After being a little too lazy for a while, I have entered three lyrics in contests-"Haven't Been Sleeping", "Evil Queen", and "I Can't Have Christmas Without You". One of them ends at the end of the year and one of them ends mid-January. I can't wait to hear back!
~Eliza
Showing posts with label lyrics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lyrics. Show all posts
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Song Topics
Sometimes when I get stuck on songwriting, I find that brainstorming general song topics helps me generate more specific ideas. Each song song topic generates thoughts about my own experiences relating to the topic. That doesn't always result in lyric ideas that I can use, but it's usually helpful.
Love
This one's easy. It's also a bit of a broad topic. There are love songs about falling in love with someone, the experience of being in love, a desire for love, the person you love, etc. Let's take, for example, falling in love with someone. Think about how you would write about these things:
-the moment you met and what drew you to that person
-the moment you realized you were in love
-what you love about the person
-what made you fall in love
-the first time you told someone you were in love
-how much you are in love
If you have someone in mind these prompts are probably already giving you ideas. Even if they're not ideas you could specifically use for a song, you're at least thinking about the topic and exploring it.
Anger
This one can also be broken down into several subtopics. Why you're angry, who you're angry with, things that make you angry, how you express your anger, etc.
-the last time someone made you angry
-the last time you told someone they made you angry
-something you regret that you did out of anger
-things that always make you angry
Jealousy
Who are you jealous of, why are you jealous, do you express it or keep it hidden? This one is especially easy for me! ;)
-what it is that you want and can't have
-how your jealousy effects how you act
-how your jealousy effects how you think
-what, if anything, makes others jealous of you
I don't think I need to go through every song topic I can think of for you to get the point. Brainstorming ideas and breaking down subjects or topics is a technique that is not only good for story or essay writing, but also for lyric writing. Don't toss aside a technique that could be helpful to you simply because you think it is better applied to other forms of writing.
~Eliza
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Can't Take Away Who I Am Lyrics
Passion Level: 9
Motivation Level: 9
This is a song I wrote a couple years ago and a song that I submitted to the American Lyrics Contest. It was rejected. Maybe others don't really appreciate it, but this one means a lot to me. I like who I am and I don't care about other people trying to tear that down or take that feeling away from me. That's what this song is all about.
Can't Take Away Who I Am
Sitting on the edge of a dream
Reaching out I'm about to fall
People think it's a crazy thing
To just let go, and risk it all
They think they can take it all away from me
Just means that they don't know who I am and who I wanna be
'Cause you could take everything from me
And I wouldn't feel a thing
'Cause you can't take away who I am
You could crush all of my dreams
And I wouldn't stop believin'
'Cause you can't take away who I am
And nobody can
Walking far my legs are weak
Feel like I might have to crawl
But when I get where I need to be
Wait and see, I will stand up tall
People think I'll give up so easily
Just means that they don't anything about the real me
'Cause you could take everything from me
And I wouldn't feel a thing
'Cause you can't take away who I am
You could crush all of my dreams
And I wouldn't stop believin'
'Cause you can't take away who I am
And nobody can
No, no, Nobody can (6x)
(c) 2010, Elizabeth Marion
Thank you for reading.
~Eliza
Motivation Level: 9
This is a song I wrote a couple years ago and a song that I submitted to the American Lyrics Contest. It was rejected. Maybe others don't really appreciate it, but this one means a lot to me. I like who I am and I don't care about other people trying to tear that down or take that feeling away from me. That's what this song is all about.
Can't Take Away Who I Am
Sitting on the edge of a dream
Reaching out I'm about to fall
People think it's a crazy thing
To just let go, and risk it all
They think they can take it all away from me
Just means that they don't know who I am and who I wanna be
'Cause you could take everything from me
And I wouldn't feel a thing
'Cause you can't take away who I am
You could crush all of my dreams
And I wouldn't stop believin'
'Cause you can't take away who I am
And nobody can
Walking far my legs are weak
Feel like I might have to crawl
But when I get where I need to be
Wait and see, I will stand up tall
People think I'll give up so easily
Just means that they don't anything about the real me
'Cause you could take everything from me
And I wouldn't feel a thing
'Cause you can't take away who I am
You could crush all of my dreams
And I wouldn't stop believin'
'Cause you can't take away who I am
And nobody can
No, no, Nobody can (6x)
(c) 2010, Elizabeth Marion
Thank you for reading.
~Eliza
Thursday, March 22, 2012
An Inspiring Moment
The other day I had an inspiring morning. It was a day off from work. As far as lyric writing is concerned, I was in a bit of a dry spell. For a couple of weeks it seemed that all I could come up with was a few lines here and there that didn't make much sense or couldn't be connected. They were metaphors that had no meaning, useless lines that were desperate to send a powerful message.
Suddenly in that particular moment, as soon as I woke up, lyrics began flooding my mind. I grabbed the nearest notebook and began writing them all down. And as I got up and started getting ready for my day, I kept coming back to write more in the notebook.
It was comforting to feel that the dry spell was over and that I would be able to move forward, but something more profound happened. There was a personal issue I had been struggling with for years and I had never been able to write a song about it. I even had trouble journaling about it. I wasn't sure what to say. And at times wasn't even sure how I felt about it. The confusion was so overwhelming and the feelings were so mixed that I felt like there was no point in journaling about it or writing about it in any form. I couldn't understand it and felt silly trying to communicate something that was so confusing and nauseating to me. For years, I could not put this struggle into words. I could not communicate in any form through language what I had been dealing with and what I had been thinking about. Suddenly the words were coming to my mind so fast I could barely keep up as I tried to write them all down. And as I looked over what I had written, it wasn't a mess. It wasn't a bunch of useless words that needed to be editted over and over again. It was exactly what I wanted to say, exactly what I had been feeling.
The mind works in strange ways. I had been feeling those things for years. Why could I never express them in words before a few days ago? And when the words did come to me, why did they come so quickly and so suddenly? How is it that I could have put so much time and focus into trying to write a song about this and nothing useful came to me until I had just woken up and hadn't even started thinking about writing anything for the day yet? I do not understand how this happened and I do not know why it happened so suddenly, but I am grateful that it did. As quickly as the lyrics came and as quickly as my private silence was broken, I feel like I am finally, and suddenly, beginning to heal.
Maybe I did or said something and my mind just clicked, putting all of those thoughts and feelings into perspective without my realizing it. The rest of me still felt overwhelmed by the situation and my subconscious was busy preparing me to heal. I had no idea this was coming, but finally being able to put this struggle and pain into words in a way that makes sense and communicates exactly what I think of all of this has lifted such a heavy burden from me. I feel that other songs I haven't even shared with anyone yet have helped me heal or feel better, but this was special. This was something more profound. It didn't just improve my mood or give me a more positive perspective on a difficult situation. It took something that had been so frustrating, painful, and confusing to me and helped me break it down and see it for what it is. And if I had not reached this point I would still have no idea how to overcome this. I still don't know exactly what to do and I don't have all the answers, but now I know how to take a step in the right direction and that's a hell of a lot better than staying where I was.
The lyrics for this particular song are not finished. I don't have any editting to do, but I would like to add a little bit more to what I have. I have no intention of changing a single word I have written for this. It is exactly what I wanted. I don't know why it was trapped inside me for so long, but now it's free and now I feel free. I don't know how this happened, but it is a moment I will treasure for a very long time.
~Eliza
Suddenly in that particular moment, as soon as I woke up, lyrics began flooding my mind. I grabbed the nearest notebook and began writing them all down. And as I got up and started getting ready for my day, I kept coming back to write more in the notebook.
It was comforting to feel that the dry spell was over and that I would be able to move forward, but something more profound happened. There was a personal issue I had been struggling with for years and I had never been able to write a song about it. I even had trouble journaling about it. I wasn't sure what to say. And at times wasn't even sure how I felt about it. The confusion was so overwhelming and the feelings were so mixed that I felt like there was no point in journaling about it or writing about it in any form. I couldn't understand it and felt silly trying to communicate something that was so confusing and nauseating to me. For years, I could not put this struggle into words. I could not communicate in any form through language what I had been dealing with and what I had been thinking about. Suddenly the words were coming to my mind so fast I could barely keep up as I tried to write them all down. And as I looked over what I had written, it wasn't a mess. It wasn't a bunch of useless words that needed to be editted over and over again. It was exactly what I wanted to say, exactly what I had been feeling.
The mind works in strange ways. I had been feeling those things for years. Why could I never express them in words before a few days ago? And when the words did come to me, why did they come so quickly and so suddenly? How is it that I could have put so much time and focus into trying to write a song about this and nothing useful came to me until I had just woken up and hadn't even started thinking about writing anything for the day yet? I do not understand how this happened and I do not know why it happened so suddenly, but I am grateful that it did. As quickly as the lyrics came and as quickly as my private silence was broken, I feel like I am finally, and suddenly, beginning to heal.
Maybe I did or said something and my mind just clicked, putting all of those thoughts and feelings into perspective without my realizing it. The rest of me still felt overwhelmed by the situation and my subconscious was busy preparing me to heal. I had no idea this was coming, but finally being able to put this struggle and pain into words in a way that makes sense and communicates exactly what I think of all of this has lifted such a heavy burden from me. I feel that other songs I haven't even shared with anyone yet have helped me heal or feel better, but this was special. This was something more profound. It didn't just improve my mood or give me a more positive perspective on a difficult situation. It took something that had been so frustrating, painful, and confusing to me and helped me break it down and see it for what it is. And if I had not reached this point I would still have no idea how to overcome this. I still don't know exactly what to do and I don't have all the answers, but now I know how to take a step in the right direction and that's a hell of a lot better than staying where I was.
The lyrics for this particular song are not finished. I don't have any editting to do, but I would like to add a little bit more to what I have. I have no intention of changing a single word I have written for this. It is exactly what I wanted. I don't know why it was trapped inside me for so long, but now it's free and now I feel free. I don't know how this happened, but it is a moment I will treasure for a very long time.
~Eliza
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Money Owns Me Lyrics
Passion Level: 8
Motivation Level: 10
This is a song I wrote a few months ago that is becoming more real to me every day. It seems that every day and every moment is spent chasing or planning around money. We can't afford to stay home with our families or spend our time doing the things we want to do because we have to put that time into our jobs. No one forces us to, but we can't afford not to. And we put all that time and effort into a job that barely gives us enough money to survive or sometimes doesn't even give us enough to get by. At the end of the day we're lucky to get a thank you, yet we have no choice but to keep going back and doing the work. Have you ever felt like money is controlling your life instead of you?
Money Owns Me
You can try to stay strong
You can try to work hard
But no matter what you do
You won't get too far
And if you catch some big break
Save that money away
Anything you get for free
Will be taken away
Money owns me I'm its slave
Chasing me down to my grave
Because money makes the world go 'round
Hard work don't give no guarantees
Life ain't cheap and it ain't free
Because money makes the world go 'round
Yes it does
Getting paid by the hour
Takes up all of my time
It's a shame to spend a life
Away for a dime
'Cause at the end of the day
It's never really enough
There are still bills to pay
I just don't have enough
Money owns me I'm its slave
Chasing me down to my grave
Because money makes the world go 'round
Hard work don't give no guarantees
Life ain't cheap and it ain't free
Because money makes the world go 'round
Yes it does
Try not to spend it
But it's so hard to save it
Worship that dollar
Work hard, blue collar
(chorus)
(c) Elizabeth Marion, 2011
~Eliza
Motivation Level: 10
This is a song I wrote a few months ago that is becoming more real to me every day. It seems that every day and every moment is spent chasing or planning around money. We can't afford to stay home with our families or spend our time doing the things we want to do because we have to put that time into our jobs. No one forces us to, but we can't afford not to. And we put all that time and effort into a job that barely gives us enough money to survive or sometimes doesn't even give us enough to get by. At the end of the day we're lucky to get a thank you, yet we have no choice but to keep going back and doing the work. Have you ever felt like money is controlling your life instead of you?
Money Owns Me
You can try to stay strong
You can try to work hard
But no matter what you do
You won't get too far
And if you catch some big break
Save that money away
Anything you get for free
Will be taken away
Money owns me I'm its slave
Chasing me down to my grave
Because money makes the world go 'round
Hard work don't give no guarantees
Life ain't cheap and it ain't free
Because money makes the world go 'round
Yes it does
Getting paid by the hour
Takes up all of my time
It's a shame to spend a life
Away for a dime
'Cause at the end of the day
It's never really enough
There are still bills to pay
I just don't have enough
Money owns me I'm its slave
Chasing me down to my grave
Because money makes the world go 'round
Hard work don't give no guarantees
Life ain't cheap and it ain't free
Because money makes the world go 'round
Yes it does
Try not to spend it
But it's so hard to save it
Worship that dollar
Work hard, blue collar
(chorus)
(c) Elizabeth Marion, 2011
~Eliza
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Mr. Sophisticated Lyrics
These are the lyrics to my song Mr. Sophisticated! Enjoy!
Hey Mr. Sophisticated
You're the kinda guy I been anticipatin
'Cause you're smooth
And you're cool
And you can make me melt with a flash of that smile, oh
You make me feel good
And when I dated
Mr. Sophisticated
All the other ladies couldn't stand it
Oh, I showed him off
I hung out with the in crowd
Until he moved on
To give another swooning girl a chance with
Mr. Sophisticated
Hey Mr. Sopisticated
You don't know how long I been waiting
The things you do
Make me want you
And you can make me melt with a flash of that smile, oh
You make me feel good
And when I dated
Mr. Sophisticated
All the other ladies couldn't stand it
Oh, I showed him off
I hung out with the in crowd
Until he moved on
To give another swooning girl a chance with
Mr. Sophisticated
Thanks for reading. Any feedback would be appreciated!
~Eliza
Hey Mr. Sophisticated
You're the kinda guy I been anticipatin
'Cause you're smooth
And you're cool
And you can make me melt with a flash of that smile, oh
You make me feel good
And when I dated
Mr. Sophisticated
All the other ladies couldn't stand it
Oh, I showed him off
I hung out with the in crowd
Until he moved on
To give another swooning girl a chance with
Mr. Sophisticated
Hey Mr. Sopisticated
You don't know how long I been waiting
The things you do
Make me want you
And you can make me melt with a flash of that smile, oh
You make me feel good
And when I dated
Mr. Sophisticated
All the other ladies couldn't stand it
Oh, I showed him off
I hung out with the in crowd
Until he moved on
To give another swooning girl a chance with
Mr. Sophisticated
Thanks for reading. Any feedback would be appreciated!
~Eliza
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Exploring Life's Questions
Passion Level: 8
Motivation Level: 9
All forms of writing can be used to explore life's questions, but lyric writing is unique in this respect. The most challenging questions, moments, emotions, and speculation is addressed in such a short amount of words. And addressed in a manner that makes sense for a song.
Lyrics take us through a persons aggravations over a lost love, the speculation of why the present is different than they had imagined in the past, and the absurdity of the situations they have been faced with. These are all topics people can and have written books about, but a lyricist must make these powerful emotions and moments fit into a song. And accomplishing that is a quite a feat, let alone accomplishing it well.
Lyricists don't have as much wiggle room to explore life's questions as novelists or essay writers. Therein lies the challenge. Life provides us with many choices to make and this causes us to ask ourselves complicated questions. What is love? When do I hold on or let go? Do I have a purpose? How do I face difficult things when I feel like I just don't have the strength? How do I deal with my financial hardships? Why am I in this situation? How do I find happiness through my misery? How do I support a friend going through something difficult that I can't relate to? How do I address all these questions in a song? It's hard enough to try to figure this stuff out without adding writing to the mix!
From my perspective, journaling seems to be the best tool to help with this challenge. Journaling helps you explore these questions that life throws at you. By getting those thoughts out about the different situations you're dealing with you have something to reference when you want to address those issues in a song. You might not have a problem remembering the emotions you were feeling in those moments, but journaling will help you keep track of the thoughts you were having at the time and what you thought the answers were then. Perspectives can change and sometimes they change without us realizing it. Sometimes we change who we are, and even what we believe in, not because we have made a decision to do so, but because the world around us is forcing our perspectives to change. Journaling will prevent those changes from going unnoticed, which can offer you lyrical inspiration.
Life is a challenge and it just wouldn't be right if lyrics weren't a challenge as well. Not all of life's questions can be answered or have an answer that makes sense to us, but lyrics help us explore and at least try to understand. And sometimes the beauty is in trying.
~Eliza
Motivation Level: 9
All forms of writing can be used to explore life's questions, but lyric writing is unique in this respect. The most challenging questions, moments, emotions, and speculation is addressed in such a short amount of words. And addressed in a manner that makes sense for a song.
Lyrics take us through a persons aggravations over a lost love, the speculation of why the present is different than they had imagined in the past, and the absurdity of the situations they have been faced with. These are all topics people can and have written books about, but a lyricist must make these powerful emotions and moments fit into a song. And accomplishing that is a quite a feat, let alone accomplishing it well.
Lyricists don't have as much wiggle room to explore life's questions as novelists or essay writers. Therein lies the challenge. Life provides us with many choices to make and this causes us to ask ourselves complicated questions. What is love? When do I hold on or let go? Do I have a purpose? How do I face difficult things when I feel like I just don't have the strength? How do I deal with my financial hardships? Why am I in this situation? How do I find happiness through my misery? How do I support a friend going through something difficult that I can't relate to? How do I address all these questions in a song? It's hard enough to try to figure this stuff out without adding writing to the mix!
From my perspective, journaling seems to be the best tool to help with this challenge. Journaling helps you explore these questions that life throws at you. By getting those thoughts out about the different situations you're dealing with you have something to reference when you want to address those issues in a song. You might not have a problem remembering the emotions you were feeling in those moments, but journaling will help you keep track of the thoughts you were having at the time and what you thought the answers were then. Perspectives can change and sometimes they change without us realizing it. Sometimes we change who we are, and even what we believe in, not because we have made a decision to do so, but because the world around us is forcing our perspectives to change. Journaling will prevent those changes from going unnoticed, which can offer you lyrical inspiration.
Life is a challenge and it just wouldn't be right if lyrics weren't a challenge as well. Not all of life's questions can be answered or have an answer that makes sense to us, but lyrics help us explore and at least try to understand. And sometimes the beauty is in trying.
~Eliza
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Joy of Lyrics
I love my songs. That may sound arrogant or obnoxious, but it's the truth. If I didn't love them I wouldn't bother writing them and I wouldn't sing them to myself throughout the day because they help me express what I'm feeling. Sometimes, they even help me feel.
My lyrics are myself at my most open hearted and tender moments. Whether anyone listens or cares, no one can take that away from me. The fact is that even if they never bring joy to anyone else they have brought joy to me already. No one else wrote a song based on my thoughts and my exact feelings. As cliche as it sounds that's what makes them special.
I do doubt myself sometimes though. I'll come up with a great idea and be excited about the start I have for a song. As I try to continue it gets harder. And when I start to feel completely blocked I wonder if my ideas or talents are worth the trouble at all. I don't always know how to say what I'm feeling through my lyrics in a way that makes sense. It frustrates me so much when that happens, but even if I can't finish I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I take the time to start a song. At least I saved those first thoughts for later and used them to create a few lines. It's better than creating nothing and having no way of venting or communicating what I have to say. Nothing says failure better than failing to try.
I've put a lot of thought lately into how I want to move forward and how I want to share my songs. I haven't accomplished anything yet, but the point I'm trying to make is that writing the lyrics to a song is a satisfying accomplishment all by itself. I've enjoyed that satisfaction and I enjoy the release it gives me from the tension of bottling up my emotions or letting my emotions control the way that I act. By allowing me to address my own insanity, it helps me find a sense of calm and restfulness in a dangerous and unpredictable world. And that is a very daring accomplishment.
~Eliza
My lyrics are myself at my most open hearted and tender moments. Whether anyone listens or cares, no one can take that away from me. The fact is that even if they never bring joy to anyone else they have brought joy to me already. No one else wrote a song based on my thoughts and my exact feelings. As cliche as it sounds that's what makes them special.
I do doubt myself sometimes though. I'll come up with a great idea and be excited about the start I have for a song. As I try to continue it gets harder. And when I start to feel completely blocked I wonder if my ideas or talents are worth the trouble at all. I don't always know how to say what I'm feeling through my lyrics in a way that makes sense. It frustrates me so much when that happens, but even if I can't finish I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I take the time to start a song. At least I saved those first thoughts for later and used them to create a few lines. It's better than creating nothing and having no way of venting or communicating what I have to say. Nothing says failure better than failing to try.
I've put a lot of thought lately into how I want to move forward and how I want to share my songs. I haven't accomplished anything yet, but the point I'm trying to make is that writing the lyrics to a song is a satisfying accomplishment all by itself. I've enjoyed that satisfaction and I enjoy the release it gives me from the tension of bottling up my emotions or letting my emotions control the way that I act. By allowing me to address my own insanity, it helps me find a sense of calm and restfulness in a dangerous and unpredictable world. And that is a very daring accomplishment.
~Eliza
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Lyric Competition
A couple of days ago I entered a song I wrote into the American Songwriters lyrics competition. As I mentioned before, while I have written many lines and verses to songs I have fully completed only a few, so I only had a list of about fifteen to work with.
The song I ended up sending in was a song titled Damage. I will wait until the results of the competition have been announced before I post the lyrics here or try to promote them to anyone.
My impression of the American Songwriters lyrics competition so far is very positive. Since I write lyrics and have no recording devices or instruments to make a recording even if I wanted to, a competition that allows you to send in only the lyrics is something that I appreciate.
I also like the fact that those who have never submitted before get something out of it other than the submission fee and bragging rights that they finally got up the nerve to enter their work into a competition. The submission is $12, but when you submit you also get a 1-year subscription to the magazine. Even if I don't win any of the prizes or even an honorable mention that's plenty of incentive for me. I have been interested in subscribing to the magazine, and through this competition I was able to do so for only $12. I have not received my first issue yet, but will post here when I do.
~Eliza
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