I'll put this here because I reckon most replies (if there ARE any) would be from Enz songs, but I'm not fussy.

I only have about half of the Enz catalogue (lay off, I'm working on it!) and I know I must be missing quite a few amusing lyrics so please fill me in.

To the point: What do you think are the most amusing rhyming lyrics in a Finn song? You know, when they actually contort the english language for the sole purpose of making two lines sound the same.

I get my biggest giggles from:

I'm lost at sea
and I'm an amputee

and

As you sipped your tequila
I knew I had to steal ya.

And could someone please tell me what rhymes with Iris, because if it's what I think it is, that one's going straight to the top of my list. (I have, however, been known to grossly mis-hear song lyrics - now THERE'S a funny thread just waiting to happen!)

The day a Finn Rhymes 'sad' with 'mad' or 'bad', I'm outta here

Anyway, do what you will...

Well, this particular rhyme doesn't contort the language, it's just a standard rhyme.
However, out of all the Enz songs, the first rhyme that comes to mind (and my favorite lyric/phrase in an Enz song) is from 'Never Ceases To Amaze Me' from
'Time and Tide."

Hippopatamus in the mud
nips my arrogance in the bud


classic Tim Finn!

I think the rhyme in the song Iris goes something like;

Ooh, Ooh, Iris
The girl with the lovely name,
I feel desirous
and I've got a girl to blame.

Is it all you thought it'd be? Or less than? It's still one of my fave Enz songs.

Yeah, thanks Bogue.

Rhyming 'Iris' with 'desirous' is pure brilliance. That rocks.

Sorry, I just had to point out the the lyrics you quoted from Late last Night were NOT FINN LYRICS!!! If my memory serves me correctly that song was a P. JUDD composition. Credit where it's due, please - at least occasionally anyway.

Personally, I like from the Judd song "Sweet Dreams"

"...I fell for your etiquette,
The first time we ever met..."

Anyone can rhyme one syllable, but to half rhyme two syllables... that's pure talent.

Paul. :-)

For pure cheesy rhyme value, can't beat that classic one from Late Last Night (it as soooo many doesn't it )

"A look of afar - A secret smile
I blew a few kisses/Said my name is Lyle"

Ok, it is Judd I know....but I've always as a bit of a titter over that.

------------------
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"Can I explain the audience principle to you? If you assault and accost them, then we have no audience", Chasing Amy(1997)

Like Leibiana, I fancy the word play in "Shark Attack":

Well she chewed me up and she spat me out
......
I thought you were a real lifesaver
And life for once would do me a favour
Now I'm the one with the bleeding heart
........
And there was slaughter in the water when I fought her

(Incidentally, notice how Tim alternates between points of view in the song. He refers to the "attacker" in the 3rd person [she], then addresses her directly [you] then he's back to the 3rd person again.)

Other Faves:

From "I Hope I Never"
I still want to beam and smile
Happiness is back in style

From "How Can I Resist Her?"
Blonde hair, blue eyes
She came on like a white lie

From "I Wouldn't Dream of It"
I wouldn't dream of asking you to stay
I never would presume that far
I'm not about to leave myself
With all my doors ajar

From "Poor Boy"
You're looking at an interplanetary Romeo

From "What's The Matter with You"
Yes sir, the weathers clear
There's Eskimos, in summer clothes

Gotta love those lyrics.

Ever notice that the Finns have invented many an aphorism about love in their songs? Here's a sampler of their thoughts on love:

From "Nobody Takes Me Seriously"
Love's not a glimpse, it's a permanent rinse
And it keeps you on your toes all day

From "One Step Ahead"
Love is a race run by two

From "I Wouldn't Dream of It"
I don't believe in love by candlelight
I'm not a movie star at St Moritz
And I'm not a Prince in a fairy tale
Looking for the foot that fits

From "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"
Ship wrecked love can be cruel
Don't be fooled by her kind

From "Message To My Girl"
I don't want to say I love you
That would give away too much

While we're on the topic of Split Enz lyrics, can someone tell me what he or she hears when listening to "What's The Matter With You" from True Colours? I could swear the line is --

So beat the drum and let the trumpet blow
You gotta let go
In the heat of the moment you reap what you sow

But the Play it Strange web site (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/5981/songs.html) shows the lyric as this --

So beat the drum and let the trumpet blow
You gotta let go
In the heat of the moment you'll be what you say

Are my ears deceiving me?

quote:

Originally posted by Leibiana:

As you sipped your tequila
I knew I had to steal ya.

What song is that from, and which brother wrote it? I like that line

That's from the song "Late Last Night" and guess what ... I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a finn that wrote that song! It was Phil Judd. My other fav songs that Phil Judd wrote are "Titus" and "Sweet Dreams".

The song is "Late last night", and is written by Phil Judd. It is from the second Split Enz album - Second thoughts, 1976.

quote:

Originally posted by OneWhoDreams:
While we're on the topic of Split Enz lyrics, can someone tell me what he or she hears when listening to "What's The Matter With You" from True Colours? I could swear the line is --

So beat the drum and let the trumpet blow
You gotta let go
In the heat of the moment you reap what you sow

You're absolutely right. These are the lyrics listed in the True Colours booklet. (At least, in the booklet of my copy from the boxed set. :-)

That song has one of the weirdest closers:

"Yes sir, the weather's clear
There's Eskimos in summer clothes
I don't suppose you'd like to laugh with me"

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Camfield:

That song has one of the weirdest closers:

"Yes sir, the weather's clear
There's Eskimos in summer clothes
I don't suppose you'd like to laugh with me"

Yes, Chris - weird but wonderful. Neil really cut his teeth as a songwriter on True Colours. BTW, ever notice that Neil seems to have an alienation theme going on that album? He's happy while everyone else is cynical on "What's The Matter with You"; he wants to run away and become a "Missing Person"; and he's near paranoid in "I Got You."

Writing pop songs with depth ... I wonder if he had any idea that that would become his signature as his musical career progressed.

You know, the one verse (though not a rhyme in any sense of the word) that probably got me hooked on noncommercial Split Enz was

"But you wouldn't know me from a bar of soap
A part of the furniture, an ornament, a rocking chair
But it's all very well, to cry now"

Sweet Dreams, every once in a while