I just read all of Zetigeist's lyrics for the first time...

[werideatdusk]

"I am the regent, the marquis,
sowing my bad seeds."

I always thought it was "sowing my disease" which is way cooler IMO.

Zeitgeist lyrics are pretty good. Corgan's lyrics have only been a problem for me on MSOTS.

[dudehitscar]

Zeitgeist lyrics are below the usual corgan standard IMO. Nothing memorable but they aren't bad.

TFE and the chicago songs were really great lyrically.

I know it's Corgan's first turn on the bigger world times are a changing kind of deal but every other artist that I like who has done this kind of thing has done it much better and with more conviction then Corgan did.

Zietgeist isn't a bad record it's just not good enough to compete with all the amazing records that I own.

[neopryn]

i like these for some reason.

I feel a coming age now
I feel a dawn in you
A certain sun keeps rising
On my belief in you

the rest aren't too good.

[themadcaplaughs]

As many have mentioned, the lyrics for Pomp and Circumstnaces are some of the best in recent memory for Corgan. I also like the lyrics for Stellar...

"Is it wrong to say, there's God and then there's faith?"

[trev]

"'cause you don’t want me no more
but babe don’t worry
'cause when you scratch-scratch my door"

sounds like some jessica simpson or brtiney crap...

"you will want it all
as St. Patrick pipes on!"

yeah, great lyrics.





but all in all 7sob's lyrics are ok i guess, better than most of the album. but that's not saying much.

i don't get how starz can be thought of as great lyrics though. even if i try, i can't see it.

[exactlythesame]

Those parts you quoted just add to the cynicism of the entire song, trev. Within the context of the rest of the lyrics, they are quite poignant.

[Reyngel]

Originally Posted by exactlythesame

Those parts you quoted just add to the cynicism of the entire song, trev. Within the context of the rest of the lyrics, they are quite poignant.

Exactly. There are lines that are certainly cheesy when taken out of context, but that can be said of any Pumpkin album. 7SoB is definitely a cynical if not aggressive song, so it's supposed to have that sort of tongue-in-cheek aspect in certain parts.

[I'maskingforit!]

Originally Posted by Reyngel

Exactly. There are lines that are certainly cheesy when taken out of context, but that can be said of any Pumpkin album.

exactly.

[flyfire]

Originally Posted by themadcaplaughs

I also like the lyrics for Stellar...

"Is it wrong to say, there's God and then there's faith?"

this line in particular is understated, but still questioning and uncertain

[I'maskingforit!]

i agree. rep that!

[redbreegull]

Machina has a few clunkers but overall the lyrics are at least interesting (so beats the final coda, of a vinyl storm, one last cherry cola, to hold up her dead arms), unlike Zeitgeist where I feel like any band could have written them because they are so generic. I always loved the Pumpkins for being one of the very very few bands out there known for their good lyrics. Lots of bands have good musicians, lots have good melodies or guitar hooks, very few are known for having good lyrics. I just expect more. And what is so terrible about Gish? They are certainly a lot more abstract and spaced out than later Corgan lyrics, but there is a simple beauty in she nose she nose

[trev]

Originally Posted by Reyngel

There are lines that are certainly cheesy when taken out of context, but that can be said of any Pumpkin album.

that discussion happened back when tarantula first leaked. go on, pull out something that cheesy out of context from siamese dream.

[topleybird]

Originally Posted by werideatdusk

I always thought it was "sowing my disease" which is way cooler IMO.

Billy Corgan has AIDS and is knowingly infecting the groupies he fucks

[wilch]

Originally Posted by i_adore_adore

I always read along with my first listen of any CD. It always makes listening more poignant.

That last line of "Pomp" gets me every time... it just makes my heart ache

doesnt every song make your heart ache?

[redhawk]

FGAC also has great lyrics:
And when they build their cross of death
you won't build your own.
It's Time to Wake Up
It's Time to Wake Up For Good
I Can't Help You thou I should

Zeitgeist is not a terrible album and doesn't have terrible lyrics. It is a good R'n'R album with good lyrics.

Nothing can stand up to these lyrics from Rocket:

Bleed in your own blood
Dream of your own love
I miss, me
I miss everything
I'll never be

or

The moon is ours the stars invite
think I'll leave tonight
soon, I find myself alone
to, relax and fade away
Do you, know what's coming down

[redbreegull]

Originally Posted by redhawk

FGAC also has great lyrics:
And when they build their cross of death
you won't build your own.
It's Time to Wake Up
It's Time to Wake Up For Good
I Can't Help You thou I should

Zeitgeist is not a terrible album and doesn't have terrible lyrics. It is a good R'n'R album with good lyrics.

The lyrics aren't terrible, but they are very generic. Any rock band can write lyrics like that. I prized the Pumpkins in the past for their outstanding lyrical effort, even on hard rock songs which any other band would have just inserted mindless angry nothingness into.

[Fathoms (unadored)]

Originally Posted by trev

"'cause you don’t want me no more
but babe don’t worry
'cause when you scratch-scratch my door"

sounds like some jessica simpson or brtiney crap...

It always struck me that was the whole point of them. Same with the "I wan't to love you when your happy..." lyric in Tarantula. Remember, Corgan was channeling his vitriolic, nihlistic mid-twenties self in 7 Shades. It fits the personality profile, as well as the themes of the album. I gotta side with exactlythesame and Reymgel on this one.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

Worst lyrics on any Pumpkins album, main disappointment for me. Beyond all production or anything else, the lack of moving lyrics bothers me the most. I like the Pomp lyrics but the "I'm mad as hell" line is so cheesy, it makes me think of Network. 7SOB is like a cheap mimic of MCIS era sneering "cyber metal" songs with angry word association lyrics, like Zero or Where Boys Fear to Tread. I like some of the United States lyrics "I don't know what I believe/but if I feel safe what do I need" just because it is interesting to hear Corgan sing something so overtly political. There are other noteworthy lyrics on the album and bonus tracks too, Stellar and Zeitgeist are pretty good, but overall this album has the weakest lyrics after Machina.

all of this is true

[I'maskingforit!]

so its the worst lyrics on any pumpkins album, but it has the weakest lyrics after machina?

[Gish08]

I appreciate P+C's lyrics. It's especially good live. Loved it here in Pittsburgh. I wish they played it that way on the album

[Ever]

Originally Posted by wilch

Edit: Twineball cares

That's not an edit

[redbreegull]

Originally Posted by I'maskingforit!

so its the worst lyrics on any pumpkins album, but it has the weakest lyrics after machina?

I wrote it wrong, I meant it had the weakest lyrics and Machina was the runner up for that honor.

[Gish08]

When I was born I lost
When I was freed I fought
Now that I’m loved I’m caught
Between the rest and this tragic mess
An invited guest

Torn, broken and frayed
Oh don’t we face
War, sunshine and grace
Oh won’t you stay
For a while
We can fail in style
I can hold your smile
For a while

What was once new now gone
What was once praised now wrong
As they go, we can say we know
But what do we know
But warm sunshine and graves
Don't we see
What's bitter to taste

Torn, broken and frayed
Don't we face
War, sunshine and graves
Won't you stay

'Cause I won't tell
I won't tell a soul
That I'm mad as hell
Torn, broken and frayed
I'm torn, broken and frayed
No, I'm cold, worn out and shamed

---

Seriously, unless you are some mainstream Republican hack, how can any American NOT relate with these lyrics in at least some way?

This is one of the best things Billy has written lyrically. It's simple but so effective because it's, well, a clear indication of the spirit of the age. For all the crap Zeitgeist gets for the songs having nothing to do with the title, this proves people wrong, at least partially. What Billy is saying here is what so many people probably want to on a daily basis. They never will because they want to keep being hopeful for a country that's going down the spiral largely in part because of a stupid war. It's poetic. There's definitely a romantic aspect to it but he's tying it into the war.

[davin]

Originally Posted by Reyngel

They're surprisingly good. Some of them are really good, actually.

It's funny, really. Billy's so incoherent when he sings. So when you actually know what the hell he's singing, the songs totally transform into something different.

I have to be honest... I wasn't a huge fan of the Zeitgeist album. I liked parts of it okay, but it was never a seemingly timeless enjoyment for me. But now that I've listened to every track while reading along to SPFC's lyrics(I could have used the booklet, but the booklet doesn't have the lyrics for the bonus songs like Death from Above), I actually really, really like the album. Knowing what the lyrics are, the actual sound of the album is different to me, now. It's more poignant.

A big surprise, I think. I assumed my feelings about the album were pretty set in stone. I'm kind of glad they weren't.

If you haven't listened to the album while following along with the lyrics yet, you should give it a try.



Songs that I like a lot more now that I know the lyrics:

-Pomp and Circumstances
-7 Shades of Black (wow... the song is totally different once you know what he's singing about)
-Starz

checkout the american gothic lyrics too (they're up on spfc.org). There's some great moments on these tracks also. Especially Sunkissed and Again, Again, Again.

[Reyngel]

Originally Posted by davin

checkout the american gothic lyrics too (they're up on spfc.org). There's some great moments on these tracks also. Especially Sunkissed and Again, Again, Again.

Funny you mention that... because it was your AG scans of the lyrics that prompted me to listen to the album the other day while reading along on SPFC. After reading through Rose March, I thought to myself "Hm... that was actually pretty decent. I wonder if Zeitgeist has any gems in terms of lyrics." As it turns out, it does.

[davin]

cool.

[I'maskingforit!]

Originally Posted by redhawk

Bleed in your own blood
Dream of your own love

The moon is ours

dude i'm about ready to shatter your concept of reality and everything you've ever believed to be true and relevant.