ADVERTISEMENT

Some songs defy time and trends, and they become these masterpieces that have a cultural value bigger than the music itself. Think of Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Beatles… the list is endless.

But if you listen to, for example, “What A Wonderful World,” you’ll soon realize it’s not the melody, the voice, the composition that’s captivating, it’s also the lyrics that stick out. Simple words often carry great meanings, and no wonder they are quoted time and again throughout history.

On the other end, there are lyrics that do exactly the opposite—point out the obvious, often hilariously absurd no-brainers that make you wonder what on earth the artist was thinking. In fact, there’s even a whole Twitter page, ‘Lyric Cards,’ dedicated to lyrics from songs that sound completely made up.

Scroll down below to see the funniest examples shared on this page with almost 500K followers and after you’re done, be sure to check out part 1 of the article.

More info: Twitter | Instagram

It seems like some songs stick with us for years to come, so we can easily hum a refrain even when woken in the middle of night, while others just come and go without leaving a mark. This may be almost a philosophical quest into the art of music-making, and I guess whoever finds the answer to it will be a millionaire.

The closest we get to the core of it is probably the work of the legendary pop songwriter and record producer Max Martin, who created mega-hits for Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, or Ed Sheeran, to name just a few. Britney’s “Baby One More Time” and The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” are among his works, and they stand out for catchy melody, unmistakable style, and weirdly appealing lyrics.

ADVERTISEMENT

So in order to find out how important lyrics are to a song, we spoke with singer and songwriter Vaida Baranove, for pop aficionados better known by her stage name Alice Way. “Lyrics are the heart of a song. Sometimes one fascinating line is enough to keep you coming back to a piece of music over and over again,” Vaida said.

She continued: “The greatest songwriters manage to fit an entire story in 3-4 minutes and make that story feel relatable to millions, no matter how specific it is. For example, Bob Dylan or Lou Reed told very specific and personal stories and yet the entire world felt exactly what they were all about. That’s the magic of songwriting.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“There’s a great piece of advice many writers and lyricists hear quite often: if you can live without writing—do it,” Vaida said and added it’s because it’s a hard path. “It’s a very old-school approach, I know it, but I think it’s still relevant.”

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the Lithuania-based songwriter, it’s not possible to write a great song with crappy lyrics. “It may be memorable, may even become a hit, but it won't make a long-term impact. For a song to remain alive for a very long time, it must keep being played long past its initial release stage, so, at least for over a year or two.”

#10

Funny-Lyric-Post

lyricshitposts Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Speakin' of peanuts, you know what else is bad for squirrels? Ecstasy is the worst drug in the world. If someone ever offers it to you, don't do it." It's an anti-drug song, putting kids doing drugs in the context of poisoning squirrels.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Vaida explained that “nowadays, when many songwriters rely on 'success formulas' and the entire craft is reduced to creating a great hook, songs have really short lifespans. Meanwhile, find someone who cannot sing 'Rocketman' by Elton John? It was written in 1972. It’s still very much alive.”

Having said that, Vaida confirmed that there are musicians who still write great lyrics, like Lana del Rey, Damien Rice, John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Roo Panes, Lorde, and Adele. “Some of these artists are enormous pop stars but still manage to keep their lyrics strong, relatable, and poetic, and are appreciated by music lovers and critics alike.”

ADVERTISEMENT
#14

Funny-Lyric-Post

lyricshitposts Report

Add photo comments
POST
stevecampitelli65 avatar
SCamp
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeh, but this song is a parody. Doesnt belong in the same list as Kanye West’s written-in-earnest gumph

View more commentsArrow down menu

On the other hand, Vaida believes that “there are way too many ‘formula’ songs that have a very specific goal: money. They stay on the radio for a while and disappear into oblivion. Of course, if your songwriting pays your bills—lucky you.” She added that it shouldn’t be the main goal or at least not the only goal. “It’s easy to romanticize art and maybe I’m doing that a little bit. But you want a song to move you, simple as that.” Vaida concluded that even fantastic artists sometimes write horrible lines.

See Also on Bored Panda
#18

Funny-Lyric-Post

lyricshitposts Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The end of the sentence is missing. The sentence is "I haven't slept since I woke up And found my whole life was a lie".

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#30

Funny-Lyric-Post

lyricshitposts Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

FFS, are you kidding me? The line is "My son is the one thing I hate to be apart from"!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 67 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.