Songs that have great opening lines

I'm on a submarine mission for you, baby - Submission, Sex Pistols

 

"The bugger in the short sleeves f*#$@d my wife
Did it quick and split" Guts - John Cale

"Most of the day
We were at the machinery
In the dark sheds
That the seasons ignored.
I held the levers
That guided the signals to the radio
But the words I received
Random code, broken fragments from before."
The Belldog - Brian Eno

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In a river the color of lead
Immerse the baby's head
Wrap her up in the news of the world
Dump her on a doorstep, Girl
This night has opened my eyes
And I will never sleep again

The Smiths - This Night Has Opened My Eyes.

 

Well, I was born a blue melody
A little song, my mama sang to me
It was a blue melody
Sailing far away from me

Tim Buckley - Blue Melody, 1969 (Blue Afternoon, Straight Records)

 

"Fat man sittin' on a little stool, takes the money from my hand, while his eyes take a walk all over you."
Springsteen "Tunnel Of Love"

 

Sorry, but this is still the greatest opening line ever:

"I married a Martian
And boy, am I sorry".

 

'I've sucked a lot of cock to get where I am' by Regurgitator has got to be up there.

 

"I couldn't bribe a wino on what I used to make" - John Gorka, from "Land of the Bottom Line
"You're out of my mind, guess that makes two of us" - John Gorka from "Out of My Mind"
"Woke up on the wrong side of myself this morning" - Freddy Jones Band from "She Said"
"Common Cool he was a proud young fool in a kick-ass Walmart tie" - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer from "Ordinary Town"
"I used to love the mortician's daughter; we drew our hearts on the dusty coffin lids" - Freedy Johnston from "The Mortician's Daughter"

 

13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"
You're gonna wake up one morning as the sun greets the dawn.
You're gonna wake up one morning as the sun greets the dawn.
You're gonna look around in your mind, girl, you're gonna find that I'm gone.

Warren Zevon - "Excitable Boy"
Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best
Excitable boy, they all said
And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest
Excitable boy, they all said

 

"God, what a mess, on the ladder of success. You take one step and you miss the whole first rung."

The Replacements, Bastards of Young

 

Nick Lowe - "12 Step Program"


I'm on got a 12 step program
To quit you babe
I'm on got a 12 step program
To quit you baby
I'm tired of wining and pacing the floor
I ain't gonna do it no more
On a 12 step program to quit you babe

 

ABC - All Of My Heart
Once upon a time when we were friends,
I gave you my heart, the story ends.
No happy ever after, now we're friends.

ABBA - The Winner Takes It All
I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through,
Though it's hurting me, now it's history.
I've played all my cards and that's what you've done too,
Nothing more to say, no more ace to play.
The winner takes it all,
The loser standing small beside the victory, that's her destiny.

ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You
No more carefree laughter
Silence ever after
Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye.

Split Enz - Message To My Girl
I don't want to say "I love you"
That would give away too much.
Good to be detached and precious,
the only thing you feel is vicious.

Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
What have I got to do to make you love me
What have I got to do to make you care
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake to find that you're not there

Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life

Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring
I came across a cache of old photos
And invitations to teenage parties
"Dress in white" one said, with quotations
From someone's wife, a famous writer
In the nineteen-twenties
When you're young you find inspiration
In anyone who's ever gone
And opened up a closing door
She said: "We were never feeling bored

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Sometimes you're better off dead
There's gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head

Dusty Springfield - Just A Little Lovin'

Just a little lovin'
Early in the morning
Beats a cup of coffee
For starting off the day​

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Madonna - Like A Prayer
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home​

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Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Is this the real life?​

Is this just fantasy?​

Caught in a landslide,​

No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look into the skies and see...​

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There are lots of great lyrics out there. Words that paint a picture or put you in a place or time. These are just some of my favourites.
Steve

 

The first one that popped into my head was

"Holy smoke, a-land sakes alive, I never thought this could happen to me." - Elvis Presley, I Got Stung

 

"Whiskey Bottle.
Brand-new Car.
Oak Tree, you're in my Way."

-- That Smell, Lynyrd Skynyrd

I love it! It's like a decadent little haiku!

 

"Destroy your safe and happy lives, before it's too late"
Memphis Egypt, The Mekons

 

Grandpa pissed his pants again
He don't give a damn

 

"I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me..." -- John Lennon


"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" -- John Lennon


"One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces!" -- The Pink Floyd
.

 

"if you smile at me i will understand, because that something everybody everywhere does in the same language"

 

"you can't fool me I saw you when you came out"

"Gracie" by Ben Folds, about his daughter...

 

(A couple more):


"Anger, he smiles, tow'ring shiny metallic purple armour.
Queen jealousy, envy waits behind him.
Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground.
Blue are the life giving waters, taken for granted,
They quietly understand.
Once happy turquoise armies lay opposite ready,
But wonder why the fight is on.
But they're all, bold as love.
Yeah, they're all bold as love.
Yeah, they're all bold as love.
Just ask the Axis."

-- Jimi




(And a cheerful one for the Holiday Season):

"It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank..."

-- The Pogues
(Happy Christmas, Shane!)

 

I'll second that one.

Another favorite: The Kinks "David Watts":

"Fa fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa
Fa fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa
Fa fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa
Fa fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa."

 

Treat me like a fool
Treat me mean and cruel
But love me

 

Wen she said "Don't waste your words, they're just lies,"
I cried she was deaf.
And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes,
Then said, "What else you got left?"
It was then that I got up to leave
But she said, "Don't forget,
Everybody must give something back
For something they get."

Bob Dylan - 4th Time Around

 

First line from the first song on The Cure's album "Pornography":

It doesn't matter if we all die

 

I'd rather shoot a woman than a man

Big Star - O Dana