The Genius of Paul Westerberg

[timmay9]

Let's cut the introductory bs, and post this thread on our sleeves.

The frontman/lyricist/rhythm guitarist for the Replacements, this is a thread dedicated to his songwriting.

I'll try to limit myself to one clip of certain songs, but I'm not promising anything.

"How young are you,
how old am I,
let's count the rings,
around my eyes

How smart are you,
how dumb am I
don't count any
of my advice."-I Will Dare

"If you knew how I felt now
You wouldn't act so adult now
Hurry, hurry, here comes my stop."-Kiss Me on the Bus

"One more chance to get it all wrong
One more time to do it all wrong
One more night to get it half right
One more warning
One more warning sound."-We're Comin' Out

"You shoot me glances and they're so hard to read
I misconstrue what you mean
Slip me a napkin
and now that's a start
Is this your name or a doctor's eye chart?"-Dyslexic Heart

"Here come Dick, he's wearing a skirt
Here comes Jane, y'know she's sporting a chain
Same hair, revolution
Same build, evolution
Tomorrow who's gonna fuss

And they love each other so
Androgynous
Closer than you know, love each other so
Androgynous

Don't get him wrong and don't get him mad
He might be a father, but he sure ain't a dad
And she don't need advice that'll center her
She's happy with the way she looks
She's happy with her gender

Mirror image, see no damage
See no evil at all
Kewpie dolls and urine stalls
Will be laughed at
The way you're laughed at now

Now, something meets Boy, and something meets Girl
They both look the same
They're overjoyed in this world
Same hair, revolution
Unisex, evolution
Tomorrow who's gonna fuss
And tomorrow Dick is wearing pants
And tomorrow Janie's wearing a dress
Future outcasts and they don't last
And today, the people dress the way that they please
The way they tried to do in the last centuries "-Androgynous

"Everything goes
Well, anything goes all of the time
Everything you dream of
Is right in front of you
And everything is a lie"-Unsatisfied

"Brag about things you don't understand
A girl and a woman, a boy and a man
Everything is sexually vague.

Your age is the hardest age
Everything drags and drags
You're looking funny
You ain't laughing, are you?"-Sixteen Blue

"Try to breathe some life into a letter
Losing hope, never gonna be together
My courage is at it's peak
You know what I mean
How do say you're O.K. to
An answering machine?
How do you say good night to
An answering machine?

Big town's got its losers
Small town's got its vices
A handful of friends
One needs a match, one needs some ice
Call-waiting phone in another time zone
How do you say I miss you to
An answering machine?
How do say good night to
An answering machine?

I get enough of that

Try to free a slave of ignorance
Try and teach a whore about romance

How do you say I miss you to
An answering machine?
How do you say good night to
An answering machine?
How do you say I'm lonely to
An answering machine?
The message is very plain
Oh, I hate your answering machine

If you need help, please hang up and try again."-Answering Machine

"Razzle, dazzle, drazzle, drone, time for this one to come home
Razzle, dazzle, drazzle, die, time for this one to come alive
and hold my life until I'm ready to use it
Hold my life because I just might lose it
Because I just might lose it"-Hold My Life

"Paid my fare, don't wanna complain
You get to me, you're always outta champagne
Treat me like a bum, don't wear no tie

And the sign says, "Thank you very much for not smoking"
My own sign says, "I'm sorry, I'm smokin'"
Don't treat me special, don't kiss my ass
Treat me like the way they treat 'em up in first class."-Waitress in the Sky

"If bein' wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever
If bein' strong's your kind, then I need help here with this feather
If bein' afraid is a crime, we hang side by side
At the swingin' party down the line"-Swingin' Party

"God, what a mess, on the ladder of success
Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung
Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten"-Bastards of Young

"Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst
after a hard day of nothin' much at all
Summer's passed, it's too late to cut the grass
There ain't much to rake anyway in the fall

And sometimes I just ain't in the mood
to take my place in back with the loudmouths
You're like a picture on the fridge that's never stocked with food
I used to live at home, now I stay at the house

Kneeling alongside old Sad Eyes
He says opportunity knocks once then the door slams shut
All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy
The fool who wastes his life, God rest his guts..."-Here Comes a Regular

"I'll be there in an hour
Take at least two weeks on foot
(mumbles) crummy water tower
Climb to the top and scream all over if I could
I'll be sad in heaven, you won't visit me there

Jesus rides beside me
Never buys any smokes
Hurry up, hurry up
I've had enough of that stuff
Ashtray floors, dirty clothes, filthy jokes

A lightning flash in the evening
Guess we'll follow him there

I'll be there in an hour
If there's a hole in the gate
Climb to the top of this crummy water tower screamin'
I can't hardly wait."-Can't Hardly Wait

[tridentgum0]

Screw Zappa, this is God.

[Skittles]

isnt he just amazing?

[Rocket2Russia]

I like the 'Mats, too, but holy ****, dude. You're on like an overdrive. Did you spend all your time away listening solely to them?

P.S. I agree, but, still.

[MrFruitLord]

It's good, but not thread worthy.

[neckermanncj]

"Here come Dick, he's wearing a skirt
Here comes Jane, y'know she's sporting a chain
Same hair, revolution
Same build, evolution
Tomorrow who's gonna fuss

And they love each other so
Androgynous
Closer than you know, love each other so
Androgynous

Don't get him wrong and don't get him mad
He might be a father, but he sure ain't a dad
And she don't need advice that'll center her
She's happy with the way she looks
She's happy with her gender

Mirror image, see no damage
See no evil at all
Kewpie dolls and urine stalls
Will be laughed at
The way you're laughed at now

Now, something meets Boy, and something meets Girl
They both look the same
They're overjoyed in this world
Same hair, revolution
Unisex, evolution
Tomorrow who's gonna fuss
And tomorrow Dick is wearing pants
And tomorrow Janie's wearing a dress
Future outcasts and they don't last
And today, the people dress the way that they please
The way they tried to do in the last centuries "-Androgynous

♥

maybe i should listen to them more extensively than i have in the past

[Razorhoof78]

One of the most underrated American bands/songwriters out there. "We'll inherit the Earth, but we don't want it..."

[Runesmith]

He's one of my favorite lyricists, too. The thing I most like about Paul is that he can write about so many different things - school, love, frustration, sexual androgyny - and sound just as powerful with nearly everything he sings about.

[afterstasis]

paul is at least 1/5 responsible for my frustration with my own lyrics.

[Banky71]

Tim is one of the greatest records I have ever listened to.