Beyond Dictionopolis

 "YOU CAN TOUCH THE SKY, MILO"

Words...

Words ARE important.  

They are the substance of life and the things of which we live by, and die by, and are remembered by or forgotten--if left unspoken. 

They are the things with which we build others up or heartlessly tear them down.  They are the things rejected and reviled or the things anticipated and longed for.  

They are the things boldly spoken... 

...or fearfully withheld.

Writers love them. 

Words are the things that we cherish, or that which is ridiculed.  Some cling tenaciously to the words of others, eagerly anticipating each new utterance. While others talk, talk and talk... 

...and no one seems to listen. 

Words are the things carefully listened to or that which falls on deaf ears.

Words can at times be precarious.

Words sometimes offer mixed messages...a double entendre.

Words are the things which we live by.  They are the part of things which people hate...(fascism)
and that which they love...(freedom).

Words can be both a pleasure or a pain; they can charm us or harm us.

Words make fortunes for some. 

Words can be immortalized...

("Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!")

...even when we want  to forget them

("Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.  They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."--George W. Bush 8/2004)

...  ("There's an old saying in Tennessee--I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee--that says, fool me once, shame on--shame on you.  Fool me--you can't get fooled again."--George W. Bush 9/2002)

Ask any journalist about the power of words, and he will tell you that "The pen is mightier than the sword".

And ask G-d about the power of words, and He will tell you that in the beginning there was the Word...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."--John chapter 1 verse 1

Lyrics Are Words Too...

Song lyrics can be such a wonderful form of expression! By writing in rhyme you can say things sublime, and using charm and wit, you can make music fit.   This was part of the standard formula of the classic pop songs of the golden age of songwriting.  Wit and charm and clever rhymes were the trademarks of these songs. But I think lyricist Ira Gershwin summed up perfectly the joy and art of lyric writing when he wrote...

"I love to rhyme--
Mountaineers love to climb--
Criminals love to crime--
But I love to rhyme."
-----------------------
"I love to rhyme--
And wouldn't it be sublime
If one day it could be
That you rhyme with me?"

(Ira Gershwin excerpts from "I Love To Rhyme")


 
Certain things about lyrics can never change, such as their ability to convey sentiments in styles that are approachable or easily sung.  Lyrics must roll off the tongue in a way that makes the song singable. But in a world that is so much more sophisticated and knowledgeable than it was in years past, I see an opportunity for the lyrics I write to really hone in on this social "upgrade", while still maintaining a musical style of the classic pop songs of yesteryear that I love so much. (In the months to come I hope to share with you here on my blog, recordings of my completed songs--musical performances--for the lyrics you see presented here. So please stay tuned!)   

Meaningful lyrics are more than a mere "hanger" for a melody to hang its notes on.  It is generally accepted by aficionados of classic pop songs/standards, that the best examples, are songs where music and lyrics are both good, and interact harmoniously with one another. But this is often not the case. All too often the melody is the star player that "is up to bat", while the lyrics just, well...sort of warm the bench. I'd like to see the lyrics get off the bench, up to bat and hitting home runs.  Because now, in this age of information and perhaps more than ever before, words are that important.
And lyrics are words too.

--DiamondHead

"You Should Know"

lyrics by DiamondHead

Verse:

There's nothing I can say
You haven't heard before,
And little that I can do--
To impress someone like you.
Polished-- 
And refined
Are the thoughts that fill your mind--
But,
Of all the knowledge you possess--
Here's one thing you would never guess--
Yet none the less--
You should know...

Refrain:

Someone loves you...
Loves you so.
Someone loves you...
You should know
The tenderness he (she) feels--
The yearning he (she) conceals;
Someone wants to hold you close
And never let you go--
It isn't hard to understand
My darling,
You should know.

Bridge:

That we--
Could be--
A pair who'd never part;
Is just--
A thought--
I give with my heart.

Someone's waiting patiently
Hoping he (she) can show,
That I'm for you--
And you're for me--
My baby,
You should know.

-End

Copyright  Year of Publication 2011 SDGDiamondHead - All Rights Reserved

Thanks for stopping in and until next time...

May happiness chase you--

May it outrace you--

Then turn and embrace you.