Today (Sunday) is apparently song lyric day. Didn’t ask for songs. Didn’t necessarily want songs (and melodies) today, but here we are.
It started before I got up.
(The other day I dreamed of a Christmas song, woke up and told myself it wasn’t good enough and what if it already existed and I thought I’d written it? If you can, write yourself a Christmas song. You can live on the royalties. Or so I’ve heard. And I not infrequently dream-write songs. Just haven’t managed to dream up a great Christmas song yet.)
I read an article this morning. I listened to a snippet of the featured artist’s music.
Didn’t have to listen to much before I felt zapped into her creative orbit.
Dammit.
All day it’s been do a thing, write a song. Do a thing, write a song, Word Raccoon by my side, holding the pen.
Thank you, but I want to write poems. Or write on my novel!
I also don’t want to have to put up a fire wall of classical music so I can sneak off and hum the melody of yet another song into my notes app, but I have.
Does the universe not know I don’t have the musical chops for this? My musical theory background is weak, y’all. And what do I do with them after I write them? What then?
I’m not ungrateful, especially since a couple of them in particular moved me.
But they are so diverse they aren’t even in the same universe.
Why, WHY, Word Raccoon? If you’re going to write songs, could you please put them in the same genre? No single album could hold them all.
The first song was based on the artist I read that article about. It was interrupted. I went back to it later and I think it’s mostly finished.
The second was Adele-adjacent and almost gave me the weepies. There was painting in it with shirt sleeves.
I kinda lost track after that, but one had a Simon and Garfunkel vibe. Another blues.
I want to tell you what one of them was about but you will laugh. Okay, fine. It was about…no, I can’t. It’s based on a classical poem and it’s too embarrassing because it will seem like I was being pretentious when I wasn’t.
I wasn’t!
The last (Oh, please let it be the last for today. I want to read!) was old-school country. It made me want to hug Word Raccoon and tell her she’s fine. It is tender and caring.
It made me want to write a whole country album for real.
Come close and let me whisper something…I think writing poetry might be good practice for writing song lyrics.
But I don’t know that I want to be the custodian of songs. They carry a different weight. Too many steps. I just don’t, as I said, have the chops.
And what do I do with them?
Still, if I’m being honest, it was a joy. My body hummed and I silenced my phone and every living thing within the sound of my voice while I wrote.
I think…oh god, I think I enjoyed the rhyming. (RHYMING IS FOR SONGS ONLY AND OCCASIONALLY WHEN YOU ARE MAKING A POINT IN A POEM BUT RARELY, DO YOU HEAR ME, WORD RACCOON?)
Dammit, WR. What have you done to my writing now?
Here, quick, before I regret, is the country song I wrote. I hope you like it. Please be kind? I’m not really a songwriter. My head just fills with music and lyrics sometimes.
Turn
Turn your canvas to the wall
if it’s not the answer to your call.
The ring you painted isn’t gold.
No wonder you can’t make it hold.
You’ve got plenty else to say;
paint’s provoking the right way.
Turn that canvas to the wall.
Turn your mind and let it rest.
Color the feathers for your nest.
It’s all building blocks of heart,
feelings jagged from the start.
Turn your mind towards your chest.
Turn the mirror, don’t you look.
At what time and gravity took.
You are always then and ever now.
More than sagging cheek
and wounded jowl.
Turn from the mirror now.
Turn away from stark, dark death.
You’re not so old and you’ve got
breath.
If life were easy as that rhyme,
you would know there’s still some
time,
turn away from cold, dark death.
If life were easy as this rhyme
You would know we’ve still got time
Turn away from…
P.S. You know what? WR just reminded me of yesterday’s post. Why am I surprised by the songs coming to me today? Duh! Also, I know “Mull of Kintyre” is more than three minutes long AND it is not necessarily my favorite McCartney song. I just couldn’t bear to say one of the ones everyone else mentions. Now if you ask me about my favorite Harrison song, it’s “Something” from sun up to sun down.
And P.S.S. I hope it’s obvious I am a perfect example of you don’t have to be McCartney to express yourself.
dremadrudge.com 