Favorite Dr. Frank lyrics

[ChaddDerkins]

Matt asked me to cite some of my favorite Dr. Frank lyrics, and I'm having trouble narrowing it down, so i thought I'd recruit some of you guys to help me out!

For starters, I love this:

"Where will you be / When he's too good to be true? / You'll start all over with a brand new groupie / It will be a while / Before I know where I'll be / But when I'm there, then I'm there / Try to find me"

[Another Adam]

"She's Not a Flower" is an insanely well-written song.

She's not a flower
she isn't growing in your garden today
you couldn't cultivate her anyway
you're not a king bee
you like honey and you're packing a sting
but there really isn't such a thing
you're in flight, and she smells all right
but she's not a flower

She's not an ocean
that you're an island in the middle of
and there isn't any prison of love
you're not a freebird
hey you, up on that mountain peak
can't you hear what's coming out of your beak?
you can say you'll fly away
but you're not a freebird

Love's not a poison
you better find a better reason why
you feel like you want to die
a broke heart won't kill you
you might suffer till the end of your days
but that was gonna happen anyways
and even if the love you mourn
is equal to the love you scorn
and fortune mocks the love you gave
and someone lays her on your grave

she's not a flower

[Jesse]

C-I-N-G-U-L-A-R spells
FRUSTRATION
DAMNATION
That's why they say cingular wireless
rhymes with death
and devastation

[kelly lynn]

For once I've got no explaining to do, cause i don't know you now, and i don't have anything to show you now, except for all of these apologies that i don't owe you now.

(I think it's weird how much you don't want me to touch you, but i don't need you now!)

[Matt]

I was kinda hoping this discussion would continue in the lyrics thread. Anyway, thanks for posting these, d00ds. 

[Another Adam]

(I think it's weird how much you don't want me to touch you, but i don't need you now!)

Really- it's nothing personal.  I'm just not a very touchy-feely guy, and there might be some low-grade germophobia going on, as well.  I like you just fine, though, so please don't take it personally.

[ChaddDerkins]

"Jill" is such an honest, blunt and relatable relationship song too...

I'm still having some trouble tying up your loose ends
and I still see life through the same distorted lens
And I think I may have said some things about you in front of your friends
Well I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings
But these are not normally people with whom I have dealings
I still spend most of my time in silence, alone, starting at ceilings

* The "Jill"s at the end of each line omitted, for laziness' sake.  Insert them mentally.

[Matt]

Matt asked me to cite some of my favorite Dr. Frank lyrics, and I'm having trouble narrowing it down, so i thought I'd recruit some of you guys to help me out!

For starters, I love this:

"Where will you be / When he's too good to be true? / You'll start all over with a brand new groupie / It will be a while / Before I know where I'll be / But when I'm there, then I'm there / Try to find me"

First off, let me say that I'm not trying to be insulting of lyrics that you love, Chadd.  I hope you know that.  But I really do not like those lyrics.  Especially the usage of "groupie."  Ick.  And it seems like pretty well-worn lyrical territory as well.  Maybe it's just out of context.....

[kelly lynn]

I'm out, standin' in my field, and all i ever wanna do is just get PLOWED!

i love the out, standing/outstanding interchangeability there.

[Matt]

"She's Not a Flower" is an insanely well-written song.

I agree -- that is a well-written set of lyrics.

[SockhopShindig]

As life goes on, you get more and more out of it.
I get more out of it each day.

[Another Adam]

I agree -- that is a well-written set of lyrics.

I'm going to do my best today to be the most correct contributor to the board.

[Matt]

C-I-N-G-U-L-A-R spells
FRUSTRATION
DAMNATION
That's why they say cingular wireless
rhymes with death
and devastation

I think this is the sort of thing Lucas was referring to when he mentioned greeting card clever.

[ChaddDerkins]

First off, let me say that I'm not trying to be insulting of lyrics that you love, Chadd.  I hope you know that.  But I really do not like those lyrics.  Especially the usage of "groupie."  Ick.  And it seems like pretty well-worn lyrical territory as well.  Maybe it's just out of context.....

In many Dr. Frank songs, the thing that impresses me most is the structure rather than the content, if that makes sense.  The way non-obvious rhymes are created, things like that.  For example, in the lyrics above there are some interesting rhyme patterns... such as "It'll be a WHILE BE / fore I know where I'LL BE".  I find stuff like that impressive.  That's not even the best example, but do you get what I'm saying?  Some bands I like the lyrics for their structure, others for their content.  Dr. Frank leans more to the former.

[Jesse]

I think this is the sort of thing Lucas was referring to when he mentioned greeting card clever.

Somehow I doubt the cingular representative he was singing to on the phone shared that point of view, but I can see where Lucas is coming from.

[kelly lynn]

In many Dr. Frank songs, the thing that impresses me most is the structure rather than the content, if that makes sense.  The way non-obvious rhymes are created, things like that.  For example, in the lyrics above there are some interesting rhyme patterns... such as "It'll be a WHILE BE / fore I know where I'LL BE".  I find stuff like that impressive.  That's not even the best example, but do you get what I'm saying?  Some bands I like the lyrics for their structure, others for their content.  Dr. Frank leans more to the former.

well-said.

[Matt]

In many Dr. Frank songs, the thing that impresses me most is the structure rather than the content, if that makes sense.  The way non-obvious rhymes are created, things like that.  For example, in the lyrics above there are some interesting rhyme patterns... such as "It'll be a WHILE BE / fore I know where I'LL BE".  I find stuff like that impressive.  That's not even the best example, but do you get what I'm saying?  Some bands I like the lyrics for their structure, others for their content.  Dr. Frank leans more to the former.

And that's totally cool, Chadd.  I see what you're saying.  There is a lot of overlap in the things we love -- this just seems to be one of the areas where we diverge a bit 

[ChaddDerkins]

this just seems to be one of the areas where we diverge a bit 

Dr. Frank specifically, or what I said about lyrics in a  more general sense?

[Matt]

Dr. Frank specifically, or what I said about lyrics in a  more general sense?

Specifically the structure of the lyrics you mentioned, but in general, I guess that that sort of thing isn't something that impresses me.

I apologize if I'm coming off as the arbiter of correctness here.

[JimJerseyBeat]

Cole Porter, eat your heart out...

funny, self-deprecating, dead-on true to life, catchy as fuck, awesome internal rhyme schemes...

Let me introduce you to our dumb little band
you might find it hard to understand--
we've got a show even though we know no one's gonna go

we'll crank our second-hand Marshall Stacks' dumb little knobs
we're paying for them with our dumb little jobs
the guy at the bar says he thinks we're okay
we kind of remind him of Green Day
but it's a dumb little band and there's not much to say
maybe we'll see you when we play in some big empty room one day
we do a record every year that nobody's gonna hear or understand -- a dumb little band.

Every year we self destruct a bit
we break up when the drummer quits
we talk him into doing one more show
and them the bass-player quits and we break up again
we don't know how to be regular guys
or what to do with our dumb little lives w
e don't have anything to prove
we'll be in trouble if we ever do

cause it's a dumb little band
but we travel through the land
we unpack all our stuff from our dumb little van
we play some songs and then
we pack it up again
hand in hand -- a dumb little band
not exactly in demand.

Our friends are all busy with their own affairs
becoming punk rock millionaires
they're taping their live album at the Hollywood Bowl
we're taping our flyers to the telephone pole
it's a dumb little band and nobody knows
why we keep having shows even though nobody goes
we keep rolling along playing our dumb little songs
hand in hand -- a dumb little band...

[ChaddDerkins]

Specifically the structure of the lyrics you mentioned, but in general, I guess that that sort of thing isn't something that impresses me.

I apologize if I'm coming off as the arbiter of correctness here.

Nah, to each his own.  Dr. Frank is one of the few lyricists (outside of the hip hop genre) who impresses me in that specific way.  For the most part I seem to enjoy lyrics for the same reason you do.

One of the best things lyrics can do, in my opinion, is present an idea that's completely relatable, but expressed in a new and interesting way... that maybe adds some kind of extra insight.

[Matt]

Cole Porter, eat your heart out...

funny, self-deprecating, dead-on true to life, catchy as fuck, awesome internal rhyme schemes...

Let me introduce you to our dumb little band...

Okay, I realize I'm being a sourpuss here (sorry, drinks on me tomorrow) -- but I really do not like those lyrics.

[Chad]

In "She's Not a Flower", I especially like the double entendre of the "...and someone lays her on your grave" part.

[SockhopShindig]

You're like a cute little religion
with rewards and punishments.
And I try to follow you
though you never really make much sense

Hey hey ho ho you're impossible baby
too unlikely to be true
I don't believe in anything
but I have faith in you

[ChaddDerkins]

Okay, I realize I'm being a sourpuss here (sorry, drinks on me tomorrow) -- but I really do not like those lyrics.

Why the hell are you sorry for not liking lyrics that I like?  I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to "convert" you or something, man.  I just enjoy talking about lyrics, so that's really all I was doing.  Presenting some ideas about the different ways in which lyrics can be appreciated.

The fact that you offered to buy me a drink because you don't like the same Dr. Frank lyrics I like is so adorable that I want to kiss you.  But dude it's not necessary!!  Maybe if you said that about my lyrics...