The Song Project, Week Five

The song is here.

Butterfly is a story about a girl in Coeur D'Alene who has died from an OD. Needless to say, the story is fictional! This song is short and to the point. I had started writing a very different song, with a different style, but realized that the path I had chosen would have taken far too long.

Anyway, here's the lyrics:

When I was born in the fallows of the day

and chased across the wilderness, and followed through the gray

I'd face the gallows just to see you again

my black-haired girl down in Coeur D'Alene

Beneath the skin, the ink of your heart

writes an ode to the dark

There's no songs for the storm upon the water

there's no redemption for the lie

just broken dreams for the sins of the father

and broken wings for the butterfly

Seeking shelter from the pouring rain

from the dusted memories of hope and pain

cast your line to the schools of doubt

and all the wonders you can live without

beneath the bones of a thousand angels

keep your face to the day

There's no cure for the sharks in the water

there's no ease for the wise

just broken dreams for the sons and the daughters

and broken wings for the butterfly

You were born in the glory of the day

tempted by the needle and lost in the hay

I'd give my life just to see you again

my black-haired girl down in Coeur D'Alene.

As always with these quickly composed songs, it'll need a fair amount of editing before it is ready to be recorded for real. I also feel, at least a little, like I'm getting into a stylistic rut. I even had a part of the melody for this song I had to change, because I realized it sounded too much like part of the melody from last week's song!

I'm considering the idea of making videos of me playing these weekly songs and putting them on Youtube. Good idea, or not?

I could just do my songwriting project without sharing these rough drafts with the world (well, really with the few folks who check in with this blog), but I'm doing it this way for two reasons. First, it keeps me motivated to really do it, since others will know if I slack off. Second, I want to promote the idea of constant writing as an important tool for songwriters to improve their craft.

One final note: at the bottom of the home page of my blog, there's a banner link to Amazon. If you use that banner to access Amazon, a small percentage of your purchases will go to me, to help defray the costs associated with storing and distributing my music online. And it doesn't cost you any extra. Indeed, you can click through once to the Amazon home page, and then bookmark that page, so you don't have to click through every time you want to shop at Amazon while helping me out. Thanks!

Anyway, have a good week, everyone!