Day 5: Now’s The Time

 

Day 5: Now’s The Time


Part of my song-a-day writing project for January 2024.


Lyrics:


Here we are
The fire alarm
The call to arms
Last summer
I saw your grin
Above your chin
Your lips are thin
Today


I see a name
Above the flames
I feel the same
As you did
When we were young
The seasons come
But then they run
Away


Hide behind the shed
Count to ten
And hope that you're not dead
And if you want to say goodbye
Now's the time


There they stand
They reprimand
The contraband
The lovers
Left in the sun
They dried up when
The fighters won
The piece


Of you and me
A fantasy
For all to see
The children
Put on display
To show their age
In wars they wage
Again


Once more with feeling
We will sing
This shotgun sermon
And if you want to say goodbye
Now's the time


Oh, take your time
Say your prayers
Hold the line
And if you're blind
They will not suffer
How could they suffer?


Years ago
I was alone
The telephone
Was ringing
A tangled cord
A call ignored
The switchboard girl
Was sad


And had I taken
Up the call
Had I awakened
But if I want to say goodbye
Now's the time


***


Details: I knew I wanted to write a song in a minor key, because everything has been major up to this point. Minor keys can get dark and dramatic, so I thought about writing something topical, about current events. But, man, it's all complicated, and I don't know that I have any great insights. I also thought about writing about my roommate, who passed away almost a year ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, except for the line "If you want to say goodbye, now's the time" which is something her doctor said to me back then.


Honestly, I spent most of the day distracted by the song I wrote yesterday. Probably the hardest thing to do when writing so many songs in close proximity is forgetting the previous song. It would be easy to write the same song 31 days in a row.


But I did come up with a minor chord progression. It sounded familiar, so I tried to come up with a sing-songy melody to contrast the mood. I don't know, I may have lifted something from some other song. Not sure yet.


I was stuck on the lyrics, so I decided to go with free association. That becomes a game of looking for rhymes and pleasing rhythmic combinations and hoping the words make sense. I was surprised how much the first two verses and choruses did work together. That went fairly quickly, but once you think you might have something, you start to over think it-- the bridge and the last verse and chorus weren't as much free association as the first half.


In retrospect, it feels like the song is talking about current events, or maybe just the madness of the world, but it's a Rorschach Test. I liked the song up until the halfway point, but the rest felt forced, so now I'm not too high on it. But this is the type of song that may grow me. I'll let it simmer for a bit...