Songs that tell a story II

LEAVE THE BOURBON ON THE SHELF

Shakin' like the Devil when she lets me go
Got a new place, and how it's so much better
Falling over myself, the televisions' on,
I turn it off and smile
Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried
Before you say goodbye

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I love you endlessly,
Darling don't you see I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you tight
Give me one more chance tonight
And I swear I'll make it right
But you ain't got time for this
And that wreckin' bell is ringin'
And I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you

Jennifer, tell me where I stand
And who's that boy holdin' your hand?
Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried
Before you say goodbye

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I never liked your hair or those people that you lie with
But I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you tight
And I love you endlessly,
Darling don't you see I can't be satisfied
Until I hold you tight

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I love you endlessly,
Darling don't you see
I'm not satisfied



MIDNIGHT SHOW

I know what you want
I want to take you a midnight show tonight
If you can keep a secret
I got a blanket in the back seat of my mind
And a little place that sits beneath the sky
She turned her face to speak
But no-one heard her cry

I drive faster, boy
I drive faster, boy

I know there's a hope
There's too many people trying to help me cope
You got a real short skirt
I want to look up, look up, look up, yeah yeah

We were just in time
Let me take a little more off your mind
There's something in my head
Somewhere in the back said
We were just a good thing
We were such a good thing

Make it go away without a word
But promise me you'll stay
Fix these things I've heard
Oh make it go away!

I drive faster, boy
I drive faster, boy

Oh crashing time can't hide a guilty girl
With jealous hearts that start with blossom curls
I took my baby's breath beneath the chandelier
Of stars in atmosphere
And watch her disappear
Into the midnight show

Oh faster, faster, faster
Oh no no no no no
If you keep a secret
Well baby, I can keep a secret
If you keep a secret


JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE

We took a walk that night, but it wasn't the same
We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go
She couldn't scream while I held her close
I swore I'd never let her go
Tell me what you wanna know
Oh come on, oh come on, oh come on
There ain't no motive for this crime
Jenny was a friend of mine
So come on, oh come on, oh come on

I know my rights, I've been here all day and it's time
For me to go, so let me know if it's alright
I just can't take this, I swear I told you the truth
She couldn't scream while I held her close
I swore I'd never let her go

Tell me what you wanna know
Oh come on, oh come on, oh come on
And then you whisper in my ear
I know what you're doing here
So come on, oh come on, oh come on
There ain't no motive for this crime
Jenny was a friend of mine
Oh come on, oh come on, oh come on

Song Fact: These three songs are part of what The Killers call their "Murder Trilogy"

STEALING CINDERELLA

I came to see her daddy
For a sit down man to man
It wasn't any secret
I'd be asking for her hand

I guess that's why he left me waiting
In the living room by myself
With at least a dozen pictures of her
Sitting on a shelf

Playing Cinderella
She was riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed
And looking for a pillow fight

Running through the sprinkler
With a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad
Looking up at him

In her eyes I'm Prince Charming
But to him I'm just some fella
Riding in and stealing Cinderella

I leaned in towards those pictures
To get a better look at one
When I heard a voice behind me say
"Now, ain't she something, son?"

I said, "Yes, she quite a woman"
And he just stared at me
Then I realized that in his eyes
[ From: www.elyrics.net/read/c/chuck-wicks-lyrics/stealing-cinderella-lyrics.html ]
She would always be

Playing Cinderella
Riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed
And looking for a pillow fight

Running through the sprinkler
With a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad
Looking up at him

In her eyes I'm Prince Charming
But to him I'm just some fella
Riding in and stealing Cinderella

Oh he slapped me on the shoulder
Then he called her in the room
When she threw her arms around him
That's when I could see it too

She was playing Cinderella
Riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed
And looking for a pillow fight

Running through the sprinklers
With a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad
Looking up at him

If he gives me a hard time
I can't blame the fella
I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella

Song Facts: N/A

BUDDHA FOR MARY

A simple fear to wash you away
An open mind canceled it today
A silent song that's in your words
A different taste that's in your mind

This is the life on mars

Mary was a different girl
Had a thing for astronauts
Mary was the type of girl
She always liked to play a lot
Mary was a holy girl
Father whet her appetite
Mary was the type of girl
She always liked to fall apart

Tell me did you see her face
Tell me did you smell her taste
Tell me what’s the difference
Don’t they all just look the same inside?
Buddha for Mary, Here it comes

Mary was an acrobat
But still she couldn’t seem to breathe
Mary was becoming everything she didn’t want to be
Mary would hallucinate
And see the sky upon the wall
Mary was the type of girl
She always liked to fly

Tell me did you see her face
Tell me did you smell her taste
Tell me what’s the difference
Don’t they all just look the same inside?
Buddha for Mary, Here it comes
Buddha for Mary, Here it comes

This is the life on mars

He said, "Can you hear me, are you sleeping?"
She said, "Will you rape me now?"
He said, "Leave the politics to mad men"
She said, "I believe your lies"
He said, "There’s a paradise beneath me"
She said, "Am I supposed to bleed?"
He said, "You better pray to Jesus"
She said, "I don’t believe in god"

Mary was a different girl
Had a thing for astronauts
Mary was the type of girl
She always liked to play a lot
Mary was a holy girl
Father whet her appetite
Mary was the type of girl
She always liked to fall apart

Buddha for Mary, here it comes

Song Fact: . Lead singer Jared Leto has refused to comment on the meaning of the song apart from mentioning that "Buddha for Mary" is not about a specific person, it's "definitely a metaphor," Jared said.
Many fans have tried to interpret the song with some saying that it is about a woman who was raped, a woman who is addicted to drugs and others see the song as a confliction of religions

FIFTEEN

You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
You say "Hi" to your friends you ain't seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody's way
It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
"You know I haven't seen you around, before"

'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen
Feeling like there nothing to figure out
Well count to ten, take it in
This is life before you know who you're gonna be
Fifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail
And soon enough you're best friends
Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool
We'll be out of here as soon as we can
And then you're on your very first date and hes got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And you're mommas waiting up and you think hes the one
And you're dancing round your room when the night ends
When the night ends

'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
When you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin round but
In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy of the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now
Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine

And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy
Who changed his mind and we both cried

'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall
Ive found that time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen

La la la la la .. la la la la la .. La la la la la

Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through those doors.

Song Facts: Swift told The Los Angeles Times October 26, 2008 that for most of their time in high school, the two friends thought of themselves as ugly ducklings. She explained: "We kind of came to the conclusion in ninth grade that we were never going to be popular, so we should just stick together and have fun and not take ourselves too seriously. That's why I had so much fun in high school, because I didn't focus too much on the fact that I wasn't really in the clique."

NIGHTMARE

Nightmare!
(Now your nightmare comes to life)

Dragged ya down below
Down to the devil's show
To be his guest forever
Peace of mind is less than never
Hate to twist your mind
But God ain't on your side
An old acquaintance severed
Burn the world your last endeavor

Flesh is burning
You can smell it in the air
Cause men like you have
Such an easy soul to steal (steal)
So stand in line while
They ink numbers in your head
You're now a slave
Until the end of time here
Nothing stops the madness,
Turning, haunting, yearning
Pull the trigger

You should have known
The price of evil
And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah
Ooh, it's your F****** nightmare

(While your nightmare comes to life)

Can't wake up in sweat
'Cause it ain't over yet
Still dancing with your demons
Victim of your own creation
Beyond the will to fight
Where all that's wrong is right
Where hate don't need a reason
Loathing self-assassination

You've been lied to
Just to rape you of your sight
And now they have the nerve
To tell you how to feel (feel)
So sedated as they
Medicate your brain
And while you slowly
Go insane they tell ya
"Given with the best intentions
Help you with your complications"


Fight (fight)
Not to fail (fail)
Not to fall (fall)
Or you'll end up like the others
Die (die)
Die again (die)
Drenched in sin (sin)
With no respect for another

Oh

Down (down)
Feel the fire (fire)
Feel the hate (hate)
Your pain is what we desire
Lost (lost)
Hit the wall (wall)
Watch you crawl (crawl)
Such a replaceable liar

And I know you hear their voices
Cold into the bone
And I know they may seem real
These signals of love
But our life's made up of choices
Some without appeal
They took for granted your soul
And it's ours now to steal

(As your nightmare comes to life)

Song Facts: N/A

MISS MURDER

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?

Whoa-oh-ohh

With just a look they shook
And heavens bowed before him.
Simply a look can break your heart.
The stars that pierce the sky;
He left them all behind.
We’re left to wonder why
He left us all behind.

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?
Whoa-oh-ohh
(ohh)

Dreams of his crash won’t pass
Oh, how they all adored him
Beauty will last when spiraled down.
The stars that mystify
He left them all behind.
And how his children cried
He left us all behind.

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?
Whoa-oh-ohh

What's the hook, the twist
Within this verbose mystery?
I would gladly bet my life upon it.
That the ghost you love, your ray of light
Will fizzle out without hope.
We're the empty set just floating through, wrapped in skin
Ever searching for what we were promised.
Reaching for that golden ring we'd never let go,
but who would ever let us put put our filthy hands upon it?

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?
Whoa-oh-ohh

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?
Whoa-oh-ohh

Song Facts: "Miss Murder" is about lead singer Davey Havok and his internal struggle with fame and adoration. One side of him fears the fall from grace that is sure to come and yet another part wishes to walk away from it all.

DANCING IN THE DARK

Silicon, saline, poison inject me
Baby, I’m a free bitch
I’m a free bitch

Some girls won’t dance to the beat of the track
She won’t walk away
But she won’t look back
She looks good
But her boyfriend says she’s a mess
She’s a mess
She’s a mess
Now the girl is stressed
She’s a mess
She’s a mess
She’s a mess
She’s a mess
(Tellem’, girls)

Baby loves to dance in the dark
‘Cuz when he’s lookin’
She falls apart
Baby loves to dance in the dark (Tellem’, girls)

Run run
Her kiss is a vampire grin
The moon lights her way while she’s howlin’ at him
She looks good
But her boyfriend says she’s a tramp
She’s a tramp
She’s a vamp
But she still does her dance
She’s a tramp
She’s a vamp
But she still kills the dance
(Tellem’, girls)

Baby loves to dance in the dark
‘Cuz when he’s lookin’
www.elyricsworld.com/dancing_in_the_dark_lyrics_lady_gaga.html
She falls apart
Baby loves to dance in the dark (Tellem’, girls)
In the dark
She loves to dance in the dark
In the dark
She loves, she loves to dance in the dark

Marilyn
Judy
Sylvia
Tellem’ how you feel girls!

Work your blonde (Jean) Benet Ramsey
We’ll haunt like liberace
Find your freedom in the music
Find your jesus
Find your kubrick
You will never fall apart
Diana, you’re still in our hearts
Never let you fall apart
Together we’ll dance in the dark

Baby loves to dance in the dark
‘Cuz when he’s lookin’
She falls apart
Baby loves to dance in the dark

Song Facts: Gaga said about the song: "I guess all of these new things entering my life are changing the way I view my purpose, but that song in particular is about me wanting to live -- but also, the song isn't called 'Dance in the Light.' I'm not a gospel singer trying to cross people over. What I'm saying is, 'I get it. I feel you, I feel the same way, and it's OK.'"
It is also stated that this song is viewed as female empowerment.

DELILAH

I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind

She was my woman
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind

My, my, my, Delilah
Why? Why? Why Delilah?

I could see that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free

At break of day when that man drove away, I was waiting
I cross the street to her house and she opened the door

She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

My, my, my Delilah
Why? Why? Why Delilah?

So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah, I just couldn't take any more

She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

My, my, my, Delilah
Why? Why? Why Delilah?

So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah, I just couldn't take any more
Forgive me Delilah, I just couldn't take any more

Song Facts: Lyricist Barry Mason was asked in an interview with the International Songwriters Association's Songwriter magazine whether he was often inspired by a theme when writing songs. Mason replied: "Normally, it would be a line, especially a title line, that would be the inspiration for me. For 'Delilah,' I was inspired by 'Jezebel,' the old Frankie Laine hit. I used to love 'story songs' when I was a kid. I did a thing called 'Drive Safely Darlin.'"

BRING BACK THAT LEROY BROWN

Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta ring that Leroy Brown Yeah!

Bet your bottom dollar bill you're a playboy Yeah Yeah!
Daddy cool with a ninety dollar smile (oooh Yeah)
Took my money out of gratitude, and he git right out of town
Well I gotta getty up steady up shoot him down
Gotta hit that latitude babe
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back bring back gotta ring that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Big bad Leroy Brown he got no common sense
No no he got no brains but he sure gotta lot of style
Can't stand no more in this here jail, I gotta rid myself of this sentence
Gotta get out of the heat step into the shade, Gotta get me there dead or alive babe
Woooh woooh big bad Leroy, Woooh woooh woooh woooh
Big bad Leroy Brown
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back bring back gotta bring back Leroy Brown Yeah!

Big mama Lulu Belle she had a nervous breakdown
She had a nervous breakdown, Leroy's taken her honey chile away
But she met him down at the station (woooh woooh)
Put a shotgun to his head and unless I be mistaken
This is what she said

Big bad big boy big bad Leroy Brown
I'm gonna get that cutie pie
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!

Big bad caused a mighty fine sensation Yeah Yeah!
Gone and got himself elected President
We want Leroy for President
Next time (you gotta hit a bitty baddy weather)
This time (like a shimmy shammy leather)
He's a big boy bad boy Leroy
I don't care where you get him from
Bring that big bad Leroy back
Want him back

Song Facts: This song was inspired by the song Big Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce who was one of Freddie Mercury's inspirations.

RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED


I can see her now
Dancing around, her drink in hand
All her baggage in tow
I just want to forget and let go
Of all the joy, all of the pain
I took your guilt and placed it into me
And now I kiss it goodbye
Our last dance ended fatall

Who's sleeping on my side of the bed tonight?
Have you ever cried so hard?
Baby you just died

There she goes again
Another masquerade in false circumstance
She'll f*** you just for the taste
I just wish I could replace all the memories
Of what makes my blood run cold
And as your blood flows through me
I say goodbye to what we had

She came and went
I gnawed through my lip
Makeup smeared in her eyes
Each sob's a reason to say goodbye.
Sometimes when you're holding on
You'll never see the light

With flowers in her hair
I gazed upon with dead lovers eyes
She never looked so good
And I never felt so right

Song Facts: N/A

MAN DOWN

I didn't mean to end his life
I know it wasn't right
I can't even sleep at night
Can't get it off my mind
I need to get out of sight
Before I end up behind bars

What started out as a simple altercation
Turned into a real sticky situation
Me just thinking on the time that I'm facing
Makes me wanna cry

Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
Could've been somebody's son
And I took his heart when
I pulled out that gun

Rum pum pum rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum
Man Down
Rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum
Man Down

Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd
Oh Why Oh Why
Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station

It's a 22
I Call her Peggy Sue
When she fits right down in my shoes
What do you expect me to do
If you're playing me for a fool
I will lose my cool
And reach for my fire arm

I didn't mean to lay him down
But it's too late to turn back now
Don't know what I was thinking
Now he's no longer living
So I'm bout to leave town

Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
Could've been somebody's son
And I took his heart when
I pulled out that gun

Rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum
Man Down
Rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum
Man Down

Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd
Oh Why Oh Why
Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station

Look I never thought I'd do it
Never thought I'd do it
Never thought I'd do it
Oh gosh
What ever happened to me
Ever happened to me
Ever happened to me
Why did I pull the trigger
Pull the trigger pull the trigger BOOM
And end a nigga end a niggas life so soon
When mi pull the trigger pull the trigger pull it pon you
Somebody tell me what I'm gonna what I'm gonna do

Rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bum
Mi say wah man down (A weh mi say)
Rum bum bum bum rum bum bum bumm rum bum bum bum
When mi went downtown

Cause now I am a criminal criminal criminal
Oh lord a mercy now I am a criminal
Man Down
Tell the judge please gimme minimal
Run out a town none a dem cah see mi now

Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd
Oh Why Oh Why
Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station

Song Facts: Rihanna told Spin magazine they shouldn't be taken literally. "The song is about breaking a man's heart," she explained. "It's a very cleverly written song and what I love about it is that it's not a lyric you'd normally hear a female singing."

PARADISE

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.

And dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

She dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

So lying underneath those stormy skies.
She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I know the sun must set to rise.

This could be para- para- paradise

Song Facts: Chris Martin said of the song "Paradise is about a girl really, the female half of the album, just about being a bit lost in the world and escaping through fantasy."