In the book, Songwriters on Songwriting, edited by Paul Zolo, Paul asks Townes Van Zandt about the opening line to the song, “Lungs”.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
I love your song “Lung’s.”
“That one came together pretty quickly. The guitar lick, and the vocals all came at once.”
The song starts with an unusual line: “Won’t you lend your lungs to me?” Do you like that, when you get into an area where no other songs have been?
“I like that kind of stuff the best. But I have a lot of respect for the closer to home stuff. I do have a strong streak of that. The not so close to home stuff.”
Do you think those are less effective?
“It depends on the song, and what you are trying to do with the song. Some of them are just like shock value. Like ‘Won’t you lend your lungs to me?’ If you sing it right, people hear it right and it gets their attention.
They are all different, except for the talking blues, which all the same song, but on different topics.”
Here’s “Lungs” as performed by Steve Earle.
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Jim Bruno's Songwriting Class 