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...
I finished the second lyrics for Ethan today. Listening to his recording again and again I shifted short lines of text to and fro, replacing, deleting, or adding a word here and there. Since there is no chorus I simply repeated the verse that I had written...
In my mind there's a rock tune whose meter is not too strict (similar to "dripping pan" and most of my other rock tunes). Instead of the phrase "the girls pass him by" I first had "the girls ignore him" which sounded rather clumsy. I checked an online...
Probably it was recording "chew me up" this morning that inspired me to write more 'weird' sex stuff. Fun stuff, actually, that I couldn't possibly post and discuss on the songwriting forums from the 'Bible Belt'. They had already deleted "Sabrina". Well,...
My ideas so far suggest a particular order for the verses: 1. traces the Romans left - past 2. traces on the internet (Facebook, blogs ...) - present 3. children (descendants) - future This would lead to this song structure: verse - chorus - verse - chorus...
A Russian(?) singer (her name is Ludmilla, might be Russian) has sent me five audio files with her own songs. It's up to me which one I'd like to set to lyrics (can you say that? You say "lyrics are set to music", but is music set to lyrics?), if at all...
More suggestions, another re-write. It's verse 1 this time: my freedom ends at your factory door the next few hours are yours for sure you are in power - I do my job I work real hard, but you're not (my) God The word "my" is optional as it could muddle...
Well, the structure of "I believe" doesn't allow for too much story telling so I decided on a kind of generic approach. I mentioned the Beatles' "Yesterday" the other day. There are similarities. In "Yesterday" what would be expected of the chorus - delivering...
After proof-reading, correcting, and modifying the songs I have written so far I have published my complete lyrics collection: the Lot It also contains six original versions of songs that were rewritten, one text that was adapted for a femals singer,...
The term "dripping pan" sprang to my mind as an association to the expression "I'll roast you" and I simply stuck to it. I find it funny although it doesn't actually make much sense. Trying to come up with lines for the verses I spotted that the single...
yet another piece of text dealing with losing one's footing: wading through black waters on a lightless day I can feel the tide dragging my feet away neither sign nor beacon that could light my way I may lose my mind in this endless grey I can't remember...
My lyrics were difficult to sing, so Svein left superfluous words (notes) out - that I had put in originally only to match the tune as closely as possible - or changed the order of words here and there. With one exception he also altered the chorus: and...
have just been published on the Internet Archive. This is the link: Bernd's second hundred lyrics The file even includes one song text that I have not yet published on my lyrics pages (but will very shortly). Thus, in spite of the title, the compilation...
The title I'm writing for Ethan will be "silver stream". Other than it suggests it will become a rather depressing text: VERSE a chain of dreary and dire days pass in a daze how much more will follow that you have to face each single day as gloomy as...
Julia actually had already written part of the text. Her original lyrics (verse and pre-chorus) read: cold faces made out of stone [my suggestion: have turned to stone] hundreds of hearts are trembling [my suggestion: still trembling] in deep silence,...
It's Friday today. Here's "Friday night": work is dumb, work is boring trying hard without scoring you can work your butt off you'll never see the gain stuff your illusions your efforts are in vain Friday night, leave your mind at home Friday night, let's...
I wonder how come that I haven't written this years ago. The title has been in my mind since ages. I wrote it over lunch, checking my Penguin Rhyming dictionary only once (deciding against "dust" - there would have been no useful phrases as it normally...
... by Daniel. He asked to keep our collaboration a secret. Well, what can be more secret than an public blog? Just asking! First step: listen to his tune several times (here Midi trumpets stand for the vocal parts) trying to figure out which parts are...
... will be the title of my new song. In my last post I had mentioned that it would need a very strong chorus because it consists of nothing much else ;-) Yet, how do you create a strong chorus or a good 'hook'? By repetition! At least, that is the easiest...
next step: * writing the verses It's basically the same procedure as with the chorus: define the meter, find matching lines, check them against the tune. Content-wise the verses should either tell a story or describe the situation or mood that leads up...
Meetings can be boring at times. I put down a few lines during such phase: the bread was stale, the butter smelly, my stomach would revolt I was worried that yet again my car could strike or bolt the phone was ringing, the coffee cold, time was running...
I mentioned a song with no title the other day. Well, it has got a title now. While foraging my scrap 'book' I came across "chew me up" that provided me with a chorus. I added four verses and a bridge, and there we are! It's become explicit, I'm afraid...
I wrote "don't take me for granted" on behalf of the other Bernd, but his client rejected it. The lyrics were meant for femal vocals and for Country music (my first Country-style lyrics, maybe they were not enough Country). The other titles are rather...
Did you ever observe that you tend to make the same error again and again after you somehow got through the first time? Over years I always took the wrong turn on a particular hiking trail in my vicinity. I would get doubts at the turn, remembering that...
I edited the second verse to reduce the number of repeated 'you know - I knows', and also make the verse more similar to verse one: you know I wasn't true to you it's true that others shared my bed I know what you had to go through so you had rather I'd...
I swapped the verses giving the text some kind of chronological order: first the jealousy or grudge of competing women (Athena), then the men turning away from 'her' - or being turned to stone - as the result. Actually, Julia would like to keep the text...
