...picture this we were both buck naked, laying on the bathroom floor?

I was just thinking, after reading a lyric...trying to decide which words came next, about that show with Wayne Brady. No, I am NOT thinking of "Whose Line", but I am thinking of the "Do You Know the Lyrics?"...pretty sure that's the name.

Anyway, the title of this post gets at my point, I do not know 100% of every song. Do you? I think we have this interesting, "lets make up the words" mentality. I enjoy this, however, I have been going through my typical "listens" of the day and looking up the lyrics. I'm happy to report, I'm pretty much 80-90% right with each and everyone of these. This Shaggy lyric title of mine, here, definitely is 50% right. Damn you Wayne Brady! You run a pretty difficult "game show".

Now, you are probably wondering, am I going to go back through every beloved song and relearn lyrics? Likely not. However, this brings me to my next rant. Remember, for a second, when you used to buy CD's? Ok, some of you still do...including myself. That's beside the point, remember reading the inside "booklet"? Way back when, before lyrics.com was so easily accessible (read: 56k modem), I (maybe you as well) used to listen to the newly purchased CD and make sure I had the lyrics down PAT to the song I had purchased the CD for. Some of you will claim you listened to the whole CD all the way through this, however, is likely after you listened to the "hit" at least 5-6 times. Regardless of how many times it was, you then (likely), listened to the whole CD. I used to listen to the CD, read the lyrics, and go back through to make sure I had memorized them. For these albums that I did this, do I still know all the words? Pretty much, across the board, yes, yes I do.
As time went on, I think many of you can agree, this method became more archaic. For me, I would go through the same "listening" routine but in a far different manner. My newly purchased CD became a "listen while driving" CD. I failed to take the time siting in front of my stereo for an hour, listening to the whole album. This is where I started to slack, in a lyrical sense. I think sense then, I have retained less lyrics and have made far worse mistakes than before. For instance...lets look at a few of my "sethism" lyrics:

From an overall perspective, any Coheed and Cambria CD features at least 5-6 of "my own" lyrics. Take the use of "Ryan Abel" in one of the songs as lyrics when the actual lyrics are "call when enabled". Ok, yes, these two sound VERY similar...I'm not too off. This proves my point. Will I ever sing this the right way now? No.

Ok, more examples...this one is for the younger generation: Fall Out Boy...that song, "Sugar We're Going Down", in my opinion, has no lyrics at all! I have never looked up the lyrics and I will forever just makeup words while singing it. Pete Wentz doesn't know the lyrics.

R.E.M - Whats the Frequency Kenneth? This is a favorite, "Whats the Frequency Kenneth? is shopping a joke, uhhuh", or something like that is how I sing that song. Real lyrics: "Whats the Frequency Kenneth? is your Benzedrine, uhhuh". WHAT THE HELL does that mean?

So, I've kinda lost my thoughts on all the good songs that I do this to, but the point is, I do this and so do you. It makes me feel good that I can come up with lasting, though incorrect, lyrics. However, being on that show....in the spotlight, trying to finish a lyric has got to be incredibly difficult! Am I bummed about not knowing the lyrics? Not really, its a great conversation piece and a testament to a little bit of my quirky side. Maybe the move from the "lyric books" to the picture books in modern albums is a way for the band to let us decide our own lyrics. This may take the meaning out of what they want us to hear but it gives us our own take on the song. Not seeing the written lyrics has made me more aware of what they might be trying to say, it also allows subtle words or the way they say something have a lot more meaning.

So, though in my past life I would have advocated reading every lyric before, during, and after a good CD listen, I don't think I'll be going back to that method. Things are more fun when we put our own stake in them. While seriously messing up a song lyric might not be that big of a stake in music, it makes it individually yours. When your lyrics stick with other people, it makes it a hysterical mistake that won't be lived down.

So continue "going down down in a be bopping round" and calling "ryan abel" (or any other friends name that fits the sound of "call when enabled"), also remember regardless of the frequency Kenneth, make up your own line because theirs just sounds like shit!