Way, way back in my songwriting life, sometimes I’d worked on something “more than just a song.” And now, when I go through my old notebooks, I see how little I remember about those pieces. Like the words I’m gonna share to a song I composed in 1981. It even included a musical interlude. It sounds funny to me now. But I even wrote a note for it in the middle of my lyrics.
But there it is. And I vaguely remember coming up with a lengthy composition to lead me out of the first half into the second. Of course, I enjoyed the whole process. It was invigorating to come up with all that lofty musical expression. But it really just boiled down to self-gratification. Because I can’t imagine anyone else enjoying my journey in to music la la land.
And as I looked at the lyrics again today, I saw how much I was working on the details. Words crossed out. Other words written above them. Even changing the first person to a third person. And a negative to a positive. Or vice versa. Then, there are my chord notations to remind me which key and which chords I was using. I used to commit everything to memory. Because I didn’t have my own recording setup or studio. And commercial studios were way to expensive to work on ideas.
If you’re not a songwriter, you probably already stopped reading (or listening). But if you’re new to the wonderful world of songwriting, let me recommend something. Write songs. If you’re a true musical composer, then by all means, compose. Otherwise, write songs. And keep writing till you get good at it. Write and sing your way through the rough spots. And don’t look for something “more than just a song.” Just find yourself an audience and write songs for them. And you.
Not something like this…
I used to have a problem with saying what I felt.
My thoughts were always vague and never good.
And I would feel so empty like my well was running dry.
I’d try to make it perfect, but I never could.
And a voice inside me said,
“Open your eyes. Then you’ll realize
The song is in your heart and in your soul.
It’s waiting for someone to sing it.
It’s the flower of your life, and you had better try to unfold it.”
Musical interlude 
Now I have no problem. I say just what I feel.
My thoughts are not so hard to understand.
I don’t know where they’ll take me, or if it’s anywhere at all.
I’ll try to make it perfect though I know I never can.
But the voice inside me says:
“Open your eyes. Then you’ll realize
The song is in your heart and in your soul.
It’s waiting for someone to sing it.
It’s the flower of your life, and you had better try to unfold it.”
© 1981-2020 Tony Funderburk (October 30)
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