Section 6.0 Lyric & Songwriting

This section shows by example how a song develops as it is written

From the first hook to the full lyric including revisions and recordings

Mindfire

15:44 30/08/01

Notes on MindFire

Started 30 Sep 2001 1437 hours

Mindfire is about the anger and pain that locks the heart in desolate solitude.

The mind misfires and circles on it's imagined, or real troubles and pain. Locked within this frozen mind set the heart cannot be free.

The burning of the mind must be slowed to allow the heart to melt and see the value of the good in life. Like most songs this lyric hook arose after a period of meditation. After working with the hook for a short spell and choosing interesting chords the song was developed using a favourite rhythm in the style of Richie Haven. Note also that the title was changed from Minds OF Fire to simply MindFire.

Simplicity is essential in lyric - if you have a word too much it just distorts the sense. Sometimes extra little words are required to adjust the scan of the lines but other than this each word should be required to illustrate the idea in the lyric.

What follows is the first generation lyric

14:39 30/08/01

Minds Of Fire (Capo III)

Verse 1

FM7 Dm9
You might have minds of fire,

Em7 Am
You may hide hearts of ice,

FM7 Dm9
But while you play the liar,

Em Am
You'll never find the price

Bridge

FM7 Bb6 at 6th C(FM7 at 8th)
The price to pay for love

Chorus 1

C(FM7 at 8th) Bb6 at 6th (4 times)
Use your mind of fire

To melt your heart of ice

Use your mind of fire

Melt that heart of ice

Verse 2

the firemind is burning

It's burning all the time

Now use your melted heart

To slow the fire of mind

Bridge 2

FM7 Bb6 at 6th C(FM7 at 8th)
To slow the fiery mind

Chorus 1

C(FM7 at 8th) Bb6 at 6th (Repeat 4 times)
Use your melted heart to slow the fiery mind

After two months (They develop slowly !)

The third verse was written - this was followed by an altered end coda.

Verse 3

Your melted heart is wakened
Ignited by the flame,
but though your mind is shaken,
Still it won't take the blame

The blame for frozen hearts

Use your mind of fire
To melt that heart of ice
Use your melted heart to guide the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to guide the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to guide the fiery mind

Then the end coda was changed again

Chorus 3
Use your mind of fire
To melt those heart of ice
Use your melted heart to guide the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to still the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to stop the fiery mind

Then (at last - perhaps) - the final form

11:24 06/09/01 20/09/01 08:03 MindFire (Capo III)

Verse 1
FM7 Dm9
You might have minds of fire,
Em7 Am
You may hide hearts of ice,
FM7 Dm9
But while you play the liar,
Em7 Am
You'll never find the price

Bridge FM7 Bb6 (FM7at 6th) C(FM7 at 8th)
The price to pay for love

Chorus 1
C(FM7 at 8th) Bb6 at 6th (4 times)
Use your mind of fire
To melt your heart of ice
Use your mind of fire
To melt those hearts of ice

Verse 2
The firemind is burning
It's burning all the time
Now use your melted heart
To still the fire of mind

Bridge 2 FM7 Bb6 at 6th C(FM7 at 8th)
To stop the fire of mind

Chorus 2
Use your mind of fire to melt your heart of ice
Use your melted heart to guide the mind of fire

Verse 3
Your melted heart is wakened
Ignited by the flame,
But though your mind is shaken,
Still it won't take the blame

Bridge 3 FM7 Bb6 at 6th C(FM7 at 8th)
The blame for frozen hearts

Chorus 3
So use your mind of fire

To melt those hearts of ice
Use your mind of fire

take some good advice

Use your melted heart to quench the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to calm the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to guide the fiery mind

Use your melted heart to slow the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to still the fiery mind
Use your melted heart to stop the fire of mind (extend last word)

Like most buskers' songs this was developed by continuously recording and re-recording and improvising

a new lyric over the chord changes.

As a reward for working so far here's a link to a great ear-trainer on

the internet GOOD EAR.COM

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