There's nothing worse for a music lover than vibin' to a great song, then being completely taken out of the vibe by some wild, out-of-place, kinda bad lyric.
And this week, when redditor u/Cobbo95 asked, "What's a terrible lyric in an otherwise great song?" it really shined a spotlight on some of these ~questionable~ rhyme choices.
So, with all of that in mind, here are just a few of the most confusing, cringey lyrics shared:
1. “She had dumps like a truck.” —Sisqó, "Thong Song"
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2. "Everybody rappin' like it's a commercial, actin' like life is a big commercial." —Beastie Boys, "Gratitude"
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"They really should have used 'rehearsal' to end the second line. I'm 47 and this has bugged me since it came out."
3. “If the light is off, then it isn’t on.” —Hilary Duff, "So Yesterday"
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4. “I’m so gangster, I’m so thug.” —Train, "Hey, Soul Sister"
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"LMAO, like, why did he say that?"
5. "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Saturday, and Sunday." —Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"
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"I'm always vibin' with that song when it comes on, but those are some seriously minimal-effort lyrics."
6. "Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti." —Toto, "Africa"
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"Not exactly terrible, but Toto wins the 'syllable-cramming award' with this lyric."
7. "I keep it 300, like the Romans." —Kanye West, "Black Skinhead"
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"I love that multiple people must have told Kanye that it was the Spartans, not Romans, and he just didn’t care."
8. "Zip your lip like a padlock." —Kesha, "Blah, Blah, Blah"
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"I never understood this lyric. Padlocks don't zip."
9. "Time...famine...pestilence...death." —Metallica, "Four Horsemen"
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"Throughout the song, they name the Horsemen, but 'time' isn’t one of the Four Horsemen — it’s 'war.' I still love the song, but it bothers me every time."
10. "Luckily my breasts are small and humble, so you don't confuse them with mountains." —Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever"
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"It's deeply questionable."
11. "Your butt is mine, gonna tell you right." —Michael Jackson, "Bad"
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"Fun fact: Prince was going to duet with M.J. on this song but declined after hearing THAT line. He said, 'Who's gonna sing that to whom? Because you sure ain’t singing it to me, and I sure ain’t singing it to you. So right there we got a problem.'"
12. "Suckin' on chili dogs outside the Tastee Freez." —John Mellencamp, "Jack & Diane"
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"This one has haunted me for years. Maybe in John's small hometown that's just what people said, so he thought it was normal? Like, 'Hey, little Johnny, you up for suckin' on chili dogs?' And he just wrote that down."
13. "LOL to the bank, checkin' my account. Bank teller flirtin' after checkin' my account." —Nicki Minaj feat. Drake and Lil Wayne, "Truffle Butter"
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"I feel like the second line should definitely end with 'seein' the amount.'"
14. "Uno, dos, tres, catorce!" —U2, "Vertigo"
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"Larry to the Edge: You wanna tell him?
The Edge: I'm not gonna tell him.
Adam: Look, we need to tell him or we're listening to this for the next 30 years."
15. "Am I sexual? Yeahhh." —Backstreet Boys, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
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"I am still perplexed as to why the members of the band were answering this question."
16. "Don’t be fancy, just get dance-y.” —Pink, "Raise Your Glass"
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17. “Now you get to watch her leave out the window, guess that's why they call it window pane.” —Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie"
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"The ‘window pane’ play on words just seemed so totally ham-fisted."
18. "Should've known you were trouble from the first kiss. Had your eyes wide open, why were they open?" —Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
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"He sings about how his partner's eyes were 'open' when they were kissing. Well, how did you KNOW they were open if yours weren't open too, huh?"
19. "Your breast-es-es is my breakfast." —Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, "Drunk in Love"
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"Just nope."
20. "Thunder only happens when it's raining." —Fleetwood Mac, "Dreams"
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21. And finally, "Blow my dick like a cello." —Lil Yachty, "Peek a Boo"
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"I wouldn't necessarily call it an 'otherwise great song,' but what's even better about this lyric is the story behind it: Lil Yachty tried to explain himself later by saying, 'I fucked up. I thought Squidward played the cello. He don’t. That’s a flute.'"
Well, you've read their thoughts, but now it's your turn! What do you believe is an awful lyric that taints an otherwise pretty great song? Share your pick or picks in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. H/T: Reddit.