Song lyrics aren't supposed to be a fountain of perfect english, but on the other hand some are just so
atrocious, they need to get called out. We're not looking for sentance fragments or the word ain't since there are too many instances to count.
Me and Mamie O'Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York
These two lines were meant to rhyme nicely, but even a child could tell you that the first line should be 'Mamie O'Rourke and I,' since the singer claims to be the agent of the action in question ('[tripping] the light fantastic').
Submitted by: Raphael
But if the offer is shun, you might as well be walkin' on the sun
"Shun" is used here as either a noun or an adjective, not a verb. It should be "if the offer were shunned."
Submitted by: Jim Webster
Tie me kangaroo down, sport
Tie MY kangaroo down, duh!
Submitted by: Jim Webster
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got runned over by dammed old train.
To add to Chris' entry, the last line should be "She got ran over..."
Submitted by: Counrtry
My woman done left
"Done" is correctly used as a verb (with a helping verb) or an adjective, but never as an adverb.
Submitted by: RJSchex
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison, and I went to pick her up in the rain; but before I could get to the station in my pickup truck, she got runned over by dammed old train
All right now, my English teacher is covering her ears now! I have heard a pickup truck referred to as a 'she', which is incorrect; threfore, you don't know WHAT got hit - the mother or the truck!
Submitted by: Chris
Alicia Keys/Jay Z's, "Empire State of Mind"
"New York--Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of"
This isn't just a choice to use street talk, accurate depiction of dialect is a good reason for bad grammar, as Mark Twain demonstrates. This is just idiotic grammar to fit the song's demand for syllables; but "where dreams are made" is a complete thought, and the "of" is not only superfluous, it is wrong. Dreams are not made "of a place", and if they are made "in a place" or "at place", that is what "where" means. This lyric is even worse than the common misusage, "Where are you at".
Submitted by: Hartenstein
Just you and I (2X)
It should be "Just you and me", as you wouldn't say, "Just I".
Submitted by: Country
Gill's, "I am"
Do you know who made the sun?
Where you there to see the light?
Have you seen my face?
You're not ready to come down
I've known you from the start
You shine like the stars
I know where you are?
And I know where you hide
And I love you more than life
I gave my only son
Just to take away your sins
Taking all your shame
Is that enough for you to love me?
Love me one more time
And you'll see how great I am
'cause I am your life
Who lifted you when you're down?
Who made you bold and stand?
Did you ever thank me for what I've done?
I only need your heart
Praise me with all your heart
Do things for me with love
I am here to be loved
And I am here to love you
And I love you more than life
I gave my only son
Just to take away your sins
Taking all your shame
Is that enough for you to love me?
Love me one more time
And you'll see how great I am
'cause I am your life
I am the God of love
I am the everlasting love
'cause I am your life
I gave my only son
Just to take away your sins
Taking all your shame
Is that enough for you to love me?
Love me one more time
And you'll see how great I am
'cause I am your life
I gave my only son
Just to take away your sins
Taking all your shame
Is that enough for you to love me?
Love me one more time
And you'll see how great I am
'cause I am your life
because this is my own song, I am the guitarist and the composer of the lifestone band.
Submitted by: Gill
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye.
First of all, "Them" is a pronoun, not a demonstrative adjective. So "Those" (which can be an adjective as well as a pronoun) should be used here instead of "Them". Also. "whiskey and rye" could be a grammatically faultless (if unlikely) reference if "rye" referred to the unprocessed grain rye or to rye meal. But when "rye" refers to a drink (as the context clearly indicates here), that drink is a type of whiskey. So when referring to drinks, "whiskey and rye" is like saying "colors and red". A more correct reference would be "whiskey including rye". But of course that would be hard-put to fit the song's meter, and arguably lyrically awkward even if it did fit metrically.
Submitted by: Andrea Greenleaf
