Perhaps someone else recorded a version of The Raven, but I'm thinking of the fabulous Alan Parsons Project,  and their 1976 album Tales of Mystery and Imagination.

When, when was the night so long,

Long, like the notes I'm sending.

She waits in the air...

She sleeps in a chair

In her sad America.

Ben:  "We've laid in a gala reception for your fair-haired boys tonight.  All of Twin Peaks' best and brightest."

Jerry: "We're holding it in a phone booth?"

(one suave folk, you certainly are a well-listened guy!)  OK---next,

He won't go to church

it's too loud for him now

the sweet singing of the choir

is nothing but a row

his hearts a prune

when it once was a plum...

No Nick Lowe fans?  In the interests of keeping the game going...The Man That I've Become from Nick Lowe's 1998 album Dig My Mood.  

and now, for something completely different....

"Lord, there goes a Buick forty-nine

Black sheep of the angels riding, riding down the line

We think there is a soul, we don't know

That soul is hard to find"

What a great namesake for your son!  I saw Rockpile at the Belmont Park racetrack on Long Island in 1979 or 80...man that was one of the tightest bands in history.

Nick Lowe links to Brinsley Schwartz links to:

Discovering Japan--Graham Parker and the Rumour

Oh, Yeah!  Squeezing Out Sparks is right up there in my tops list.  One great song after another.  Protection especially gets me goin'!

"There's a smart young woman on a light blue screen

Who comes into my house every night.

And she takes all the red, yellow, orange and green

And she turns them into black and white." 

As for yours..

Rip This Joint - The Rolling Stones  

...which is so funny, having just heard an interview on NPR with Keith Richards, talking about the remastered version of Exile that just was released.)

"I know you're out there having a good time.

Spaced out chicks, love potions and good wine.

Don't make me laugh, you're not in there alone,

There's other people's voices in the room"

 Eye Communication - Marianne Faithfull

"No more bridge from Tuesday t' Friday
Everybody's gone high society
Hope lost his head 'n got off on alligators
Somebodies leavin' peanuts on the curbins
For uh white elephant escaped from the zoo with love
Goes t' show you what uh moon can do"

onesuavefolk- yes youre correct. i couldnt resist.

mr. bungle- retrovertigo

"With the grace of a corpse
In a riptide
I let go
And I slide slide slide
Downriver
With an empty case by my side
An empty case
That’s my crime

And I sing
To keep from cursing
Yes I sing
To keep from cursing"

oh, come on! no one knows this?

fine.
its (SMOG).

You stumped us with that one, JFK.  Here's some more lyrics to keep us going, brought to this Floridian's mind by the tragedy unfolding on our west coast:

Once the earth was a garden

It gave us all we need

Then it grew so barren

All because of greed

Once the air was for breathing

And clouds caused rain to fall

Then it filled with poisons

Strangling us all

Water was once for drinking

And giving life to the Land

Then it was used for cooling

The machinery of man 

No one?  Previous lyrics are from a song called Earth Mother, from Paul Kantner and Grace Slick's 1971 album Sunfighter.  Fast forward 24 years:  

Wailin' Jennys - deeper well

could we have kippers for breakfast mummy dear, mummy dear

they got to have em' in Texas, cos everyone's a millionaire

I'm a winner, I'm a sinner, do you want my autograph?

I'm a loser, what a joker I'm playing my jokes upon you, while there's nothing better to do

Supertramp - Breakfast in America

Hey, Rebel!  The song is Deeper Well, but I know it from Emmylou Harris' 1995 album Wrecking Ball.  She wrote the song with Daniel Lanois, who also produced the album.  I think you'd like it!

B's lyrics are from:

Alphaville - Forever Young

Some of these days, and it won't be long

Gonna drive back down where you once belonged

In the back of a dream car twenty foot long

Don't cry my sweet, don't break my heart

Doing all right, but you gotta get smart

We have seen a million stones lying by the water,

You have climbed the hills with me to the mountain shelter.

Taking off the days one by one,

Setting them to breathe in the sun.

Since You Asked   (Surely there's someone else out there who listened to Judy Collins.  I've also heard versions by Leonard Cohen and Joan Baez.)

So I  iMic'd this album onto CD today, and when I heard this (released in '82) I thought, how appropriate.  

...there's panic on the switchboard tongues are ties in knots

some come out in sympathy some come out in spots

some blame the management some the employees

and everybody knows it's the Industrial Disease...

Doctor Parkinson declared 'I'm not surprised to see you here 

you've got smoker cough from smoking brewer's droop from drinking beer 

I don't know how you came to get the Bette Davis knees

but worst of all young man you've got Industrial Disease'

he wrote me a prescription he said 'you are depressed 

but I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest 

come back and see me later--next patient please

send in another victim of Industrial Disease'

Absolutely right, think of one.  (I see now I gave away the title in my enjoyment of typing out the lyrics!)  

Now you "think of one" and give us some lyrics to guess Who Sang It?

I had some trouble coming up with one. Wondering what you'll make of this.

I was young and carefree

Not a song had found my soul