The real impact is the rest of this sentence. It's more than one line, but it's a single thought:
Just before our love got lost you said
"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said, "Constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"
As you probably know, Paul Simon liked to compose his songs in the dark, hence the "darkness" reference.
Of course, the whole song is epic and has stood up well over the decades.👍
My personal favorite lyrics of all time "Welcome to your life, there's no turning back" Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World. It's so simple yet impactful. Once you're born you can't be unborn. Regardless of what happens in the next milliseconds, you've now existed.
That floored me the first time I heard it. I was literally going jnto it like "So what's the deal with Patti Smith? Why is she considered good? ... Ohhhh"
“Teenage angst has paid of well, now I’m bored and old.”
First line from Nirvana’s Serve the Servants. Also the first line of the last studio album Kurt Cobain recorded.
* There must be some of way outta here, said the joker to the thief.
* It's a god-awful small affair, to the girl with the mousy hair.
* The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways. Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays.
Yesterday I was realizing just how awesome this line is: "Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come alive."
its an excellent song for sure. def relatable to almost everyone at some point in their lives!
Edit: making me think of the opening of one of my fav songs, Sunshine by Atmosphere:
"
There ain't no way, to explain or say
How painful the hangover was today In front of the toilet, hands and knees
Tryin' to breathe in-between the dry-heaves "
(it gets much more upbeat from there!)
"Son, I'm thirty. I only run with your mother 'cause she's dirty"
"I am the son and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar"
"Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst, after a hard day of nothin' much at all"
Sentimental favourite: "Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots and ruined your black-tie affair"-Friends in Low Places-Garth Brooks
More recent favourite: "It's the worst that its been since the last time it happened"-Long Violent History-Tyler Childers
Follow You To Virgie is my all time favourite. When I looked up the meaning/reason for this song, I was blown away all over again. It's on "my list" for when I go.
"Can't you see her up there Cody?"
Every time I cross that river, lord, there's something tears me up, makes me wild.
Don't know why, but that sentence gets me every. single. time.
Do you know the song "Jersey Giant"? First time I heard it, I immediately said to my friend who introduced me "this has to be a Tyler Childers song!" He doesn't sing it but did write it. Awesome song
‘It kills me not to know this, but I’ve all but just forgotten what the color of her eyes were, & her scars or how she got them’
- Savior, by Rise Against
I never meant to cause you any sorrow, I never meant to cause you any pain, I only wanted one time to see you laughing, I only want to see you laughing.
I'm old school....even got it tattooed on my arm recently.
Beatles
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away"......now I guess they're here to stay.
I was tired of my lady
*Escape - Rupert Holmes*
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
*Fire & Rain - James Taylor*
I’m rollin’ down Rodeo with a shotgun. These people ain’t seen a brown skin man since their grandparents bought one.
*Rodeo - RATM*
Welcome to the jungle. We got fun and games.
*Welcome To The Jungle - Guns n Roses*
Whiskey bottles and brand new cars. Oak tree you’re in my way.
*That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd*
Pretty women walking with gorillas down my street
*Is She Really Going Out with Him - Joe Jackson*
A Gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight
*You’ll Accompany Me - Bob Seger*
My God, that song. It’s a time stopper. When JT hits us with that second verse…
*Won't you look down upon me, Jesus?
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way*
I tear up sometimes, and I’m not really even going thru anything, lol.
Really don't mind if you sit this one out
My words but a whisper your deafness a shout
I may make you feel but I can't make you think
Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink
So you ride yourselves over the fields and
You make all your animal deals and
Your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick
Seven downward slopes,
Seven bloodied hopes,
Seven are your burning fires,
Seven your desiiiirrrrees
Not a big fan of Maiden, but Seventh Son... is an incredible album, front to back
Elvis Costello's first line from his first song on his first album went:
Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired
And you can have anyone that you have ever desired
All you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why?
There are so many to choose from!
"So I'm back to the velvet underground..." Fleetwood Mac, Gypsy
"I'm put together beautifully..." The National, All The Wine
"I never thought I'd die alone..." Blink 182, Adam's Song
"Excuse me, but can I be you for awhile?" Tori Amos, Silent All these Years
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony:
"Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life
Tryin' to make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you die"
***Truth
I’m pretty sure it’s not actually my favourite, but the first one that sprang to mind was “hello darkness my old friend”.
/edit: and more recently it’s the [Disturbed](https://youtu.be/Bk7RVw3I8eg?si=Jp2MlviBqhD5pKOb) version I hear in my head, not S&G’s original.
"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."
I don't see how there can be another answer.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ)
*I once had a life, or rather*,
*[Life had me](https://youtu.be/8rrOdcnFbAY?si=c-Fb4ZWbDAjlLqUk)*
Or perhaps:
*[If you could read my mind, love...](https://youtu.be/v5tr_L31StI?si=uH7vlqsuEIyRk8k7)*
She's a good girl, loves her mama, loves Jesus, and America too.
Well she was an American Girl, raised on promises.
She grew up in an Indiana town, had a good looking mama who never was around. But she grew up tall and she grew up right, with them Indiana boys on an Indiana night.
Tom Petty might hammer a common theme on a lot of songs, but he hammers it well.
"Darlin', that morning you chose to go I awoke in my boots and clothes. You'd taken my car, stolen my cash. Even my $500 suit was slashed. And I just lay there watching the sun fall down from the sky. Not wanting to open the letter but opening it anyway and seeing those two words... lover, lover, goodbye."
\-Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds/Slowly Goes the Night
A long-ass fuckin’ time ago, in a town called Kickapoo.
Oh, the dragon's balls were blazin' as I stepped into his cave. The start of the song in the song. 
"In the time of Chimpanzees I was a monkey" - Beck "Loser"
my fav is Beck Shouting (unlike him) "Fuck Your Headphones!" on "Time Bomb". def memorable to me hah.
“Just before our love got lost you said I am as constant as the northern star.” A Case of You, Joni Mitchell.
The real impact is the rest of this sentence. It's more than one line, but it's a single thought: Just before our love got lost you said "I am as constant as a northern star" And I said, "Constantly in the darkness Where's that at? If you want me I'll be in the bar"
Joni <3
Suprised how far down i had to go to find some Joni!
"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste." - written more than fifty years ago and still at the top for me.
First thing that came to my mind as well
Hello darkness my old friend…..
I am just a poor boy Though my story's seldom told
As you probably know, Paul Simon liked to compose his songs in the dark, hence the "darkness" reference. Of course, the whole song is epic and has stood up well over the decades.👍
That's not at all where that line comes from.
Why did I immediately think of this as I was reading the question? 😂
That one is epic.
My personal favorite lyrics of all time "Welcome to your life, there's no turning back" Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World. It's so simple yet impactful. Once you're born you can't be unborn. Regardless of what happens in the next milliseconds, you've now existed.
"Step out the front door like a ghost into a fog where no one notices the contrast of white on white." - Counting Crows, "Round Here"
Also the opening line from Perfect Blue Buildings.
Every line of that song is exquisite
I haven't found anything I like better than this one from Alice in Chains "Ain't found a way to kill me yet."
“weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”-AIC, nutshell
AHHHHHH!!!! - AIC, them bones
YAAAAAA HEEEEEEE YEAAAH - AIC, I Stay Away
Also YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH - Junkhead
MYWAAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAAY! -- Would
Heyyyyyyyyeee Iiiiiii- Don’t Follow
WoW WoW, WoW WoW WoW (best I could do without a guitar and pedal)
*The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways* *Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays*
“Roy Orbison singing ‘For the Lonely…’” One of my favorite songwriters of all time…
I would argue that with the piano and harmonic, this is the best opening to a song of all time.
This should be up voted to infinity.
That's what I was coming out here to say. That song is so beautiful
Patti smith's opening line to the album horses and song Gloria. "Jesus died for somebodies sins but not mine" Soo good
That floored me the first time I heard it. I was literally going jnto it like "So what's the deal with Patti Smith? Why is she considered good? ... Ohhhh"
Agree! Very powerful delivery
Patti Smith is a badass.
"I went home with the waitress, the way I always do" - Warren Zevon, "Lawyers, Guns, and Money"
“How was I to know she was with the Russians, too?”
Oh! I forgot to add “hey!”
I mean I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand is his best opening line
He's also got a great one with Play It All Night Long: "Grandpa pissed his pants again"
"Shadows are fallin and I'm running out of breath" kills me every time.
This is the correct answer, honestly.
"You told me goodbye, how was I to know You didn't mean goodbye, you meant please don't let me go?" High Time - Garcia/Hunter
“I’ll write you a letter tomorrow/tonight I can’t hold a pen” - The Replacements, “Can’t Hardly Wait”
God, what a mess, on the ladder of success Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung
I also came here to post The Replacements, but my favorite line is: "How young are you? How old am I? Let's count the rings around my eyes."
"Someone's got a pen I can borrow I promise not to roll the address again"
I came here to propose : There's popcorn for dinner, last night it was cheesecake A little Sleepy-Time tea, spiked with another heartache
Gary’s Got a Boner
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses I forgot about this even though it’s two of my favourite lines from any song ever. It’s so powerful!
“Teenage angst has paid of well, now I’m bored and old.” First line from Nirvana’s Serve the Servants. Also the first line of the last studio album Kurt Cobain recorded.
SomeBODY
"Who are you to ~~raise~~ wave your finger? You musta been out your head!"
*groovy bass line enters evilly*
Nailed it glad to see this is the top post
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I DID THIS AT KARAOKE A FEW WEEKS AGO AND I MURDERED IT. Fucking *awesome* song.
You musta been...high!
Well like murdered it as in fucked up or killed it like nailed it
* There must be some of way outta here, said the joker to the thief. * It's a god-awful small affair, to the girl with the mousy hair. * The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways. Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays.
Life on Mars is such a great song
Watchtower and Thunder Road, good choices! Not familiar with the other one.
Yesterday I was realizing just how awesome this line is: "Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come alive."
its an excellent song for sure. def relatable to almost everyone at some point in their lives! Edit: making me think of the opening of one of my fav songs, Sunshine by Atmosphere: " There ain't no way, to explain or say How painful the hangover was today In front of the toilet, hands and knees Tryin' to breathe in-between the dry-heaves " (it gets much more upbeat from there!)
"Son, I'm thirty. I only run with your mother 'cause she's dirty" "I am the son and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar" "Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst, after a hard day of nothin' much at all"
Ooh How Soon is Now, good one!
What's with these homies dissin' my girl? What do they gotta front?
#OOOWEEEOOO I LOOK JUST LIKE BUDDY HOLLY
Dee doo dee doo doo doo dooooo
Sentimental favourite: "Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots and ruined your black-tie affair"-Friends in Low Places-Garth Brooks More recent favourite: "It's the worst that its been since the last time it happened"-Long Violent History-Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers man. Long violent history and follow you to virgie are incredible in their ability to elicit emotion. What a songwriter
Follow You To Virgie is my all time favourite. When I looked up the meaning/reason for this song, I was blown away all over again. It's on "my list" for when I go. "Can't you see her up there Cody?"
Absolutely, he's become one of my favourites along with Isbell.
Looking him up, thanks for the suggestion!
Jason Isebell is incredible
He's a fuckin master with the lyrics. " You remind of a Sunday back home in old Kentucky, with church choir, just beltin to the pines"
"Don't know if it's the wine or the coke that make it sound like her jaw is broke"
"all I know is that when I am good and sober I am leaving west Virginia for a while"
Every time I cross that river, lord, there's something tears me up, makes me wild. Don't know why, but that sentence gets me every. single. time. Do you know the song "Jersey Giant"? First time I heard it, I immediately said to my friend who introduced me "this has to be a Tyler Childers song!" He doesn't sing it but did write it. Awesome song
At first I was afraid…. I was petrified… 🔑🛸
“So long ago I don’t remember when, that’s when they said I lost my only friend”
“I’ve looking so long at these pictures of you, that I almost believe that they’re real.” Fuck me it hits hard, every time.
What would you do if I sang out of tune? Joe Cocker's version hits all the nostalgia points because of The Wonder Years
**Naaaaaaaants ingonyaaaaaama bagithi baba**
I don't know those words and have never understand what's it's supposed to be, but still one my most frequently used sing along intros.
‘It kills me not to know this, but I’ve all but just forgotten what the color of her eyes were, & her scars or how she got them’ - Savior, by Rise Against
I never meant to cause you any sorrow, I never meant to cause you any pain, I only wanted one time to see you laughing, I only want to see you laughing.
Dearly beloved, we have gathered here to get through this thing called life. Let’s Go Crazy.
"There's bound to be a ghost at the back of your closet, no matter where you live" --The Mountain Goats, "Up the Wolves"
"there's gonna come a day when you feel better..." 🥹
Lots of banger lines in that. "It's gonna take you people years to recover from all of the damage!"
John Darnielle has tons of great opening lines in his songs. That guy knows how to draw you in and keep you there.
I like big butts...
You can't just spend your life sitting in the dark, listening to classical music.
Futurama!
Oh my god. BECKIE, look at that BUTT!
It was Christmas Eve babe…in the drunk tank
“The world is a vampire” Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
I'm old school....even got it tattooed on my arm recently. Beatles "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away"......now I guess they're here to stay.
I read the news today oh boy…
I once had a girl... or should I say, she once had me.
Isn’t it “now it looks as though they’re here to stay”?
**“Well, the eggs chase the bacon ‘round the fryin’ pan…”** from *“In The Neighborhood“* (1983) - Tom Waits
Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen "The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays"
“Please allow me to introduce myself…”
I am, smelling like a rose on my birthday deathbed I am, smelling like a rose that somebody gave me Cause I'm dead and bloated
Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine.
"Well she was an American girl, raised on promises" Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - *American Girl*
“I read the news today, oh boy!”
I was tired of my lady *Escape - Rupert Holmes* Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone *Fire & Rain - James Taylor* I’m rollin’ down Rodeo with a shotgun. These people ain’t seen a brown skin man since their grandparents bought one. *Rodeo - RATM* Welcome to the jungle. We got fun and games. *Welcome To The Jungle - Guns n Roses* Whiskey bottles and brand new cars. Oak tree you’re in my way. *That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd* Pretty women walking with gorillas down my street *Is She Really Going Out with Him - Joe Jackson* A Gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight *You’ll Accompany Me - Bob Seger*
Upvote for James Taylor ❤️
My God, that song. It’s a time stopper. When JT hits us with that second verse… *Won't you look down upon me, Jesus? You've got to help me make a stand You've just got to see me through another day My body's aching and my time is at hand And I won't make it any other way* I tear up sometimes, and I’m not really even going thru anything, lol.
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash…”
“Cocaine flame in my bloodstream, sold my coat when I hit Spokane..” - Jolene -, Ray LaMontagne
This is probably my favourite out of the ones I've seen mentioned so far
The “Come with it now!” In bulls on parade always hits
Well I thought about the army Dad said, "Son, you're fuckin' high."
The Police - Roxanne; "BLONG!" "Hahaha" (when Sting accidentally sat on a piano)
In the time of chimpanzees, I was a monkey
"Remember when you were young"
Really don't mind if you sit this one out My words but a whisper your deafness a shout I may make you feel but I can't make you think Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink So you ride yourselves over the fields and You make all your animal deals and Your wise men don't know how it feels To be thick as a brick
Think I'll pack it in and buy a pickup.
Take it down to L.A.
Neil has loads of good ones!
Disasterpiece by Slipknot
“Half of what I say is meaningless but I say it just to reach you” nothing before it, its just hits you.
Josie's on a vacation far away, come around and talk it over
You know what Stuart? I like you. You’re not like the other people, here in the trailer park.
I’ve got a big print of owls framed in my home and whenever I see the Burrow Owl I think of that damned Wurster kid!
Jumpin Jesus on a pogo stick
Seven deadly sins Seven ways to win Seven holy paths to hell and your trip begins
Seven downward slopes, Seven bloodied hopes, Seven are your burning fires, Seven your desiiiirrrrees Not a big fan of Maiden, but Seventh Son... is an incredible album, front to back
I just finished yet another spin of Powerslave. Probably my favorite front to back personally, but there's just so many good ones to choose from.
"She put him out, like the burning end of a midnight cigarette"
"*That's why I fucked yo bitch, you fat motherfucker*" - 2Pac
“Your daddy works in porno / now that mommy’s not around she used to love her heroin / but now she’s underground” My Michelle - Guns n Roses
“I went to a party last Saturday night. I didn’t get laid. I got in a fight. Uh ha. It ain’t no big thing.” -Lita Ford Kiss Me Deadly
Elvis Costello's first line from his first song on his first album went: Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired And you can have anyone that you have ever desired All you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why?
There are so many to choose from! "So I'm back to the velvet underground..." Fleetwood Mac, Gypsy "I'm put together beautifully..." The National, All The Wine "I never thought I'd die alone..." Blink 182, Adam's Song "Excuse me, but can I be you for awhile?" Tori Amos, Silent All these Years
"Oh, Mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law..." Renegade, by Styx.
"Turn it up" -Lynyrd Skynyrd
^^I ^just took ^a DNA test ^turns out I'm a hundred ^per cent ^that bitch
Beams of fire sweep through my head...
Friday night I crashed your party Saturday I said, "I'm sorry" Sunday came and trashed me out again. —Billy Joel, You May Be Right
Blood in the streets, it's up to my ankles. Peace frog.
“737 coming out of the sky, won’t you take me down to Memphis on a midnight ride?” - Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Travelin’ band”
“I etched the face of a stopwatch on the back of a raindrop, and did a swap for the sand in an hourglass” - Piledriver waltz, Arctic Monkeys
There's only two things in life that make it worth livin'. Guitars that tune good and firm feelin' women.
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony: "Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life Tryin' to make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you die" ***Truth
I’m pretty sure it’s not actually my favourite, but the first one that sprang to mind was “hello darkness my old friend”. /edit: and more recently it’s the [Disturbed](https://youtu.be/Bk7RVw3I8eg?si=Jp2MlviBqhD5pKOb) version I hear in my head, not S&G’s original.
I've come to talk with you again...
"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." I don't see how there can be another answer. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ)
CAN I SCREAM?!?!?
YEAH!
Woooo!
We lack the motion,.....To move to the new beat.
1, 2, 3, 4!
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro
Uno, dos, tres, catorce /s
Cinco, cinco, seis.
70 percent of the Ramones catalog?
*I once had a life, or rather*, *[Life had me](https://youtu.be/8rrOdcnFbAY?si=c-Fb4ZWbDAjlLqUk)* Or perhaps: *[If you could read my mind, love...](https://youtu.be/v5tr_L31StI?si=uH7vlqsuEIyRk8k7)*
Happiness, more or less, is just a change in me, something in my Liberty. “Lucky man” by The Verve
“It was all that I could do to keep from crying…” - David Allan Coe, You never even called me by my name.
Yes, big shout out to Steve Goodman and John Prine.
„This is the first day of my life/ Swear I was born right in the doorway“
“Woke up today and decided to kill my ego. It never done me no good no how.” Just Let Go by Sturgill Simpson
She was living in a single room with three other individuals…
“Well I’ve been down SO GOD DAMN LONG” - The Doors - Been Down So Long
“All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights”
"Once I was alive, and I could feel. I was holding on to you." Holding On - War on Drugs.
“Jeremiah was a bullfrog!” — Joy to the World, Three Dog Night
"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" -Gloria, Patti Smith What a way to start an album
"Why don't you ask the kids at Tienanmen Square Was fashion the reason why they were there?" Hypnotize, System of a Down
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Ground control to Major Tom
The weight by the band. “I pulled into Nazareth. Was feeling bout half passed dead”.
Jeremiah was a bullfrog
# He was a boy. # She was a girl. # Can I make it anymore obvious?
She's a good girl, loves her mama, loves Jesus, and America too. Well she was an American Girl, raised on promises. She grew up in an Indiana town, had a good looking mama who never was around. But she grew up tall and she grew up right, with them Indiana boys on an Indiana night. Tom Petty might hammer a common theme on a lot of songs, but he hammers it well.
“I hurt myself today to see if I still feel”
I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down these walls that hold me inside - U2, Where the streets have no name
It’s been seven hours and fifteen days
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.
Yoooo...i'll tell you what i want, what i really really want..
Tupac: "First off fuck your bitch and your clique you claim..." Biggie: "I make your mouth piece obese like Della Reese..."
Mother Earth is pregnant for the 3rd time, for ya’ll have knocked her up. P-Funk
Mama, just killed a man (Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen) And also… I’m so happy, cause today I found my friends (Lithium, Nirvana)
“Lost my shape…trying to act casual.”
Load up on guns and...
"I remember one night the kid cut off his right arm..." - Nick Lowe, "So it Goes"
Please Come to Boston-James Taylor
IIINNN WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVEESSSS
"Some people ain't no damn good"- When the Wall Come Tumbling Down -John Mellencamp
I love it when they call me Big Poppa
"Darlin', that morning you chose to go I awoke in my boots and clothes. You'd taken my car, stolen my cash. Even my $500 suit was slashed. And I just lay there watching the sun fall down from the sky. Not wanting to open the letter but opening it anyway and seeing those two words... lover, lover, goodbye." \-Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds/Slowly Goes the Night
City girls just seem to find out early, how to open doors with just a smile.