my top twenty favorite lyrics ... part one

Driving through Wyoming and Idaho, believe it or not, does have its plus side: it's a perfect time for listening to all kinds of music. It was during one such drive that I "discovered" Camera Obscura and Arcade Fire (thanks, Erin and NM!).

This time as I drove, I got thinking about how much I love certain lyrics. And I thought to myself, "Self, why not share those lyrics with your handful of faithful readers? Maybe some of them will discover some new music that they love as well."

This list is not entirely complete. For one thing, I'm not putting any Muse lyrics in here -- there are just too many of them that I love too much, so I've decided to make a separate post for them later on. For another, I'm focusing right now on the alternative and indie music I've grown to love during the last year or so (thanks again, Erin and NM ... and Stephenie Meyer), so there are no lyrics from Gershwin or Berlin or ... whoever wrote all those Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra/Rosemary Clooney lyrics. Another time, perhaps.

For another thing, I have left out several of my very favoritest lyrics, having decided that the lyrics for these whole songs were too good to be able to just pick one or two lines. So, I will post another list sometime (probably quite soon) with these.

The list is also rather flexible -- a lot depends on my particular mood, and I know I'm missing some that I have thought about in the last week as favorite lyrics. I was originally planning, in fact, to make this a top ten list, but I couldn't narrow it down quite that far. But, at the same time, twenty things is a lot to take at once. So I'm giving you the first (or last) ten today, and the rest I will save for another day.

Anyway, with no further ado (since we've had ado a-plenty at this point), here is part one of my top twenty favorite lyrics.

20. Face down in the dirt, she said, "This doesn't hurt." (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Face Down")
19. I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone. (My Chemical Romance, "Famous Last Words")
18. If I threw my guitar out the window, so far down, would I start to regret it, or would I smile and watch it slowly fall? (Cake, "Guitar")
17. She left me roses by the stairs -- surprises let me know she cares. (blink-182, "All the Small Things")
16. And as for now, I'm gonna hear the saddest songs and sit alone and wonder how you're making out. And as for me, I wish that I was anywhere, with anyone, making out. (Dashboard Confessional, "Screaming Infidelities")
15. With a name I'd never chosen, I can make my first steps as a child of twenty-five. ... Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time. (Snow Patrol, "Chocolate")
14. So never look behind you, spooky people make you cry. The world is ending, there's a party by the bay. (Blue October, "Sound of Pulling Heaven Down")
13. In a car, underwater, with time to kill. Thinking back, I forgot to tell you this: I didn't care that you left and abandoned me; what hurts more is, I would still die for you. (Armor for Sleep, "Car Underwater")
12. My heart is playing like a violin. (The Clientele, "Here Comes the Phantom")
11. But that's how it's gotta be, it's coming down to nothing more than apathy -- I'd rather run the other way than stay and see the smoke and who's still standing when it clears. ... I wish you were a stranger, I could disengage. ... I'm losing you and it's effortless. (The Fray, "Over My Head (Cable Car)")

So, now it's your turn -- tell me about some of your favorite lyrics. Are any of them the same as mine (so far)? Do you love some songs or artists that I don't know yet?