I keep hearing this one:

Lennon & MacCartney
Lyrics compiled by
Stephan Augustsson

TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY,
DO I HAVE TO KEEP ON TALKING TILL I CAN'T GO ON?
WHILE YOU SEE IT YOUR WAY,
RUN A RISK OF KNOWING THAT OUR LOVE MAY SOON BE GONE.
WE CAN WORK IT OUT,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT.

THINK OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
YOU CAN GET IT WRONG AND STILL YOU THINK THAT IT'S ALL RIGHT.
THINK OF WHAT I'M SAYING,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT AND GET IT STRAIGHT, OR SAY GOOD NIGHT.
WE CAN WORK IT OUT,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT.

LIFE IS VERY SHORT AND THERE'S NO TIME
FOR FUSSING AND FIGHTING, MY FRIEND.
I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT'S A CRIME
SO I WILL ASK YOU ONCE AGAIN.

TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY,
ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF I AM RIGHT OR I AM WRONG.
WHILE YOU SEE IT YOUR WAY,
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT WE MIGHT FALL APART BEFORE TOO LONG.
WE CAN WORK IT OUT,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT.

LIFE IS VERY SHORT AND THERE'S NO TIME
FOR FUSSING AND FIGHTING, MY FRIEND.
I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT'S A CRIME
SO I WILL ASK YOU ONCE AGAIN.

TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY,
ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF I AM RIGHT OR I AM WRONG.
WHILE YOU SEE IT YOUR WAY,
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT WE MIGHT FALL APART BEFORE TOO LONG.
WE CAN WORK IT OUT,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT.

very appropriate ww, thanks for sharing. wonder if King George knows who the Beatles are?

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

- Artists: The Animals
- peak Billboard position # 15 in 1965
- Words and Music © 1965 by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus, and Gloria Caldwell
- Notes : Written for "The Animals" in 1965,
corrected and 'disco' arranged for "Santa Esmeralda".
Also performed by "Joe Cocker"

Baby, do you understand me now?
Sometimes I feel a little mad
But don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel
When things go wrong I feel real bad.

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

Baby, sometimes I'm so carefree
With a joy that's hard to hide
And sometimes it seems that, all I have to do is worry
And then you're bound to see my other side

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

If I seem edgy, I want you to know,
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems, and I get my share,
And that's one thing I never mean to do

'Cause I love you,
Oh,

Oh, oh, oh, baby - don't you know I'm human
I have thoughts like any other one
Sometimes I find myself, Lord, regretting
Some foolish thing, some little simple thing I've done

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

FADE
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good

from "Genesis" Three Sides Live:

Misunderstanding

-----------------------------------
(Collins)


There must be some misunderstanding
There must be some kind of mistake
I waited in the rain for hours
And you were late

Now it's not like me to say the right thing
But you could've called to let me know
I checked your number twice, don't understand it
So I went home

Well I'd been waiting for this weekend
I thought that maybe we could see a show
Never dreamed I'd have this feeling
Oh but seeing you is believing
That's why I don't know why
You didn't show up that night

There must be some misunderstanding
There must be some kind of mistake
I was waiting in the rain for hours
And you were late

Since then I've been running around trying to find you
I went to the places that we always go
I rang your home but got no answer
Jumped in my car, I went round there
Still don't believe it
He was just leaving

There must be some misunderstanding
There must be some kind of mistake...

Alice's Restaurant
By Arlo Guthrie


This song is called Alice's Restaurant, and it's about Alice, and the
restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant,
that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Alice's
Restaurant.

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant

Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the
church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of
room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room,
seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't
have to take out their garbage for a long time.

We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be
a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So
we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW
microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed
on toward the city dump.

Well we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the
dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving." And we had never heard of a dump
closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off
into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage.

We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the
side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the
cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile
is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we
decided to throw our's down.

That's what we did, and drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving
dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the
next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie. He said, "Kid,
we found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of
garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it." And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
under that garbage."

After speaking to Obie for about fourty-five minutes on the telephone we
finally arrived at the truth of the matter and said that we had to go down
and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and speak to him at the
police officer's station. So we got in the red VW microbus with the
shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the
police officer's station.

Now friends, there was only one or two things that Obie coulda done at
the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for
being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn't very likely, and
we didn't expect it, and the other thing was he could have bawled us out
and told us never to be see driving garbage around the vicinity again,
which is what we expected, but when we got to the police officer's station
there was a third possibility that we hadn't even counted upon, and we was
both immediately arrested. Handcuffed. And I said "Obie, I don't think I
can pick up the garbage with these handcuffs on." He said, "Shut up, kid.
Get in the back of the patrol car."

And that's what we did, sat in the back of the patrol car and drove to the
quote Scene of the Crime unquote. I want tell you about the town of
Stockbridge, Massachusets, where this happened here, they got three stop
signs, two police officers, and one police car, but when we got to the
Scene of the Crime there was five police officers and three police cars,
being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, and everybody wanted to
get in the newspaper story about it. And they was using up all kinds of
cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer's station.
They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and
they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each
one was to be used as evidence against us. Took pictures of the approach,
the getaway, the northwest corner the southwest corner and that's not to
mention the aerial photography.

After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. Obie said he was going to put
us in the cell. Said, "Kid, I'm going to put you in the cell, I want your
wallet and your belt." And I said, "Obie, I can understand you wanting my
wallet so I don't have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you
want my belt for?" And he said, "Kid, we don't want any hangings." I
said, "Obie, did you think I was going to hang myself for littering?"
Obie said he was making sure, and friends Obie was, cause he took out the
toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself over the head and drown, and he took
out the toilet paper so I couldn't bend the bars roll out the - roll the
toilet paper out the window, slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie
was making sure, and it was about four or five hours later that Alice
(remember Alice? It's a song about Alice), Alice came by and with a few
nasty words to Obie on the side, bailed us out of jail, and we went back
to the church, had a another thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat,
and didn't get up until the next morning, when we all had to go to court.

We walked in, sat down, Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back
of each one, sat down. Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up,
and Obie stood up with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures, and the judge walked in sat down with a seeing eye dog, and he
sat down, we sat down. Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the
twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows
and a paragraph on the back of each one, and looked at the seeing eye dog.
And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry,
'cause Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American
blind justice, and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the
judge wasn't going to look at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each
one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. And
we was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but thats not
what I came to tell you about.

Came to talk about the draft.

They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street,
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,
neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one
day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to
look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted
to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all
kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave
me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."

And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and
guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and
he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down
yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me,
sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."

Didn't feel too good about it.

Proceeded on down the hall gettin more injections, inspections,
detections, neglections and all kinds of stuff that they was doin' to me
at the thing there, and I was there for two hours, three hours, four
hours, I was there for a long time going through all kinds of mean nasty
ugly things and I was just having a tough time there, and they was
inspecting, injecting every single part of me, and they was leaving no
part untouched. Proceeded through, and when I finally came to the see the
last man, I walked in, walked in sat down after a whole big thing there,
and I walked up and said, "What do you want?" He said, "Kid, we only got
one question. Have you ever been arrested?"

And I proceeded to tell him the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre,
with full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and all
the phenome... - and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, did you ever
go to court?"

And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on
the back of each one, and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want
you to go and sit down on that bench that says Group W .... NOW kid!!"

And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, and there is, Group W's
where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after
committing your special crime, and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly
looking people on the bench there. Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father
rapers! Father rapers sitting right there on the bench next to me! And
they was mean and nasty and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the
bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one, the meanest
father raper of them all, was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly
'n' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things and he sat down next to me
and said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay
$50 and pick up the garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?"
And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench
there, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I
said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand,
and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing,
father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the
bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of
things, until the Sargeant came over, had some paper in his hand, held it
up and said.

"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna-
know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-
you-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting-
officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for
forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had
fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there,
and I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it
down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the
pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the
other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on
the other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the
following words:

("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?")

I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to
ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm
sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench
'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women,
kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug." He looked at me and
said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints
off to Washington."

And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a
study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm
singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar
situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a
situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into
the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get
anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and
all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the
guitar.

With feeling. So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and
sing it when it does. Here it comes.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

That was horrible. If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
for another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired.

So we'll wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part
harmony and feeling.

We're just waitin' for it to come around is what we're doing.

All right now.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Excepting Alice
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

Da da da da da da da dum
At Alice's Restaurant

©1966,1967 (Renewed) by Appleseed Music Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY

Perhaps this is a sad comment on my state of mind, or maybe on how I've been treated...? But I've always been irritated by this song, because it suggested to me that the man felt he was right and the woman wrong, and she should listen to him instead of sticking to her erroneous point of view.

There sure are at least two sides to every story....But that song seemed to indicate (at least I felt it did) that the man considered his side to be "right"....Many of the lyrics could probably be addressed to the man as well. He's determined to see things his way, just as much as she's determined to see things her way. Perhaps they EACH need to look at the other's point of view....

My read on it, anyway. FWIW. (two cents, I'm guessing!)

Modestgoddess:

How in the world do you deduce that the man thinks he is right? He says only time will tell if he is right or he is wrong. He's admitting that he could be wrong. And "try to see it your way"--is just saying that they could fall apart, particularly if she believes that he is wrong. I think the song is about working it out--about considering both sides before falling apart. I think the song is clearly about communication broken down, two sides to the story, neither necessarily being right. The song is about working it out--listening to both sides, either of which could be potentially destructive, but at least trying to understand both sides and attempting to preserve the relationship. Only time will tell, but at least with a little time perhaps the whole picture will be more clearly seen. Fighting doesn't do much other than vent emotions, but then you have to move on if there's something worth preserving.

Ladies, ladies, ladies!...listen:

We Just Disagree

Dave Mason

Anyway, haven't seen you in a while.
How've you been? Have you changed your style?
And do you think that we've grown up differently?
Don't seem the same since you've lost your feel for me.

So let's leave it alone 'cause we can't see eye to eye.
There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy,
There's only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooh-ooh-ooh, oh-oh-oh.

I'm going back to a place that's far away.
How 'bout you? Have you got a place to stay?
Why should I care when I'm just trying to get along?
We were friends, but now's the end of our love song.

So let's leave it alone 'cause we can't see eye to eye.
There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy,
There's only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooh-ooh-ooh, oh-oh-oh.

So let's leave it alone 'cause we can't see eye to eye.
There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy,
There's only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooh-ooh-ooh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh.

© 1983 by Dave Mason

How in the world do you deduce that the man thinks he is right?

Ain't that the agony and the ecstacy of being a writer? You don't write just one pome/novel/song/play/article, you write as many as you have readers - everyone will see it slightly differently, because we are all at least slightly different from each other.

Dubdub, what a hubbub! I celebrate our difference. Don't think I said that my reading was the only correct one for the song - just that that's how I've always heard it -

- possibly because, rather unfortunately, I've had a lot of men in my life who have tried to refuse me my right to have my own opinions on things. (One boyfriend even referred to himself as "Pygmalion" with regard to me. My oldest brother STILL tries to boss me around - the only person in my life who does so.)

It's all perspective.

It's part perspective and part an examination of all the lyrics. But you and I disagree. Big deal. It's part of what being an ayleur is about. This place never has been unanimous.

Why Can't We Be Friends

War

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I seen you 'round for a long long time
I really 'membered you when you drink my wine

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I seen you walkin' down in Chinatown
I called you but you could not look around

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I bring my money to the welfare line
I see you standing in it every time

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

The color of your skin don't matter to me
As long as we can live in harmony

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I'd kinda like to be the President
so I can show you how your money's spent

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

Sometimes I don't speak too bright
but yet I know what I'm talking about

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I know you're working for the CIA
they wouldn't have you in the Mafia

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

© 1975 by Eric Burdon

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

Words & Music by Carole King
Also recorded by James Taylor

When you're down and troubled
and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
and you know whereever I am
I'll come running,
oh yeah baby to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
all you have to do is call
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.

If the sky above you
should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind
should begin to blow
Keep your head together
and call my name out loud
and soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name
and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
all you got to do is call
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know
that you've got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you,
Take your soul if you let them.
Ah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name
and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don't you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
You've got a friend.

© by 1969 Carole King

Maybe I'm naive, but I don't see in many of these songs who is the man and who the woman. There is the singer and the person being addressed...I suspect our assumption of the gender, and the role, of the one or the other depends in large measure on our own experiences.

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully

So we're different colours
And we're different creeds
And different people have different needs
It's obvious you hate me
Though I've done nothing wrong
I never even met you
So what could I have done

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully

Help me understand

Now you're punching and you're kicking
And you're shouting at me
I'm relying on your common decency
So far it hasn't surfaced
But I'm sure it exists
It just takes a while to travel
From your head to your fist

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man

Help me understand

© 1984 Martin Lee Gore - Depeche Mode

TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY
How in the world do you deduce that the man thinks he is right?

I know its risky for me to get into this, but...

I also know the song was sung by the Beatles, but...

There is nothing in the actual words that tells you whether it is a man or woman speaking. Either could sing the song with equal validity.

I like the tune too.

Belated, cross threaded, Valentines Day fondness to you both.

xx

And I agree, dxb. There's nothing in the isolated lyrics that indicates whether the speaker is male or female. But looked at either way--male or female speaker--there still is the admission that communication has broken down on both sides, that the speaker could be right or wrong, that the person to whom the lyric is addressed is caught in a single-sided viewpoint, and that "working it out" for the sake of the relationship is the point of the song.

I just disagreed with modestgoddess's point of view that the speaker believed he was 'right'--that is, if we can agree for sake of argument that the speaker is male. I think the lyrics show that the speaker doesn't know who is right, but that being right or not isn't the point. The point is they are in disagreement and they need to work to come back together to a point of peace.

The discussion here on AWAD about these lyrics is interesting to me. Different points of view about things we hold dear are often edifying.

Best regards,
WW

etaoin I too thought of that Genesis song when I saw the title of the thread. I've always been a sucker for a song in 6/8 time.

from both sides now,
From boy and girl and still somehow
It's songs' illusions I recall.
I really don't know songs at all.

Valentines Day fondness to you both. !!! [chopped liver]
Nice improv, Faldage.

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Neil Young

When you were young and on your own
How did it feel to be alone?
I was always thinking of games that I was playing.
Trying to make the best of my time.
But only love can break your heart
Try to be sure right from the start
Yes only love can break your heart
What if your world should fall apart?

I have a friend I've never seen
He hides his head inside a dream
Someone should call him and see if he can come out.
Try to lose the down that he's found.

But only love can break your heart
Try to be sure right from the start
Yes only love can break your heart
What if your world should fall apart?

I have a friend I've never seen
He hides his head inside a dream
Yes, only love can break your heart
Yes, only love can break your heart

© 1972 by Neil Young

NOTHING CAN BE DONE
Music by Larry Klein words by Joni Mitchell

Must I forgive you
Each time
And say you don't know what your're doing
There are no victimless crimes
I know of
Out here in these graffiti ruins
My love

Oh I am not old
I'm told
But I am not young
Oh and nothing can be done
Don't start
My heart
Is a smoking gun
Oh and nothing can be done

I heard you leaving
Late last night
I heard you screaming down the mountain
Like you were running red lights
(Red lights)
You had some trash-can-rock-band pounding

Oh I am not old
I'm told
But I am not young
Oh and nothing can be done
Don't start
My heart
Is a smoking gun
Oh and nothing can be done

Must I surrender
With grace
The things I loved when I was younger
(Sweet embrace)
Must I remember your face
So well
What do I do here with this hunger

Oh I am not old
I'm told
But I am not young
Oh and nothing can be done
Don't start
My heart
Is a smoking gun
Oh and nothing can be done

Nothing can be done
Nothing can be done
Oh nothing can be done

Don't Think Twice, it's Alright

Bob Dylan

Well it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, baby
If'n you don't know by now
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It'll never do somehow
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn,
look out your window and I'll be gone
you're the reason I'm a travelling on
But don't think twice, it's all right

And it ain't no use in turning on your light babe
the light I never knowed
and it ain't no use in turning on your light babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Well I wish there was something you would do or say
to try and make me change my mind and stay
we never did too much talking anyway
But don't think twice, it's all right

So it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
like you never done before
and it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a thinkin' and a wonderin', walkin' down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I am told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
Don't think twice, it's all right

So long honey babe
where I'm bound, I can't tell
goodbye is too good a word babe
so I'll just say fare the well
I ain't a sayin' you treated me unkind
you coulda done better but, I don't mind
you just kinda wasted my precious time
Don't think twice, it's all right

© 1965 by Bob Dylan

Yes, there's nothing in the lyrics to that Beatles tune to suggest gender. I was taking it that it was a man speaking, since it was a man singing.

Here's just one place where I reckon he (again assuming a man is speaking) seems to me to be thinking he is right and the woman is wrong:

THINK OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
YOU CAN GET IT WRONG AND STILL YOU THINK THAT IT'S ALL RIGHT.
THINK OF WHAT I'M SAYING,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT AND GET IT STRAIGHT, OR SAY GOOD NIGHT.

"You can get it wrong and still you think that it's all right"? Who the [expletive deleted] is this guy, to tell the woman that she's got it wrong?

Of course, it would help to know the whole story. Maybe the man IS right. But without knowing the whole story, to me, these lyrics imply that the woman is wrong-headed and of course the man is right: she can go on thinking what she thinks, which is naturally wrong, or she can come around to the man's way of thinking, which is naturally right.

Then there's the suggestion that if she goes on thinking the way she does, they'll fall apart before too long. What about if he goes on thinking the way he does? Why won't that make them fall apart before too long? Gimme a break.

It just seems to me that all the way through, the man is trying to make the woman change, and assuming she's wrong simply because she doesn't agree with him.

But then, I've had a lot of men like that in my life, so that definitely colours my perception. I thank God for the ones still in my life, who don't try to FORCE me to think how they do. We celebrate each other's differences - and we certainly change our points of view when it seems right to us to do so, in accordance with each other's opinions.

But I've always hated that God damn song!

Well, I must jump back on this:

THINK OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
YOU CAN GET IT WRONG AND STILL YOU THINK THAT IT'S ALL RIGHT.


I'd say that the speaker is simply trying to beseech the person addressed to consider a different point of view--a viewpoint, a realization that they are about to destroy their relationship. The person addressed is apparently entrenched in a point of view and won't acknowledge that there is another side. The speaker obviously doesn't know whether he/she (gender doesn't matter)is right or wrong, but is saying here in the lyric you quote that 'you can get it wrong'--not 'you are wrong.'

What I think you're missing in the lyrics, modestgoddess, is the point that these two have two different viewpoints, and one of them (the person to whom the song is addressed) believes he/she is right to the point that the relationship has been threatened because it is now a fully developed fight. It is the person addressed who apparently won't acknowledge that there is another viewpoint because she/he is entirely sure that her/his viewpoint is right, right, right. And because she/he is so entrenched in the viewpoint, the relationship is threatened.

The person making the plea recognizes that the person addressed has a different viewpoint, but that viewpoint may be incorrect. Again 'only time will tell' which viewpoint may turn out to be correct, but in the meantime the relationship is disintegrating--and the person addressed is so entrenched in being right and winning the fight that the relationship could end. I think the speaker is saying the fight itself is destructive--that they will lose their relationship if they don't try to 'work out' the problem--focus on the relationship itself--find a point of peace and forget the fight, which is in itself a losing battle because their viewpoints are so different.

Can't you remember all those times we all go through in which you've strongly disagreed with someone in the real world--thought the person was entirely wrong--and the other person continued to argue with you--and great pain began to develop in the course of arguing--and at some point you realized, "This fight isn't worth it. My point of view is not worth developing any further because I can see that winning this argument is not more important than the friendship I have with this person. And you cause yourself to back out of your argument--it is no longer important winning it, but preserving the friendship is by far more important.

I think the song is about that kind of situation. In the course of a heated argument between lovers, the speaker sees that they have entered dangerous waters. He sees that they are divided. Or, if seen from a female perspective, she sees that they are divided. And there is a recognition that the fight has become so bad that they may no longer be together if they continue. So the song is a plea to stop fighting. No one will be the winner because their viewpoints are so different--only 'time will tell' who is right or wrong--but that rightness or wrongness isn't important at this heated moment. What is more important is that the fight stop and that they refocus on their love.

They have two viewpoints; both have their heels dug in; neither gives in; one of them realizes, "This fight ain't worth destroying our relationship"; forget the fight; focus again on less controversial, dividing aspects of their relationship.

Question is: Can two people who love each other have diametrically opposed viewpoints? Viewpoints that could be fiercely argued even? Of course they can. Should they argue these viewpoints to the point that they begin to "fight" or "fuss"? Well, why not--sure they can. But suppose their arguments develop to the point that it starts to feel as though they don't love each other anymore? Well, then one of them needs to back down and say, "Let's not fight about this anymore. It's starting to feel destructive."

And that's what I think this song is about.

Piece of My heart

Janis Joplin (w Big brother and the Holding Company)

Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on!

Didn’t I make you feel like you were the only man —yeah!
Didn’t I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ?
Honey, you know I did!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I’ve had enough,
But I’m gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby!
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, oh, have a!
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it if it makes you feel good,
Oh, yes indeed.

You’re out on the streets looking good,
And baby deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain’t right,
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night,
Babe, I cry all the time!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I can’t stand the pain,
But when you hold me in your arms, I’ll sing it once again.

I’ll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it!
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby.
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah,
Oh, oh, have a!
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby!
oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c’mon now.
oh, oh, have a
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby.
You know you got it —whoahhhhh!!

Take it!
Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby,
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Oh, oh, have a
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey,
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

© 1967 by Janis Joplin

Wordwind, maybe the song is about us!

I still celebrate our difference. I thought you argued your points very eloquently.

And I still hate the song.

WW, maybe the song is about us!

Yes, Dub-Dub and mg, here's your song!...

SOMEWHERE

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time to spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day!

Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

from West Side Story
Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. hi, mg!
© 1956, 1957 Amberson Holdings LLC and Stephen Sondheim. Copyright renewed.
Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company LLC, Publisher.

Juan, I don't think mg and dd were fighting. I think we were looking at one song from two different angles. It was a discussion. Those two people in the song--well, they were fighting. I don't like fighting--tears me to pieces to even approach a fight. And mg doesn't like the song that dd does--and that's probably both a matter of taste and hearing the lyrics quite differently from each other.

Wanna talk about some music I cannot stand? Well, anything from West Side Story is already a pretty good contender. I think the gal who sang Natalie Woods' part ruined West Side Story permanently for me--cannot stand that high-pitched, operatic-like voice on the dubs projecting such a conterfeit Maria. Blagh, blagh, blagh!

Wanna talk about some music I cannot stand? Well, anything from West Side Story is already a pretty good contender.

Well there you go, WW!...you and mg on common grouynd at last! You two guys were meant for each other! you don't know what you just did to me here, Dub-Dub...ducking for cover quick before mg shows up!

anything from West Side Story is already a pretty good contender.

Surely you except Officer Krupke and OK by me in America from this blanket undorsement.

you and mg on common grouynd at last!

but only if the West Side Story tunes are rewritten to tell the story of....The Lord of the Rings.

love you, WO'N!

but only if the West Side Story tunes are rewritten to tell the story of....The Lord of the Rings.

There's a time for Ents,
Some day a time for Ents...

Aaarrrwen, I just met an eeelllff called Aaarrrwen!

W'ON, I...I...I think I love you!

when you're an Orc...

I can see it now, a rumble between the Orcs and the Elves...

"what's the matter? afraid to use a little skin?"

I like to be in Rivendell!
Okay by me in Rivendell!..."

I am Baggins,
Bilbo Baggins!
I've killed dragons
by waggin' their tails!
And my flagon's
Full of Bilbo Baggins' homemade Ale!

La La La La La La La LAA La La!