Newsgroups: alt.music.lyrics,alt.answers,news.answers
From: dhalgren@netcom.com (David Filippi)
Subject: alt.music.lyrics Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Message-ID: dhalgrenD7EK8H.91I@netcom.com
Followup-To: alt.music.lyrics
Sender: dhalgren@netcom12.netcom.com
Reply-To: dhalgren@netcom.com
Organization: frolick and gambol, ltd, west coast office
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 1995 20:43:29 GMT
Expires: Fri, 26 May 1995 20:43:29 GMT
Archive-Name: music/lyrics-faq
Posting-frequency: monthly, around the 21st
Last-modified: Sat Apr 6 14:00:00 PST 1995


               Frequently Asked Questions for alt.music.lyrics
                                    by
                     David Filippi  dhalgren@netcom.com


Last revised: 6 Apr 1995

----------------------------- 

Subject: Table of Contents

         1.   WHERE CAN I GET SOME?
         2.   FREQUENTLY REQUESTED LYRICS
         2.1. REM LYRICS ARE AVAILABLE AT:
         2.2. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT...
         2.3. HOTEL CALIFORNIA
         2.4. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN / OTHER LED ZEPPELIN LYRICS
         2.5. AMERICAN PIE
         3.   HOW TO POST A REQUEST
         3.1. HOW TO POST LYRICS
         4.   ABOUT alt.music.lyrics
         4.1. IS a.m.l GATEWAY'D TO ANY MAILING LISTS OR FTP SITES?
         5.   LIST OF PUBLICALLY ACCESSIBLE MUSIC SITES
         6.   SEND COMMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS, etc., TO:



Subject: 1. WHERE CAN I GET SOME?

* * * Please try ftp.uwp.edu or one of its mirrors for lyrics, in the
* * * directory /pub/music/lyrics/[first letter of artist's name]/[artist].
* * * If you know of any other sites, please e-mail me (reply to this article.)

ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/lyrics/
ftp://cs.uwp.edu/pub/music/lyrics/
      The canonical lyrics archive, hereafter "uwp".

ftp://ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de:/pub/rec/music/vocal/lyrics/uwp
      A uwp mirror.  It's in Germany -- North Americans should try uwp first.

http://www.leo.org/archiv/music/music_e.html
      Another German music site -- the above href is the English language
      home page.  Contains a link to the following mirror of uwp:
http://www.leo.org/cgi-bin/leo-dls/pub/rec/music/vocal/lyrics/uwp

ftp://www.wit.com/music/lyrics/
      A mirror of uwp.

ftp.sunet.se/pub/music/lyrics/
      *NO LONGER IN SERVICE.*  A pointer directs inquiries to "uwp."

ftp://cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/lyrics/
      An alternative source for many popular lyrics.

ftp://ftp.nau.edu/sca/ioseph/
      Joe Bethancourt's SCA, Celtic, Filk, and Folk collection.

     Here's an example of how to get the lyrics for Beck's "Loser":
     (By the way, the Spanish -- "Soy un perdedor" -- means "I'm a loser.")

        ftp ftp.uwp.edu
        cd pub
        cd music
        cd lyrics
        cd b
        cd beck
        get loser



Subject: 2. FREQUENTLY REQUESTED LYRICS

Subject: 2.1. REM LYRICS ARE AVAILABLE AT:

     http://www.halcyon.com/rem/newsgroup.html#lyrics

          Or, send mail to fables@lynchburg.edu with "send lyrics" in the
     body of the message.  You will be mailed an entire lyrics archive.
     For lyrics to a specific song only, place "send lyrics."
     in the message body.
                   
          Michael Stipe can be difficult to understand.  There are reports
     that he no longer recalls the original words to some of his songs and
     must sing "sound-alike" lyrics in concert.  This is probably intentional,
     for some artistic reason or another; and it probably happens all the
     time (Phish reportedly follows the traffic in rec.music.phish and 
     modifies what they sing to play head games with their audience.)  So,
     it's not the end of the world as we know it.  Post your misheard lyrics
     here in alt.music.lyrics.  And relax.

Subject: 2.2. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT...

     Wrapped up like a goose in the middle of the night
     Held up by a  ...deuce... another ruler in the night
                   ...douche...
                   ..."dooshent"...
     Slapped up by a dude...
     Knocked up by...

     The lyrics according to the liner notes in Greetings From Asbury Pary,
     N.J., Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
 
     And she was blinded by the light
     Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night

     Et cetera.  Nobody seems to know for sure, and the song has been recorded
     (differently?) by various artists.

Subject: 2.3. HOTEL CALIFORNIA

     The word in question is "colitas."  It's something to eat.
     Complete lyrics may be found at:

     ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/lyrics/e/eagles/hotel.california

Subject: 2.4. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN / OTHER LED ZEPPELIN LYRICS

     You can find them on ftp.uwp.edu.  So quit asking.  Want more info?
     Send mail to listserv@cornell.edu with the phrase "INFO ZEPPELIN-L" in
     the message body.  Follow the instructions of the reply.

Subject: 2.5. AMERICAN PIE

     It's by Don MacLean; and it was reportedly inspired by the death of
     Buddy Holly.  The lyrics are on uwp -- beginning to detect a theme here?

     ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/lyrics/m/mclean.don/american_pie



Subject: 3. HOW TO POST A REQUEST

     If you've tried the lyrics ftp sites above with no luck, you can ask the 
     readers of the group for help.

     Make your subject line look something like this:

     REQUEST:  Santana lyrics to "Oye Como Va"

     If you are feeling pedantic, add the word "request" to your Keywords line.

     Some people like to add an "Obligatory Lyrics" line to their posts:

     ObLyrics:  "My red, is so confident he flashes trophies of war and ribbons
                 Of euphoria.  Orange is young full of daring but
                 Very unsteady for the first go-round."  -- jimi hendrix

     This gives folks who aren't able to answer your request some
     compensation for reading your post.  But you don't have to if you don't
     want.  Don't sweat it.



Subject: 3.1. HOW TO POST LYRICS

     If you are responding to a request, please take the word "REQUEST" out
     of the subject line (and the rest of the header!)

     Make your subject line look something like this:

     LYRICS: to "Hall of Heads" by They Might Be Giants

     Please cite the source of your lyrics (i.e. best guess, FTP site, album
     insert, song-book, Usenet post) if you can remember it.

     If your newsreader allows it, check to see whether someone else has
     posted the lyrics in question, before you try.  This saves on effort
     and bandwidth -- also the reason, incidentally, for this FAQ.



Subject: 4. ABOUT alt.music.lyrics

     The original newgroup message can be found at:

     ftp://ftp2.netcom.com/pub/ftp/dh/dhalgren/lyrics/a.m.l-newgroup

     Since most sites don't honor netcom control messages, you are probably
     reading the group courtesy of someone else's booster newgroup.  Thanks,
     folks.  (Can't get alt.music.lyrics?  Contact your news admin!)

     FROM THE NEWGROUP MESSAGE:

For your newsgroups file:
alt.music.lyrics        Discussion of song lyrics.

Charter:

This group is for posting of non-copyrighted/public domain song lyrics;
for discussion of song lyrics, and for posting of original lyrics for
comments and criticism.  While excerpting copyrighted lyrics for the
purpose of discussion ("fair use") is encouraged, posting of copyrighted
lyrics in full is discouraged.

     END OF NEWGROUP MESSAGE

     Why all the skirting around the issue?  Well, I don't want to encourage
     illegal activities.  One poster to a.m.l accused me of wanting to
     create a forum for bad original lyrics and mutual back-patting,
     "sort of like alt.lesbian.feminist.poetry."  Actually, I'm more worried
     about copyright issues.  Usenet is largely a text-based medium (apart
     from occasional MIME files) and is well-suited for the posting of lyrics.
     I can't imagine that the record companies would object to our copyright
     violations either -- give up all that free publicity?  If you disagree,
     I wouldn't mind hearing about it via e-mail, but don't expect me to argue
     with you.



Subject: 4.1. IS a.m.l GATEWAY'D TO ANY MAILING LISTS OR FTP SITES?

     Beats me.  Probably not; and it probably should be.



Subject: 5. LIST OF PUBLICALLY ACCESSIBLE MUSIC SITES

     The following two sites are "indices" to other sites -- far too many
     to include in this document.  Lots of them have lyrics.

     The Ultimate Band List -- Main Page:
http://american.recordings.com/wwwofmusic/ubl.html

     Internet Underground Music Archive:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/ianc/index.html



Subject: 6. SEND COMMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS, etc., TO:

     David Filippi
     dhalgren@netcom.com

This file is copyright 1995 by David S. Filippi.  All rights, except those
under the category of "fair use" and "personal use," are reserved.
-- 

FISH APHRODISIAC - and it's you they'll love.  dhalgren@netcom.com

###