3 Rock Songs That Saved Their Best Lyric for the Final Line

These rock songs save their best line for the very end. These songs are stunning throughout, but they became legendary thanks to these simple yet effective closing statements.

“The End” — The Doors

Though the final line of The Doors‘ “The End” isn’t uttered just once, it hits the hardest once the song is over. “The end of laughter and soft lies / The end of nights we tried to die / This is the end,” the final lyrics read. It’s the perfect uneasy ending to a song as morose as this one.

This song starts somewhat simply, but it evolves into a mythic exploration by the end. “The killer awoke before dawn / He put his boots on… / ‘Father?’ / ‘Yes, son?’ / ‘I want to kill you’ / ‘Mother, I want to,’” are among the disturbing lyrics in this classic rock song. How to drive this madhouse of a song home? Well, The Doors chose the simple ending above. They bottled up the energy of this song so the listener can decompress after it’s over.

“Won’t Get Fooled Again” — The Who

The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a sharp, cutting commentary on the merits of violent upheaval; namely, how it doesn’t actually change that much eventually. “I’ll tip my hat to the new Constitution / Take a bow for the new revolution / Smile and grin at the change all around / Pick up my guitar and play / Just like yesterday,” the lyrics to this rock song read, leading up to the final kicker.

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After verse after verse of high-octane revolution, The Who puts things into perspective with the final verse: “Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss.” There is no better way to succinctly push back against political optimism than this simple line.

“The End” — The Beatles

Circling back to another song titled “The End”, we have this Beatles classic. “And in the end / The love you take / Is equal to the love you make” is not only the final line of this Beatles classic but also one of the few lyrics in the entire song. The band didn’t say much in this hit, but what they did say packed quite a punch.

This song and its final line were a fitting sign-off for this legendary band. It encapsulated their worldview at the time, leaving listeners with a comforting truth in the wake of their breakup.

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