Favorite Don Henley Lyrics

[Peekaboo]

All of you have pointed out some brilliant lyrics by Don. And most of them are my favorites.

Maleah, this part in New York Minute holds a lot of meaning for me as well. For me, it's a reminder of my grandmother. The year she passed was the same year that I really got into the Eagles and I remember rewinding this part over and over on the HFO dvd.

New York Minute -
"What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here"

[DonFan]

The first time I heard these words in Don's lullaby to his daughter, Annabel, I burst into tears:

"In this cold world folks will judge you though they don't know you at all
And I may not be there to catch you anytime that you might fall.
But you've got my hard head and your mother's grace
And the likeness of the loved ones right there in your face
And I know in the end you'll be who you will be--
Sleep tight, Annabel, you can always count on me."

because I had just lost my father, who gave me the kind of unconditional love and support Don talks about in this song, and I realized he would never be there for me again.

[Troubadour]

That post made ME cry, DF.

Some of my favourites have already been mentioned, but I will emphasize that The Heart Of The Matter gets me everytime. These are the parts that are extra-special to me:

"What are these voices
Outside love's open door
Make us throw off our contentment
And beg for something more?"

"The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again"

"There are people in your life who've come and gone
They let you down
You know, they hurt your pride
You better put it all behind you, baby
'Cause life goes on
You keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside"

"I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
So I'm thinking about forgiveness"

Honestly. I'm sure it's one of the most beautiful and emotional songs I've ever heard.

I adore these lyrics from Lilah:

"All these comings and goings that cut like a knife
These small, simple pleasures that make up a life"

"Oh Lilah, this ground we hallow is ours to tend, but not to keep"

Long Way Home is another of my favourites.

"There's three sides to every story:
There's yours and there's mine and the cold, hard truth"

I would quote New York Minute, but I love all of the lyrics, and previous posters have already chosen some great ones. What I will say, is that the line towards the end "In a New York Minute, you can get out of the rain" encapsulates the whole meaning of the song for me. Yes, things can change for the worst in a split second, but they can also get better in the same amount of time. There's a lot of hope contained in that line, as well as in the "I believe, I believe" part.

[Fan_For_Life]

Sunset Grill~~

~You see a lot more meanness in the city
Its the kind that eats you up inside
Hard to come away with anything that feels
Like dignity
Hard to get home with any pride
~These days a man makes you somethin
And you never see his face
But there is no hiding place

~Respectable little murders pay
They get more respectable every day
Dont worry girl, Im gonna stick by you
And someday soon were gonna get in that
car and get outta here

[eaglesvet]

I have to think a bit to write my favorite lyrics, but I had a few quick thoughts. The thread Soda may have been thinking about was "Don moments that make you weak in the knees." Same idea, but a bit more expansive (includes grunts and air intakes, lol.)

Around here, the NYC radio stations will often preface In a New York Minute with a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks...how everything can change in a New York minute. I can't listen to the song in the same way again.

[Koala]

My favorite lyrics:

Not Enough Love In The World
Sometimes I wonder where it is love goes
I don't know if even Heaven knows
But I know you had some dreams that didn't quite come true
And now I'm not the one, little girl, who's keeping you.

New York Minute
And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice
And take care of your own
One day they're here;
Next day they're gone

The Heart Of The Matter
I'm learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again
I've been tryin' to get down

The End Of The Innocence
O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Wow - You all have posted some really good lyrics here. I love all of them. Once again, I haven't had a lot of time on the board this week so I haven't had time to post here. I'll post more here later, but for now, one of the lines I love that hasn't been posted yet from The Last Worthless Evening ...

"there're just so many summers and just so many springs
and this is the last worthless evening that you'll have to spend"

[Fan_For_Life]

In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Henley's anniversary.. for many, many more. Happy Anniversary.

For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For Ive made a sanctuary of my heart

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day

For my wedding, I dont want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love well need to make it in the world out there

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

I dream, and my dreams are all glory and light
Thats what Ive wanted for my life
And if it hasnt always been that way
Well, I can dream and I can pray
On my wedding day

So what makes us any different from all the others
Who have tried and failed before us
Maybe nothing, maybe nothing at all
But I pray were the lucky ones; I pray we never fall

To want what we have
To take what were given with grace
For these things I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day