Lyrics

[wobbo]

While im sitting here listening to some mixed music, i´ve noticed, that im not really listening to a word that the singer is sining, instead, im more into the music... also noticed that it depends on what band i listen to, some bands i really dont care about the lyrics at all.

ofcourse i read the lyrics of all the albums i have, well most of them anyway, cause it gives more to the music...

what about u guys, are u all really into the lyrics at every band u listen to, or just sometimes the music ?

 

[Jayde]

When I first got really big into music it was all about the vocals. I used to never undstand why people said they didn't like a band because they had weak bass lines or whatever. Now I'm learning to listen to the bass lines and guitars and drums more than vocals. Vocals are important to me, still, but I find myself paying more attention to the rest of it first. Especially bass lines. I'm in love with bass.

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

I live my life by Chuck-Schuldiner's words. Such a great mind, such a great insight. Warrel Dane is another person that i pay VERY HIGH amounts of attention to in regards to lyrics.

....But when it comes to bands like Morbid angel, i just ignore what the stupid mother-fucker is grunting about.

 

[lumen]

I've actually given this subject a fair bit of thought.

I really only pay attention to the lyrics of my favourite songs, especially the ones that I like to sing along to. Sometimes a line in a song will just hit me too, so I'll try to listen to the rest of the lyrics. Otherwise I pay far more attention to the music than the lyrics.

Sometimes I feel guilty for not paying more attention to lyrics. Like I should rally know what the songs I like are about. And musicians (hopefully) put a lot of thought and effort into writing them, so by ignoring them a lot of the time I'm not fully appreciating their work.

But music itself has a stronger emotional effect on me than words usually, so I think that why I usually respond more to that than to lyrics.

Ages ago, when I first started collecting albums, I would follow along with the lyrics when I was getting to know the albums, and eventually I could pretty much sing along to everything I owned.
Unfortunately, I hardly ever get time to sit down and just listen to music anymore, it's always on while I'm doing something else. And when the rate at which I was buying albums increased, there was just no way to keep up with the lyrics.

 

[wobbo]

I have to say that Opeth is the first band really i´ve sat down and read all the lyrics over and over again, at the same time listening alot to the music, cause its so damn good

harder bands such as Morbid, Deicide, Dimmu Borgir and so on, im not really into the lyrics.. cause i dont share the same things as they stand for, but i still love the music, cause its so hard and intence.

but i cant really focus on 1 thing only when im listening to music, its the whole atmosphere that the band are providing that makes me think a band is great.

 

[NastyJoan]

I'm absolutely aware of the lyrics of almost anything that I listen.

Of course a lot of bands just sing crap and irrelevant shit, but I like it anyway, you may say that's only for the music, and other bands I have real problems to understand their lyrics.

The bands that I most enjoy the lyrics would be, King Diamond for his incredible histories and Mercyful Fate (no Comment), Blind Guardian cause I love Tolkien, Iced Earth, Bolt Thrower and their absolutely marvelous way to describe war, Immolation for their explicit anti-christianity but not satanic lyrics, Entombed because they sang almost of everything, Savatage for their simple yet great way to tell stories and personal experiences (I think) and of course maiden for thier imagination and narration of all-known histories.

My favorites lyircs would be the entire Nightfall in Middle Earth the saga of 'Them' and Conspiracy and I know that the continuation of Abigail would be awesome.

Horrorshow rules too!!!

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

harder bands such as Morbid, Deicide, Dimmu Borgir and so on, im not really into the lyrics..

WHAT???

You mean that you DON'T relate to:

Ghouls attack the church
Crush the holy priest
Turning the cross towards hell
Writhe in satan's flames

Crush the priest
The feeble church

Dead - your god is dead
Fools - your god is dead
Useless prayers of lies
Behold satan's rise



I can't beleive that... How can you NOT appreciate lyrics like this??

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

Must... worship... satan..

 

[wobbo]

Trapped, hehe.

 

[[KOTNO]Narrot]

i am always reading lyrics because i am a sing-alonger. i can'T enjoy music totally before i dont know the lyrics. some are pretty stupid (morbid angel..already named here..., dimmu borgir, old sentenced and so on...) but there are ones i love i can think about i can refer to, i can quote. i love that kind of being into music. the greatest lyricist (word??) is imo Warrel dane....



lol@trapped! you forgot the lines:

they killed our fathers
and their wives
they've brought them into grave
they've killed their gods
odin and thor may return...

 

[bleedingskeptic]

i always pay attention to lyrics. usually good music has good lyrics (well, if the music even has vocals). whenever i get a cd i take it all in at once. i don't listen to it until i can sit down and listen to the whole thing all the way through and read the lyrics along with it. then after that of course i'll sometimes tend to focus more on the music, but i always equal out the importance of the lyrics and the music upon the first listen.

and as for dimmu, never really liked them. it sounds kinda cheesy to these ears, especially with the keyboards. i don't know, sometimes keyboards just make things sound stupid, or can fit in quite nicely when done right.

and as for dimmu's lyrics and other bands like them: satanic lyrics are just as cheesy as christian lyrics.

 

[Wolff]

Let's put it this way: bad lyrics never hurt a band as long as the music was good. Maiden and Sabbath come to mind.

Decent lyrics tend can add significant value to a good piece of music.

Stellar lyrics can make you like a song even thou the music might be not as good. You cinsider as a piece of poetry, you get what the writer meant, and obviously you can transcend the music, or just relate to the song for non-musical reasons.

Obviously it's rare when excellent lyrics correspond to excellent music. I can name only a few bands that have achieved this in a handful of songs.

 

[mindflesh]

I pay great attention to lyrics: If they're good, they enhance the song a great deal...
Knowing the lyrics of a song gives me the feeling that I understand the structure, the story that's behind...
Sometimes there are lines that simply sound great, just like in poems: The whole thing may be a good poem but there are a few lines that stick out simply because of what they say and the way they are constructed. I somehow prefer rhymed lyrics over non-rhymed ones because in rhymed lyrics those well-constructed lines are more frequent than in non-rhymed ones.

I don't like "Brutal" Death Metal so I'm hardly ever confronted with gore-lyrics, and the lyrics of those Satanic Black Metal bands can be quite nice if you don't take them seriously

 

[MetalManCPA]

I am a music person - lyrics generally take the back seat with me.

I consider the voice another instrument. I do listen to the words - when I hear what I believe is intersting, I will read the lyrics along with the song. But I have committed no lyrics to memory - I just haven't considered them important enough.

 

[metalized]

Lyrics do play a great role in the music for me!
They are a strong arguement to the fuckers who say that metal is satan's music etc. And all the chicks fall for them if you read lyrics like...:
Close our eyes awhile
As morning shadows play
And listen to the rain
washh the long night away.
Face to face we 'll awake
To see another day
And with hope in our hearts
Embrce this shade of gray!

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

...Hey, that's a nice idea.

Can i read those lyrics to that girl, Metalized??

 

[lumen]

Originally posted by metalmancpa
I consider the voice another instrument.

Agreed.

 

[metalized]

Originally posted by Trapped
...Hey, that's a nice idea.

Can i read those lyrics to that girl, Metalized??

Depends on how you read them!

 

[tenebrose]

If I don't like the lyrics, I generally don't like the song either. I tend to listen to the lyrics a lot, as well as the music.
A friend of mine, who was a guitarist back when metal was still young, tells me this is a feminine thing, listening to the lyrics, whereas males tend to be more focused around those cool guitar solos. ...although I must say there are quite a few solos I find myself humming in the middle of the day, but more than anything, I tend to be singing the lyrics.


And yes, quoting metal lyrics to girls can work. Ye olde folks used to recite poetry... modern guys recite metal lyrics. I've seen it done!

 

[mindflesh]

Originally posted by tenebrose
A friend of mine, who was a guitarist back when metal was still young, tells me this is a feminine thing, listening to the lyrics, whereas males tend to be more focused around those cool guitar solos.