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Recurring words in an artist's lyrics

Started by PH, Mon, 2013-05-20, 20:06:19

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PH

Some bands/artist have a few recurring words that appear in many of their lyrics.
For example:

Steven Wilson always talks (sings) about 'trains':
Up The Downstair: "...Viewed from trains of half-truths..."
Don't Hate Me: "...The train pulls into the stations..."
Trains (obviously): "...Train set and match spied under the blind..."
Deadwing: "...And from the yellow windows of the last train..."
Way Out Of Here: "...Out at the train tracks I dream of escape..."
The instrumental The Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train

Roine Stolt's lyrics many times involve 'dust' (someone must have noticed this):
The Flower King: "...It's just a matter of faith when we all sleep in the dust..."
Dissonata: "...Run for the diamonds, run from the dust..."
My Cosmic Lover: "...Am I false or true? Am I dust out of the blue?..."
In The Eyes Of The World: "...Just taste the stardust I've placed in your mouth..."
Stardust(!) We Are, Part 1: "...The dust that once came to my eyes..."
Stardust We Are, Part 2: "...See them crawling out of dusty holes..."
Stardust We Are, Part 3: "...Stardust we are..." and "...Dusty dreams from a fading sun..."
Garden Of Dreams: All You Can Save: "...I'll create a Kingdom out of dust..."
Garden Of Dreams: Don't Let The D'Evil In: "...he's the Duke of Dust, run his mining men..."
Deaf, Numb & Blind: "...The gold turned green in the morning dust..."
Psychedelic Postcard: "...every wizard need his dreamdust..."
Calling Home: "...Flesh and bone, now lift us up, from the dusty dreams..."
Silent Inferno: "...Looking back on that dusty road..."
Genie In A Bottle: "...I'll rise up from the dust..."
The Unwanted: "...Oh, all the bridges that I've burnt to dust..."
Overture/Whirlwind: "...It turned into dust in our eyes..."
The Wind Blew Them All Away: "...A dust cloud comes..."
Rose Colored Glasses: "...And I know that we are more than dust and ashes..."

Clive Nolan wants to tell us all about 'lies':
Painting By Numbers: "...And I'm searching for honesty or lies..."
Hall Of Mirrors: "...You're what I lied for so easily..."
Ring Of Roses: "...It's painted on with colours from an endless flow of lies..."
The Hunger: "...It's a matter of time - Before this army tears away your lies..."
Dreams Of The Ferryman: "...With fairy tales and candy lies..."
Half Moon Street: "...He's got to escape from the misery of lies..." and "...He's part of the shadow lies..."
When The World Turns To White: "...So many lies, misconceptions and signs..." and "...We forget the insatiable craving - For hatred and lies..."
So The Music Stops: "...Don't lie to me, now more than ever..."
U.S.I.: "...I offer what's real – there are no such things as lies ..."
Empire Of A Thousand Days: "...Things will arise from lies and disagreements..."
Crying For Help VII: "...We should never have lied..."
Sirens: "...Spare me from those sirens' lies..."
Moviedrome: "...The dwelling places of these high tech lies..."
Cutting The Cards: "...A victim of your lies..."
I Spy: "...I try to shield you from venomous lies..."
The Shattered Room: "...So many lies - blighted ambitions..."
The Great Escape: "...tired of the noise and scared of the lies..."

I'm probably even forgetting a few lines.


Do you know of a band or artist who uses a specific word more than often in his lyrics?


EDIT:

Thanks to Nicky:

John Petrucci is crazy about 'water':
A Fortune In Lies: "...A hero in frozen water..."
Take The Time: "...I close my eyes and feel the water rise around me..."
Under A Glass Moon: "...Chase the water racing from the sky..." and "...Chasing water from the sky..."
Hollow Years: "...Walk me across the water..."
Take Away My Pain: "...I was standing by the edge of the water..."
The Ministry Of Lost Souls: "...The water's edge is where she waits..."
Wither: "...Turn the water into wine..."
On The Backs Of Angels: "...Shelter me, guide me to the edge of the water..."
Bridges In The Sky: "...May healing waters bury all my pain..."
The Bigger Picture: "...And I'll reach the water's edge..."

Indeed four times, John is talking about the edge of the water.

Peter

Now, that's a fun topic, also. Did a quick Fish-era Marillion lyrics analysis and here are the most-used words, filtered by what I thought to be "relevant":

9 bar
12 black
17 blame
14 blue
12 broken
24 burn + burning
14 children
36 eye(s)
17 friend(s)
7 fuck(ing)
18 game(s)
8 goodbye
46 heart(s) (+5 variations) (remove 5 for doublettes in "Kayleigh")
273 I (+84 variations: I'm, I'll, I've...)
57 know (did only a short lookup, but most were "I know")
38 love (incl variations: lover, loving...)
230 me + my
34 night (remove 7 for doublettes in "That time of the night")
21 play, playing
12 please
14 problem(s)
8 questions
17 rain (incl. variations)
34 she (incl variations)
16 tear(s)
57 they (incl variations, see "I")
49 time
134 we (incl variations: we're, we've...)
315 You (incl variations: you're, you've...)
156 your

I'm not a language scientist and therefor cannot tell how this list looks in contrast to general usage in English language, but I'm sure this summary pretty much gives you an introduction to Fish's world ;)
(not to be taken overly serious)
Arriving somewhere, but not here....

Bupie

Quote from: Peter on Mon, 2013-05-20, 23:46:52
Now, that's a fun topic, also. Did a quick Fish-era Marillion lyrics analysis and here are the most-used words, filtered by what I thought to be "relevant":

9 bar

"So if you want my adress it's number one at the end of the bar
Where I sit with the broken angels clutching at straws and nursing our scars
"

Memories ...

PH

Quote from: Peter on Mon, 2013-05-20, 23:46:52
Now, that's a fun topic, also. Did a quick Fish-era Marillion lyrics analysis and here are the most-used words, filtered by what I thought to be "relevant"

That's interesting. Gives a good impression of what goes on inside his head. ;)


I was wondering if anybody noticed that 'trains' is a topic Steven Wilson likes to talk about, and Roine Stolt's obsession with 'dust'. And Clive's lies.
Did anyone notice?
Are there more? I think there should be.

What are recurring words in (for example) Dream Theater's lyrics? Arjen Lucassen's lyrics? IQ?

I remember seeing a website that said that Phil Collins talks a lot about 'life' ('all of my life' is a recurring line, and there's even a song about it), 'lives' and such in his lyrics (solo or with Genesis). Is it a sign of lack of inspiration?

Draco chimera

Quote from: PH on Wed, 2013-05-22, 18:20:18
That's interesting. Gives a good impression of what goes on inside his head. ;)


I was wondering if anybody noticed that 'trains' is a topic Steven Wilson likes to talk about, and Roine Stolt's obsession with 'dust'. And Clive's lies.
Did anyone notice?
Are there more? I think there should be.
My father and I did notice about the train thing a while ago. We figured that in some cases it might be a reference to fate and life pictured as railway tracks somehow, but this is certainly not the one and only possible interpretation.
Let your conscience decide !

Iggy

Quote from: PH on Mon, 2013-05-20, 20:06:19
Some bands/artist have a few recurring words that appear in many of their lyrics.
For example:

Steven Wilson always talks (sings) about 'trains':
Up The Downstair: "...Viewed from trains of half-truths..."
Don't Hate Me: "...The train pulls into the stations..."
Trains (obviously): "...Train set and match spied under the blind..."
Deadwing: "...And from the yellow windows of the last train..."
Way Out Of Here: "...Out at the train tracks I dream of escape..."
The instrumental The Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train


Quote from: Draco chimera on Mon, 2013-05-27, 17:11:22
My father and I did notice about the train thing a while ago. We figured that in some cases it might be a reference to fate and life pictured as railway tracks somehow, but this is certainly not the one and only possible interpretation.

I watched insurgentes last night and he writes about trains as he used to live near a train station and could hear the trains when he was lying in bed as a kid.

Nicky007

#6
 8) Paxi

I knew about SW and trains - partly cuz you had brought my attention to it earlier.

I hadn't noticed Clive and lies - interesting, will reflect further on it. Clive has a deep understanding of this World's current malaise - and where we could direct our attention, if we were more serious.

With Petrucci, as we know, it's water, particularly standing at the edge of some body of water, as a symbol of transcendence beyond, connections between souls here and there. You may want to go further with this.

- Nicky
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

PH

Thanks Nicky, I've added it to my first post.

John Petrucci is crazy about 'water':
A Fortune In Lies: "...A hero in frozen water..."
Take The Time: "...I close my eyes and feel the water rise around me..."
Under A Glass Moon: "...Chase the water racing from the sky..." and "...Chasing water from the sky..."
Hollow Years: "...Walk me across the water..."
Take Away My Pain: "...I was standing by the edge of the water..."
The Ministry Of Lost Souls: "...The water's edge is where she waits..."
Wither: "...Turn the water into wine..."
On The Backs Of Angels: "...Shelter me, guide me to the edge of the water..."
Bridges In The Sky: "...May healing waters bury all my pain..."
The Bigger Picture: "...And I'll reach the water's edge..."

Indeed four times, John is talking about the edge of the water.