davesacre

makes perfect sense to me It's a hit in my book! I am going to be singing this at the bar tonight:)

And her brother is gonna be broke from all the dimes he's spending on coconuts and limes.

Well now that makes perfect sense. It's a tragic story about someone with a belly-ache, and it seems the lime and coconut prescribed by the doctor was not helping. She called the doctor in the morning, as suggested, and was told to try the lime and coconut again and call in the morning. So she did this again and received the same response from the doctor the next day. WHEN WILL IT END?

Absurdism and surrealism, of course, are not just writing whatever comes to the top of one's pointy little head. Hey, I'm sensitive about the point on my head! But otherwise, I agree with this. I am quite partial to Don B's story, The School. What I like most is that it takes some effort to pull meaning out of it, but even if you don't get the meaning, the images and the rhythm of the story are enjoyable in and of themselves. "And the trees all died." "It wouldn

Partially because I do not believe that "transparent" meanings or correct interpretations are possible, I exploit vagueness/ambiguity in my lyrics, and they're often more or less nonsensical. I'm also a big fan of absurdism, so that's another motivation. I do not see my job in writing lyrics like that as less work than if I were to write more conventional lyrics . . . although I also do not see "more work" as being indicative of aesthetic quality. I look at it as an awareness of providing "meaning potentials", rather than the illusion of transparently transferring some specific meaning. When I studied/practiced creative writing (primarily short fiction) in college, I went for absurdism. Don Barthelme was a big influence. I need to try to work this into my lyrics. Absurd situations and images with a meaning, but one that's open to interpretation...damn that's tasty! Observation over inference (or perception over judgment)...gorgeous! This conversation is making me hungry.

Allow me to modify (retract?) my statement. I typically prefer lyrics whose meaning does not immediately jump out at me. It can be because the lyrics are cryptic or because I cannot make out all the words without effort. If I cannot make out the words or meaning easily, I count it as a blessing and continue enjoying the music. There are still some musicians whose lyrics I love, and that adds to the experience of listening. But many otherwise great bands have been ruined, in my opinion, by bad lyrics. Maybe individual lines were good (and I will sometimes hold onto those), but the song as a whole was about something so trite that I couldn't listen to it anymore.

Similarly with poetry--the message is typically lost on me because I get lost in the rhythm. If a lyrics or stanza stands out, it is because it is either brilliant or stupid.

I prefer lyrics that make little or no sense. I like lyrics in other languages for similar reasons. If I can't understand it, then it's as though the vocals just blend in as another instrument. When I listen to music, I want to think about melodies, harmonies and rhythm. If I want to complicate things with words, I'll read a book. Just kidding...I don't actually read:)