This is the first day of my life/
Swear I was born right in the doorway.

The lyrics of Lisa Loeb’s “First Day of My Life” are fantastic.  The original song was written by Bright Eyes. They are the most outstanding lyrics of the past twenty or so years. They are clear and concise.

There are not many songs that you can listen to for the first time and say “I understand what he/she is saying” AND “those are great lyrics”.  And also like the song. Sometimes you have to do a lot of work to find the inner-greatness in lyrics. Any song that hits you immediately is something to take notice of.

There are so many great lines. I can’t think of many artists who hit on this level—lyrically—other than Dylan. And even that is a different kind of experience. Maybe Paul Simon is a better comparison. His lyrics are more accessible.

So why the Lisa Loeb version rather than Bright Eyes? It sounds better than the original. She adds a bit of melody to the song that is lacking in the original. (This is coming from a fan of folk music). She retains the simple guitar sound and overall feel…and also, her voice simply sounds better. No slight against the original version. This may be one of the more controversial choices on the list: not the song—the version.

First Day Of My Life Lyrics

This is the first day of my life
Swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They’re spreading blankets on the beach

Yours was the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
And I don’t know where I am, I don’t know where I’ve been
But I know where I want to go

And so I’d thought I’d let you know
Yeah, these things take forever, I especially am slow
But I realized that need you
And I wondered if I could come home

Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning?
And I thought it was strange, you said everything changed
You felt as if you just woke up

And you said
“This is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care, I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”

So if you wanna be with me
With these things there’s no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I’d rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery

Besides, maybe this time is different
I mean, I really think you like me

written by Conor Oberst