Tuesday Favorites… Greatest Single Line in a Song

[CDGator]

****Edit: a single line is difficult. Verse or chorus counts too.

 

[Detroitgator]

That is REALLY tough, but for me, one song has more great "one lines" than any other I can think of: Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam

 

[TLB]

Resolution of happiness, things have been dark for too long.

INXS, "Don't Change"

 

[Gator By Marriage]

There is no one greatest; but there are a bunch of contenders. Here's one from "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel:
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

 

[Gatordiddy]

"...I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry"

And...

"The silence of a fallin' star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry"

 

[bradgator2]

Hehehehehehe Wipe ouuutttt!

 

[Gatordiddy]

Hehehehehehe Wipe ouuutttt!

thanks for putting that damn song in my head for the rest of the day

 

[Nalt]

In 1981 I was a junior in high school. Our band, which I was part of, played a couple of songs that were significant to that football season. First, at the beginning of the game we played the 1979 Eagles song, "Heartache Tonight" so I submit, "There's gonna be a heartache tonight." Then in the fourth quarter we played the 1980 Queen song, "Another one bites the dust." That song title is the "great single line" for the question. The football team went undefeated.

 

[CDGator]

Also posting an Eagles song - The Last Resort

We satisfy our endless needs
And justify our bloody deeds
In the name of destiny
And in the name of God

 

[Gator by the Sea]

‘Neath the Orange and Blue victorious

 

[CDGator]

Hello Darkness My Old Friend / I’ve Come To Talk With You Again…” ​

Simon And Garfunkel (The Sound Of Silence)​

 

[B52G8rAC]

Another S&G line: "
And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence"
Prophet of the social media today.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Jimmy Buffet

Margaritaville​

Yes, and some people claim
That there's a woman to blame
And I know, it's my own damn fault

 

[Seedy]

I've seen your face before my friend,
but I don't know if you know who I am.

 

[Seedy]

...at the one lane bridge
I leave the giant stranded
at the riverside.

race back to the farm
to be with my uncle
by the fireside

Note: Each of this writer's songs are stories, and their songs should be more prevalent here.

 

[Gator by the Sea]

...at the one lane bridge
I leave the giant stranded
by the riverside.

race back to the farm
to be with my uncle
at the fireside

Note: Each of this writer's songs are stories, and their songs should be more prevalent here.

That’s my favorite Rush song. What a great song to drive to.

 

[CDGator]

He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

 

[soflagator]

Jimmy Buffet

Margaritaville​

Yes, and some people claim
That there's a woman to blame
And I know, it's my own damn fault

Yikes. That’s actually near the bottom.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

"To be a rock, and not to roll"

 

[soflagator]

He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

That song would be a lot better if it hadn’t been so overplayed. From that same album, just about all of “All I really want” is great. Like GBM said, tough to narrow down to just one.