Day 16: Ten Dollar Words (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 16: Ten Dollar Words
By Anna Yale French & David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

If you ask me how I'm doing
Then I'll say I'm fine
Not what I'm thinkiing
But when I try to speak my mind
My train of thought
Ends up being a tangled thread
Like a Gordian knot goes
The lexicon in my head

Wracking my brain for something simple to say
Ten dollar words keep on getting in the way

When I was young
I would sit there for hours on end
Perusing the volumes of
My favorite paper friends
When I was talking to people
They'd wince and cringe
My outsized words put me
Out on the social fringe

Wracking my brain for something simple to say
Ten dollar words keep on getting in the way

When I grew older
I found that my literacy
Brought me attention from
Like minded company
They'd ask me questions
When I sounded outre
My tribe of odd ones
All seemed to like me this way

I don't have to search for a simpler way
Ten dollar words are forever here to stay
Ten dollar words no longer getting in the way

***
Details:

I try to get all my friend groups involved with this song-a-day project, even my non-songwriter friends. I've worked with Anna before on comedy projects (like my "Very Scary with Gerry McCreary" podcast, and a short Halloween film called "Knock Knock"), and she had expressed interest in being involved in one of my music projects. So we veered a bit theatrical with this tune.

I asked Anna what her favorite musical styles were, and she said that she likes a broad range, from medieval music to rap, and so I said "Hey! Let's do a medieval rap song!" We dropped the rap part fairly quickly, but my guitar arrangement was an attempt to adapt some medieval style chords; or, at least, the plucking style.

The song is actually fairly autobiographical. Anna grew up reading a lot of books and has a huge vocabulary as a result. I think I have a reasonably sized vocabulary, but she stumps me all the time. The problem is that sometimes people feel like they're being condescended to if you use big words around them, even if you're just speaking naturally from your perspective.

It was fun to hang out with Anna and work in a new artistic medium with her!

Day 15: Bitter Boy (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 15: Bitter Boy
By David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

I woke up craving a little bit of sweetness
So I decided to go patronize your business
I got a table in the corner of your venue
Then I went and opened up your menu

I saw coffee, cappuccino and chai
Blueberry muffins, coffee cake and fruit pie
I tried a sample just to ease my doubts
But that left a bad taste in my mouth

Now I'm a bitter boy through and through
Yes, I'm a bitter boy, it makes me blue
I'm acidic and I'm sharp
Disagreeable and a little harsh
I'm a bitter boy, yes, it's true

Come noontime, I wanted something savory
A little bit of salt can bring out the flavor, you see
Let me tell you folks, I hate to be whiny
But that dish came out a little too briny

I'm a bitter boy through and through
Yes, I'm a bitter boy, it makes me blue
I'm acidic and I'm sharp
Disagreeable and a little harsh
I'm a bitter boy, yes, it's true

When supper came, I got a little bit feisty
Thought I'd try a meal just a little more spicy
Took onion, ginger, garlic, made them into a curry
That only resulted in my vision getting blurry

'Cause I'm a bitter boy through and through
Yes, I'm a bitter boy, it makes me blue
I'm acidic and I'm sharp
Disagreeable and a little harsh
I'm a bitter boy, yes, it's true

***

Details:

I don't really play the blues. There are a lot of other folks who have a good handle on it, and I don't feel like I have much to add. It's also one of those song forms that benefits from playing it a lot; blues jams are pretty common, and those guitarists can really rip it up. So, because I don't do the blues, I was a little embarrassed today when a client wanted me to play a basic blues progression on the guitar, and I was a little stumped. You see, I don't improvise much, either, and I don't think in terms of the number system (I IV V, etc.)-- in other words, I'm lacking some basic skills that any musician should have. Anyway, I decided that tonight's song should be a blues for that reason.

I also ran across some colleagues complaining about the music business. And it was one of those things where I understand the complaints, but it's hard to see how it's hard to avoid some of the annoying aspects, either as the annoyed or the annoyance. For whatever reason, it left me feeling a bit bitter. And once I get bitter about one thing, it creates a chain reaction where all the things I'm bitter about come to the fore. So when I started writing the song, the line "I'm a bitter boy" came out straight away.

From there I looked up a bunch of words related to taste and decided to jumble them together. Unlike my Day 10 song, "Breakfast at Sunrise", I didn't have Josh Elioseff here to feed me food terminology.

Honestly, this song felt like a cheat, or a paint by number piece, at least. Just an exercise in style. I'll guess it's good to have a blues song in my back pocket...

Day 14: Heat Check (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 14: Heat Check (My Fingers Are So Cold)
By Peggy Kay and David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

Standing at the door
Hey! Don't look away
Oh, you're talking on the phone
My fingers are so cold!

Come out here
Let's have a chat
I have three jackets on
My fingers are so cold!

How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!

Been asking for weeks
When the trees still had leaves
Now it's 10 degrees
My fingers are so cold!

"I'll put in a request"
That's what you always say
Nothing ever gets done
How can you be so cold?

How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!

That thermostat is in a box
Behind many doors and many locks
You have no control, no authority
Just give me the keys-- this is my destiny!

You have been told
My fingers are so cold!
You have been told
My fingers are so cold!

How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!
This is a heat check!

***

Details:

Peggy and I met at Song School last summer, and for the last several months, she's been giving me some diet and fitness coaching in exchange for some music coaching from me. I've given her support and feedback for songs she's been writing, but this is the first time we've actually written a song together.

Turns out Peggy and I are both fans of Ani DiFranco, so we tried to capture her aggressive vibe. The verse guitar part was my attempt at doing DiFranco's percussive style of guitar playing, though I can't hold a candle to her. The rest of the guitar arrangement was simply trying to provide variation without killing the energy.

Earlier in the day, Peggy had had a confrontation with one of her bosses over the temperature at her workplace. A lot of us know how frustrating it can be to adjust the thermostat in large buildings-- it can get downright absurd. As Peggy was describing things, I felt like a lot of what she was saying could make catchy song lyrics, so we went that direction.

This song was super fun to write, and we rolled it out pretty quickly, too. Peggy writes a lot of unique and very catchy songs, so I'm happy to now have one of my songs as part of her repertoire.

Day 13: The Big Show (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 13: The Big Show
By Andy Ard and David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

Good evening folks, I hope you will enjoy the show
I’ll be performing until it’s time to go
The bar is open, won’t you make yourself at home
Whether you’re with friends or you've come alone

Now we’re together and you’re off the hook
Enjoy the moment, give the menu a look
You don’t need to pay attention to me
I want you to feel that you’re in the place to be

No matter what you do, it’s gonna be fine
Swaying in your chair or a Conga line
There’s no other place that you need to go
You’re in the front row of the big show

It’s always nice to see you, I’m glad that you’re here
Go see Katie at the bar if you’d like another beer
Give us a sign if you like the song
If you feel the rhythm maybe dance along

Your satisfaction is the only ticket price
If you dropped a fiver, that’d be oh so very nice
There’s no other place that you need to go
You’re in the front row of the big show

Thank you for listening, it means a lot
I’ll always give you everything I’ve got
I hope you’ve really had a ball
In our little concert hall

I must be going now, you’ve been so fine
I’d love to see you all again sometime
Of all the places that you could go
You came right here to the big show

And everything you do is gonna be fine
Swaying in your seat or in a Conga line
Remember, everywhere you go
You’re the star of the big show

***

Details:

I know Andy Ard through my friend John Bunzli. In fact, it was at a John Bunzli show that we talked about co-writing. When we got together, Andy had a lot of interesting stories and insights about performing, and one thing that came up in our conversation was how to gently prod the audience into giving you their full attention. That seemed like a fine topic for a song!

We also stumbled onto our mutual love of the Kinks. I'm most familiar with the Kinks' 60s releases, but Andy knows about their entire catalog. Anyway, the bouncy music hall feel of a Ray Davies penned tune played a role in musical direction we came up with.

We discussed extensively the basic construction of the song and what it was supposed to communicate, but the process mostly ended up being Andy writing the words and me working out the guitar part.

Andy wasn't able to hang around long enough to perform the song with me, and the melody is more in his key than mine-- if I performed it solo, I'd probably drop the key a bit. But whatever the case, this was a fun song that I can't imagine writing if it wasn't for Andy. I'm looking forward to working this one out as the year progresses.

Day 12: This Crooked Highway (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 12: This Crooked Highway
By David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

This crooked highway takes me home
The sky retreats behind its leafy dome
Shadows shimmer on a crosshatch road
My destination to remain unknown

This crooked highway bends like this
My only guide being the will o' the wisp
A hidden brook or an old foot bridge
Who knows what lies there beyond the ridge

This crooked highway spins me 'round
Leaves me stranded in an empty town
No telephone, no gas to be found
No better place for me to stand my ground

This crooked highway
This crooked highway

***

Details:

This song is a day late and was written to the 7th prompt of Timmy Riordan's Fearless Songwriter program. The prompt was "This Crooked Road". I decided to use the prompt straight up this time.

I really, really wanted to write something quickly, but often times the simple songs are the hardest to finish. Poetry has been a theme this week, and I wanted to try my hand at it again. I can do snarky and clever fairly easily, or even just rhyme, but coming up with something beautiful takes some work. I wanted to capture the simple pleasures of driving aimlessly through the countryside. Then I kind of copped out with the last verse, which... well, I'm not sure what it means. It's kind of a mystery; a cliff hanger, even.

Musically, I was once again trying to do something I hadn't yet done this month, and this kind of slow, meditative guitar riff seemed to fit the bill. Definitely a mood I haven't capture yet. As simple as it sounds, it was actually a pain in the ass to play. Once again, simple is hard.

This is my last piece written for the Fearless Songwriter program. It's always fun to participate, and having the prompts really breaks things up. Thanks, Timmy!

Day 11: Speaking in Tongues (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 11: Speaking In Tongues
By David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

You speak in broken English
My grammar kind of sucks
If we need a common language, though
I think we're still in luck

My lips still whistle
And my chest still hums
Let's start a new sentence
And see what it becomes

A subject, a predicate
Two nouns and a verb
Maybe an adjective
That's sure to strike a nerve

If you're looking for poetry
I've got nothing to report
But if you're looking for romance
Well, I'm a linguist of a sort

We can still communicate
But we don't need no words
'Cause it's so fun, yeah it's so fun
Speaking in tongues with you

When you ask me a question
I stammer and I stumble
I can't enunciate
Can't navigate the syllables

But I know you know the word
That I've been thinking of
Between and "I" and an "you"
It's fits just like a glove

Enchanted by your accent
I'm enthralled by your drawl
If you whisper my name
I'm gonna answer the call

I think I understand
I think I've made the translation
When you pull me in your arms
It's a sweet articulation

We can still communicate
But we don't need no words
'Cause it's so fun, yeah it's so fun
Speaking in tongues with you

***

Details:

A couple days ago, I was writing to the prompt "The Song of a Poet" and I had considered writing about a bad poet trying to get laid... but ultimately didn't. Today's prompt (well, yesterday's prompt-- I'm a day behind because I did a co-write yesterday) from Timmy Riordan's Fearless Songwriter program was "Tongues All Broken". For whatever reason, I decided to recycle the horny poet theme.

When I'm writing so many songs in a short period of time, my method for differentiating the songs is to try different rhythms. I don't think I've used this rhythm yet this year, and it led to a jaunty song. At first, it was sounding like "American Music" by the Violent Femmes or "Have I The Right" by the Honeycombs, but I got around that by talk singing the verses. Then the chorus melody emerged naturally from that.

I like what I call "Jargon Songs". These are songs where I can open up a glossary on some topic and use it as a primary source for lyrics. This is like that, in that there were specific words about language that I wanted to use; though, of course, I know most of these words already. But I was hoping to do some clever wordplay, and I kept referring to grammar guides hoping to stumble upon the right thing.

This is a corny song, but I like it!

Day 10: Breakfast at Sunrise (Song-a-day January)

 

Day 10: Breakfast at Sunrise
By Josh Elioseff & David Coile

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025

Lyrics:

Should it be sweet
Should it be savory
Should it be smokey
Spicy, maybe

A little bacon
Some maple syrup
Himalayan sea salt
If it fails, it’s my fault

Play to her palette
A few selections
Make something classic
Cooked to perfection

The butter simmers
I chop the lox first
I wear her apron
She’s in my boxers

Breakfast with waffles, the eggs are fried
The cooking is better when she’s by my side
Fragrances, flavors like fireworks fly
Cooking for Mary by the light of the sunrise

Something fancy
A drop of truffle
Some pickled pigs feet?
No, that’d be awful

Perhaps a pepper
A sweet chipotle
Something cheesy
Or something gourmet

Breakfast with waffles, the eggs are fried
The cooking is better when she’s by my side
Fragrances, flavors like fireworks fly
Cooking for Mary by the light of the sunrise

Something is missing, what would my mother say?
A particular seasoning a particular way
Cooking is comfort, cooking is care
A meal made from love that we can share

Breakfast with waffles, the eggs are fried
The cooking is better when she’s by my side
Fragrances, flavors like fireworks fly
Cooking for Mary by the light of the sunrise

***

Details:

I know Josh from Song School and from seeing him at shows around town. After my Co-writer Showcase in December, he suggested we try writing a song together.

My preferred method of doing co-writes for this project is to just have a conversation and draw out something of it to be a theme. Turns out that Josh is pretty passionate about cooking-- he's one of those guys who can walk into a depleted kitchen and make great meals from spare parts. I've always been fascinated by people like that, so we dove in.

I've seen Josh play harmonica before, but he brought along a bass guitar which was brand new to him. Because he was still learning, we decided to build the song around a simple bass part. The mood was inspired a bit by a jazzier song by the Punch Brothers. In an ideal world, we'd have a mandolin and a cello playing with us. Maybe later in the year....