[delb0y]

But then it's hard to find a bad lyric in his entire career, so no big surprise here

Not wrong there. Been listening to Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards on my commute this week. Just brilliant.

[Mike67]

Paul Simon has loads as has already been demonstrated. Here's one of my favourites courtesy of Tom Waits

I spent all my money in a Mexican whorehouse
Across the street from a Catholic church

But then it's hard to find a bad lyric in his entire career, so no big surprise here

Absolutely agree:

Crest fallen sidekick in an old cafe
Never slept with a dream before he had to go away
There's a bell in the tower Uncle Ray bought a round
Don't worry about the army in the cold cold ground…

[estreet]

Another Tom Waits classic opening:

'They put a sign up in our town: 'if you live it up you won't live it down''

(Hold On)

I've also always loved the opening lines of Teenage Fanclub's 'The Concept'

'She wears denim wherever she goes, says she's going to get some records by The Status Quo'

Pure genius ....

[Paulski]

Love Stinks!

(not that I agree  )

[Sing4me88]

Cool thread Boydie!

I guess as I prefer lyrics that lack pretentiousness I veer towards opening lines that can say something quite profound in a really simple and almost effortless way. I've spent a while mulling it over and I'm not sure I can think of a 'favourite' per se but there are some that I think pack quite a punch and set a certain tone without seeming to try too hard. A few examples:

Cat's in the cradle - 'A child arrived just the other day, came into the world in the usual way, but there were planes to catch and bills to pay, learned to walk when I was away'.

Your song - 'It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside, I'm not one of those who can easily hide'.

For me these say a lot without really saying very much.
A more modern example is from The 1975 Girls, though this one has tried a little harder I think - 'Bite your face to spite your nose, 17 and a half years old, worrying about my brother finding out, where's the fun in doing what you're told'.

I guess my 'favourite' is one that gets me every time I hear it and makes me think 'f!"k that's clever, wish I'd written it!'. Beautiful South Perfect 10 - 'She's a perfect 10, but she wears a 12, baby keep a little 2 for me'.

In terms of self written opening lines I dunno really. One that I've always liked for no reason other than it's a bit absurd and doesn't seem to go anywhere when divorced from the rest of the lyric is 'I been cursed with a silk tongue that could charm the pants of the virgin Mary, I smashed my face of every branch fallin' outta the good looking tree'. Actually came from the odd throwaway remark or two when having banter with mates... oddly enough the lyric has been rewritten entirely except for the first verse.

[PopTodd]

Another favorite:
"The sunshine bores the daylights out of me"
The Rolling Stones - "Rocks Off"

[pompeyjazz]

1-2-3-4

[Paulski]

1-2-3-4

[PopTodd]

1-2-3-4

I love The Ramones!

[adamfarr]

I love the ones that almost encapsulate the entire song in a few words:

One i keep going back to is "Hold on... hold on" (Stop Crying Your Heart Out). So simple.

Or maybe "I should have known better (with a girl like you)"

[hardtwistmusic]

Without doing a lot of thinking, the first thing that came to mind was:  

"When the cold wind's screaming, and the evening's still,
Lady Samantha glides over the hill."  

From Elton John & "Lady Samantha".  

I also like

"Well, I know it sounds funny.
But I'm not in it for the money - no.  
Don't need no reputation,
and I'm not in it for the show -- oh oh oh oh.  

From "Hit Record" by the Raspberrys.

And --  
"In the midnight moon light
I go walking down a dark and lonely mile."  

From "Here Comes My Baby" by Cat Stevens.  I like a lot of Cat Stevens's opening lines.  

And

"In the early morning rain
with a dollar in my shoe."  

From "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot.  

I could go on forever.  Time to stop.  

Favorite of those I've written:  Two that I like.  

"If he could bet faster horses,
Drive bigger cars"  
Meet faster women
In higher class bars.

Oh he'd be thanking
his lucky stars . . .
if he could have
all of these things."    From "The Ballad of Geronimo Varushnakov"

and


"Yippe Yi Oh.... Yippee Yi Oh
Yippey yi oh ki yay. 
My daddy was a real life cowboy
who roped, and rode and spit.  
He had no use for dime store cowboys
who had never stepped in (er -- uh) "it."

From "Downtown Cowboys"

[Ramshackles]

So many good ones!
Im surprised Dylan hasnt come up yet, so here are a couple I think are his best:

"How many roads must a man walk down, before they call him a man?"

and

"Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?”

None of mine can compare to that

[JonDavies]

"There's the moon asking to stay long enough for the clouds to fly me away" - Jeff Buckley, Grace

"Old friends, sat on their park bench like bookends" Simon and Garfunkel, Old Friends

"There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover" Vera Lynn, also the title

"Us and them, and after all we're only ordinary men" Pink Floyd - Us and Them

"It's been a hard day's night" The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

So many good ones

[Hooded Singer]

Not a single line but ...

It's all about esteem
It's all about dreams
It's all about making the best out of everything

These are the opening lines from Blue October's song Say It

[Morefrog Jones]

Musically rather than lyrically but ive always loved the start of "Stoned Love" by the supremes.
The first thing you hear is the title lyric and then it goes into a classic motown piano rift....simple but classic pop songwriting ......in fact there are a many motown classics that you know the song after the first few bars.