Line #412 Main/LimitedLyricsSong


1	[[quoteright:320:[[Series/AmericasGotTalent https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uaqtsxm4cngk5f3pg7dxl5ycfa.JPG]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:320:Getting a perfect score in karaoke is as simple as nailing this line.]]
3
4	-> ''"'''Tequila!'''"''
5	-->-- '''The Champs''', "Tequila"
6
7	A SubTrope of EpicRocking that's routinely paired with EpicInstrumentalOpener.
8
9	These songs have a short list of lyrics. Maybe there's only a few lines in a much longer song. Maybe the vocalist sings the lyrics repeatedly. Often overlaps with TitleOnlyChorus. Has been known to overlap with BrokenRecord. Can result in ChorusOnlySong as these wind up feeling like a Limited Lyrics Song. Especially long songs can fall into this if the lyrics are sufficiently limited. The lyrics don't even need to be bunched up in a small space in the song. Can also result in RefrainFromAssuming if the repeated line isn't the title.
10
11	To qualify for this trope, the song must be more than 2 minutes long. Exceptionally short songs (under 2 minutes long) rarely qualify since there isn't enough time for a great many lyrics to begin with.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Rock/Metal]]
18	* "Stop Smoking" by Music/CarSeatHeadrest has only two lines repeated multiple times:
19	-->''Stop smoking, we love you''\
20	''Stop smoking, we love you''\
21	''Stop smoking, we love you''\
22	''Stop smoking, we love you''\
23	''Stop smoking, we love you''\
24	''Stop smoking, we love you''\
25	''And we don't want you to die''\
26	''We don't want you to die''\
27	''We don't want you to die''\
28	''We don't want you to die''\
29	''We don't want you to die''\
30	''We don't want you to die''\
31	''We don't want you to die''\
32	''We don't want you to die''
33	** This is averted when the theme from Stop Smoking recurs in High to Death, a nearly eight-minute-long lyrical {{Doorstopper}} of a song that isn't even the ''second-''longest song on the album.
34	* "Tusk" by Music/FleetwoodMac is fairly minimalist lyrics-wise:
35	-->''Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay''\
36	''Why don't you ask him if he's going away'' \
37	''Why don't you tell me what's going on'' \
38	''Why don't you tell me who's on the phone''\
39	''Why don't you ask him what's going on'' \
40	''Why don't you ask him who's the latest on his throne''\
41	''Don't say that you love me'' \
42	''Just tell me that you want me''
43	* "Magnum Opus" by {{Music/Kansas}} is over 8 minutes, with just this one verse surrounded by instrumental work:
44	-->''This foolish game, is still the same''
45	-->''The notes go flying off in the air''
46	-->''And don't you believe it's true,''
47	-->''The music is all for you''
48	-->''It's really all we've got to share''
49	-->''Cause rocking and rolling,''
50	-->''It's only howling at the Moon.''
51	-->''It's only howling at the Moon.''
52	* Music/TheProdigy does a lot of songs like this. Take "Poison":
53	-->''I got the poison''
54	-->''I got the remedy''
55	-->''I got the pulsating rhythmical remedy''
56	-->(repeat over and over and over and over and over and over again throughout the pulsating rhythmical melody)
57	** Also to mention is "Breathe":
58	--->''Breathe the pressure''
59	--->''Come play my game, I'll test ya''
60	--->''Psychosomatic, addict, insane''
61	--->''Breathe the pressure''
62	--->''Come play my game, I'll test ya''
63	--->''Psychosomatic, addict, insane''
64	--->''Come play my game''
65	--->''Inhale, inhale, you're the victim''
66	--->''Come play my game''
67	--->''Exhale, exhale, exhale''
68	--->''Breathe with me''
69	* "The Fez" by Music/SteelyDan repeats these four lines three times, with only minor syntax variations in the first two lines each time:
70	-->''No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on, oh no''
71	-->''Ain't never gonna do it without the fez on, oh no''
72	-->''That's what I am, please understand''
73	-->''I wanna be your holy man''
74	* "The National Anthem" by Music/{{Radiohead}} from ''Music/KidA'' is a fairly epic and vocally intense song. However, its only lyrics used are:
75	-->''Everyone, everyone around here''
76	-->''Everyone is so near/has got the fear''
77	-->''It's holding on''
78	-->''It's holding on''
79	** Radiohead used this trope a lot during their early 2000s [[NewSoundAlbum electronica period]]. "Everything in Its Right Place" from ''Music/KidA'' has only a few lines of lyrics despite being about five minutes long, and one verse is nothing but the same line repeated four times. Also, "Pyramid Song" from ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'' has only one verse, which is repeated twice to stretch it out.
80	* "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" by Music/PeterGabriel:
81	-->''We do what we're told (3x)
82	-->''Told to do''
83	-->''One doubt''
84	-->''One voice''
85	-->''One war''
86	-->''One truth''
87	-->''One dream''
88	** "Lead a Normal Life," also by Peter Gabriel:
89	--->''It's nice here with a view of the trees''
90	--->''Eating with a spoon?''
91	--->''They don't give you knives?''
92	--->'''Spect you watch those trees''
93	--->''Blowing in the breeze''
94	--->''We want to see you lead a normal life''
95	* The San Francisco punk band Flipper was most famous for "Sex Bomb," which comes in at under five minutes and consists of two lines of lyrics.
96	-->''She's a sex bomb!''
97	-->''My baby, yeah!''
98	* The 1983 post-punk hit "This Is Not A Love Song" by Music/PublicImageLtd, where the majority of lyrics are the title repeated over and over again, hopefully convincing the listener that this is, in fact, not a love song.
99	* The Music/{{Iron Butterfly\|Band}} song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is upwards of 17 minutes long, yet only has a few lyrics, most of which being the Refrain.
100	* Music/IronMaiden's "Another Life"
101	-->''As I lay here lying on my bed,''
102	-->''sweet voices come into my head.''
103	-->''Oh what it is, I wanna know,''
104	-->''please won't you tell me it's got to go.''
105	-->''There's a feeling that's inside me,''
106	-->''telling me to get away.''
107	-->''But I'm so tired of living,''
108	-->''I might as well end today.''
109	* Music/{{Lifelover}} has "Mental Central Dialog", which consists entirely of "Jag finner inga svar. Finns det några svar?" for the first part, then ending with "Jag finner inga svar. Det finns inga svar!"
110	* Music/PinkFloyd has given us several.
111	** "Shine on You Crazy Diamond Part 1-5" from ''Music/WishYouWereHere1975'' has less than 3 minutes containing lyrics in a song over 13 minutes long.
112	--->''Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.''
113	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
114	--->''Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.''
115	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
116	--->''You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,''
117	--->''blown on the steel breeze.''
118	--->''Come on you target for faraway laughter,''
119	--->''come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!''
120	--->''You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.''
121	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
122	--->''Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.''
123	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
124	--->''Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,''
125	--->''rode on the steel breeze.''
126	--->''Come on you raver, you seer of visions,''
127	--->''come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!''
128	** "Shine on You Crazy Diamond Part 6-9" clocks in at nearly 12:30 and only has just over a minute of lyrics.
129	--->''Nobody knows where you are,''
130	--->''How near or how far.''
131	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
132	--->''Pile on many more layers''
133	--->''And I'll be joining you there.''
134	--->''Shine on you crazy diamond.''
135	--->''And we'll bask in the shadow''
136	--->''Of yesterday's triumph,''
137	--->''And sail on the steel breeze.''
138	--->''Come on you boy child,''
139	--->''You winner and loser,''
140	--->''Come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!''
141	** For certain definitions of the word "lyrics", we have "One Of These Days".
142	-->One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces.
143	** "CarefulWithThatAxe Eugene" consists of someone whispering the title of the song, and unintelligible screaming.
144	** ''Music/TheWall'' has a number of songs along these lines, including the three parts of "Another Brick in the Wall", "Is There Anybody Out There?", and "Stop!".
145	* Music/{{Nirvana}}'s "School" from ''Music/{{Bleach\|Album}}'' consists only of the repeated lines:
146	-->''Won't you believe it? It's just my luck''
147	-->''No recess''
148	-->''You're in high school again''
149	** Their CoverVersion of "Love Buzz" by Shocking Blue, also on ''Bleach''. The original version isn't quite an example, as it has two verses and a repetitive five word chorus, whereas the Nirvana version just repeats the first verse twice:
150	--->''Would you believe me when I tell you''
151	--->''you're the queen of my heart?''
152	--->''Please don't deceive me when I hurt you''
153	--->''Just ain't the way it seems''
154	--->''Can you feel my love buzz?'' (x5)
155	* Music/BlackSabbath has "Sleeping Village" which consists of a short verse, followed by a lengthy instrumental section.
156	-->''Red sun rising in the sky''
157	-->''Sleeping village, cockerels cry''
158	-->''Soft breeze blowing in the trees''
159	-->''Peace of mind, feel at ease''
160	* "Peaches" by Music/ThePresidentsOfTheUnitedStatesOfAmerica is a complicated example. The song is split into two halves. The first half features two verses with a chorus. Said chorus consists simply of the line "Moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches." The verses (which actually follow the chorus) have more varied lines. The second half of the song consists simply of the lines "Millions of peaches, peaches for me./Millions of peaches, peaches for free."
161	* Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}' "Guide Vocal".
162	--> ''I am the one who guided you this far''
163	--> ''All you know and all you feel.''
164	--> ''Nobody must know my name''
165	--> ''For nobody would understand,''
166	--> ''And you kill what you fear.''
167
168	--> ''I call you for I must leave,''
169	--> ''You're on your own until the end.''
170	--> ''Nobody must know my name,''
171	--> ''I said you wouldn't understand,''
172	--> ''Take what's yours and be damned.''
173	** These lyrics are repeated verbatim (with the same melody and chords behind them, but a different arrangement) in "Duke's Travels", and they're the only lyrics to the song after an EpicInstrumentalOpener that lasts for most of the song. There's also "Lurker", whose lyrics consist only of a brief spoken word section and then a verse that is sung twice. Also, many of Genesis' prog songs are examples of this trope due to their length; for instance, "The Cinema Show" only has about three minutes of singing before about an eight-minute instrumental break, while "Fading Lights" has only three verses and a chorus. "Los Endos" takes the cake, though; it only has two lines ("There's an angel standing in the sun / There's an angel standing in the sun / Free to get back home"), both of which are reprised from "Music/SuppersReady" a few years earlier.
174	* "Colour My World" by {{Music/Chicago}}:
175	-->''As time goes on, I realize''
176	-->''Just what you mean to me''
177	-->''And now, now that you're near''
178	-->''Promise your love''
179	-->''That I've waited to share''
180	-->''And dreams of our moments together''
181	-->''Colour my world with hope of loving you''
182	* Music/PrimalScream's "Kill All Hippies" has only sampled film dialogue, and towards the end a repeated chant of:
183	-->''You got the money''
184	-->''I got the soul''
185	-->''Can't be bought''
186	-->''Can't be owned''
187	* Music/{{Yes}} has a few:
188	** "We Have Heaven" -- two lines repeated over and over in a sort of round:
189	--->Tell the moon dog, tell the March hare
190	--->We have heaven
191	*** ...Joined by these lines about halfway through:
192	---->He is clear
193	---->Now look around
194	** "The Fish" (if taken separate, although it is often [[SiameseTwinSongs twinned with]] "Long Distance Runaround"), repeats the line "Schindleria Praematurus".
195	** "White Car":
196	--->I see a man in a white car
197	--->Move like a ghost on the skyline
198	--->Take all your dreams
199	--->And you drive them away
200	--->Man in a white car.
201	** A lot of Yes' other songs can end up as examples of this trope due to their long instrumental breaks. "The Gates of Delirium", "The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)", and "Awaken" are good examples.
202	* Music/{{The Champs}}' song "Tequila" (pictured above), with the only lyric being the title.
203	* Music/{{The Average White Band}}'s "Pick Up the Pieces". Again, with the only lyrics being the title.
204	* Nearly every song by Music/{{Isis}}. They're an unusual example of this trope in that most of their songs are also EpicRocking, meaning that their songs are mostly instrumental. Their best example by far is "Weight", though, as it contains only two lines after an EpicInstrumentalOpener: "All in, all in, all in a day" and "A day, it changes everything", the first of which is repeated throughout the song's second half and the latter of which is repeated throughout the last minute or two of the song.
205	* Music/PorcupineTree has had quite a few of these, but special note should be taken to ".3" which consists of two lines repeated four times.
206	-->''Black the sky, weapons fly''
207	-->''Lay them waste for your race''
208	* Music/NineInchNails on [[Music/TheFragile1999 The Fragile]], particularly "The Way Out Is Through."
209	-->''"The Fragile was an album based a lot in fear, because I was afraid as fuck about what was happening to me ... That's why there aren't a lot of lyrics on that record. I couldn't fucking think."''
210	* Music/PatricioReyYSusRedonditosDeRicota have two examples: "Fuegos de Oktubre" ("De regreso a Oktubre/desde Oktubre/sin un estandarte/de mi parte/te prefiero igual/internacional!", repeated three times with instrumental interludes) and "Invocación" (repeats the word "Lobo" several times across the song, and that's it).
211	* Roky Erickson of Music/The13thFloorElevators had a song on his 1981 album ''The Evil One'', "I Walked With A Zombie", of which the lyrics are:
212	-->''I walked with a zombie''
213	-->''I walked with a zombie''
214	-->''I walked with a zombie''
215	-->''Last night.''
216	** The song was covered by Music/{{REM}} on the Erickson tribute album ''Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye'', and is notable for being the only R.E.M. recording where Peter Buck contributed a vocal: all of the band members have a turn singing a verse, although Buck doesn't so much sing as "intone".
217	* "Killing in the Name" by Music/RageAgainstTheMachine has only a few lyrics that are repeated several times.
218	-->'''Verse (2×):''' ''Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses'' (4 times, screamed on the last "are the same that burn crosses")
219	-->'''Refrain (2×):''' ''[[TitleDrop Killing in the name]] of'' (2 times, plus s separate instance as the intro)
220	-->'''Pre-chorus (2×):''' ''Now you do what they told ya'' (12 times done twice with increasing intensity, with "and" added on the fifth instance in both pre-choruses, and the phrase ''Now you're under control'' repeated seven times on the second pre-chorus, starting on the sixth instance, screamed on the last time)
221	-->'''Chorus (2×)::''' ''Those who died are justified / For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites / You justify those that died / By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites'' (2 times)
222	-->'''Outro:''' ''Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me'' ([[ClusterFBomb 16 times]] with increasing intensity the first 8 times, screamed the last 8 times)
223	-->Then there's a big "MOTHERFUCKER!" after that.
224	* "T-Bone" by Music/NeilYoung is over 9 minutes long and has just eight words. In between guitar solos Young sings "Got mashed potatoes” three times and "Ain't got no t-bone" once. (Although one time he sings both lines twice.)
225	* "Argentinians" by Music/NotFromThere is over 8 minutes long. Its one spoken line comes up only once:
226	-->Argentinians should never sing Music/SimonAndGarfunkel songs late at night to Italian toilet cleaners
227	* "Mouse Trap" by Music/{{Ride}} is near-entirely instrumental, save for 4 lines near the middle of it's 5-minute runtime.
228	-->''Running away, you're lost for words again''
229	-->''Now you've got all what you wanted, are you really satisfied?''
230	-->''Tricky scenes, tricky little dreams''
231	-->''The earth spins, my head spins me back round to you''
232	* Music/PatricioReyYSusRedonditosDeRicota:
233	** [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober "Fuegos de Oktubre"]] from ''Oktubre'' has only three lines that are repeated across the song:
234	--> "De regreso a Oktubre, desde Oktubre[[note]]Returning to Oktober, from Oktober[[/note]]\
235	Sin un estandarte de mi parte[[note]]Without a banner, on my part[[/note]]\
236	Te prefiero igual, internacional[[note]]I still prefer you, international.[[/note]]"
237	** "Invocación", the opening track of ''Lobo Suelto'', has Solari repeating several times "Lobo"[[note]]Wolf[[/note]]
238	* "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" by Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge.
239	-->''Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol''
240	-->''Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol''
241	-->''Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol, whoa''
242	-->''Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol''
243	-->''Co-co-co-co-cocaine!''
244	* "I Awake" by {{Music/Soundgarden}}, with music by bassist Hiro Yamamoto and lyrics by his then-partner Kate [=McDonald=] (as adapted from a short note she left him before leaving the house for the day):
245	--> ''Woke up depressed''
246	--> ''I left for work''
247	--> ''You have a good day, good day''
248	--> ''It's not your fault''
249	--> ''I know it hurts''
250	--> ''Remember, I love you, love you''
251	--> ''Remember, I love you, love you''
252	* Music/{{Santana}}'s song [[Music/AbraxasAlbum "Oye Como Va"]] only has four lines in Spanish, repeated a few times in between solos:
253	--> Oye cómo va
254	--> Mi ritmo
255	--> Bueno pa' gozar
256	--> Mulata
257	** In "Se Cabo" from the same album, the only lyrics are the title, repeated only four times.
258	** "No One to Depend On" only has two verses, each repeated many times
259	--> Ain't got nobody that I can depend on
260	--> Ain't got no one, no tengo a nadie
261	* The Men of Porn's "Comin' Home (Smoking Pot on a Sunday Afternoon While UFO's Drone Overhead)", the [[EpicRocking 17-minute]] opener to their 1999 debut ''Porn American Style'', consists of only the following two lines of lyrics repeated several times:
262	-->''I come home Saturday''
263	-->''I'm comin' home''
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:Pop]]
267	* Music/TheBeatles seem to love this trope.
268	** "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" from ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' clocks in at 7:47, but just repeats the two lines:
269	--->''I want you, I want you so bad, it's driving me mad, it's driving me mad''
270	*** and
271	--->''She's so heavy''
272	** Also from ''Music/TheWhiteAlbum'', "Why Don't We Do It In the Road":
273	--->''Why don't we do it in the road?'' (4x)
274	--->''No one will be watching us\
275	Why don't we do it in the road?''
276	** "Wild Honey Pie" repeats the line "honey pie" over and over, with the line "I love you" at the end. (Not to be confused with a separate song on another side of the double album called "Honey Pie", which is done in a totally different style, with a more "normal" amount of lyrics.)
277	* "Say Something" by Music/JustinTimberlake and Music/ChrisStapleton: Except for two three-line verses, the lyrics are repetitions of the same four lines ("Everybody says say something", "I don't want to get caught up in the rhythm/middle of it, but I can't help myself", "Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have", and "Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all.") or parts of them.
278	* Music/{{Madness\|Band}} did this several times in the early career, in particular on ''Music/OneStepBeyondAlbum''.
279	** The title track of ''One Step Beyond'' starts with a spoken-word intro that runs for 25 seconds, without accompaniment. Once the music picks up, the only words are intermittent shouts of the title and background repetitions of "Here we go," mixed with assorted vocal effects.
280	** "Night Boat To Cairo" has one verse in the middle of the song; the rest is basically instrumental apart from random interjections of the title and "all aboard!".
281	* Music/TearsForFears:
282	** "The Prisoner" consists of a single stanza sung twice between lengthier instrumental passages.
283	** The four-minute long "The Conflict" (the BSide of "Change") features one stanza repeated twice.
284	** For all of its nearly seven-minute runtime, "Listen" has only two proper stanzas, both of which are only two verses long. The other lyrics are mostly just repeating "Cumpleaños chica, no hay que preocuparse" and a brief mutter of the TitleDrop, with the vast majority of the song being a pseudo-{{ambient}} synth piece.
285	** "Tears Roll Down" (the BSide of "Sowing the Seeds of Love") is a SingleStanzaSong where the vocals take up only 32 seconds out of its 3:16 length, and the verse "Where tears roll down" is sung four times.
286	* Music/ScottFitzgerald's "If I Had Words" repeats the same four-line chorus over and over for the whole song:
287	--> ''If I had words to make a day for you\
288	I'd sing you a morning golden and new\
289	I would make this day last for all time\
290	Give you a night deep in moonshine''
291	* "Sexy Bitch" by Music/Akon and Music/DavidGuetta only has one verse and the chorus, repeated twice.
292
293
294	[[/folder]]
295
296	[[folder:Jazz]]
297	* Music/JohnMcLaughlin's "Abbaji", featured on ''Floating Point'' and ''Music/TheBostonRecord'', only features the phrases "Love and understanding" and "Love is understanding".
298	* "Rose Rouge" from ''Music/{{Tourist}}'' by Music/StGermain.
299	-->''I want you to get together''
300	-->''Put your hààààààààààààààànds together one time''
301	-->''I want you to get together''
302	* ''”[[Music/ALoveSupreme A love supreme… A love supreme… A love supreme…]]”''
303	* Music/Dizzy Gillespie had a few examples
304	** ''”Manteca! Manteca!”''
305	** ''”Salt Peanuts! Salt Peanuts!”''
306	* [[Music/GlennMiller Pennsylvania 6-5000!]]
307
308	[[/folder]]
309
310	[[folder:Funk]]
311	* [[Music/GeorgeClinton Parliament-Funkadelic]] has plenty. For starters, the song "Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication" from ''Music/MothershipConnection'' only has the lyrics:
312	-->''Give the people what they want when they want and they wants it all the time''
313	-->''Give the people what they need when they need and they need it, yours and mine'' [[note]]And even this lyric doesn't come up until the middle of the song[[/note]]
314	** And:
315	--->''Throwdown, make me do the throwdown''
316	** The only other words besides that are Star Child saying "Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication. In other words, I can do the bump." throughout the song.
317	[[/folder]]
318
319	[[folder:Folk]]
320	* ''Pink Moon,'' the final album by Music/NickDrake, clocks in at under half an hour, and the title track is as sweetly minimalist as they come.
321	-->''I saw it written and I saw it say''
322	-->''Pink moon is on its way''
323	-->''And none of you stand so tall''
324	-->''Pink moon gonna get you all''
325	-->''It's a pink moon''
326	-->''It's a pink moon''
327	-->''Pink, pink, pink, pink''
328	-->''Pink moon''
329	-->''The pink, pink, pink, pink''
330	-->''Pink moon''
331	[[/folder]]
332
333	[[folder:Electronic]]
334	* Music/DaftPunk is known for using this trope a lot.
335	** "Around the World", "Robot Rock", "Make Love", "Television Rules the Nation" and "Emotion" have no lyrics except their respective titles repeated [[LoopedLyrics over and over]].
336	** In a similar manner, "Daftendirekt" from ''Music/{{Homework}}'' repeats the lyric line "Da funk back to the punk, come on" over the course of its length, while "Superheroes" from ''Music/{{Discovery\|DaftPunkAlbum}}'' does the same with the lyric "Something's in the air" up until its last third of length (which is entirely instrumental).
337	** "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" has a refrain in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trochee trochaic]] dimeter, and all other lyrics are the first or second half of the refrain with some of the trochees left silent (usually alternating) :
338	--->''Work it harder, Make it better\
339	Do it faster, Makes us stronger\
340	More than ever, Hour after hour\
341	Work is never over''
342	** "Too Long" has a few words repeated for a good while in the song's second half:
343	--->''I know you need it! (Hey!)''
344	--->''I need it, too! (Well, alright!)''
345	--->''I know you need it!''
346	--->''It's good for you! (We gon' move!)''
347	** The title track of ''Music/HumanAfterAll'' (an album that's practically built off of this) only has two different, repeated lines in its lyrics:
348	--->''We are human, After all''
349	--->''Much in common, After all''
350	** "The Brainwasher", while mostly an instrumental song, has the lyric "I am the Brainwasher" spoken five separate times throughout its length.
351	** Aside from its title, "Technologic" lists things that can be done with technology, most ending in "it".
352	--->''Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it\
353	Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick, erase it...''
354	** "Lose Yourself to Dance" from ''Music/RandomAccessMemories'' repeats the same verse about 4 times over the course of the 6-minute song. Pharrell Williams sings the lyrics, but Daft Punk does add some extra lines later into the song.
355	--->''I know you don't get a chance to take a break this often.''
356	--->''I know your life is speeding, and it isn't stopping.''
357	--->''Here, take my shirt and just go ahead and wipe off all the sweat. Sweat. SWEAT.''
358	--->''LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE!''
359	--->''LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE!''
360	--->''LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE!''
361	--->''LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE!''
362	* "Light & Dark" from [[Music/MindInABox Mind.in.a.box]]'s debut album has two lines of repeating lyrics, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness unlike]] most of their [[SequelSong later songs]].
363	-->''I feel sad, so left alone.''
364	-->''Words are not enough, for me to live on.''
365	* Music/{{Pendulum\|Band}} has a 6-minute song called "9,000 Miles", and this is the only lyric that was sung.
366	-->''It's 9,000 miles back to you''
367	-->''I still feel like home is in your arms''
368	* Music/FatboySlim has a song titled "Fucking in Heaven", where the only lyric is "[[ClusterFBomb Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven.]]"
369	** "Right Here, Right Now" consists solely of repetitions of the title and the line "Waking up to find that your love's not real."
370	* Music/{{Kraftwerk}} is known for limited lyrics. As an example of reducing track lyrics even further, the original German version of the track "Computerwelt" includes a bit more varied lyrics than its English counterpart "Computerworld", which has the only lyrics of "Interpol and Deutsche Bank, FBI and Scotland Yard".
371	* Junior Jack's "My Feeling" repeats the title over the course of the intro and outro, and between them the only lyrics is the refrain below.
372	-->''When I think about you, my feelings can't explain''
373	-->''Why after all this time, my feelings can't explain?''
374	* Zanias's "Lovelife" has wordless OneWomanWail vocals for its first three minutes, followed by two lines of lyrics that repeat once.
375	* Mylo's "Drop The Pressure" has [[ClusterFBomb the repeating "Motherfuckers gonna drop the pressure"]] as its only lyric.
376	* Cassius's "Feelings For You" has a single repeating line for its lyrics: "My feelings for you have always been real", which was SampledUp from Gwen [=McCrae=]'s "All This Love That I'm Giving".
377	* Music/{{Yello}}: While the band's songs usually lean towards wordiness, there are some songs that break this convention:
378	** The lyrics for the album version of "Bostich" consist solely of one verse, which is repeated five times.
379	** "Oh Yeah" is very sparse in the lyrical department, with the only distinct lines (other than the nonverbal mouth sounds) being a TitleDrop, "the moon, beautiful," "the sun, even more beautiful," "beautiful," and "such a good time, a really good time." According to Boris Blank, vocalist Dieter Meier was "very angry" when he was asked to only say "oh yeah" over and over again, and it wasn't until after the song was recorded that he came around to it.
380	** The lyrics to "Planet Dada" consist only of a TitleDrop, "electric," and "erotic," repeated in various different ways.
381	* Music/{{Scooter}}'s "Space Cowboy" only has "I'm the cowboy, the space cowboy" [[BrokenRecord repeated ad nauseam]].
382	* Most Laserdance songs, if not entirely {{instrumental}}, have only a TitleDrop and/or a single stanza of IndecipherableLyrics. "Digital Dream" is their only song with a full set of verses.
383	* Ayla's self-titled song, "Ayla Part II", "Liebe", "Into The Light", "Angelfalls", and "Open Your Mind" just have {{title drop}}s for lyrics, while "Singularity (Brainchild II)" has SpokenWordInMusic, and only "Atlantis", "Sun Is Coming Out", "Vergessen", and "Mystical Ways" have full sung lyrics.
384	* In the Music/{{Vengaboys}}' "Up and Down", the title is the only lyric.
385	* Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone" only has "Do you think you're better off alone?" and "Talk to me".
386	* Lazerhawk's "Space Trash" and "Space Is The Place" solely have repeated {{Title Drop}}s for their lyrics.
387	* Most of Freaky Chakra's songs that aren't instrumentals fall into this trope:
388	** "Peace Fixation" has "I want peace. You want peace."
389	** "Tra Vigne" has "The flashing lights tell me how much time is left before the end".
390	** "Automatic" and "What?" only have their {{title drop}}s.
391	** "Fascist Funk" has "This is the force of future funk. This is the force of fascist funk".
392	** "Living In The Future" has "You're living in the future" and "I don't think so", the latter being repeated BrokenRecord-style.
393	** "Dreams" has "I live in a world full of dreams" and "Yeah, yeah".
394	** "Year 2000" has [[Film/SpaceIsThePlace "The year 2000 is right around the corner", and "Oh, we sing this song to a great tomorrow"]].
395	** "Hyperspace" has its TitleDrop and "Cosmic forces beyond all comprehension".
396	** "Blacklight Fantasy" has "This is a blacklight fantasy" repeated like a BrokenRecord, with a FakeOutFadeOut thrown in at the end.
397	* Music/TheKLF:
398	** In the original Pure Trance version of "What Time Is Love?", the closest thing to a lyric is "Mu-Mu", referencing their alter-egos The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu.
399	** The original version of "3AM Eternal" similarly only has the female vocal "eternal love".
400	** As The Timelords, they have [[https://youtu.be/PwKMH2HXQ80?si=QN9YI5Nk4Yq2FIqD Doctorin' The TARDIS]]", which is almost entirely repeating chants of "Series/DoctorWho", "Hey", "Ha", "The TARDIS", and "You wot?"
401	* Music/{{BT}}:
402	** "Nectar" exclusively repeats "And it ebbs and goes, ebbs and goes where love can only flow".
403	** "Love, Peace, and Grease"'s TitleDrop is its only lyric. Ditto "The Hip-Hop Phenomenon".
404	** "Fibonacci Sequence" only has a recitation of the titular number sequence, plus "Mathematics is the language of nature".
405	* Armand van Helden's "Witch Doktor", "Funk Phenomena", and "Ultraphunkula" solely [[BrokenRecord repeat]] [[TitleDrop their titles]]. Likewise, his remix of Music/ToriAmos's "Professional Widow" reduces the lyrics to repetitions of "Oh honey, bring it close to my lips, yeah" and "It's gotta be big".
406	[[/folder]]
407
408	[[folder:HipHop]]
409	* Music/LilPump became controversial due to his lyrical style consisting of repeating a couple of lines over and over again. Most of his songs are more sophisticated than most of the examples on this page, but his DissTrack "Fuck Music/JCole" only consists of two insults to J.Cole repeated over and over. "Gucci Gang" has him repeat the title phrase 53 times in 3 minutes.
410	* Music/FatmanScoop's songs consist mostly of him yelling dancefloor catchphrases repeatedly.
411	[[/folder]]
412
413	[[folder:Soundtracks]]
414	* "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" from ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs'':
415	-->''Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?''\
416	''Big Bad Wolf''\
417	''Big Bad Wolf''\
418	''Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?''\
419	[flute solo]
420	* "Thunderhorse" by [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dethklok.]] The only words to appear in it, besides [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs thunder, horse, and the two together]], are ride and revenge.
421	* The theme "song" for the original ''Series/Batman1966'' TV series consisted of nothing but the word "Batman", repeated ''ad nauseum'', with a few nonsense words just before the last "Batman".
422	-->''na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, Batman''
423	* The Solids' ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' theme is a full song of "ba-ba-ba-ba-baa-duu-da-du-du-duu-da-duu-da-duudaduudaduuda-da-da-da".
424	* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': The original theme song just features the line "Go, go Power Rangers" repeated three times before ending with "You Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" done twice in succession. However, season 2 debuted an extended version of the song that replaced the instrumental tune Zords used in season 1. This extended theme contained two full verses ending with "No one can ever take them down! The power lies on their side!", usually heard as the Thunder Megazord completes its assembly, before breaking into the repetitive part used in the show's opening title.
425	* The 90s ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' remixed the classic Spider-Man theme. The end result was a song with a guitar solo and the words "Spider-Man", "Radioactive Spider-Man" and "Radioactive Spider Blood" randomly spliced in at different intervals.
426	* The ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' theme just consists of the words "Inspector," "Gadget," "Woo-hoo," and "Go."
427	* Several ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' songs count. The series required at least two songs per episode so of course not all will be very inspired or deep. Several songs repeat the same few lines several times, like "Hollywood Jem".
428	* ''Techno Syndrome'', also known as ''The Franchise/MortalKombat! song''. All the lyrics lyrics are different combinations of the MORTAL KOMBAT scream, ''Test Your Might!'' and Saying the name of every playable character in the original game.
429	* One episode of ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' features Creator/HughLaurie singing a song called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyHSjv9gxlE&feature=youtu.be America]]", the first verse of which consists entirely of the word "America". Then he switches to "The States", then back to "America". [[spoiler:Then [[Creator/StephenFry Stephen]] punches him.]]
430	* No dictionary words at all in the ditty "Mah NÃ Mah NÃ " from the Italian film ''Sweden: Hell And Heaven'', most famously known for its use in ''Series/TheMuppetShow''.
431	* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: High Stakes'' and ''Porsche Unleashed'' had quite a few of these from the in-house artists, usually composed of one or two lyrics such as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq-r36ydxU8 Rock This]]" in the former and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71WCAc5wTAI Rock This Place]]" in the latter by Rom Di Prisco (aka Morphadron). There was even a cut song from ''High Stakes'' called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkQx2o89z4Y Bass!]]" that literally has an upbeat voice going "Bass!" to the music. Same goes for most of the licensed songs, such as Dastrix's "[[https://youtu.be/aQ-nUwBM4cY?si=dL_Al0K_tBOREKM1 Dude In The Moon]]", The Funk Lab's "[[https://youtu.be/7Dms9RBRh-0?si=7-cvHHFBTCAil6Yj I Am Electro]]", The Experiment's "[[https://youtu.be/yjfuEXsjjEA?si=lfYICQDb1bFPZp9N Cost of Freedom]]", and Music/JunkieXL's "[[https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=GqOBP6i69w4&si=Y1fSuPPDAidy0-Z1&feature=xapp_share No Remorse]]".
432	* "Gonna Fly Now", the Oscar-nominated song from ''Film/{{Rocky}}'', is only thirty words long.
433	[[/folder]]
434
435	[[folder:Defies Category]]
436	* ''Cry (Just A Little)'' by Bingo Players
437	-->''I know''
438	-->''Caught up in the middle''
439	-->''I cry, just a little''
440	-->''When I think of letting go''
441	-->''Oh no''
442	-->''Gave up on the riddle''
443	-->''I cry, just a little''
444	-->''When I think of letting go''
445	-->''I know''
446	-->''I''
447	* British children's nursery rhymes are generally {{Ironic Nursery Rhyme}}s, including "London's Burning" which is, on repeat:
448	--> ''London's Burning, London's Burning, ''
449	--> ''Fetch the engines, Fetch the engines! ''
450	--> ''FIRE, FIRE! FIRE, FIRE! ''
451	--> ''Pour on water, pour on water, ''
452	--> ''London's burning, London's burning...''
453	** With "London's burning" becoming sung more solemn each time until you fade out dramatically.
454	* The song that'll get on your nerves:
455	-->I know a song that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves,
456	-->I know a song that'll get on your nerves, and this is how it goes
457	** (repeat relentlessly until someone loses it)
458	* ''Series/LambChopsPlayAlong'': This is the song that doesn't end...
459	-->''Yes, it goes on and on, my friend''
460	-->''Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was''
461	-->''And they'll continue singing it forever just because''
462	-->(repeat)
463	[[/folder]]
464
465	[[folder:Comedy/References/Parodies]]
466	* In his 1977 appearance on ''The Midnight Special'', Creator/AndyKaufman performed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XJSm9ykMIQ&t=19s "I Trusted You"]], which overlaps with BrokenRecord in that the title is the only lyric in the song and it's repeated over and over for approximately ''three minutes''. Adding to the hijinks, this wasn't introduced as a parody!
467	* Parodied by Music/WeirdAlYankovic with "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long", even though it actually isn't an example. The chorus is "This song's just six words long.", while the verses are Al singing about how writing more words is hard.
468	** The song it parodies, "Got My Mind Set On You" (an old [[TheFifties 1950s]] rockabilly song written by Rudy Clark and originally sung by James Ray; CoveredUp by Music/GeorgeHarrison in 1987) is something of an example, too.
469	-->''I got my mind set on you'' (x4)
470	-->''But it's gonna take money''
471	-->''A whole lotta spending money''
472	-->''It's gonna take plenty of money''
473	-->''To do it right, child''
474	-->''It's gonna take time''
475	-->''A whole lotta precious time''
476	-->''It's gonna take patience and time''
477	-->''To do it, To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it right, child''
478	-->Bridge:
479	-->''And this time I know it's for real''
480	-->''The feelings that I feel''
481	-->''I know if I put my mind to it''
482	-->''I know that I really could do it''
483	* A ParodyCommercial on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for a Swedish tribute album to the Creator/RatPack consisted entirely of the line "Hey, cool cat! I'm going to smoke a cigarette!"
484	[[/folder]]
485
486	[[folder:Internet Origins]]
487	* This is [[WebAnimation/WeeblAndBob Mr.Weebl]]'s schtick for the vast majority of his songs.
488	** "Badgers" is a pretty famous example:
489	--->''Badger Badger Badger (repeat)''
490	--->''Mushroom Mushroom''
491	--->''Aaaah a snake! Snake a snake! Ooooh it's a snake!''
492	[[/folder]]
493
494	[[folder:Other[=/=]Not Yet Categorized]]
495	* The title track to Music/CelticWoman's ''Ancient Land'' album, with its only lyrics being repeated twice at different intervals:
496	-->''A ghrá mo chléibh, a chuisle mo chroí''
497	-->''A ghrá mo chléibh, a chuisle mo chroí''
498	* Music/{{Van McCoy}}'s disco song "The Hustle", the only line being "Do the hustle!".
499	* ''Shined On Me'' by The Praisecats consists of just these lines:
500	--> ''I've got peace deep in my soul''
501	--> ''I've got love making me whole''
502	--> ''Since you opened up your heart''
503	--> ''And shined on me.''
504	* "Autocrat" by For Against consists only of the repeated line "Yeah, that's right, that's the way it is."
505	* "Is There A Ghost" by Band of Horses has only three lines that are repeated through the song:
506	--> ''I could sleep''
507	--> ''When I lived alone''
508	--> ''Is there a ghost in my house?''
509	* Agalloch's 19-minute "Our Fortress is Burning" suite consists of one vocal passage in the middle that lasts less than 2 minutes.
510	--> ''The god of man is a failure.''
511	--> ''Our fortress is burning against the grain of the shattered sky.''
512	--> ''Charred birds escape from the ruins''
513	--> ''and return as cascading blood.''
514	--> ''Dying bloodbirds pooling, feeding the flood.''
515	--> ''The god of man is a failure.''
516	--> ''And all of our shadows, all of our shadows''
517	--> ''All of our shadows are ashes against the grain.''
518	* "A Foggy Day" by Music/GeorgeGershwin, covered by Music/FrankSinatra on ''Music/SongsForYoungLovers''.
519	--> ''[[AFoggyDayInLondonTown A foggy day, in London town]], it had me low, and it had me down''
520	--> ''I viewed the morning, with much alarm, the British Museum, had lost its charm''
521	--> ''How long I wondered, could this thing last, but the age of miracles, it hadn't past''
522	--> ''And suddenly, I saw you standing right there''
523	--> ''And in foggy London town, the sun was shining everywhere''
524	* "Like Someone In Love", covered by Music/FrankSinatra on ''Music/SongsForYoungLovers''.
525	--> ''Lately, I find myself gazing at stars, hearing guitars like someone in love''
526	--> ''Sometimes the things I do astound me, mostly whenever you're around me.''
527	--> ''Lately I seem to walk as though I had wings, bump into things like someone in love.''
528	--> ''Each time I look at you, I'm limp as a glove, and feeling like someone in love''
529	* Music/SigurRos's album ''( )'', where ''every single song'' has the same SingingSimlish lyrics, repeated in several different ways: ''You xylo. You xylo no fi lo. You So.''
530	* Numerous songs from Music/{{Caravan}}; in particular, the twenty-two-minute "Nine Feet Underground", with vocals only featured in about five of those minutes, singing four verses and a few choruses.
531	* The Surfaris' "Wipeout" takes this a bit further. The song opens with giggling, then a TitleDrop, then the rest of the song is instrumental.
532	* The original album version of "Atomic" by Music/{{Blondie\|Band}} has one verse, then goes into an instrumental for most of its running time before returning to a vocal refrain near the end. The single edit is more conventionally structured, as it edits down the instrumental section and also throws in a repeat of the sole verse.
533	* The Music/{{Rednex}} version of "Cotton Eye Joe" repeats the same chorus ''[[https://genius.com/Rednex-cotton-eye-joe-lyrics eleven times]]'', with two verses mixed in for good measure.
534	* José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" has two verses, one in Spanish, and one in English, each consisting of a line that's repeated three times before concluding with a different line. The Spanish verse is sung twice, then the English verse is sung twice, then the whole sequence is repeated twice more before concluding with the Spanish verse. Which is to say, the same four lines are sung a collective total of fifty-two times.
535	* The only lyrics that were included in the Music/JasonDonovan song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryi3G59Gjs0 Just Call Me Up]]" is the titular lyric, "I'll be waiting tonight(?)", and "I'll be waiting/I will be there" repeated all over again. The rest of the song is an instrumental.
536	* The Disco group Silver Convention made a regular feature of this.
537	** Their SignatureSong "Fly, Robin, Fly" has only the lines "Fly, Robin, Fly / Up, up to the sky". Although they're repeated a few times, the lyrical content was so low that it actually won a Grammy in the R&B ''Instrumental'' category.
538	** The follow up to the above and the group's next biggest hit, "Get Up and Boogie", is equally repetitive, with "That's right / Get up and boogie" as the only lyrics. In the outro, only the title is repeated.
539	* Disco group Boney M's BreakthroughHit "Daddy Cool" was a FollowTheLeader response to the success of Silver Convention and even used some of the same session musicians. It has the repeated call-and-response lyric "She's crazy like a fool / Wild about Daddy Cool" and apart from a brief spoken bit in the middle, that's it.
540	* DJ duo Duck Sauce released a 2010 song called "Barbra Streisand", where the only lyric is the [[CelebritySong eponymous singer's name]].
541	* "Take Me to Your Leader" by {{outsider\|Music}} band the Aliens, featured on ''Music/TheDesertSessions Vol. 6'', is composed almost entirely of just five words -- take a wild guess what those five words are.
542	* Punk band Music/DeadKennedys "Short Songs" entire lyrics are the words "I like short songs", repeated 13 times. It is a short song.
543	* Fred Fassert's "Barbara Ann" mainly includes the name of the song.
544	* Music/TheDarkestOfTheHillsideThickets' ''Yog Sothoth'''s only lyrics is the titular [[EldritchAbomination Outer God]]'s name.
545	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePatrickStarShow'': In "[[Recap/ThePatrickStarShowS2E4TheWrathOfShmandorThereGoesTheNeighborhood There Goes the Neighborhood]]", during the {{Travel Montage}}s, Patrick sings a song that mainly consists of the word "neighbor" and "neighborhood" repeated.
546	[[/folder]]
547	----
548	-->''[[RunningGag Tequila!]]''

Context Main / LimitedLyricsSong