Best Song Lyrics (Part XIV)

Often times when sitting in the quiet of my office, I turn to Pandora to help fill the silence with mello music.  I only have two current 'channels' set up:  Jimmy Buffett Radio, and Jackson Browne Radio.

Why Jackson Browne?  Because it gives me not only good music, but good lyrics.  Plus, on that channel I'll also get a lot of Eagles, a lot of Jim Croce, a lot of Dave Matthews Band, each of whom has already been mentioned in my Best Lyrics anthology.  (Little known fact:  Jackson Browne co-wrote Take It Easy, popularized by the Eagles.)

You probably need to be over 30 (40?) to appreciate Jackson Browne and what he's done for music.  The last half of his career he started to get more politically active, and it comes through in those lyrics.  Either way, he's just a fantastic performer and songwriter.

There are so many songs I could go with as an example - so I'll go with more than one.  First, check out the final verse of The Pretender:

I'm going to be a happy idiot
And struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie
In those things that money can buy
Thought true love could have been a contender
Are you there?
Say a prayer for the Pretender
Who started out so young and strong
Only to surrender
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But I have to add this, from Rosie, with its beautiful, double-entendre chorus:

She was standing at the load-in

When the trucks rolled up

She was sniffing all around

Like a half grown female pup

She wasn't hard to talk to

Looked like she had nowhere to go

So I gave her my pass

So she could get in and see the show

Well I sat her down right next to me

And I got her a beer

While I mixed that sound on stage

So the band could hear

The more I watched her watch them play

The less I could think of to say

And when they walked off stage

The drummer swept that girl away

But Rosie you're all right - you wear my ring

When you hold me tight - Rosie that's my thing

When you turn out the light - I've got to hand it to me

Looks like it's me and you again tonight Rosie