Smokey's Wittiest Lyric

[PeaceNHarmony]

My vote goes to: 'As pretty as you are, you know you could have been a flower. If your good looks were some minutes, you know that you could be an hour.'

Cole What? Oscar and Who?

[lockhartgary]

Here's my vote [[from "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage"):

Oh, just a minute ago your love was here
All of a sudden it seemed to disappear
Sweetness was only heartaches camouflaged
The love I saw in you was just a mirage

[DJMoch]

Smokey is just such a clever lyric-writer. I especially love the wordplay he put into Martha & The Vandella's "No More Tearstained Make Up":

Like a storm my tears have rained, since your shirt was lipstick-stained
And the stains that it contained were not my colour
No sponge has quite the power to absorb the constant shower
Of the tears pancake and powder could never cover

[sansradio]

“If Michelangelo could never paint/And if Jezebel was a saint/Then I guess I don’t love you...”

[Quinn]

My ultimate selection would have to be "Stuck On You" an initially unreleased track from 1966.

Just Look at the wallpaper,it's stuck there on the wall.
It's a pretty sight,oh it's stuck so tight you'd think I'd never fall off at all.
But you take some real hot water and a sponge or a rag
and soak the wall till the paper starts to sag
and pretty soon that paper's got to fall.
but if you soak me,I'll make a bet
that I won't be free,I'll just be wet
Cause still I will be stuck on you.

I'm still fascinated by this after 24 years when it was unearthed. The sound is strange as if the engineering team was working on an upgrade in the Snakepit,but kept recording anyway. Smokey cut a few other tracks on the same day[[Feb.2 1966) and they have the same cavernous far back[[Phil Spector) ambience to them.

[marv2]

It is a three way tie for me:

"Daylight & Darkness"
"I'll Try Something New"
"You Really Got A Hold On Me"

These songs have the cleverest, wittiest lyrics in my opinion.

[Quinn]

“If Michelangelo could never paint/And if Jezebel was a saint/Then I guess I don’t love you...”

Good choice.Smokey loved this one himself as he recorded it close to a handful of times.I'm happy with every version that's surfaced so far except for Melvin Franklin's Shakespeare like responses on The Temptations version[[LOL).Don't know who's responsible for that,Pete Moore[[Co Producer) or Melvin himself, but this song is great nonetheless.

[robb_k]

Smokey wrote way too many songs with super clever lyrics to choose one as the best:
Tears of A Clown, It's Growing, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Come Spy With Me, My Smile Is Just A Frown,

One that's memorable and never talked about is "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", sung by The Versatones.

Here are some of the funny lyrics:
"I'm gay..... Doo Da Day.... I'm Doctor Je-eh-eh -eck-yll
But at night....I'm not right... I'm Mister Hyde

I had a notion. just to kiss you-ur lips,
You were the po-o-tion that caused me to flip,

Change...change...change... is all I doo-ooo
All the wa-alls I go through-ooo"

When I'm Dr. Jeck-yll I'm so fine,
Until I see you, I lose my mi-ind.

'Cause, you don't want me by your side,
So I turn to Mr. Hyy-y-de....

Smokey produced 3 songs by this group in 1963. The other two were "Company Time" and . All 3 were good and clever. But none were released until a few years ago on CD.

[robb_k]

Smokey wrote way too many great songs with fantastically clever lyrics:Tears of a Clown, It's Growing, My Smile Is Just A Frown, Come Spy With Me, Just A Mirage, The Way You Do The Things You Do - I could go on and on.....

This one is virtually unknown, but one of my favourites by him:


Smokey wrote at least 3 songs for, and produced them for The Versatones in 1963. The other two were "Company Time" and . This was a young Detroit group, who went on to record for Ernest Burt's Magic City Records in 1966, NOT the '50s New York group who recorded "Bila" for New York's Richie Records [[as indicated on the video).

[Quinn]

Smokey is just such a clever lyric-writer. I especially love the wordplay he put into Martha & The Vandella's "No More Tearstained Make Up":

Like a storm my tears have rained, since your shirt was lipstick-stained
And the stains that it contained were not my colour
No sponge has quite the power to absorb the constant shower
Of the tears pancake and powder could never cover

Great choice. Great thing he took this monster of a song back into the studio for alterations. It would've been a crime for him to neglect this tune after Quality Control nixed his original vision for it.

[daviddesper]

I always thought Your Mother's Only Daughter was a clever song.

[arr&bee]

Just one??[unfair]..everyday i grow inclined to find her[since i lost my baby]..i can't find any conversation that means more to me than talking[i can't find]you'll know the hopes and dreams i've had my share of,you'll be aware of my love for you[my love for you]..just like a flower loves the rain,i'll try to never cause you pain[would i love you]..but you're such a charmer you melt that coat of armour[when the words from my heart]..well can you dig man her dad's a big man[i love your baby]..your paths may never cross again make sure you take the same bend[a folk in the road]..but i felt much older cause i had to shoulder the trouble you'd bring[who will take the blame]..on your lips so fine i'd softly touch with mine[darling dear]..saw you there and your laughter seemed to fill the air[here i go again]..like water off a mountain slope i'm sinking dow so fast,clinging to a twig of hope that this seperation won't last[save me].

[TomatoTom123]

I'm glad no one has mentioned this one yet... mine is "First I Look At The Purse", which never fails to amuse me with its witty words!!!!!!

Some fellas look at the way they walk
The way they swing and sway
Some fellas like the way they talk
And dig the things they say

But I don't care if she wobbles like a duck
Or talks with a lisp
I still think I'm in luck
If the dollar bills are crisp

And then...

Kisses can be sweet as honey
But I want me some money
She can be covered with a rash
Long as she got some cash

[Jaap]

My favorite Smokey lyric is in "He's My Sunny Boy" by the DRATS, because of the added "or mohair" background vocals [[missing in the Jackson 5 version)

Sunny boy [[sunny boy)
Looks good in everything from silk to corduroy [[or mohair)
To see him I'd walk from Idaho to Illinois [[or anywhere)

[arr&bee]

I love this post...it's not a place that everybody knows about,but once you get em in it's hard to get em out[the soulful shack]..you've done the monkey you've done the twist and the mash potatoes too,the swim and the fly have all gone by so here's a brand new dance for you[come on do the jerk]..i'll pretend i'm jealous of all the fellas[i'll try something new]..he's on my back nearly all day long,it seems that everything i do is wrong[got a job]..everytime you need some affection the one you love goes in another direction[come round here]..a closet full of glad rags all tucked away in a pad that's swank[you're the one]..understand my son be a man my son i know you can my son,i love you[shop around]..ask any woman about it yeah,she'll tell you she can't do without it[a love she can count on]..and in reality both of them are you[two lovers].

[midnightman]

Hard for me to pick a favorite Smokey lyric. That guy KNOWS how to write!

[arr&bee]

Smokey is so good that even his corny lyrics are cool...since the name of the paper is the free press,give me one and you can sell the rest[paper boy]hehehehe..only smokey!!

[robb_k]

I'm glad no one has mentioned this one yet... mine is "First I Look At The Purse", which never fails to amuse me with its witty words!!!!!!

Some fellas look at the way they walk
The way they swing and sway
Some fellas like the way they talk
And dig the things they say

But I don't care if she wobbles like a duck
Or talks with a lisp
I still think I'm in luck
If the dollar bills are crisp

And then...

Kisses can be sweet as honey
But I want me some money
She can be covered with a rash
Long as she got some cash

I always heard that line as: "I still think I'll be better off"
"If the dollar bills are crisp,"

Listen again, and closely, and see which it is.

Then, of course, with Motown songs, some of the less important lyrics often change on different takes, which were used for different 45 and LP issues.

[robb_k]

I'm glad no one has mentioned this one yet... mine is "First I Look At The Purse", which never fails to amuse me with its witty words!!!!!!

Some fellas look at the way they walk
The way they swing and sway
Some fellas like the way they talk
And dig the things they say

But I don't care if she wobbles like a duck
Or talks with a lisp
I still think I'm in luck
If the dollar bills are crisp

And then...

Kisses can be sweet as honey
But I want me some money
She can be covered with a rash
Long as she got some cash

I always heard that line as: "I still think I'll be better off"
"If the dollar bills are crisp," [[at least on the hit 45 version).

Listen again, and closely, and see which it is.

[vgalindo]

If I had to choose it probably would be "Tracks of my tears".

[TomatoTom123]

I always heard that line as: "I still think I'll be better off"
"If the dollar bills are crisp," [[at least on the hit 45 version).

Listen again, and closely, and see which it is.

Hi Robb, I listened again, and I can definitely hear:

I still think I'm in luck
If the dollar bills are crisp

I'm not sure what version I have... it's a stereo mix of the song, so probably not the original 45 version. However, I would say that my lyrics work better because, erm, they rhyme!!!!

[144man]

"...how can goodbye be good to a lover who really cares?
And another thing I
would like to clarify
is how can farewell be fair?"

[What's So Good About Goodbye?]

[arr&bee]

They come from everywhere and if you stop in there,you might see anyone in town[going to a go-go],she couldn't see that far ahead to know that she would become one of the living dead[holly].

[MIKEW-UK]

Well, the thread is called "Smokie's Wittiest Lyric", and whilst not a song, I think the following video is proof of the intellectual giant in lyrcism that Smokie has always been. Don't be distracted by the audience laughter, a natural reaction to his wit, but just listen and stand in awe at the sheer power, brilliance and true magnificence of his word smithing and his rock solid depiction of what the it means to be a black American today, and his pride in being so. This is black power at its most potent and uplifting. And yes, witty!

[kenneth]

I didn't see anyone mention my favorite Smokey song by my favorite singer, Wanda and the Marvelettes doing "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." The lyrics are genius.

My next favorite would be "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage," and my favorite line in it is the one where he mentions "the lipstick traces of the kisses you pretended to feel."

[Encyclopedia Mack]

The Letter. Overlooked gem that Smokey wrote for David Ruffin.
“The desire that I had was to run to the fire with the letter/ it seemed like the wises thing to do/ since then I’ve learned that the fire only burned up the letter/ and would not burn up the memories of you. I remember sweeter days times that you enjoyed me/ I never thought the day would come when you would avoid me/ until the day the letter came and literally destroyed me/ since that day the tears have poured the pen is mightier than the sword.” Incredible.

[kenneth]

The Letter. Overlooked gem that Smokey wrote for David Ruffin.
“The desire that I had was to run to the fire with the letter/ it seemed like the wises thing to do/ since then I’ve learned that the fire only burned up the letter/ and would not burn up the memories of you. I remember sweeter days times that you enjoyed me/ I never thought the day would come when you would avoid me/ until the day the letter came and literally destroyed me/ since that day the tears have poured the pen is mightier than the sword.” Incredible.

I'll have to hear that. I really should listen to the Ruffin albums again. He was so, so good.

[Encyclopedia Mack]

I'll have to hear that. I really should listen to the Ruffin albums again. He was so, so good.

One of my favorites. It’s the last song on the “Feelin Good” album. Ruffin is one of greatest ever. I had no clue he had the vocal range he had until I listen to his solo records.
Unbelievable.

[Quinn]

One of my favorites. It’s the last song on the “Feelin Good” album. Ruffin is one of greatest ever. I had no clue he had the vocal range he had until I listen to his solo records.
Unbelievable.

"The Letter" is a great tune too,but as good as David's version is I prefer The Monitors original and unreleased take from 1968. Richard Street is not in Ruffins class as a singer, but I liked Smokey's vision for that version better. Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson also deserve credit as co writers. As for David's solo albums, they would've been better had he and Berry Gordy got along. Politically he wasn't on the best terms with Motown and his albums took a hit in quality and sales.

[Encyclopedia Mack]

"The Letter" is a great tune too,but as good as David's version is I prefer The Monitors original and unreleased take from 1968. Richard Street is not in Ruffins class as a singer, but I liked Smokey's vision for that version better. Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson also deserve credit as co writers. As for David's solo albums, they would've been better had he and Berry Gordy got along. Politically he wasn't on the best terms with Motown and his albums took a hit in quality and sales.

I did not know there was another version. It looks like the songs were recorded the same year. I know Motown had artist cover the same songs frequently. I just listened to the Monitors version. Their version might of been the first. Maybe a demo. The Monitors version didn't really have a hook. Very smooth rendition. Different strokes for different folks. I prefer Ruffin's. Ruffin tears your heart out with his version. It's like someone has a gun to Ruffin's head in the studio.

[kenneth]

Ruffin had that great, untrained, kind of churchy quality to his voice. I loved when his voice cracked, like on the first line of "I Know I'm Losing You," when he shouts, "I know you wanna leave me..." His and Jimmy R's version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is still my all time favorite rendition of that song. His albums to me always seemed a little lackluster, but the unreleased "David" which Hip-O finally put out was a masterpiece, in my opinion. I think it's that album which included his version of "A Rainy Night in Georgia," another heartbreaker where he sounds like he's over singing and straining his voice, giving it that raw emotional edge.

[Quinn]

Ruffin had that great, untrained, kind of churchy quality to his voice. I loved when his voice cracked, like on the first line of "I Know I'm Losing You," when he shouts, "I know you wanna leave me..." His and Jimmy R's version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is still my all time favorite rendition of that song. His albums to me always seemed a little lackluster, but the unreleased "David" which Hip-O finally put out was a masterpiece, in my opinion. I think it's that album which included his version of "A Rainy Night in Georgia," another heartbreaker where he sounds like he's over singing and straining his voice, giving it that raw emotional edge.

David's voice was in a class by itself. I've always had many questions about the "David" album,the quality of it and the A&R department's intention with the singles they chose. As much potential as that album had,it seems that decent tunes were chosen to spark interest in the "forthcoming" album. I can't begin to tell you how confused I am when I listen to "Each Day Is A Lifetime" and wonder why they thought that would be a hit. Not that it's a bad song,but who would pay attention to it when it came on the radio?. The single flopped which happens,but if you know the music industry then you know that when a single flops the follow up gets less promotional effort. Then to make things worse fans are hearing his tunes with his brother Jimmy on the airwaves. Are you over saturating the market so that he competes with himself or taking shots to see what happens?. Then when "You Can Come Right Back To Me" dropped, Smokey was supposedly working on an album with David. Where is it?,did Berry Gordy discourage Smoke out of dissention,did David piss Smokey off and make him abandon the project?. That said single was the stillborn follow up and when too many singles fail albums are put away. He's not given a new budget right away and is gone for awhile.

So many questions,I can go even further. Was it just a case of bad events or a conspiracy?. Good album though.

[144man]

For sheer consistency of lyrics throughout the whole song, Carolyn Crawford's "My Heart" should be mentioned.