Monday, February 22, 2016

The 00s in lyrics



a radio


In this feature, we're saluting some of the best songs of the '00s.  Looking back on the decade, we came up with 30 songs worthy of note.  We argued over each and everyone that made the final cut and over many more that didn't.  If you'd like to weigh in, our e-mail address is thethirdestatesundayreview@yahoo.com.

Here are our picks, and this is not in any particular order.





You think I'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Ha ah ah ah ah ah
--  Sade Adu, Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denman, Sade's "By Your Side"



Sometimes I love ya
Sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good
At times I feel used
Lovin you darlin'
Makes me so confused
-- Alicia Keys, "Fallin'"



Because we separate
Like ripples on a blank shore
In rainbows
Because we separate
The ripples on a black shore
-- Radiohead, "Reckoner"



The world awakens on the run
And will soon be earning
With hopes of better days to come
It's a morning yearning
-- Ben Harper, "Morning Yearning"



I've laid it out on paper
Instructions of what to do
As my mind begins to waver
Losing contact with you
Now it all begins
Or continues to
Spiral down
Spiral down
-- Michael Timmins, Cowboy Junkies' "Spiral Down"



Strong and wrong you win--
Only because
That's the way its always been.
Men love war!
That's what history' s for.
History...
A mass--murder mystery...
His story
-- Joni Mitchell, "Strong and Wrong"




Don't shoot me Santa Claus
I've been a clean living boy
I promise you
Did every little thing you asked me to
I can't believe the things I'm going through
-- Brandon Flowers, The Killers' "Don't Shoot Me Santa"



Say a little prayer till they all get home
Say a little prayer till they all get home
I knew when we woke up
You would be leaving
You knew when you left me
It might be too long
That kiss on your shoulder
It's me looking over
Close to your heart
So you're never alone
Say a little prayer till they all get home
Say a little prayer till they all get home
-- Melanie (Safka), "Till They All Get Home,"




There was a time when love wasn't chosen
now I'm just open for more
now I'm just reaching out for something better
that I had before, girl
there ain't a bottom line in your world
-- Maxwell, "Lifetime"



A grey day in February
Some flecks of white, but mostly brown
The world has tilted but
The world has expanded
And the world has turned
My world upside down
-- Carly Simon, "Scar"


I don't care for fancy things
Or to take part in the freshest wave
But to provide for mine who ask
I will with heart on my father's grave
-- Animal Collective, "My Girls"





I was just thinking about you
Wondering if you wear the same cologne
Smelled good
On you
Had the next boyfriend of mine try the same kind
But it stunk on him though.
You know what they say everything ain't for everybody.
But I tried anyway.
You sure did smell good.
-- Jill Scott, Darren Henson, Keith Pelzer, "Cross My Mind"



I heard about the trip.
I heard about your souvenirs.
I heard about the cool breeze in the cool nights
And the cool guys
That you spent them with.
I guess I should have heard of them from you
I guess I should have heard of them from you
-- Chris Carrabba, Dashboard Confessional's "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most"



So, like a ghost in the snow
I'm getting ready to go
'Cause baby, that's all I know -
How to open the door
And though the exit is crude
It saves me coming unglued
For when you're not in the mood
For the gloves and the canvas floor
-- Aimee Mann, "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart"



I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Window seat
-- Erykah Badu and James Poyser, "Window Seat"



I attack with love, pure bug beauty
I curl my lips and crawl up to you
I attack with love, pure bug beauty
I curl my lips and crawl up to you
-- Jeff Tweedy, Wilco's "Company In My Back"


I fell like water
In sweet gasps of hydrogen up
Into the sea over the Bikini Islands
And I dove into the liquid concrete of sweet silver lake
The liquid concrete of down by the river
And nobody knew my name
-- Rickie Lee Jones, "Nobody Knows My Name"



living these days is making me nervous
archaic doctrine no longer serve us
now we're left as silent witnesses
we don't know quite what this is
other than a war that can't be won
-- Ben Harper, "Both Sides of the Gun"



All my girls at the party
Look at that body
Shakin' that thing like you never did see
Got a nice package alright
Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight
-- Janet Jackson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, David Romani, Wayne Garfield, Mauro Malavasi, "All For You"



Then you drive all night
Sayin' what use is the night
When you can't sleep anyway
You might be tired
But the fact of the matter is
You're standing right in front of my face
You saved me
Saved me from hate
It's so close to love
No one's ever done anything like this
For me before
No one's ever drove for miles
To make me smile before
-- Joss Stone and Francis White, "Drive All Night"


While music pumps from passing cars
A couple watch me from a bar
A band just played the wedding march
And the corner store mends broken hearts
And a woman asks me for a dance
Oh it's free of charge, just one more chance
-- Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones' "Streets Of Love"



we're just
impostors
in this country you know
so we go along and we said
we'd fake it
feel better with
oliver stone
till i
almost smacked him -
seemed right that night and
i don't know what
takes hold
out there in the
desert cold
these guys think they must
try and just get over on us
-- Tori Amos, "A Sorta Fairytale"




He said Oh I'm going to buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
Oh and I'm going to buy this place, that's what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head
-- Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, Coldplay's "A Rush Of Blood To The Head"



Baby, I'm amazed
at how long I still believed
How many lies it takes
before someone like me sees
All the tears you cry
never can deny
that you make love a lie
All the tears you cry
they never can deny
that you make love a lie
-- Janis Ian, "All Those Promises"



Don't wanna hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell
And if I catch it comin' back my way
I'm gonna serve it to you
And that ain't what you want to hear
But that's what I'll do
-- Jack White, The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army"



It's only gonna be about a matter of time
Before you get loose and start loose your mind
Cop you a drink, go head and rock your ice
Cause we celebrating No More Drama in our life
With a great track pumpin', everybody's jumpin'
Goin ahead and twist your back and get your body bumpin'
I told you leave your situations at the door
So grab somebody and get your ass on the dance floor
-- Mary J. Blige, Andre Young, Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon, Michael Elizondo, "Family Affair"






Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go
But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun
I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done
-- Josh Ritter, "Girl In The War"



One, two, three!
My baby don't mess around
Cause she loves me so
This I know fo sho!
-- Andre 3000, Outkast's "Hey Ya!"



All the details of your mind you would tell me through the night
After we'd made love and the way was so open
Now you turn your back to me
As if we'd never spoken
But I still love you more than the first sunset
I swear I caught a shooting star the first time we met
So how could you ever
I know that I'll never
How could you ever, ever forget?
-- Carly Simon and David Saw, "How Could You Ever Forget"




And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man
And on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again
And when the night falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
-- Neil Young, "Living With War"