32 Iconic Frank Turner Lyrics

Frank Turner is possibly (definitely) the greatest lyricist working today. Here are 32 of his most iconic, beautiful, meaningful and funny lyrics.

1. "It turns out hell will not be found within the fires below, but in making do and muddling through when you've nowhere else to go."

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From the song: "The Way I Tend To Be"

In this song, Frank sings about a lost love who he reckons can save him from himself, and without her he has become dazed, confused and perhaps not the person he wanted to be. It's a brilliant and somewhat painful line, though, showing that hell doesn't have to be all fire and brimstone, it can simply be boredom a lack of direction.

2. "I'm not drinking anymore, but I'm not drinking any less."

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From the song: "Anymore"

I just find this one funny and it catches me off guard every time. The rest of the song is absolutely heartbreaking, however, about the end of a relationship and falling out of love.

3. "I've been getting it wrong for far too long; I've been lost more than found.

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From the song: "Little Changes"

Here, Frank sings about making some changes in his life to improve things but tells us all we should start small to build to bigger things. He's sort of reached an apex here and knows its time to change or face worse things.

4. "It's not even love anymore; it's just a claim upon my soul."

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From the song: "Tell Tale Signs"

Another heartbreaking song about a relationship that has stalled too many times and now the singer and his girlfriend - the recurring Amy - are just continuing to go through the motions rather than actually having any proper feelings for one another. He can never completely forget her, however, as all his tattoos remind him of her and serve as the titular tell-tale signs.

5. "And we're definitely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell."

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From the song: "The Ballad of Me and My Friends"

Everyone has a plan of what they want to do with their lives, but many of us aren't actually doing anything about those plans. Still, the stories are good.

6. "It isn't love, but every time I kind of wish it was."

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From the song: "Casanova Lament"

Here, Frank keeps hooking up with people, and knowing full well that they're not going to see each other again. He's even taken to keeping toothpaste and a spare shirt in his bag so he's always ready, but he does admit that it's "precious little comfort in the knowledge of the person I've become".

7. "These people are adjectives to your proper noun."

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From the song: "Cleopatra in Brooklyn"

I just find this one such a romantic compliment. He tells the girl in the song that the world doesn't appreciate her greatness, but he alone sees how wonderful she is.

8. "We can get better, because we're not dead yet."

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From the song: "Get Better"

"Get Better" is possibly Frank's greatest song, with this line being the central mantra. We can always improve ourselves. A fantastic song to put on really loudly when you're feeling a bit down - it's guaranteed to perk you back up again.

9. "Don't worry if you don't know what to do."

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From the song: "Don't Worry"

Just these simple words in Frank's soft voice made me cry the first time I heard them, while I was going through a rough, indecisive patch. It's never to late to change your mind about what you plan to do.

10. "You're not delivering a perfect body to the grave - time is not there to be saved."

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From the song: "Demons"

"If life gives you demons, make a deal", sings Frank, although some would argue maybe you're meant to make demonade. This song is actually about the wonder and fragility of life. Make the most of it - we're not here forever.

11. "You can try and try and try but no one ever makes it out alive."

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From the song: "The Fisher King Blues"

As mentioned in the previous one, we're not going to make it out of all this alive, so make the most of it while we're here. The world won't care much when we die, so may as well try and do some good while we're here.

12. "I took a battering but I’ve got thicker skin, and the best people I know are looking out for me."

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From the song: "Get Better"

Another line from this absolute belter. Keep good friends, ignore haters and trolls, and everything will be a lot easier.

13. "Life is about love, last minutes and lost evenings, about fire in our bellies and about furtive little feelings."

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From the song: "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous"

Another one of my favourite Frank songs. In this line, he bigs up the fact that the little things in life are the best ones - the nights you don't remember, the last minute decisions, and the people you meet along the way. Don't take any of them for granted and enjoy them all.

14. "I've got the twenty-first century survival blues, a condition brought on by watching the news."

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From the song: "The 21st Century Survival Blues"

Frank tells the listener that we're all feeling a bit down now after we grew up in an era that was broadly dominated by peace and prosperity. Things are now apparently getting worse so meet Frank "when the sirens go off" because "what's the point in surviving if you're just surviving alone"?

15. "I still believe that everyone can find a song for every time they’ve lost, and every time they’ve won."

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From the song: "I Still Believe"

Frank tells us that there are songs for every moment of our lives and that, above all, music will save us, having incredible power to change the world and unite people. It saves souls and it's, above all, fun.

16. "As long as I’ve got me a place to sleep, some clothes on my back and some food to eat, then I can’t ask for anything more."

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From the song: "If Ever I Stray"

Frank begs his friends to keep him on the straight and narrow by saying "Sometimes I find it hard to remember I couldn't do this on my own". It's a rocking tune that emphasises that most of what we own we can do without, as long as we've got the basics and are focused on our goal.

17. "We used to fit like mittens but never like gloves."

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From the song: "Mittens"

Sometimes relationships just aren't quite right. Here, Frank sings about one that almost worked, but missed that certain something. Sometimes you can't force it - you either fit or you don't.

18. "Every step you take forward is a step you never have to take again."

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From the song: "Least Of All Young Caroline"

This song is set in a scene where things are hard for the subject of the song, Caroline, but the singer tells her that while things are bad, they will get better. You just have to take it one step at a time.

19. "In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind, be more kind, my friend, try to be more kind."

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From the song: "Be More Kind"

Perhaps the most important song of the decade, "Be More Kind", is found on the 2018 album of the same name. Frank implores people to be kinder to one another in a world that seems to be descending into one of hate and fear. Everyone can make a difference.

20. "The first time it was a tragedy, the second time it's a farce. Outside it's 1933, so I'm hitting the bar."

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From the song: "1933"

Fiercely topical, Frank here discusses the parallels between 1933 and the rise of Hitler and the modern political landscape. Unable to believe we're doing it again, he calls on the "greatest generation" to remind us that they "already did this". We don't need to do it again.

21. "Don’t you ever kind of wish that the world would just stop? That the band would pack up and the curtain would drop?"

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From the song: "My Kingdom for a Horse"

A melancholic lyric and song, Frank wishes that sometimes he could just stop being him for a moment and take a step back to sort himself out. Sometimes we all need a time out.

22. "I don’t know what I want, but this is not it."

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From the song: "Must Try Harder"

These words are simple but really strike to the core of that uncertainty many of us feel in our twenties and beyond. Stuck in a job we hate, in a relationship we barely tolerate, or a city that doesn't appreciate us, it's not always possible to explain exactly what we do want instead.

23. "We have all this independence, but it still feels like we never had a choice."

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From the song: "Wanderlust"

Despite everyone telling us that we can be whatever we want to be, the truth is that it's not always possible and sometimes we end up doing things we didn't want to do and are now stuck in ruts. The rest of the song describes his determination to escape and find somewhere new.

24. "Love is about the changes you make and not just three small words."

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From the song: "The Way I Tend To Be"

Words are important, but actions sometimes moreso. You can tell someone you love them, but it means nothing if it isn't accompanied by proof. It doesn't mean you have to buy them gifts all the time, more that love is about compromise and acceptance.

25. "Can anyone here say with any certainty that they know what they’re doing?"

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From the song: "We Shall Not Overcome"

There are loads of great lines in this one as Frank says that life sometimes feels like we drank too much, missed the dress rehearsal, and are now having to understudy a role in a play we didn't prepare for. Fortunately, everyone feels like that, so it's less lonely than you'd imagine.

26. "I’m exactly the kind of guy I said that I’d rather be dead than be in the days before I got laid."

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From the song: "Wisdom Teeth"

This blow to the kidneys in lyric form is for anyone who had their life planned out only to find that it didn't go as expected. Our lives, priorities and habits change - sometimes for good, sometimes for ill - and we might not like who we become along the way. It is always possible to improve oneself though.

27. "I don’t want to spend the whole of my life inside; I want to step outside and face the sunshine."

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From the song: "The Next Storm"

This lyric is for anyone who is determined not to let the negativity get to them. When things get tough, you can either hide away and stew on them, or get out there and try again. Frank is determined to face whatever is next on the horizon, whether that's sunshine or another storm.

28. "I won't sit down, and I won't shut up, and most of all I will not grow up."

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From the song: "Photosynthesis"

The whole song is a testament to growing up but not losing the joy, passion, creativity and originality of youth. You can get a dull job and work for fifty years "on something that you hate", or you can continue to be unique and try to fulfil those dreams.

29. "It might hurt a bit but don’t you forget that this too shall pass, if we survive."

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From the song: "Brave Face"

Sometimes you just need to put a brave face on things. There may be pain or sorrow in your life, and it's OK to feel sad about these things, but eventually things will improve again and with bravery one can get better. There is happiness after the tragedy.

30. "There are walls around us to be breached and if that breach can be made drag the others through; don’t be afraid or let our differences drag us down."

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From the song: "Common Ground"

Another important song, Frank tells us that the best way to make things better in the world is to find some common ground with people. Building bridges will be more productive than building walls, and we need to work peacefully to bring people around to a progressive way of thinking.

31. "There's something about hometowns that you never can escape; the triumphs and the tragedies, the tawdry little fates."

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From the song: "Wessex Boy"

No matter where you travel, your home town will always have a certain something about it. Frank sings here of Winchester specifically, but the lyrics generally apply to any place one might call home. Everything feels more comfortable back home.

32. "For you, I'd start a war."

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From the song: "Little Aphrodite"

This song is utterly beautiful and loaded with references to Greek mythology, but despite this line promising warfare, I just also find it really romantic. There are some people we'd do anything for. It's one of those songs that ensures tears.