13 Wonderful Song Lyric Tattoos

It is often a bad idea to get song lyrics tattooed on your body. Really, who wants to be a 40-something mother of three with, say, a Dashboard Confessional tramp stamp that dates back to high school? Our friends at Buzzfeed have rounded up 22 truly awful lyric tattoos, from a misspelled Goo Goo Dolls line to what appears to be a toilet paper roll bearing the words of Staind. As music fans, we knew there had to be at least a few decent song lyric tattoos out there. After the jump, 13 that we can get behind.

Oh, and people? Lay off of “Love will tear us apart” and “There is a light that will never go out” for a while, OK?

The Velvet Underground — “Lisa Says” [via]

Well, that’s comforting.

Björk — “Bachelorette” via]

In Braille!

Edith Piaf — “Je Ne Regrette Rien” [via]

Perhaps a cliché by now, but we can always get behind living without regrets. Also, the song is gorgeous.

Neutral Milk Hotel — “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” [via]

Indeed it is.

The Cure — “Just Like Heaven” [via]

Extra points for feline adorableness.

The Beatles — “I Am the Walrus” [via]

Even funnier for its meaninglessness.

Blondie — “Hanging on the Telephone” [via]

Perfectly executed.

Bikini Kill — “Rebel Girl” and “For Tammy Rae” [via]

Someone out there must have, “Come on, baby, let me kiss you like a boy does.”

Pixies — “Where Is My Mind?” [via]

We are asking ourselves this shit every day.

David Bowie — “Heroes” [via]

Never a bad thing to remind yourself of.

Bob Dylan — “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” [via]

This is good. But even better would have been the lyrics, “Strike another match, go start anew.”

Radiohead — “There There” [via]

“Just because you feel it doesn’t mean it’s truth.” Amen.

Mogwai — “Hunted By a Freak” [via]

So creepy it’s awesome.

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[...] fascinated by tattoos around here — whether they’re odes to famous works of art or a celebration of wonderful song lyrics. But we’ve got to tell you, this one has us stumped. Apparently some dude in Istanbul decided [...]

[...] whose body they adorn. So it makes sense that music fans would want to decorate their skin with lyrics to their best-loved songs — or the art from their favorite album. After the jump, we round up 20 fantastic tattoos [...]

[...] said, there are some song lyric tattoo success stories, and Flavorwire has assembled a photo gallery documenting 13 examples of cool song lyric [...]

[...] said, there are some strain verse tattoo success stories, and Flavorwire has fabricated a print gallery documenting 13 examples of cold strain verse [...]

the girl who looks like she's self harmed actually has a condition where you can scratch yourself with pins or something sharm and they go after a few hours. Very nice tattoos : ) Hope this clears things up. Not sure what the condition is called, think it might be dermographia x

what is the name of the font for "Where is my mind"

i was just looking up fonts for lyric tattoos trying to decide what i want my next tattoos font to be because im getting a lyric tattoo. i looked at some of these trying to see if people really thought in depth like i did about my choosing of my song lyric i wanted. doesn't seem like any of these people could have any meaning behind any of these, but yet again who am i to say? i am not them. well i was going to get lyrics from my favorite band that have helped me through a lot in my life by listening to their songs, however a lot of their songs have swear words and i second thought about having that on my body, so i chose something without swearing because i know i'd regret it when i got older. i really want the lyrics "I need to make this clear, These words they must be heard, I'm only me and I don't care if you don't like it" by smile empty soul on my right leg somewhere, but i'm stuck between that and "In the morning light I'll start again with open eyes, And I feel alright the pain is gone, I'm still alive" by the same artist. these songs have a lot of meaning to me. i kind of wanted your guy's opinion if you could (: thanks

seriously, why comment on someone's cutting scars like that? real compassionate, as if she didn't already have some kind of emotional problem people like you make it worse.

"there is a thin line between the two (self harm/tattoos..you gotta be careful)…" I'm sorry, but that's bullshit.

hanging on the telephone was a Nerves song... not Blondie.

...most of these tattoos are even worse than the 22 listed as "awful". Seriously? Is there some confusion here? I think this should've been titled "13 Ridiculous and Regrettable Song Lyric Tattoos". For example, the braille? Really? It just makes the poor woman's back look disgusting, and it's only gonna get worse as her skin ages. And it's not like it can be read. "Lisa says it's alright"? That's kind of a strange thing to get tattooed...couldn't've picked a better lyric? The telephone tattoo is all around bad. Were the phones supposed to look that poorly drawn? And what a lyric... The Bikini Kill also looks like someone didn't know what they were doing. Who in their right mind wants to have "Where is my mind?" written on them? I can't imagine what motivated that person to want that permanently etched on his chest. "Hunted by a freak"...I have nothing to say for this one, it should be obvious. How sad...

im pretty sure its hair not scars.

Woah, think there's enough scars on neutral milk hotel girl's arm?

i have on on my hips that says "when life is in discord, praise ye the Lord" a line from Anberlin's song, Papethin Hymn.

http://img839.imageshack.us/i/tattoo020.jpg/ Placebo- from "Post Blue." I break the back of love for you

there is a thin line between the two (self harm/tattoos..you gotta be careful)... this post is really good.. i have.. "are you sleeping?".. from Satin in a Coffin by Modest Mouse.. (technically i should have "are you dead?" somewhere else.. but i don't..bit morbid..)

I am so into this post. And Helen, you're great. I have one that says "These are your arms" from Le Tigre's "Keep on Livin'" Really important.

Radiohead: Just cause you fell it, doesn't mean is THERE

PS. Helen, I hope that the comments on the cutting is out of concern, but you know what... you're probably right. We'll leave it alone here.

Yep, I saw those cutting scars. Hope she's not doing that any more. Gotta be careful with the tats though, too. they can become an alternative.

No need to lay off Joy Division and/or Smiths tattoos.

Ohhhhhhhhh the Bikini Kill ones are sweet!!! I love em!

please give the nerves credit where it's due!

Me and Greens you too should be ashamed. There is no need to comment in that way about somebody's self harm scars. I find you both very rude indeed. This is about tatoos - not insulting the body of somebody.

When I was 18, I was going to get JTB's "Waiting on a sign from God... or a nod from Hell" tattooed on my back. Thank goodness I didn't.

I saw one I liked at Coachella one year. This girl had "Nothing's gonna change my world..." winding down her side

re: radiohead "there there". the original lyrics are "just because you feel it doesnt mean it's there." it's really small, but I think that's what his say.

Whoa, did not catch the cutting scars. NMH = awesome. Self harm = not awesome. Teens, take note.

Yeah. her arm looks like a parsnip. messsed!

Anyone else see the crazy cutting scars on Neutral Milk Hotel girl's arm?

Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone should read The Nerves - Hanging on the Telephone

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  1. [...] said, there are some strain verse tattoo success stories, and Flavorwire has fabricated a print gallery documenting 13 examples of cold strain verse [...]

  2. [...] said, there are some song lyric tattoo success stories, and Flavorwire has assembled a photo gallery documenting 13 examples of cool song lyric [...]

  3. [...] whose body they adorn. So it makes sense that music fans would want to decorate their skin with lyrics to their best-loved songs — or the art from their favorite album. After the jump, we round up 20 fantastic tattoos [...]

  4. [...] fascinated by tattoos around here — whether they’re odes to famous works of art or a celebration of wonderful song lyrics. But we’ve got to tell you, this one has us stumped. Apparently some dude in Istanbul decided [...]