Mostly I just listen to the music and let my mind drift away. But two songs on my running play list have such incredible lyrics that they have made an indelible impression that I actually looked them up to make sure I got them right (not wanting to make the classic mistake of thinking the Creedance Clearwater Revival song was called "There's a Bathroom on the Right".
So my nominees for best running lyrics are The Decembrists Down by the Water which include these words to a driving beat reminiscent of vintage Springsteen:
The season rubs me wrong
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up,
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and
Down by the old main drag
Sweet descend this rabble round
The pretty little patter of a seaport town
Rolling in the water and
Rolling down the old main drag
All dolled up in gabardine
The lash-flashing Leda Of Pier Nineteen
Queen of the water and
Queen of the old main drag
and Death Cab for Cutie with the equally pulsing Soul Meets Body:
Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they’re far more suited than here
And I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s
And not one speck will remain
And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
I welcome your votes and additional nominations of songs with poetry and a beat that help you while away the miles while actually appearing to mean something.
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