Lyrics
This is a list of all my lyrics which have not yet been paired with the right music, up to and including December 2007. I will periodically make updates. A few are actually in the hands of musicians who are working on them.
They include successful lyrics and half-baked sketches, hopefully more of the former. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Serious writers and performing musicians are welcome to ask if a lyric is still available.
Country
| Albuquerque | Honky Tonk | Loud raucous salute to the city |
| A Dog Named Blue | Comic | "Anti-country" song in a country style |
| Four Widows | Ballad | 2006 Muses' Muse Lyric of the Year |
| He's Got You | Slow Blues | Hard hitting dramatic lyric |
| It's My Funeral | Twangy | Comic country lyric |
| Lost Souls in Tucumcari | Ballad, mournful | Ghost story |
| Morning Edition | Alt-rock-country | A rough-edged song, fast paced |
| On The Rocks | General | Or could be a brothel barrelhouse song |
| Sad Story | Ballad | Feels like a starter lyric.... |
| Three Brothers | General | Closest I've come to "real" country |
| The Voice of Reason | Comic | Good solid country tune |
| You're Wearing My Panties | Honkytonk | Gender-bending country tune |
| Away From Amarillo | Classic Country | Old-style classic story ballad |
| Balalaikas | Ballad | Written for a guitar, Spanish or Russian |
| Inn of the Travellers' Rest | Traditional ballad | Creepy folk song |
| Karma En Passant | Historic ballad | Writing exercise |
| Lazybones | Popular, General | Laidback song |
| Moab | Dramatic | Actually an environmental protest song |
| Mr. Deja Vu | Music Hall | Fun, kickaround lyric |
| (And The) Wind Blows On | Ballad | Very, very old lyric, simple |
| And There's God | General | Happy and comfortable |
| Clear Case of Perjury | Coffee House | The politics of a relationship |
| Cold Day in Hell | Quiet, dramatic | One of my favorites |
| In The Dark | Acoustic guitar | A little mournful, bluesy |
| Myths | Ballad | A museum exhibit and a breakup |
| Overdue | General | Uptempo ballad to a friend |
| Rosie and Ashley | Ballad | Simple, plaintive lyric |
| Someone Else's Dreaming | General | Singer/songwriter |
| When I Loved | Ballad | Sad little piece |
| Work of Art | Ballad | Nice piece, quite short |
| Calculus | General | Mathematics and love |
| Cinco de Mayo | Latin | Party song with a serious twist |
| Course of Human Events | Introspective | Slice of life drama |
| Cross My Path | Coffee House | Basic "unable to forget you" song |
| Fountain | Acoustic guitar | "Down on my luck" song |
| Halcion Days | Singer/songwriter | Kooky, offbeat, comic |
| Hesitant Elegy | a la Mountain Goats | Edgy "Goats" type song |
| Last of the Irish Queens | Mystical Ballad | Somewhere in Decembrists' territory |
| One Way Streets | General | Unfinished or undeveloped idea |
| Parentheses | Relationship | Secret languages spoken in the margins |
| Cassandra Blues | Frishbergian, playfu | A Frishberg-type riff on expectations |
| Curable Romantic | Cabaret | Rodgers/Hart sort of tune |
| Curse Tablet | Blues | 12 or 16 bar blues |
| Flirting With Intent | Cabaret | Heavy blues type |
| Limited Language | Cabaret | Rodgers/Hart, writing exercise |
| Little Jack Horner | Big Band | Nasty and fun big band sound |
| Looking for Love (in All the Wrong Places) | Cabaret | Comic duet |
| Matchboxes | Cabaret | Torch Song |
| Recovery | 16 bar blues | A "screamin'" blues song |
| Constant Romance | Dance | Attempt at a dance floor song |
| Kiss and Tell | Dance | Dark dance-beat sort of pop tune |
| Liquid | Dance | Another dance floor song |
| The Mind's Eye | Dance rock | Romantic with offbeat lyrics |
| Take a Ride With Me | For young girl singe | Written on request for a teen singer |
| The Girl | Bouncy girlpop | A little obscure, but fun |
| Your Name | Dance, rock | Cryptic dance floor lyric |
| An Afternoon Away | Beatles | Paul McCartney's "granny rock" style |
| Bertram R. Harrison's Ace Removal Service | Pop | A Sgt. Pepper sort of vibe |
| Broken | Ballad | Randy Newman, tinkly-piano |
| A Cry In The Dark | Pat Benatar | Rock/Sex song |
| Falling Angels | Gothic | The death of hope |
| The First Day | Light Classic | Soft rock ballad (could be jazz cabaret) |
| Helen W. | Blues | One-joke song with a big sound |
| If The Words | alternative | Darker and fraught stuff |
| Illumination | Ballad | Sweet and romantic |
| Inconceivable Joy | General | Ballad, one of my better ones |
| Let's Make a Deal | General | More Elvis-Costello-type words |
| Lost on the Way to Hell | Loud | Nasty "I hate you" song, screamer |
| Luv Sux | Heavy | Heavy Funk (PG-13!) |
| Me and My Purple Monkey | Reggae | Just as silly as it sounds |
| Me and the Vivian Girls | General | Based on the art of Henry Darger |
| My Poor Heart | General | Early attempt at a generic rock lyric |
| Persephone | Ballad | Satisfying early ballad |
| Shiny New Karma | 1950's style | Lots of car references |
| Shipwrecked | General | Lots of drowning imagery |
| Slice of Life | Billy Joel style | An "epic" lyric -- adults vs. youth |
| The Stunt Man | Headbanger | Good loud piece, strong lyric |
| Suncatcher | Power Ballad | The neighborhood of Celine Dion |
| Unresponsive | General | Another early experiment |
| Succubi | Cabaret/Theatre | Jacques Brel-like lyric |
| Whatchamacallit Mambo | Mambo | A lot of fun, very silly |
| You Can't Eat The Moon | Childrens' Song | Just a fun kids' song |
