Favorite Handwritten Lyrics

I know we have a discussion thread but I think it would be cool to talk about specific lines that have stuck out to us.

"I remember she used to look so good in that dress,
now she just screams how I promised her more than this.
Take it easy, baby, it ain't over yet."

^That hit me harder than any line has ever hit me in a Gaslight Anthem song for some reason.

Also really like:

"Like I waited on your call and made my plans to share my name
And I love the country movement in the way your dress would wave"

"And all of my heroes were failures or ghosts
Burned out in brilliant explosions alone
And all of the blood and sweat that they gave
Well, we took it all and we threw it away"

and

"While this city pumps its aching heart
For one more drop of blood,
We work our fingers down to dust
And we wait for kingdom come
With the radio on"

"Now I am no angel but I've got nothing to hide, can you say the same thing for yourself tonight." - The combination of Brian's snarl on hide and the bluesy riff in the background just kills me.

"I just want to love someone who has the same blood." - hits home so hard.

But that line in National Anthem is probably one of favourite Fallon lyrics.

EDIT: Oh and - "What makes a woman believe in a man such as me? Unworthy to sit at your foot or your crown, I can only let you down".

There are so many as usual. Standout for me at the moment is in Mae:

'I wanna see you tonight, won't you come for a drive
You can lean into me, if you ain't, oh you ain't been in love for a while'

"With everything discovered just waiting to be known
What's left for God to teach from his throne?
And who will forgive us when he's gone?"

"Here in the dark I cherish the moonlight
I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night"

"With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart
And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn’s sway
I can’t seem to forget that night or how I heard you say
That I’d just die if you ever took your love away"

Christophe wrote:

'I wanna see you tonight, won't you come for a drive
You can lean into me, if you ain't, oh you ain't been in love for a while'

THIS. This made me tear up.

gtalbott wrote:

Christophe wrote:

'I wanna see you tonight, won't you come for a drive
You can lean into me, if you ain't, oh you ain't been in love for a while'

THIS. This made me tear up.

I know it's so powerful isn't it? It is fast becoming a favourite song ever for me

I also pretty much love all of Blue Dahlia's lyrics including:

'I had a dream about you once and I could barely see your form, and I met you between the wax and the needle and the words of my favourite song, and your black hair was like a raven with your tanned skin on the beach'

It's just so poetic. Again so relatable - a couple of girls spring to mind instantly with that description. Most TGA songs are relatable to me that's why I love this band so much but I think this one is one of the hardest hitting.

''I found that nothing truly matters,
That you cannot find for free, '' Biloxi Parish

Amazing stuff. Tattoo material that, just just a good design.

"It took years, my baby, just to come clean
Every streetlight a reminder and all those apologies
And the night is lonely next to me
Even the night is lonely next to me"

I've found that nothing truly matters that you cannot find for free
This line stuck out for me from the first time I heard the song .. Explains my sig

And at the bottom of this river
is where I put you down to lay so I can live with it
And in my hard hard heart there are these waters
where I put you down to lay while I learn to live with it
Till I'm free

What can I keep for myself if I tell you my hell?
What would be left to take to my grave?
And what's left for you, my love, to save?
What's left for only you to take?

Ow damn where should i even start ?

"Pull it out, turn it up, what's your favorite song? That's mine, I've been crying to it since I was young"

"And we waited for sirens that never come. And we only write by the moon, every wood handwritten. And to ease the loss of youth and how many years I've missed you. Pages plead forgiveness, every word handwritten."

"Let it out, let me in, take a hold of my hand. There's nothing like another soul that's been cut up the same
And did you wanna drive without a word in-between?"

"Here, in the dark, I cherish the moonlight. I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night"

"With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart. And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn's sway.I can't seem to forget that night or how I heard you say...
That I'd just die if you ever took your love away"

"And I'm not looking for your love, I'm only sniffing out blood. Just a little taste of where I came from"

"And at the bottom of this river is where I put you down to lay so I can live with it.
And in my heart there are these waters where I put you down to lay while I learn to live with it
till I'm free"

"And there were children involved and they were brothers to me"

"Now I am no angel but I've got nothing to hide. Can you say the same thing for yourself tonight?" (that line gives me the shivers in combination with Brian's voice when he sings it)

"What can I keep for myself if I tell you my hell?
What would be left to take to my grave?
And what's left for you, my love, to save?
What's left for only you to take?
If I put too much blood on the page..."

"I've found that nothing truly matters that you cannot find for free"

"The place where you were in my heart is now closed.I already live with too many ghosts"


That's actually as short as i can get it.

"Here in the dark I cherish the moonlight
I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night
And it travels from heart to limb to pen."

WingsForWheels wrote:

"Here in the dark I cherish the moonlight
I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night"

This one. That whole part is just magnificent.

IT'S BEEN SO LONG MAE, SO LONG

And some men spend their lives
Chasing the accolades of pride
But that just never crossed my mind,
You were always on my mind

Sound of the cars
Rushing the rain on the boulevard
In this city by the sea
That has always haunted me
And belonged to me somehow
Bless your waters and your doubts
Bless your waters
Bless your doubts

And who came to drive you around this town
Like I used to drive you all around with the radio on
Through the mist on Mulholland


Now do you blow it out come Friday night?
See if you wanna, you can find me on the hood under the moonlight
Radio, oh radio, do you believe there’s still some magic left
Somewhere inside our souls?

My hands down favorite line that resonates with me like no other:

I love you more than I can tell you and when you pass through from this world I hope you ask to take me with or I won't have to wait too long. But until then I'll be with you through the dark.

"I ain't seen my home in half a year, I miss my mother and my friends. You tell Rita I've been praying for her troubles to finally end. And when this whole thing is over and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quite down and its just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing because that's how I know your heart"

oh wait... for some reason the decided to cut one of the three best verses Brian has ever written...

CluckyB wrote:

"I ain't seen my home in half a year, I miss my mother and my friends. You tell Rita I've been praying for her troubles to finally end. And when this whole thing is over and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quite down and its just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing because that's how I know your heart"

oh wait... for some reason the decided to cut one of the three best verses Brian has ever written...

I really wish they had left this verse in. I love it!

CluckyB wrote:

"I ain't seen my home in half a year, I miss my mother and my friends. You tell Rita I've been praying for her troubles to finally end. And when this whole thing is over and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quite down and its just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing because that's how I know your heart"

oh wait... for some reason the decided to cut one of the three best verses Brian has ever written...

I like that verse too, but you're very, very consistently negative on Handwritten. It's fine, but at some point you'll be beating a dead horse. I just hope you stop before that point comes.

My favorite lyric...cluster, if you will, would be this part of Mulholland Drive. Perhaps partly because it's pretty similar to my current situation, but I'd like to think anyone would appreciate these lyrics.

In the deep, dark parking lot pressed up against my car
With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart
And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn’s sway
I can’t seem to forget that night or how I heard you say
That I’d just die if you ever took your love away

JackStreetcar wrote:

CluckyB wrote:

"I ain't seen my home in half a year, I miss my mother and my friends. You tell Rita I've been praying for her troubles to finally end. And when this whole thing is over and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quite down and its just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing because that's how I know your heart"

oh wait... for some reason the decided to cut one of the three best verses Brian has ever written...

I like that verse too, but you're very, very consistently negative on Handwritten. It's fine, but at some point you'll be beating a dead horse. I just hope you stop before that point comes.

My favorite lyric...cluster, if you will, would be this part of Mulholland Drive. Perhaps partly because it's pretty similar to my current situation, but I'd like to think anyone would appreciate these lyrics.

In the deep, dark parking lot pressed up against my car
With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart
And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn’s sway
I can’t seem to forget that night or how I heard you say
That I’d just die if you ever took your love away

So its okay for people who love the album to keep talking about why the love it, but if you dislike parts you need to shut up? I thought this was a gaslight discussion site... discussion goes both ways.

CluckyB wrote:

JackStreetcar wrote:

CluckyB wrote:

"I ain't seen my home in half a year, I miss my mother and my friends. You tell Rita I've been praying for her troubles to finally end. And when this whole thing is over and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quite down and its just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing because that's how I know your heart"

oh wait... for some reason the decided to cut one of the three best verses Brian has ever written...

I like that verse too, but you're very, very consistently negative on Handwritten. It's fine, but at some point you'll be beating a dead horse. I just hope you stop before that point comes.

My favorite lyric...cluster, if you will, would be this part of Mulholland Drive. Perhaps partly because it's pretty similar to my current situation, but I'd like to think anyone would appreciate these lyrics.

In the deep, dark parking lot pressed up against my car
With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart
And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn’s sway
I can’t seem to forget that night or how I heard you say
That I’d just die if you ever took your love away

So its okay for people who love the album to keep talking about why the love it, but if you dislike parts you need to shut up? I thought this was a gaslight discussion site... discussion goes both ways.

Seconded. Some people need to chill out and stop taking offence if someone makes a slightly critical observation. We are all fans of the band but this forum is for discussing exactly how we feel about the music.