Because I'm Bored...

…and trying to avoid the most yawnariffic work in existence (i.e. cleaning up the negligent messes of past RMs and actually creating records of old customers), I'm going to put together a short catalogue of song lyrics that I love.

Why? As they say in South Indian parlance: "Simbly." (R, that's for you. Be good and I might spell 'Mississippi' next).

1. "And it's been a while since I could look at myself straight,
And it's been a while since I said I'm sorry.
And it's been a while since I've seen the way the candles light your face
And it's been a while…but I can still remember just the way you taste…"

No prizes for guessing: "It's Been A While" by Staind. I love that this is one of the most evocative songs I've heard - deals out a good dose of profanity and still conveys a lot of the helplessness and frustration of love.

2. "On the streets where you live, girls talk about their social lives -
They're made of lipstick, plastic and paint;
A touch of sable in their eyes."

I don't actually know why I like the opening lines to Bon Jovi's "Runaway". I think as a kid, the words made me think of Barbie (who used to freak me out), but even though the words are supposed to be more bleak, I always ended up picturing a gaggle of happy, giggling girls. Bah, brain.

3. "The dawn is breaking;
A light shining through…
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you."

Come on, how can anyone not love Howie Day's "Collide"? I think there's something in me that responds to lyrics that refer to the simple sensuality in relationships, anything mentioning touch, smell, taste…or, you know, could be I'm a total sap (but ssshhh, that's supposed to be a secret!). And seriously, the part where he sings "I somehow find you and I collide"….sigh.

4. "She is everything and more:
The solemn hypnotic.
My Dahlia, bathed in possession
She is home to me."

What is it about rock/metal bands that are capable of penning the most vivid love songs? Slipknot's "Vermilion" is, in R's opinion, one of the most perfect break-up songs (no doubt due to the plaintive refrain "I won't let this build up inside of me"), but I think it's the perfect I-love-her-with-such-intensity-I've-been-locked-up-a-rubber-room-with-a-straitjacket song.

5. "The miles just keep rolling as the people leave their way to say hello.
I've heard this life is overrated, but I hope that it gets better as we go."

Okay, 3 Doors Down is always solid gold, but "Here Without You" is unarguably one of their best songs. Sweet, simple, sad = perfect. If I had time, I’d put down the lyrics for "Landing in London", "When I'm Gone", "Let Me Go" and "Kryptonite" too.

6. "Take me to your heart, feel me in your bones;
Just one more night and I'm coming off this long and winding road."

The Limp Bizkit medley of "Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony" is one of the most relaxing songs I can think of, mainly because I doubt Fred Durst's voice has ever sounded more mellow or hypnotic. And boy, can I relate when he sings "My heart's like an open book for the whole world to read; sometimes it's nothing that keeps me together at the seams."

7. "I feel just like I'm sinking, and I claw for solid ground;
Pulled down by the undertow: never thought I could feel so low."

Sarah McLachlan's "Full of Grace" has the inexplicable ability to reduce me to tears when I'm in my PMS-induced emo stage. But, to be fair, that's when I listen to all her songs: "Angel", "Adia", "Fear", "Building a Mystery" and "Silence" have been time-of-the-month favourites since I hit puberty. No, I don't know why; but I will admit that's when I also listen to Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and Jewel.

8. "Baby I've been here before; I've seen this room and I've walked this floor -
I used to live alone before I knew ya.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch, but love is not a victory march -
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."

It may seem blasphemous to most, but I prefer Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" to Leonard Cohen's. I don't know whether that's because Buckley's voice sounds more tortured or because the video I saw was picturised on the season 1 finale of The O.C. (yes, yes, I'm a hopeless child), but either way - the words to this song never fail to send a shiver down my spine.

Lord, there are so many more that should be on this list. Alanis Morisette's "Forgive Me, Love" and "Ironic", Tori Amos's "Love Song" and "Winter", everything by Metallica, Aerosmith, Matchbox 20, Creed, Sade, Guns N' Roses, newer stuff like "Hey There, Delilah" by the Plain White T's and older stuff like "Unforgettable" by Dean Martin….way, way too many. I'd have to devote an entire blog to that!

What are your favourites?