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Lyric websites. Minor rant.


Paul S
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I stumbled across a Robin Trower song I hadn't heard before and would like to flag it up for my blues band.  20th century Blues.  Nice powerful, no frills kind of thing, just up our alley.  The lyrics are buried quite deep in the mix and I am struggling to pick them out so just now I thought I'd get a little help from one of the websites that publish lyrics.  There are quite a few of them.  It seems that Noel Coward wrote a tune called 20th Century Blues and every single one of the lyric websites has copied these lyrics when you search for the Robin Trower one.  Every one.  WTF?  🤪

Anyone happen to know the actually lyrics?  😄

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20th Century Blues

Why is it that civilized humanity
Can make the world so wrong?
In this hurly-burly of insanity
Our dreams cannot last long.
We've reached a deadline,
A press headline, Every sorrow.
Blues value is news value
Tomorrow.
Blues
Twentieth century blues
Are getting me down.
Blues
Escape those weary
Twentieth century blues.
Why,
If there's a God in the sky,
Why shouldn't He grin
High
Above this dreary
Twentieth century din?
In this strange illusion,
Chaos and confusion,
People seem to lose their way.
What is there to strive for,
Love or keep alive for,
Say, 'Hey, hey!'
Call it a day?
Blues
Nothing to win or to lose,
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I tried a diff lyric site to that which Bertbass did and found

 

20th Century Blues

Why is it that civilized humanity
Can make the world so wrong?
In this hurly-burly of insanity
Our dreams cannot last long.
We've reached a deadline,
A press headline, Every sorrow.
Blues value is news value
Tomorrow.
Blues
Twentieth century blues
Are getting me down.
Blues
Escape those weary
Twentieth century blues.
Why,
If there's a God in the sky,
Why shouldn't He grin
High
Above this dreary
Twentieth century din?
In this strange illusion,
Chaos and confusion,
People seem to lose their way.
What is there to strive for,
Love or keep alive for,
Say, 'Hey, hey!'
Call it a day?
Blues
Nothing to win or to lose,
 
;)
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4 minutes ago, Paul S said:

...The Robin Trower penned tune with the same name is nothing like this :) 

With lyrics as indistinct as this, one is justified in making up whatever on top, or even 'La La La'. I gave the video a listen, and could vaguely make out '... got those twentieth century blues...' a couple of times. The rest may be Shakespearian, but I doubt it. Make up your own version; he won't sue you. -_-

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13 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Lyric sites just copy off each other, perpetuating mistakes.

Sometimes they copy across obvious errors  (e.g. in War Pigs you'll probably find 'treating people just like chess pieces' instead of 'voltages').

It's actually "Treating people just like pawns in chess"...

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3 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Indeed, even worse than I thought!

If you listen to Dio (wot is a proper singist) sing it 'voltages' is very obvious, although it's clear enough when sung by Ozzy.

I like the albums Dio did with Sabbath but I can't stand him singing the Ozzy era stuff, just doesn't work for me.

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I get this - it's pretty close - but don't hold me to it! The live versions vary a little bit but don't stray far from it. 

Trying hard to find, find the answer to your call
Got to lose my mind, but I'm no wiser from the fall

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

Don't want day to come, don't want to face reality
Trying to find someone and maybe keep my sanity

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

I'm not made of stone so don't be stepping in my way
Cut me to the bone cos you don't hear a word I say

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues
 

 

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22 minutes ago, RhysP said:

I like the albums Dio did with Sabbath but I can't stand him singing the Ozzy era stuff, just doesn't work for me.

I prefer Ozzy singing his songs, but I first saw Sabbath on the Mob Rules tour at Hammy Odeon, and have never had a problem with Dio's renditions. The crowd were chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy' before the start, within a song he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.

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5 minutes ago, el borracho said:

I get this - it's pretty close - but don't hold me to it! The live versions vary a little bit but don't stray far from it. 

Trying hard to find, find the answer to your call
Got to lose my mind, but I'm no wiser from the fall

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

Don't want day to come, don't want to face reality
Trying to find someone and maybe keep my sanity

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

I'm not made of stone so don't be stepping in my way
Cut me to the bone cos you don't hear a word I say

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues
 

 

Sounds good to me!  Thanks you.

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Well, it’s pretty obvious to me from one listen through:

Tying half a fire, fire the handle of your ball,

But Toulouse is mine, he’s a wazzock from Nepal.

And I’m numb from chews, got those twelfth century shoes.

Don’t want Dave to call, don’t want his bristle down a tube,

Trying to find some hum, and maybe crackers and some Brie

And I’m numb from booze, got that health centre flooze.

I’m not made of bone, so don’t be prepping in that hay,

Cut me garden gnome, cos you don’t fear a wooden sleigh.

Aint got nothing to chew, got those 20th century brews. 

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12 minutes ago, el borracho said:

I get this - it's pretty close - but don't hold me to it! The live versions vary a little bit but don't stray far from it. 

Trying hard to find, find the answer to your call
Got to lose my mind, but I'm no wiser from the fall

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

Don't want day to come, don't want to face reality
Trying to find someone and maybe keep my sanity

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues

I'm not made of stone so don't be stepping in my way
Cut me to the bone cos you don't hear a word I say

Ain't got nothing to choose, Got those 20th Century blues
 

 

I'm almost the same. I have'

'About to lose my mind ....' and

Ain't got nothing to lose, got those 20th C Blues

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