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Looking for an old song with a chorus that starts, "Dear John..."

stuehler — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:02:26 -0800

My Dad remembers a song he used to sing when he was a kid. The chorus, if his memory serves well, goes something like this: Dear John, I think the world of you, But I'm in love with someone new. I could marry one but I can't marry two, So farewell to you, dear John. I've included the complete song below. Anyway, I'm wondering if this was every sung by a famous or notable singer? Are there any notable recordings? Can anyone provide any more information about it? Many thanks in advance! Here's the complete song, as best as he remembers it:

I was to be wed to a redhead named Red,
But I had to go away.
To Red I was true and I thought she was too,
Til she wrote me this letter one day,

Chorus: Dear John, I think the world of you,
But I'm in love with someone new.
I could marry one but I can't marry two,
So farewell to you, dear John.

When sweet Leilani showed Hawaii to me,
I fell for her native charm.
"Give me something," said I, "to remember you by,"
And she carved this tattoo on my arm,

(Chorus)

In Paris I met a brunette named Yvette.
I called her my Sweet Cherie.
The wedding was set,but Yvette I regret
Sent the following letter to me:

(Chorus)

In Spain my amor was a girl matador;
The wedding was set for Spring.
My love it was full as she vanquished the bull;
Then she threw me this note from the ring,

(Chorus)

Now Hilda was Swiss and a muscular miss
From punching the holes in cheese.
I asked her to wed, but she yodeled instead,
And this message came down in the breeze,

(Chorus)

And now I'm with Sal, just a hillbilly gal;
She's ugly, she's fat, she's dumb.
She knows how to fight, but she ain't learned to write,
So I reckon no letter will come

Sorry mom.

goosechasing — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:47:39 -0800

Angry/intense/awesome/badass songs that prominently say motherfucker? I have Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) by YACHT and Wicked Games by The Weeknd. What else to put on the Motherfucking Playlist?

Identify this mid-90s hip-hop song?

Lorin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:14:37 -0800

I'm hoping someone can identify a mid-90s hip-hop track, which for a long time I assumed was by Thirstin Howl III, but now I'm not so sure. The only thing I recall, other than the rapper having what I would characterize as a laconic flow, is a line that rhymed Brooklyn Dodger with Joe Cocker. I distinctly remember the second part of this rhyme being delivered in a sing-song, "I la da da da da like Joe Cocker". (Literally la da da, not a placeholder for something I don't remember.) So, pretty specific right? Anyone?

What's your favorite old song to sing?

ictow — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:55:15 -0800

I like to sing traditional-styled songs to myself during my day. It helps me feel happy. I'd like to learn some new ones. The catch is I'm attracted to a specific subset of songs that I can't quite classify, so I'm having trouble finding new ones that really hook me. I like the songs that are very... bittersweet? Like, they demonstrate profound hope or love, but at the same time seem to understand how awful the world can be sometimes. Songs like Long Time Traveler (or more properly "White"), The Parting Glass, Peggy Gordon, Down In The River To Pray, etc. Do you know any songs that strike this chord? (They don't have to be Irish or American; as long as I can learn the words I'm excited about everything.)

Need great songs about listening!

razzman — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:49:22 -0800

A friend is organising an event about protecting children from child abuse. Most cases where a child dies from abuse or is significantly harmed show a lack of professionals actually listening to the child - this event is to encourage agencies working with these children to listen more and listen better. She needs music (for background, as people are arriving and in between speakers) with a message of listening and hearing. There's lots of promising song titles out there but most are obviously about lost loves. Can anybody recommend some great songs which may fit the bill? Bonus points for songs likely to be familiar in the UK!

Ubiquitous Romani folk lyrics: "Keren Chave"?

jackbishop — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:41:52 -0800

There's a set of lyrics which appears in several different Roma folk settings, sometimes reversed, and usually with similar but not identical tunes; AFAICT, the urtext is called "Keren Chave" or perhaps "Keren šavořale". I'm curious about its history and how it derived multiple variations, and whether there's a canonical order for the verses. So the lyrics which appear in various orders are (lyrics courtesy of this site, which seems to favor a Romanian-ish orthography; I know very little about the Romani language or the orthographic conventions of the Lovari dialect, so I'm taking these as reasonably accurate) given below; the first five appear in every setting, while the last seems a little less common.

Keren, šavořale, drom,
Te khêlel o phuro řom

Phuro řom te khêlela
biš taj jek džes malavla or amari voja kerja.

Duj, duj, dešuduj,
čumidav me lako muj.

Lako muj si rupuno,
puške trubula dino or taj o savo szomnakuno.

Amari si, amari,
amari cini bori.

Hoi, te merav
te na čačipan phenav!

So there are a number of different settings I've encountered these same lyrics -- often in different orders in several places. Some examples are Ando Drom's "Keren Chave", and a differently-styled recording of what is recognizably the same song by Kalyi Jag. Csókolom's recording of the same name has reordering of the verses. But there are places further afield where these lyrics pop up: Kanizsa Csillagai's "Naj laso mange" throws it in as bridge verses on a recognizably different song, and Besh o droM's "Tortapapír" uses it as a motif in a different work (in a different genre).

I know that the answers to any sort of question about folk music evolution might well boil down to "it's folk, it evolves", but I'm curious if anyone has details on the history and development of this piece.

Need hip hop/rap/pop songs or gangster references about $ or new shoes!

DorothySmith — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:16:01 -0800

It may sound silly, but I regularly pay a personal trainer via paypal and I like to have witty subject lines instead of the typical 'you've got money!' My trainer is hugely into hip hop, rap, basketball, fashion (typically basketball-esque attire and has an obscene amount of shoes to match most outfits). Other things I thought could be funny to include are references to chihuahua's (his girlfriend has an adorable chihuahua) weight lifting (obviously), handstands, fart/poo/childish types of jokes (he's a little kid and prankster at heart).

I'd like my paypal subject line to be something witty or clever including any of the above mentioned interests in addition to money. I was thinking some sort of rap/hip hop/pop song would be best and preferably from the late 1980s or early 1990s forward since we're both in our late twenties and might not get references or slang from before then. Or current popular songs that he's likely have heard.

Some of the more clever ones I’ve used:

- I've got enough money in the bank for the two of us. Plus I gotta keep enough lettuce. To support your shoe fetish (From Fergie's song lyrics, Glamorous)

- Wanna be ballers, shot-callers? It's all about the Benjamins (Robert Bordens) baby!

These were pretty amusing for him and I'm having trouble thinking of something to top them.

Some of the more generic hip hop references for money I’ve used already:
You've got:
- Moolah
- Cabbage
- Dough
- Bacon

I've also said:
- You've got a handful of benjamins and fifteen wagon wheels.
- You've got lettuce and a little bit of spinach.

What music should I try on Spotify?

jsturgill — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:39:39 -0800

What bands and albums should I listen to now that I'm finally able to stream almost anything ever made? Extended information as to my taste preferences inside. I like strings, particularly violin and cello, particularly in a rock or folk/southern/bluegrass context but also in modern compositions.

I like noisy music, such as the Velvet Underground and Neutral Milk Hotel.

I like grating vocals that are borderling a-musical but that very much work--the above two bands, the Decemberists, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Leonard Cohen, etc.

I like talk-singing, like in Mother Country by John Stewart and $87 and a Gulity Conscience by Richmond Fontaine.

I also like clear voices from talented singers, mostly often women. Joni Mitchell, for example, or the amazing Laura Gibson. It helps if they are strong lyricists.

I would love to find smaller bands, current or past, with interesting sounds and/or stories that I could get obsessive over, like Tim Hardin or Munly.

Pop song about a girl who apologizes to nerdy high school boy?

RandlePatrickMcMurphy — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:29:50 -0800

Songfilter: I heard this pop song in a mall a couple of months ago and its memoryworming me in a particularly annoying way. The singer addresses a nerdy/geeky boy she knew in high school and essentially apologizes for the bad treatment he got from her and her popular friends. (At least in my memory its a girl singing. Could be wrong.) Seems like it should be Taylor Swift or something but googling lyrics is killing me and everyone I know is too old to ask.

Lyric Filter

the christopher hundreds — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:56:06 -0800

I heard a song today with the lyrics "Sharon I'm standing in a phone box on the corner of the street/Sharon my money's running out" What was it?

Songs where the lyrics changed over the years

infinitewindow — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:45:37 -0800

Please help me with a list of popular songs in which the commonly accepted lyrics have changed over the years. Three examples off the top of my head:

"Lola" by the Kinks originally had "tastes just like Coca-Cola," but after the band changed them for legal reasons, the accepted lyrics became "tastes just like cherry cola."
"A Question of Time" by Depeche Mode has lyrics on record as "lift you up to bring you down," but in live performances Dave Gahan sings "mess you up to strip you down."
"Candle in the Wind" by Elton John: "Goodbye Norma Jean" versus "Goodbye England's rose."

I'd prefer to have examples where the original artist has incorporated the changed lyrics into their current performances, but I'll accept examples where a cover band has changed the lyrics as well (for instance, a recent "Boys of Summer" cover talking about "a Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac"). What I don't really want are examples where a song had protean lyrics until they were recorded and became "official," like "Daydream Believer" popularized by The Monkees or "The End" as recorded by The Doors.

Please give me a name to this song I just heard

Ber — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:12:05 -0800

I just heard this on the local NPR station. Lyrics were about the opening of the seven seals and in the chorus, the singer sings "I'm the Revelator, I'm the Apostle John." And no, the song was not John the Revelator. The singer was pretty gruff, on a level with Tom Waits but I don't think it was him. I did lyrics searches on Google and found only a dozen versions of "John the Revelator".

What are the (French) lyrics to this song?

Nabubrush — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:41:54 -0800

Can you help transcribe (I guess) a few lines of French from Lafayette Blues, by the White Stripes? Can you tell me what the missing lyrics are in the studio version of Lafayette Blues (YT link), by the White Stripes? I've taken the following lyrics from an online site, and they all seem pretty comparable as to what they have, but they're all missing the same sections. I've numbered the lines in case that will help. The lyrics were often changed when the song was performed live, but I'm looking for this specific version. Also, if you feel some of the words I have listed are in error, please do tell.

1 Marantette, Leverette
2 Lannette, Lafayette, Livernois
3 Labrosse, Louis, Mettetal
4 Rochelle, Marseilles
5 Riopelle, Manistique, Armour
6 ???
Oh, Oh, Mmmmm

Hey!

7 Mercier, Lemay
8 Tournier, Saliotte et Leroy
9 ???
10 Montlieu, Cadieux
11 Neveaux, Avenue en Detroit
12 ???
13 Well, I'm ready
14 I'm ready
15 I'm ready, ready, Teddy to
16 Rock and roll

Ohh

17 Lamphere, Belle Terre
18 Marseilles, Mettetal, et
19 Rouge, Le Blanc

My Google Fu has failed on this lyric

Ruki — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:15:24 -0800

I can't believe I'm wasting a question on this, but searching the internet has failed to give me a definitive answer. In the song Some Nights by Fun, which is the proper lyric? Is it "When I hear a song, it sounds like this one?" or "When I hear a song, it sounds like a swan?" I would very much like it to be the latter, but I cannot tell for sure, and looking up the lyrics online gives me both. Stupid late night ponderings! This is why I should not go on YouTube past my bedtime!

The Cumberland cannot WHAT?!

mister_kaupungister — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:02:58 -0800

Does anyone know exactly what Johnny Cash sings about "the Cumberland...." in his song "Southern Comfort"? In the Johnny Cash song "Southern Comfort" the protagonist settles in Nashville as a tobacco industry worker, and suffers from ill-health and heartbreak. In the second part of the song, according to various lyrics websites, he sings:

"Southern Comfort is killing me, the Cumberland cannot enhermit each bee."

See for example:
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858914177/

When I listen to the song this doesn't sound quite right to me, and I can't make sense that line anyway. I'm aware that the Cumberland is a river that flows through Kentucky and Tennessee, but "enhermit each bee"?

I would like to know: is this what Johnny Cash is singing here? If it isn't then what is he singing and if it is then what does it mean in the context of the song?

Dark and lovely songs

carolinaherrera — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:35:46 -0800

Looking for beautiful songs with good lyrics that evoke a feeling of violation, dark secrets, slow growing horror Sometimes I get into a mood where I want to hear music that makes me feel like something dark, awful, and hidden has happened, but calmly accepted.

Examples of songs that make me feel this way: Bon Iver's Blood Bank (there's something chilling about a song that starts with "I met you at the blood bank...") and Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street (about Anne Sexton's incestuous relationship with her father) or Elliott Smith or even Modest Mouse's "Float On".

Songs about damage, pain, secrets...that are beautiful and have a sort of knowing, accepting feeling. I find them cathartic.

Additional criteria:
- Not angry, loud, punk, metal, etc.
- Not whiny, crying, keening or grief-ridden songs. More of a calm acceptance of something dark. Peaceful, folk-ish, lovely.
- This is more about the beauty of the lyrics than the specific music, so Pandora and Spotify haven't been much help

Thank you!

...stepped? ...something ...seagulls?

KChasm — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:12:52 -0800

What are the lyrics to "Moth Wings" by Pond? I don't think there's a complete set of lyrics floating around on the internet, and even the incomplete versions don't agree with each other.

Great lullabies, terrible lyrics.

davebug — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 12:13:01 -0800

A friend told me his baby was soothed quickly & consistently by Neutral Milk Hotel's "Oh Comely", despite its seemingly wildly inappropriate lyrics. What other songs have worked well as baby lullabies despite their actual meaning? Just one example from the above song:
Your father made fetuses with flesh licking ladies,
While you and your mother were asleep in the trailer park.

I can sing the numbers bit with gusto, at least

KChasm — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:41:06 -0800

Could a discerning ear try to puzzle out the lyrics to "01-01-212" by the Vice Creems? They never made more than a couple of singles, so of course there isn't anything online. Still, the song's catchy.

Oh my lord I love this song; help me find it again!

ocherdraco — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:40:40 -0800

I just heard the most amazing song on a streaming radio station from France! The song was in English, but there was no identification, and googling the bits of lyrics I could understand got me nowhere. Can you help me figure it out? Lyrics bits: "J-E-S-U-S," various bits about loving your neighbor, "we needn't specify" (that, along with spelling out J-E-S-U-S, seemed to be the refrain), something about a recipe that involved chocolate. That's all I've got. The male singer had a very distinctive warbly voice that distorted the words so much that at first I didn't realize it was English, and there were other folks in the background (including one guy who shouted "Praise the Lord" at the end). The song was very upbeat and had lots of horns (yay! I love horns!). I heard it on FIP. I could not figure out how to find a playlist on their site; if you can, that would be helpful. (I'm listening via the link on their main page that says "Ecoutez le direct".)

Despite all the Jesus references, it did not strike me as a religious song, but rather a song referencing religious tropes in a non-religious way.

It is an incredible song and using my AskMe question for this is totally worth it.

Something to know, something to say

KChasm — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:35:01 -0800

What are the lyrics to "Tabby and Lucy" by Boston Spaceships? I believe it's off their final album "Let It Beard".

Name of this song/artist? (lyrics inside)

HonestAsian — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:34:19 -0800

Does someone know the name or artist of this song? (lyrics inside) So I was shopping at costco recently and was listening to their Able Planet Sound Clarity Active Noise Canceling Headphones, which were on display and able to be tested out. Anyhow they had a preset of 5 or so songs to sample the headphones and one of them caught my attention, but after googling the lyrics I have yet to find the title of the song or artist, so if someone could help me out I'd really appreciate it.
I dont think this a "mainstream" pop song as I've never heard it on the radio, the singer has a rocker type of voice but the in general had a low key almost reggae vibe, similar to the band 311.

Anyhow here are the lyrics that I was able to listen to, not sure if it started at the beginning of the song or not since they fade in and out on rotation.

Waiting on one wish... Waiting on one wish...

And so I sip, and make a wish, that this song will be sung for years,
So let it rid my mind of the time that grinds as we make our way down the road...

Never losing faith in what I have cause in the end it's all I've got,
I'm never going to stress myself out,
Living in that world of self doubt,

I know where to go... (but people are bringing me down)
Somewhere to go.... (get myself off the ground)

Off the ground, and never come down,
Got to keep on dreaming...

Egyptian Arabic Song Translation Needed....Haty Bosah Ya Bet

thatgirl1985 — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:40:34 -0800

What does this Egyptian Arabic song mean in English? Listen to the song here. Thanks! : )

I need music that says, "Make a move on me already!"

araisingirl — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:33:46 -0800

Songs that say--"hey, come and get it already!" I'm looking for songs with lyrics along the lines of telling someone to hurry up and make a move on you already.

I love alternative, hip-hop/rap, metal, classic rock. I love songs with female singers and would love sexy, "come and get it" type recommendations. Not a huge fan of pop music unless it is exceedingly well done. The song that always pops into my head for this is Weezer's "I Want You To," but I find it pretty annoying unfortunately.

Help us find the Whoa oh song!

SeeTheTurtle — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:21:09 -0800

Help me find this song! My wife and I have been trying to find a song we keep hearing in commercials and in Football stadiums, but can't figure out what it is. The main part of the song is a chorus singing "Whoa oh, whoa oh ohhh oh, woah oh ohhh oh, woah oh". My wife thinks there might be other words in the song too, but most of it is what's written there. We've heard in commercials recently, but can't remember which ones. We've also heard it being played at NFL Football stadium on TV usually as the broadcast is going to commercial. It's driving us crazy!