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Songs with Awful Lyrics and Amazing Instrumental Track

5,282 Views | 69 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by Sapper Redux
Sapper Redux
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12:16a, 8/11/25
Was listening to Led Zeppelin and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" came on. I don't know that I had ever really paid attention to the lyrics before but… they suck. It's just a guy telling a girl he's going to sleep around for a bit. Meanwhile, the rest of the band is putting out an instrumental that could accompany The Odyssey or a war between gods.

It made me wonder what other examples of this are out there. So, what do you have?
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rononeill
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6:40a, 8/11/25
Little known trivia per wiki: it was a rearranged cover of a Joan Baez song, written by some other poet lady. So it's another case of Led Zeppelin being awesome- in this situation, turning dumb lyrics into something much greater.
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maroon barchetta
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6:46a, 8/11/25
Many of the lyrics to the Van Halen catalog. There is some stupid stuff in there.
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Frok
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7:27a, 8/11/25
AG
Yellow Ledbetter because I have no idea what the song is saying, or about, but I sing along like it's an amazing ballad.
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ABATTBQ11
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9:13a, 8/11/25
AG
Final Countdown. Starts out so amazing and then the lyrics happen.
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Sapper Redux
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In reply to rononeill • 9:56a, 8/11/25
rononeill said:
Little known trivia per wiki: it was a rearranged cover of a Joan Baez song, written by some other poet lady. So it's another case of Led Zeppelin being awesome- in this situation, turning dumb lyrics into something much greater.



It's a truly wild juxtaposition
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Milwaukees Best Light
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10:36a, 8/11/25
AG
Lots of ZZ Top. Billy is just a dirty old man writing about goofy dirty stuff. Looking at you Legs, Pearl Necklace, Tush, Tubesnake Boogie.

Don't get me wrong, I freaking love ZZ Top.
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Fuzzy Dunlop
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In reply to Milwaukees Best Light • 11:27a, 8/11/25
AG
Milwaukees Best Light said:
Lots of ZZ Top. Billy is just a dirty old man writing about goofy dirty stuff. Looking at you Legs, Pearl Necklace, Tush, Tubesnake Boogie.

Don't get me wrong, I freaking love ZZ Top.

He wasn't a dirty old man when he wrote those lyrics. He was a dirty young man.
Double Talkin' Jive...
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Rudyjax
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In reply to Frok • 12:30p, 8/11/25
AG
Frok said:
Yellow Ledbetter because I have no idea what the song is saying, or about, but I sing along like it's an amazing ballad.

I just have to point out, there really aren't any lyrics on the recording. That's how Eddie would find where he was going to put the lyrics, and he never got around to re-recording.

Listen to Acoustic Demo #1 and he does the same thing.

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Rudyjax
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 12:31p, 8/11/25
AG
maroon barchetta said:
Many of the lyrics to the Van Halen catalog. There is some stupid stuff in there.

Hot for teacher has some of the best music in any song in history.

Lyrics, meh.

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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Rudyjax • 1:19p, 8/11/25
The lyrics for Panama and Jump are pretty stupid.
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Rudyjax
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 1:20p, 8/11/25
AG
maroon barchetta said:
The lyrics for Panama and Jump are pretty stupid.

Agreed, but not the music isn't as genius.
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Jawn Dough
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1:23p, 8/11/25
Men at Work "Down Under"
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Rudyjax • 1:24p, 8/11/25
The music is good. Sometimes Roth's lyrics were just a mess.

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Furlock Bones
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 1:48p, 8/11/25
AG
maroon barchetta said:
The lyrics for Panama and Jump are pretty stupid.

you shut your huar mouth.
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Rudyjax
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 2:08p, 8/11/25
AG
maroon barchetta said:
The music is good. Sometimes Roth's lyrics were just a mess.


I'm not saying it isn't good. It's not as good.
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Aust Ag
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2:21p, 8/11/25
AG
The song that has "A mosquito, my libido" has pretty awesome music.

Pretty sure any lyrics would have worked for Teen Spirit.
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Rudyjax
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2:34p, 8/11/25
AG
I love this song, but the lyrics are nonsensical.

It's twelve o'clock and it's a wonderful day
I know you hate me, but I'll ask anyway
Won't you come with me to a place in a little town
The only way to get there's to go straight down
There's no bathroom and there is no sink
The water out of the tap is very
Hard to drink
Very hard to drink
You
Wait 'til tomorrow
You
Wait 'til tomorrow
You say that money isn't everything
But I'd like to see you live without it
You think you can keep on going, living like a king
Ooh babe, but I strongly doubt it
Very hard to drink
Very hard to drink
You gonna wait too, fat boy
Fat boy
Wait 'til tomorrow
You gonna wait too, fat boy
Fat boy
Wait 'til tomorrow
You
Wait 'til tomorrow
You
Wait 'til tomorrow
You gonna wait too, fat boy
Fat boy
Wait 'til tomorrow
You gonna wait too, fat boy
Fat boy
Wait 'til tomorrow, oh-ah
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Sapper Redux
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In reply to Aust Ag • 2:59p, 8/11/25
Aust Ag said:
The song that has "A mosquito, my libido" has pretty awesome music.

Pretty sure any lyrics would have worked for Teen Spirit.


Something In the Way may be one of the all timers for this category.
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EclipseAg
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3:34p, 8/11/25
AG
You can't have a topic like this and not mention Sir Paul McCartney -- one of the greatest songwriters in history ... who also wrote a lot of gibberish lyrics because he liked how they sound.

Rather than poke at the Beatles, I'll nominate "Junior's Farm," because the song is a banger and the story behind it is really cool -- though you'd never know it from the lyrics.

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tk for tu juan
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In reply to Aust Ag • 3:36p, 8/11/25
Aust Ag said:
The song that has "A mosquito, my libido" has pretty awesome music.

Pretty sure any lyrics would have worked for Teen Spirit.


They are two of the four items waiting to be entertained

Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yay
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mandevilleag
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3:50p, 8/11/25
Pretty much every Steely Dan song.

ETA I don't know that they are "awful" lyrics. They just don't make much sense.
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Tree Hugger
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3:55p, 8/11/25
AG
I feel stupid.

and contagious.
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Aust Ag
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In reply to mandevilleag • 4:47p, 8/11/25
AG
mandevilleag said:
Pretty much every Steely Dan song.

ETA I don't know that they are "awful" lyrics. They just don't make much sense.


You have to be have been immersed in drug culture for a time, then they make alot of sense.
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GoAgs92
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4:48p, 8/11/25
AG
Great guitar work but the lyrics seem like they were written in about 5 minutes at most.

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Cliff.Booth
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4:53p, 8/11/25
RHCP. Anthony's lyrics are so ridiculous with his insistence on putting rhyming over meaning, but the music itself is always topnotch. I just block out whatever nonsense Anthony is singing.
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superunknown
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In reply to tk for tu juan • 4:58p, 8/11/25
AG
tk for tu juan said:
Aust Ag said:
The song that has "A mosquito, my libido" has pretty awesome music.

Pretty sure any lyrics would have worked for Teen Spirit.


They are two of the four items waiting to be entertained

Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yay


A mulatto (Krist Novoselic)
An albino (Kurt Cobain)
A mosquito (Dave Grohl)
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Aust Ag
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5:22p, 8/11/25
AG
I just thought of my #1 band for this topic…and it might ruffle some feathers.

From the jump, I always loved RATM's music. Damn Morello, those monster riffs!! But for 90% of their songs, I just cannot stand the lyrics and the presentation . I'd listen to their stuff a lot more without Zac's "revolution" lyrics and rap.

I thought I was going to love Audioslave, but I was meh.
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Rudyjax
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In reply to Aust Ag • 5:50p, 8/11/25
AG
Aust Ag said:
I just thought of my #1 band for this topic…and it might ruffle some feathers.

From the jump, I always loved RATM's music. Damn Morello, those monster riffs!! But for 90% of their songs, I just cannot stand the lyrics and the presentation . I'd listen to their stuff a lot more without Zac's "revolution" lyrics and rap.

I thought I was going to love Audioslave, but I was meh.

Yeah. Some really crappy takes here.
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Cliff.Booth
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In reply to Aust Ag • 6:02p, 8/11/25
Aust Ag said:
I just thought of my #1 band for this topic…and it might ruffle some feathers.

From the jump, I always loved RATM's music. Damn Morello, those monster riffs!! But for 90% of their songs, I just cannot stand the lyrics and the presentation . I'd listen to their stuff a lot more without Zac's "revolution" lyrics and rap.

I thought I was going to love Audioslave, but I was meh.


As a 10 year old I was like "COOL!" and then you grow up and realize how hilarious commie revolution rap really is.

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Thisguy1
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6:22p, 8/11/25
Pink Pony Club
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bthotugigem05
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7:06p, 8/11/25
AG
This list has to begin and end with Sweet Child O' Mine. Axl Rose couldn't think of any other lyrics to write to end the song, was singing "where do we go now" to himself, and the producer was like "let's just use that".
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rhutton125
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In reply to Cliff.Booth • 9:07p, 8/11/25
AG
Cliff.Booth said:
RHCP. Anthony's lyrics are so ridiculous with his insistence on putting rhyming over meaning, but the music itself is always topnotch. I just block out whatever nonsense Anthony is singing.
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Bruce Almighty
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9:25p, 8/11/25
AG
Pour Some Sugar On Me
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bthotugigem05
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9:33p, 8/11/25
AG
Some of the progheads would say The Count of Tuscany by Dream Theater.

...ALL THE FINEST WINES (iykyk)
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