Rejected Lyrics

A few weeks ago I submitted my lyrics for a song called "Damage" to the American Songwriters Lyrics competition. I found out yesterday that I am not one of the finalists.

I have had other forms of writing rejected, but I had never entered a lyric competition before. Strangely I felt no sense of discouragement or even disappointment. Perhaps it's because I spent so much time telling myself that rejection didn't mean failure. It's only a stepping stone to success. One way to looke at it is that since my lyrics are not longer tied up in a contest I now have the freedom to do what I want with my lyrics and have no obligations to any judges in a contest.

At this time I am currently seeking artists who have an interest in recording this song. I have no music for it, just the lyrics.

If the song interests you, please leave a comment or a send me a messsage at elizabeth.marion490@gmail.com. I would also appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

Damage

Don't ask me to wake up

Don't ask me to move

Don't even know if I could if I tried

I don't wanna get up

Though I was never truly asleep

Everything seems so surreal now

I'm just dead tired from this insomnia I've been experiencing since you left me

Out of my mind wondering when and if I'll see you next

You can't come that close to me and then just pull away without leaving any scars

And even if you came back and asked me to forgive you

The damage is already done

Oh it's done

I just wanna move on

But that's easier said than done

Don't even know if I could if I tried

I just wanna stay up all the time

So I don't dream of you

So I don't dream of you

I just going crazy trying to figure out if I can somehow get you back now

And at the same time hoping I'll never have to see you again

You can't come that close to me and then just pull away without leaving any scars

And even if you come back and ask to me to forgive you

The damage is already done

Oh it's done

I do have a bridge and I final chorus, but I feel that those parts can use some more editing. I'm satisfied with the rest of the song and hope that it will someday be recorded.

~Eliza

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

Judging My Own Lyrics

I have three songbooks. They are not completely filled. In fact, many of the songs that I have written in them are not complete. It's easy coming up with one line or a verse or two, but writing a complete song that's good can be a challenge.

I need to be able to judge my own lyrics. I don't want to waste time on a song that's never going to gain anyone's interest or that no one will be interested in performing.

With most of them it's quite simple-I'll write a lyric, feel really excited about it, then look it over the next day and realize that it's actually pretty bad. Now that I'm at a point where I want to work to see my lyrics turned into songs that are recorded and performed I want to focus on the lyrics that actually have potential. I have a special technique for deciding if a song is worth it. I sing it to myself over and over again. I'll usually do this for about an hour. When I'm finished if I still feel excited about the lyrics I know it's a project that I have enough passion for to follow through on and that I have the confidence to keep going if I face criticisms or rejections along the way. If I start to lose faith in it or get bored after singing it a few times I know its not worth the time and energy.

~Eliza

Identifying Myself as a Lyricist

I have always enjoyed writing, though when I was younger virtually all of my attempts to complete a story or essay failed miserably. I was great at coming up with ideas, but turning them into a finished project was always the hard part for me.

I'm better at sticking with my projects now, but my interests have changed and I now consider writing lyrics to be the most enjoyable form of writing. After years of scribbling down phrases on receipt paper at work and then copying them down into one of my songbooks, I have finally decided that being a lyricist is something that I should pursue wholeheartedly. It has always been a dream of mine and it doesn't make much sense to keep putting off my dreams. What better time than now? What will I gain from waiting?

I don't expect this to be easy, but I do expect it to be rewarding when I start seeing results from my work. I am excited about the songs I have written and I am excited about continuing to write them. I am excited to identify myself as a lyricist.

~Eliza