – Merrick
  8. All the towers of ivory are crumbling – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Straight To You – Gyrus
  9. Since I met you, this small town hasn’t got room for my big feelings – Björk: Violently Happy – Rachel
  10. The myriad choices of his fate set themselves out upon a plate
  11. This is nothing like it was in my room, in my best clothes – The National: Mr. November – Zoe
  12. Amplifiers and old guitars, country music sung in bars
  13. I’ve been watching you for ages, you’re like a boat without a mast – The The: Gravitate To Me – RA / PMM
  14. Alcoholic kind of mood, lose my clothes, lose my lube – Placebo: Nancy Boy – RA
  15. I heard a girl one day, she had these long tight legs
  16. Take me to the station and put me on a train – Rolling Stones: No Expectations – Merrick
  17. Well come along and walk with me, and learn the songs that lovers sing…
  18. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Oh you are the groove, you’re like the planets when you move
  19. Little Johnny’s all messed up, ’cause first he jumped and then he looked – Spiritualized: Come Together – Phil
  20. Watch your step! They’re all out spying.
  21. Where’s the love song to set us free?
  22. These things you keep; you better throw them away
  23. He like to frequent this club down up on 36th.
    Pimps and thangs like 2 hang outside and cuss for kicks

I’ve given you the first two lines of that last one… but it’s just such a glorious opening couplet that I couldn’t split it up (from an album I’ve threatened to rehabilitate in the past, and may yet try at some point in the future). I’ve also grabbed the seven that failed to be guessed last time I did this. It’s possible that an artist may appear in the list below who has already appeared above. Possible, but not guaranteed. Bonus points and all that.

  1. Y’say you’re lookin’ for a place to go where nobody knows your name – John Lennon: I Don’t Wanna Face It – Mahulahoop
  2. There’s comin’ a day when the world shall melt away
  3. We got into their little black book, so they came in a spaceship to take a look
  4. Don’t sleep ’til the sunrise, listen 2 the falling rain – Prince: Free – Mahulahoop
  5. Oh my Lord, I am so bored – Daniel Johnston: Held The Hand – Mahulahoop
  6. There’s space in my car… speed you to heaven
  7. My soul is in the mountains, and my heart is in the land

And an extra ten million bonus points for anyone who gets the reference in the post title. It’s not a first line.


Posted in: Blog meme