Favorite JoCo lyrics/lines
I love Jonathan Coulton music. Obviously. I'm posting this here, right? One of the reasons is that he writes some really good, touching lines. Oh, and some amazing funny lines, too. I thought it would be nice to share some of our favorite lyrics from the sizable Coulton Catalog.
Here are the ones that made me think of starting this here topic:
from Make You Cry (I'm never quite sure whether to be really sad or really creeped out by the song):
I know you care, you just don't care for me
And from Glasses (such a good song):
House shifts into place
A little breathing space
The radiators and the floorboards will argue while we sleep
A little breathing space
The radiators and the floorboards will argue while we sleep
What are your favorites?
Comments
Maybe I used too many monkeys.
Much rather wake up, eat a coffee cake, take bath, take nap.
They are ugly and small and not tasty at all
They are lobsters in nothing but name
And plenty of other examples I could list.
There are two JoCo songs with lyrics that I love on a non-humorous level. The first is Nobody Loves You Like Me. The entire song is haunting in ways I don't think I've ever experienced in any other song, but I'd say the one line that resonates more than any other is...
I'm supposed to feel bad, but I don't anymore.
Only when you remind me.
The 2nd comes from the somewhat recently discovered Always The Moon. I love the entire mythos of the song and the way the metaphors apply to the relationship, but the last verse is easily my favorite part of the song.
Remember when there was a you and me
When there was such a thing as gravity
And the tides came in and the tides went out again
But the water got too high
And the sun began to die
And I tried to make you stay
But the world pulled you away
And now there are darker longer colder nights
And the sun has gone for good
And so here we are
But there is always the moon
Finally, an honorable mention to the first JoCo lyric that ever made me laugh my ass off.
Code Monkey think maybe manager want to write god damned login page himself.
GUYS PICKING FAVORITES IS HARD!
"As they turn to go, you can forgive for they know not what they do.
The world belongs to you"
Fraud
"What's the over under of getting it done without always regretting it?"
Sucker Punch and Sticking It To Myself are treasure troves of wordplay! I'm honored to have butchered the later on stage at JCCC3.
You will note I have a soft spot for Artificial Heart songs.
As far as his older songs, I do remember "Dings Dong" fondly from the JCCC1 performance of Over There.
Sad ones:
"What if the best that I can be just isn't good enough? Isn't it better not to know?"
"It's too late to say I'm sorry, anyway it's not true"
"And I forgive them. I forgive and I let go"
"Still no one notices when they write me out of it"
* "I don't think I want to be a good dog anymore"
Deep ones:
"There's something deep inside of you that still wants out and shame on you if you don't set it free"
"Picks up one life, puts another one down" (I love the idea behind that)
"You're afraid whatever choice you make won't be exactly the right mistake"
"Days will be clear and sunny. We're going to need more money. Baby, you know it's funny, all those stories coming true" (Pretty much that whole song, really)
Funny ones:
"And you know I'll make room for your shit because..."
"And their stupid insistence on scanning my iris when they know damn well who I am"
"Not everybody's good, but everyone tries"
"You know I love my soylent green"
"Code Monkey think maybe manager want to write god damned login page himself"
"Got to keep the Canadians down"
"Grass below you, sky above. Celebrate spring with a crazy little thing called... Fucking outside" (I love that it's set up to rhyme with love and there's a little pause there)
"This bad coffee's filling me with equal parts joy and rage"
"And I am still sort of amazed that you can be born in the nineties"
"I'm practically signing it, the song that tears the world apart"
"All I know is the steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pill"
"As if there where apartments smaller than mine"
"You're one bad ass fucking fractal"
"My monkey's not the only one who's acting like a jerk"
"Now that you're here I don't seem that crazy do I?"
"The hidden blade when you pretend that you don't even know my name. Well played"
"I'm not a monster, Tom, well technically I am. I guess I am"
"Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you?"
"For the good of all of us except the ones who are dead"
"Look at me still talking when there's science to do"
"She'll look the same except for her bionic eyes. She lost the real ones in the robot wars" (LOL, oops)
"Remember when you tried to kill me twice?"
* This is about the saddest line I've ever heard in a song. It actually will make me cry. I can't get over the thought of someone basically being told that to be "good" they must do something to hurt themselves. You know, for the greater good. This line is that moment when they realize that the ones they were doing it for, the ones they wanted to be good for, don't care about their well being at all. It's heartbreaking.
Dawn breaks hard and falls on me
The world's so bright and beautiful I have to look away
Oh yeah, and:
Now these points of data make a beautiful line
and we're out of beta, we're releasing on time.
and a whole lot of the rhymes from Mandelbrot Set, and:
Summer's over
Because it has to be
I'm still trying to decide on a favourite line or set of lines from When You Go.
I took the collar off
I'm holding my own leash
And walking myself outside
This door
I don't think
I want to be a good dog anymore.
I may well be the only person for whom these lyrics are deeply, personally relevant.
"Let them think what they like, we're fine. I will always be right here next to you"
"All of this time I knew that I'd be losing you. That doesn't mean that it's OK; that doesn't mean I'm ready."
"And when my heart is breaking I can close my eyes and it's already here"
"Maybe I am better off alone because I crush everything"
"I can't wait to watch you bleed when your heart's broken too"
"But there's a spiraling staircase that you're falling down and you're nothing but dead at the bottom"
"Well it won't mean half as much to me if I don't have you here"
"Johnny C.'s in trouble"
"So they got the witch a dress, put some make-up on her face"
"I don't like to make political statements..."
"I'm sorry I said Ikea sucks--I just bought a table for 60 bucks"
"Good thing that he's not gay anymore"
"All I know is the wine lasts longer when you don't gotta share it with someone"
"In the morning you head into town cause you want to go antiquing"
"I use the passive voice to show how gentle I'll be"
"Ladies please, there's room for everyone who wants a try"
"But there's nowhere she can hide when a crazy cyborg wants to make you his robot bride"
"How do you wash a giant baby? Especially when he poops."
"Beige bear says that some monkeys misbehave only because they're sad..."
"With big warm fuzzy secret heart"
"It doesn't mean my monkey doesn't love you"