Do you constantly revise, or do you say it's done

[ido1957]

Of the few lyrics I have written, the only ones I have finished are the ones that I wrote complete in 5 minutes. Very few of them are started then come back to at a later date. I have bits of lyrics which started to come out like it would be a 5 minute job only to have them stop, never to be added to again. I got this one which I like but have never been able to finish it:

White as a ghost
Grey as a mule
Black as a jet
Orange as a fire

One before two
Two more to go
Two is twice
One you know

Everybody is waiting for you
They wanna see what you will do
Everybody is waiting for you
They wanna see if you will make it through

....then I wanna go into one or two more verses, then back to that chorus thing and that's it. But I can't think of anything else. I don't even have a theme for it.

So far you have enough to write a song - just need to repeat the verses you have already. Though not extensive in quantity, it can stand up well with it's quality. Then you can put this away as done, unless at a later date you come up with some more verses..... The satisfaction of completing it will inspire you further.... Looking forward to hearing this recorded......

 

[Monkey Allen]

Ok...I will have a go at recording it. Probably post it in the mp3 section if it works out.

 

[stetto]

Usually I say "It's done" and then record it. Then I drive around and listen to it in the car and decide that several lines sound lame and see the need to re-revise.

I'm like Cephus up to this point. I'm fairly proud of my lyric ability, my recording--Another issue...

I scratch alot; Write down neat little one-liners that come to me on whatever color paper that I have on hand...If the muse strikes me and a full verse or chorus winds up on the page, I get it on the laptop and work pretty much exclusively on the lyric paperlessly from there...There have been a few gems that made it from start to finish on a piece of yellow legal pad...

My main problem is getting the lyric to finish itself. I'm a stickler for phonetic flow and a consistant feel through the tune, and I'll run dry by the third verse...I have a song called Curve Ball that has been sitting on the board for two years waiting for that third verse to materialize...Difficult number, because there's a rhyme in the middle of each line as well as at the end, and the cadence is specific...Picky me, picky me...

A few of my tunes are here, acoustic versions, I'm doing an acoustic show next month and haven't had time to get any of the rock or hard blues put together...Forgive the shoddy production...
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=618510

Eric

 

[Dumby]

Thinking that things are never finished is an obstruction to the rest of my life when I'm not being paid and I'm trying to have fun with something.

 

[Monkey Allen]

My problem with lyrics is that I can't sing, not even in the shower. So, even though I like writing words in the end I usually give up because when I go to record I just can't sell it vocally. I suck as a singer.