10 Song Lyrics That Nobody Understands

Are we human or... WHAT?!

By Tim Coffman /

Lyrics are the true heart of any good song. While many artists can get by on just a strong melody, lyrics are what take a song over the top. Instead of just being a catchy tune, the messages behind some of music's greatest works have the capacity to connect with you throughout your lifetime.

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Then again, you can spend 20 lifetimes trying to figure out what these tunes are actually about. A lot of times, lyrics come out of the woodwork that seem to be talking about something prophetic, but mean absolutely nothing outside of the context of the song. There's nothing necessarily wrong with writing lyrics with a more abstract bent to them, but these lyrics sometimes go too far the other way and become so confusing for the audience to decipher.

Whether or not these words hold any water, they do possess the right percussive value to fit perfectly with the tune they are a part of. Even if you aren't sure what the message is, that doesn't diminish the passion behind some of these tunes. Regardless of their capacity to thrill us, the lyrics behind these songs have continued to perplex the hell out of listeners for years now.

10. Galileos - Queen

"Bohemian Rhapsody" really served as a turning point for Queen. With absolutely no artistic reservations, Freddie Mercury composed a song that would not only be the band's masterpiece, but a watershed moment for pop music in general. Amid the artistic brilliance on display, the confusion begins at what is arguably the song's greatest moment.

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After hearing of a man confessing a murder to his mother and leaving town, we come out of the guitar solo and are greeted with operatic grandeur from Mercury. Instead of continuing on the engaging story we were expecting, Mercury offers up surrealistic images of seeing silhouettes and doing the fandango. Though these could still be treated as abstract word painting, the desperate cries of "Galileo" jump out as a genuine oddity in the lyric sheet.

While the lyrical prowess of the band is limitless, it is a bit puzzling what 16th century astronomy has to do with the murder the character has committed. Mercury was never too candid about the lyrics behind his opus, offering fans to form their own interpretations of the song. Despite Galileo's uncertain involvement, there's no denying that this song has some of the greatest feats of musicianship that rock has to offer.

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