I Have to Say This (As Soon As It's Good Enough)

So, lately, I've been trying to write lyrics once again. I apologize if this phrasing sounds like I'm trying to revive my former stellar career as a lyric writer, cause, if you know me, you know that ain't true. I've always had a hard time writing lyrics. And there are any number of things I think are to blame for that, which I'll get to in a bit.

The thing is, I can write music at the drop of a hat. And, with as much modesty as possible, I don't mean stringing together the standard three chords in a Chuck Berry/12-bar blues pattern and calling it a song. I mean nicely formed and thought out chord progressions that sound like songs. Give me a guitar, and an hour or two, and I'll give you a solid song. It is the one gift I have that comes without a tremendous amount of effort on my part. Everything else to do with music - that's like pulling teeth. Can't sing - oh and just stand by, gentle readers, for my upcoming expose on the singer conspiracy; don't play all that well, although I guess I'm competent on guitar and bass and can't write lyrics. Damn, if I could just lose the ability to play and write music as well, I could be Puffy... But writing music - that I can do. Which is frustrating, cause I'm not getting any calls from Hal David lately asking me to make his words immortal. So the instrumentals just keep piling up. Maybe the Ventures will make a comeback and need some tunes.

As I said, I've always found lyric writing really frustrating, and until the last day or two, a complete mystery as to why. I think it's a number of things. Obviously, I can write to some extent. This blog and other writings I've done have shown that. But it is considerably different to get across a point in a paragraph or a page and to get it across in 4 short lines... that have to rhyme! Maybe I'm just too loquacious for my own good. I don't know. I'm certain that those who have to listen to me babble will have no problem coming to a conclusion about that question. But having a lot to say about a subject does not a lyric writer make. Having something interesting to say does. And I guess I just have nothing interesting to say most of the time.

Part of the problem is what I've listened to all my life. When your musical tastes run towards the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Chris DIfford, Jules Shear, Richard Thompson, Pete Townshend, Hank WIlliams Sr., Bruce Springsteen and a host of others who can make you laugh and cry, think and believe in the same line, it's a tremendous hurdle to pit yourself against. And that's an essential part of the problem.

I, as opposed to what all the songwriting books will tell you, edit myself constantly as I'm writing. I know - bad move. Gotta let it flow. In case you haven't figured this out yet, I'm not what you'd call a "flowy" person. I'm what you'd call a "make an appointment, plan for three months and then we can check out that new movie..." kind of guy. I always think my lyrics have to say something or mean something REALLY important - even though nothing I've ever done in my life has resulted in anything really important. I don't know where it comes from - just that I can't shake it. So rather than write something unimportant, I write nothing and wait for the important to come. At that rate, I ought to have some new songs sometime after the 1000 years that will follow the Apocalypse in 2012...

Stay tuned...