Friday, May 23, 2008

Orderly song lyrics

Possibly a recurring feature here at Brevity. I was referred to this quiz by Matthew Baldwin, in which he takes 50 songs and rearranges their lyrics... in alphabetical order. He's removed all capitalization and the repeated use of any word. After all that, it's amazing how short (and similar to one another) the songs look.

Some people may be able to internalize a collection of words and visualize the song, but for the rest of us, it helps to look for titles ("yesterday"), uncommon words/names (like "scaramouche") or rhyming words ("higher" and "pyre") to figure them out.

Once you waste a couple of hours there, feel free to try my contributions below. It helps that each is wordy and includes at least one uncommon word.


1.
a again ahead and are barely battle battles beat between build but car catch causing clearing come comes counting cup deluge don't door dream drum end ever feeling freedom get heart hey hole i'm in is it's know let liberation lost many me my never no now of only over page paper possessions proof relief right road roof see shadows steps suspicion t.v. tales the them there there's they to today towing traveling try turn us walking wall war waste we when while win with within without won't world you you'll you're your

2.
a ability agility and are away be been better blessed blood bob born brother brow bucket but by can't 'cause chug-a-lug come confide continue cough dance dancin' daughter deliver distress do don't down drink everybody excess feelin' feeling fertility for free from get give giver gone gonna good goodness got greedy he heart hell her his hoosegow how hug i i'm i've if in is it juice kaiser keep kingpin know less let life like little long love lovin' low lucky mama marley material me miser mobility mom more my never no now of off on or papa pauper people piggies poet powwow prophet put realize receive reeling right river rock say scrub sea see she shiver smart stop swimmin' talk taught tell than the then there's time times to unimpressed up upriser walkin' wanna want warm water what when wisely wiser with wither won't yes you you'll you've young your

3.
a across all an and are as at be better black blessed blows boat built bury but by came church city cold come congregations could crazy crows crumbled did died dying earth edge empire endlessly exists eye falling fat father ferry final flapping flowed fog for found from fussing garrison geese get go gods good had having he hear here him home horses house how i i’d if in inherit is it jesus laughing learn left light like lived looked make man men murder my needle never night northern not october of offer old on one only our out place play poor prayed prayers priestly priests rite river romans round sad saw sea seagulls serve shall shire silent sodium sound spoken stone stones sun swear take teach teachers tear temple than that the their then these they this ‘til time to today told tonight tower town two up us used walking wall was way were what where which wind winter's words workmen world worth young


Guess the song titles in the comments.

UPDATE! Quinn the Brain used her, uh, brain to solve all three. So avoid the comments if you'd like to solve them yourself. Then, if you're done and hungering for more, I'd recommend clicking over to this forum thread I started to see if other members post some more.

7 comments:

Courtney said...

This is a pretty cool waste of time.

2. Give it away now, RHCP
3. All this Time, Sting

Neel Mehta said...

She lives!

What words tipped you off?

Courtney said...

"hoosegow" and just about every word of the third one (suspicion confirmed by "congregation")

Courtney said...

Ooh! Just figured out #1 on a second read: "Don't Dream It's Over" by whoever sang that song. (deluge being the giveaway word on that one.)

Neel Mehta said...

Yep. Here are, in my opinion, the four giveaway words for each:

1. deluge, liberation, suspicion, TV
2. hoosegow, kaiser, kingpin, Marley
3. congregations, garrison, priestly, sodium

Sting was such a nerd.

Neel Mehta said...

"Don't Dream It's Over" is by Crowded House. (Then remade by Sixpence None the Richer.)

ZenDenizen said...

Neel this was an excellent, original idea for a post. Great choice of tunes, too. The imagery in All this Times chokes me up everytime.