Can you print song lyrics on a T-shirt and sell them?

Answer: While words or short phrases in and of themselves are not necessarily protected by copyright, you should be very reluctant to ever place song lyrics on a T-shirt or other media without first obtaining permission.  Particularly, if the lyrics selected are catchy, they could be protected by other doctrines such as trademark law. Even the small use of a song lyric might be considered copyright infringement if it is a significant phrase.