What are Your Favourite Neil Young Lyrics?

When all the waters gone, the feeling lingers on....

Four dead in Ohio.....

 

How many years now together
All those years of ups and downs
So many joys raising up those kids
They've moved on now out of town

So many times she tried
So many times she cried

Every morning comes the sun
And it goes rising to the day
Holding onto what they've done

She loves him so
She loves him so
She loves him so
She does what she has to

She loves him so
Sheeeee loves him so
She loves him so
She does what she needs to

[Solo]

In a Ramada Inn near the grapevine
They stop to rest for the night
Travelling down south looking for good times
Visiting old friends feels (light, right, nice?)

People they haven't seen in forever
Since high school, Santa Fe times
The restaurant food and the bottle
They had a few drinks
Now they are feeling fine

Every morning comes the sun
And it goes rising to the day
Holding on to what they've done

He loves her so
He loves her so
He loves her so
He does what he has to

He loves her so
He loves her so
He loves her so
He does what he needs to

[Solo]

Seem like lately things are changing
Seems like lately things are going south
A few drinks now and she hardly knows him
He just looks way and shuts out

And when she says "it's time to do something"
Maybe talk to his old friends who gave it up
He just pours himself another tall one
Closes his eyes and says "that's enough"

Every morning comes the sun
And it goes rising to the day
Holding on to what they've done

She loves him so
She loves him so
She loves him so
She does what she has to

He loves her so
He loves her so
He loves her so
He does what he needs to

[Solo]

Every morning comes the sun
And it goes rising to the day
Holding onto what they've done

He loves her so
He loves her so
He loves her so
He does what he needs to

She loves him so
She loves him so
She loves him so
She does what she has to

 

I'm not present
I'm a drug
that makes you dream
I'm an aerostar
I'm a cutlass supreme
In the wrong lane
Trying to turn
against the flow
I'm the ocean
I'm the giant undertow

 

Well, I keep gettin' younger
My life's been funny that way
Before I ever learned to talk
I forgot what to say
I sassed back to my mom
I sassed back to my teacher
I got thrown out of Bible school
For sassin' back at the preacher
Then I grew up to be a fireman
Put out every fire in town
Put out anything smokin'
But when I put the hose down
The judge sent me to prison
He gave me life without parole
Wish I never put the hose down
Wish I never got old.

 

Maybe the Beach Boys
Have got you now
With those waves
Singing "Caroline No"
Rolling down
That empty ocean road
Gettin' to the surf on time

 

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

 

Why do I keep ****ing up

 

What is the colour when black is burned

 

roads stretch out like healthy veins and wild gift horses strain the reins where even Richard Nixon has got soul

now smog might turn to stars someday

I heard a perfect echo die into an anonymous wall of digital sound somewhere deep inside of my soul

someday you'll find everything you're looking for

 

Great song, I like the sound of those lyrics, but this and a lot of other Neil Young songs don't really make much sense. Nothing wrong with that, could say that about most rock artists, and After the Gold Rush is one of my favorite albums, but he's not really one of my favorite lyricists.

 

Powderfinger is a terrific song but not sure I agree that's a great lyric. Certainly it works well within the context of the tune, but as a stand-alone statement there's nothing going on there aside from a young man announcing he's seen an approaching boat.

Perhaps I'm missing something though. Curious why you consider that a great lyric.

 

I will stay with you if you'll stay with me said the fiddler to the drum, and we'll keep good time on a journey through the past

 

When you see me fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go
It's over

 

Sure enough they'll be selling stuff when the moon begins to rise. Pretty bad when you're dealing with the man and the light shines in your eyes.

 

Reading the initial posts I noted many come from "On the Beach". No surprise,
it's one of Young's best. Love his Springfield material too. "Sleeps with Angels"
is probably his best of The '90s.

 

There you stood on the edge of your feather
Expecting to fly
While I laughed I wondered whether
I could wave goodbye

Knowin' that you'd gone
By the summer it was healing
We had said "Goodbye"
All the years we'd spent with feeling
Ended with a cry

Babe, ended with a cry
Babe, ended with a cry

I tried so hard to stand
As I stumbled and fell to the ground
So hard to laugh as I fumbled
And reached for the love I found

Knowin' it was gone
If I never lived without you
Now you know I'd die
If I never said "I loved you"
Now you know I'd try

Babe, now you know I'd try
Babe, now you know I'd try, babe

 

See the losers in the best bars, Meet the winners in the dives

 

Revolution Blues. Simply put, chilling!

 

Purple words on a grey background
To be a woman and to be turned down

I had a friend going through tough times in high school, and she always wore a grey jacket with a purple school letter on it. How Neil knew, I'll never understand This lyric transports me to that time instantly. Music as time machine.

 

Ordinary people.
They're gonna bring
the good things back.
Nose-to-the stone people.
Put the business back on track.
Ordinary people,
I got faith in the regular kind.
Hard workin' people.
Patch-of-ground people.

Though most days I don't share Neil's optimism, I love the lyric. Great last verse for an epic tune.

 

From Psychedelic Pill, Walk Like a Giant. Great album.

Me and some of my friends
We were gonna save the world
We were trying to make it better
We were ready to save the world
But then the weather changed
And the white got stained
And it fell apart
And it breaks my heart

 

"Sedan Delivery." Maybe not his best, but certainly his funniest.