Songs with the Greatest Opening Lines

[kanaia]

Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying

 

[kanaia]

Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going to California with an aching in my heart
Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hai

 

[johnnyreb]

I heard the cavalry ride that day
My parents hid me and there I'd stay
Then those troops came, one by one
Men with honor
Men with virtue
Men with none

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before

Copperhead Road

 

[metarzan]

"Me and your mama and some other whore, floating down the river on a shithouse door..."

Subjective whether it gets better from there...

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Well, I wished I was in Austin, mmm
In a chilly parlor bar
Drinkin' Mad Dog Margaritas
And not carin' where you are…

Guy Clark, “Dublin Blues”

 

[WildTurkeySurprise]

“TWO FACED WOMAN WITH YOUR TWO FACED LIIIIIIES!”
AC/DC - Kicked In The Teeth. A shining example of Bon Scott nailing the union of lyric and vibe. I don’t know the girl he was singing about, but to this day I am still upset with her. Lol

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Well, I wished I was in Austin, mmm
In a chilly parlor bar
Drinkin' Mad Dog Margaritas
And not carin' where you are…

Guy Clark, “Dublin Blues”

Just realized when I cut and pasted those lyrics that they were friggin’ wrong!
Should be “…in the Chili Parlor Bar…”
?

 

[kanaia]

Coyote's in the coffee shop
He's staring a hole in his scrambled eggs
He picks up my scent on his fingers
While he's watching the waitresses' leg
Joni Mitchell, "Coyote"

 

[kanaia]

Honey, don't you be yelling at me when I'm cleaning my gun
I'll wash the blood off the tailgate when deer season's done
We got one more weekend to go
And I'd like to kill one more doe
James McMurtry "Copper Canteen"