I describe my ongoing lyrics writing projects. Where I get my ideas, how I match my words with other people's music, which little helpers I use...
Mixing up the words "if" and "when" is a typical German mistake when speaking or writing English.Both translate to the German word "wenn". "if" can also mean "falls", and "when" can also mean "als". But when(!) you have the German word "wenn" it can be...
Just an entry in my 'scrap book', for the time being: the battle's won, the war is lost our country's devastated ruined are all prospects for our future generations there is no comfort there's no justification too many lives has it cost - the havoc we...
I'm not writing (for) country music. But Craig uses my lyrics every now and then, casting them into country tunes. To make them fit he often adjusts their phrasing, making them more conversational (and American). Now, he had "cut and run" evaluated by...
... or write lyrics. There seem to be enough, anyway. "Cut and run" was the last text I wrote. There was not that much of a 'progress' to write about, so I didn't publish it here. As usual, I used Rhymezone.com a lot ("kowtow"!). The complete text is...
I mentioned that there should be no problem inventing any nasty or naughty things that men would do, didn't I? They cheat, and do so repeatedly ;-) The verses: Babe, we had it going on Oh, the time with you was wonderful Babe, I know things have gone...
The pre-chorus ended with the line "... with full zest" which is not only a rather uncommon expression but also a weak ending. Therefore, I put the line "I'll give it my best" at that outstanding position instead. That's much stronger! In consequence...
... that's the title for the lyrics that didn't have one ;-) See: yet another chorus I wrote three verses today: you think that I'm an asshole I think you are too cute I think that you're an angel you think that I'm a brute you think that there's a cause...
I am a commuter. Day in, day out the same stretch to work and back again. And I'm supposed to call myself lucky if I'm going on commuting for further five years. Lucky, my gosh! I'm going by train. There's the advantage that I can read during the ride...
Sometimes I like being cryptic ;-) But it's true: this has nothing to do with lyrics. But if you followed the 'story' of 'Rachel', formerly known as 'Darlene', you might be interested in how the tune sounds that the lyrics were written to match. This...
The song has the structure: verse - lift - chorus - verse - lift - chorus - guitar solo - chorus - verse - lift - chorus - chorus. The lift varies a little, basically it has four lines with three syllables each. You can't squeeze too much meaning into...
Just another 'quick one' with a rather obvious word play: we reach the peak - we've come together At the end I even make it "we're coming together", should someone have missed the clue... Maybe it's not the peak of my lyrics writing, but I'm happy with...
I mentioned that I wasn't happy with the line(s) "what we're having | must be retained". "Retain" is rather formal, normally you would say "saved", but I couldn't find a viable rhyme for "saved". A songwriting colleague suggested the line "is sweet champagne"....
Oh, I walk in the light Oh, I'm shining Oh, I dance in the light Oh, I'm climbing height after height lover's delight I dance in the light After "dancing THROUGH the light" the title "dance in the light" would seem too similar to me, so I'm tending towards...
that is: not counting rewrites and cowrites. "fish or cut bait" is number 300. Two different lyrics share the same title: "up to you". If you're a composer (musician, producer) you have the chance to find the perfect lyrics for your song within these...
Once you have discovered a formal approach to writing particular lyrics they sort of write themselves. Therefore, there remains nothing much to say about the writing process of "and to pass my time": it's basically just placing antonyms side by side....
I put down a few lines to see what I could do about them. Later I decided that they were suitable for the bridge rather than a verse or the chorus. This is probably the first time I've begun creating song lyrics starting with the bridge: what were the...
After compiling a few more lines - actually completing the lyrics except for the bridge - I decided to make them present tense: 'me' watching a couple dance and discovering my longing for 'her': time's frozen, I am spellbound I cannot keep my eyes from...
I had written, yet not quite finished, three verses. a pool of blood on the kitchen floor tells a bitter tale a family that now is no more a home that is for sale a row that had gone out of hand rage suppressed too long caused a normal fam'ly's end ???...
It's not as bad as it might have been... I checked (re-checked actually) all my lyrics for possible "if versus when" errors, typical errors Germans make when speaking or writing English. I'm German, I'm no exception. In the end I modified three lyrics:...
Other than poems lyrics are meant to be sung eventually and so must be fitted into a song. That often requires rewriting and 'tweaking' them until they flow well with the music. There is also the issue of different genres and different cultures. Folk...
A little fun ditty that I wrote on my vacation. With exception of the bridge I actually had the whole song in my mind while hiking, it matched the walking rhythm so nicely: Dolly don'tcha do me Dolly don'tcha do me Dolly don'tcha do me tonight you got...
I refered to transcendental meditation once before in "listen to the music", a text that Craig has set to music. "All by itself" refers more directly to the Mantra used in this technique, and I even use images that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi used. I have replaced...
There are two - slightly incompatible - concepts of copyright. The European understanding of copyright distinguishes between the personal rights, like being acknowledged as creator, and licensing issues. In the US these aspects are blended so you can...
"no respect" is my working title for yet another new MotorPlanet song, yet it has a good chance to persist. Since there are no other lyrical projects at the moment I think I shall try to make this another complete "lyrics in progress" story, describing...
... written to match yet another tune by Hot Mama. I have only the chorus at the moment. Before working on the verses and the outro I'll check with Hot Mama if the subject and tendency are okay with them. (and/but) now the world breaks down 'cause we've...
