Music and Lyrics: The Beat Goes On

I don’t read a lot of poetry. I don’t think I have developed an ear for it, or maybe I just haven’t found the right poet. I haven’t looked hard honestly. But I do love song lyrics. Well, good ones. I can’t stand a song that has rubbish lyrics. Some lyrical lackings can be forgiven with great music but normally, the words are the meat for me.

The lyrics that are spinning round and around my mind lately, are Beady Eye’s The beat goes on. When I first heard this song, well the whole album really, I thought it was a little trite. Liam, the lead singer, singing “all the world will sing my song” was a bit much, even for him. But once I thought about the words more and separated Liam from them,  I began to see the song as not about him but about every artist that has burned brightly and burnt out.

The Beat Goes On
Thought that I died today
Walked off the stage
Faded away up through the clouds
To the gig in the sky
And when I arrived
the angels were singing a song
Yeah you know the one,
are you singing along


Thought I’d know just what to do
That it’d be 
how I wanted it to. 
The Ox and Moon
were counting me in
I had to give in
Make the thunder and lightning sing
In the eye of the storm
there’s no right and no wrong


So long, so long
Someday all the world will sing my song
Still life remains
Somewhere in my heart the beat goes on


I thought it was the end of the world
Beat with guitars
and all that I understand is air 
through metal and wood
I’m misunderstood
and wasted on money and fame
I’ll throw it away
just to prove that I can
I’m the last of a dying breed
And it’s not the end of the world oh no,
it’s not even the end of the day
_______

Okay the “angels” and “the gig in the sky” are a little corny lol. But I love this line

And it’s not the end of the world oh no,

it’s not even the end of the day

My favorite turns of phrase are like this, very simple yet clever. If I could write, I’d write like that.
I also love the line

and wasted on money and fame

for the double meaning in wasted.
The Ox and Moon threw me at first, but I’m pretty sure it’s a reference to The Who. The bassist’s nickname was The Ox and Moon is, of course, Keith Moon.

I hope you’ll be able to listen to the song below