Nominations for Best Written Song of All Time

[_Dr. Shades]

...beautiful and tear-jerking ballad about a group of siblings' earnest desire to adopt a cat, ...

OMG, I almost died laughing when I read that.

So you've heard the song, then (as opposed to just reading the lyrics) . . . right?

Since everyone else is posting lyrics--instead of just linking to them--do you think I should do the same for that song?

[_RockSlider]

John Prine ... pick most any one ... sample follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nd6fgL- ... re=related

Neil Young ... once again, pick most any one ... sample follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36sesl7D ... re=related

The emotion of this preformance is excellent (and I love female vocals)

Sugarland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_xevk4d4eQ

[_William Schryver]

Another song that has factored significantly in the soundtrack of my life is the Eagles' Pretty Maids All in a Row. Ironically enough (and this is because I really have never been a huge Joe Walsh fan) it is another Joe Walsh song. In an interview, I once heard him say that this was the single song of his career of which he was the most proud. Here's a link to a youtube version of it (not extremely high audio quality):

Pretty Maids All in a Row

Hi there, how are you
It's been a long time
Seems like we've come a long way
My but we learn so slow
And heroes they come and they go
And leave us behind
As if we're supposed to know why ...

Why do we give up our hearts to the past
And why must we grow up so fast

And all you wishing-well fools with your fortunes
Someone should send you a rose
With love from a friend
It's nice to hear from you again
And the storybook comes to a close
Gone are the ribbons and bows
Things to remember
Places to go
Pretty maids all in a row

[_William Schryver]

Another song (don't know if it's among the "best written" of all time) that has been consistently playing in my stereos for the past two years (and is now also in my live-performance repertoire) is Steve Earle's Ashes to Ashes. Three chords and the truth. Nothing more.

Anyway, there's no video link on youtube, but there is a lower-quality audio-only version:

Ashes to Ashes

A long time ago before the ice and the snow
There were giants that walked this land
With each step they took, the mighty mountains shook
And the trees took a knee and the seas rolled in
Then one day they say the sky gave way
And death rained down, it made a terrible sound
There was fire everywhere and nothin' was spared
That walked on the land or flew through the air
And when it all was over
The slate wiped clean with a touch
There God stood and he saw it was good
And said "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"

Then the sea gave birth and it crawled up on the dirt
And stood up and took a look around
Said "I'm the next big thing and the gift that I bring
Comes directly from God, so there ain't no holdin' me down"
So he crowned himself king
Now no one remembers his name
But the seed that he sowed took the show on the road
There was blood on their hands and a plague on the land
They drew a line in the sand and made their last stand
They said "God made us in his image
And it's in God that we trust"
When asked about the men that had died by their hands
They said "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"

Now, nobody lives forever
Nothin' stands the test of time
Oh, you heard 'em say "never say never"
But it's always best to keep it in mind
That every tower ever built tumbles
No matter how strong, no matter how tall
Someday even great walls will crumble
And every idol ever raised falls
Someday even man's best laid plans
Will lie twisted and covered in rust
We've done all that we can but it slipped through our hands
And it's ashes to ashes and dust to dust

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[_Seven]

Led Zeppelin
Going to California

[The Stig]

My single favorite singer-songwriter of my lifetime is probably a guy by the name of James McMurtry, the son of the famous author, Larry McMurtry. I consider him the finest populist lyricist of my generation, somewhat along the lines of Dylan and Cohen, but with an eye for things that appeals very much to my sensibilities. I have been given to understand that he is pretty much the long-standing senior statesman of the Austin music scene, but he has a large following all around the country (and world). I have seen him live several times; he's quite well-known and always well-received in Salt Lake City and Phoenix, the two metro areas where I have spent the majority of my adult life. I would have difficulty picking his "best" song, since it's his body of work that makes him so great, but the following song is certainly representative. His striking imagery and eye for subtle details in the human condition are, to me, unique in the folk/rock/Americana genre.

Rachel’s Song
- James McMurtry

Must be a cold front coming
'Cause I saw the east-bound C&O
The coal cars were dusted
With a half-inch of snow

And that boy'll drive me crazy
Don’t know what I'll do with him
School'll be out tomorrow
If that cold front comes in

Callin' out
To the dying daylight
With the shadows of the mountains
Bringin' on the night

The old folks like to whisper
He favors your side in his face
And when he gets a little older
He's gonna lead a merry chase

And I'm all alone, it's alright
Isn't gonna wound my pride
If anyone can claim they're alright
So can I

I wrecked the El Camino
Woulda been DWI
So I just went off and left it
Layin' on its side

The troopers found it in the morning
And they said it's purely luck I wasn't killed
I probably oughta quit my drinking
But I don't believe I will

And I'm all alone, it's alright
Isn't gonna wound my pride
If anyone can claim they're alright
So can I
So can I

He used to ask about you
About a million times a day
I got so tired of tryin’ to answer
I just turned my head away

Now he don't pay me much attention
He's not askin' any more
I guess he'd probably know you
If you walked back in the door

Callin' out
To the empty night
Watching as the snowflakes
Come dancing round the light

Dancing up against the window
It’s like they're peeking through the glass
They hover for a moment
Then they fall on past

Callin' out …

[_Gazelam]

Seven,

One of the best renditions of Led Zeppelins Going to California was performed by a band called Never The Bride. Its done with piano and vocals only with a somewhat new arrangement. this video plays it, with a bit of annoying echo from the live format.

Link

[_William Schryver]

I just thought of another song that I would put in the top 100 of my favorite songs ever. It’s by Tracy Chapman, whose debut album contained several excellent tunes. My favorite is If Not Now.

If Not Now

If not now, then when?
If not today, then why make your promises?
A love declared for days to come
Is as good as none.

You can wait 'til morning comes
You can wait for the new day
You can wait and lose this heart
You can wait and soon be sorry

‘Cause if not now, then when?
If not today, then why make your promises?
A love declared for days to come
Is as good as none.

Now love's the only thing that's free
We must take it where it's found
Pretty soon it may be costly

If not now, what then?
We all must live our lives
Always feeling
Always thinking
The moment has arrived.

If not now, then when?

[_Gazelam]

Three Wooden Crosses

A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher,
Ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.
One's headed for vacation, one for higher education,
An' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.
That driver never ever saw the stop sign.
An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

That farmer left a harvest, a home and eighty acres,
The faith an' love for growin' things in his young son's heart.
An' that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children:
Did her best to give 'em all a better start.
An' that preacher whispered: "Can't you see the Promised Land?"
As he laid his blood-stained Bible in that hooker's hand.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday.
As he held that blood-stained Bible up,
For all of us to see.
He said: "Bless the farmer, and the teacher, an' the preacher;
"Who gave this Bible to my mamma,
"Who read it to me."

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, now I guess we know.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway.

[_Seven]

Seven,

One of the best renditions of Led Zeppelins Going to California was performed by a band called Never The Bride. Its done with piano and vocals only with a somewhat new arrangement. this video plays it, with a bit of annoying echo from the live format.

Link

Hi Gazelam,
Did they release a studio cover of it? I had a friend make me a cassette tape many years ago and he put a very similar version of this song on it. She sounds like the same person, with that Janice Joplin sound to her voice.