Bad Lyrics in Prog

Negoba wrote: There are 3 kinds of lyrics:   Lyrics that whose meaning is a driving force of the song, as in most folk / singer-songwriter   Lyrics that sound good but have little or no bearing on the song other than their sound. (Actually I would argue most of the music I listen to other than folk)   Lyrics that actually ruin the song.

This is really perfect. Unfortunately, Aryeon goes into the third.

I envy the people who can ignore the lyrics. But I just can't, especially when they are so easy to understand.

And to some of the people who asserted that lyrics, when it comes down to it, mean nothing. . . I have to really disagree. Lyrics are poetry, even if the lot is bad poetry (whatever "bad" poetry is).

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Oh please, Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven are pure cheese IMO.   Iván

Before GFTO, when Yes's lyrics were usually incomprehensible, they could also be intriguing. But I just cannot stand hippy preaching. "There's no doubt, NO DOUBT!" "You've got to want to succeed!" etc. etc. It makes me want to scream "No future for you!!!"

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Oh please, Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven are pure cheese IMO.   Iván

Even after all these years, I'm still asking myself, were Yes being tonge in cheek when they wrote 'Circus of Heaven' or had they become so divored from reality, through their stardom, and excusrions across topographic oceans, that they genuinely believed, they were penning something of merit?

If the latter, I am dissapointed.

Genesis also wrote some dire lyrics after Gabriel left. 'All in a mouses night' is laughable, and most of the 'And then there were three' album is awful, lyric wise.

Bad lyrics in Prog? That's almost redundant to me.

exitthelemming wrote: Is there worse out there in Progland

"Continents united
Against the common foe
The first and last occasion
But the fools would never know
Alpha and omega
The first-born and the last
The vast dome of Atlantis
Cracked and shuddered beneath the blast"

"all the world now join hands as one;
the first time since the world has begun"

There are of course some unwittingly comedic Spinal Tap moments in the Sabbath catalogue:
From the otherwise excellent 'War Pigs'

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses

Bravo Ozzy, what rhymes with masses better than erm...masses ?

Silly lyrics can be used well such as Gong's Radio Gnome Trilogy.  However, bands like Dream Theater (whom I don't like at all) have some of the cheesiest lyrics ever.  Cheesy w**kfest music too!  I have given them a chance too....heard every single album!

This is funny to me.

rpe9p wrote: I really dislike a lot of Spock's Beard's lyrics and I find that they detract from the music.  I am not a huge fan of their music anyway, but my friends who are say they love the lyrics, which I dont understand.

Neal Morse era has great lyrics, but their new stuff doesn't.

Trademark wrote: ^^ That was just a marketing ploy.  Wilson moved PT to  the Roadrunner label (the lonely teenage boy angst label) and he wrote an album that catered specifically to that market segment.  Derek Shulman should be drawn and quartered for Roadrunner, but for him it's all about making money now, he left the music waaaaay behind. One post u[ to Erpland's post