A new song is like a kitten

Officially I have written probably close to 100 songs, attested by the 196 posts on my prose blog, Zeman's Musings; but does that make me qualified to write about it?  Well my wife would tell you that I have little humility and of course I even sauntered into writing a blog on how to Songwriting though I haven't posted to that site since 2010 (not that the hints and techniques aren't ageless.)

So let's just say a new song has been welling up inside me and I have to explain it and the process.  You know like you get a new kitten and you have to keep playing with them.

First I had some time alone in the house; always important to me for thinking and writing not to have some one looking over my shoulder, and I found this old piece I wrote and it was my standard depressing wanting of a love that wouldn't happen, it started:

The dance of the life, the chance of time
Ages of man and woman have written
Pages and pages of nonsense to fill the subject

And you can read the rest at http://davezeman.blogspot.com/2012/03/dance.html

So I really wanted to write a gypsy type of song, a little rebellious, and some thing quick because I've been stuck in slow sad for too long.  I actually had a been spending some time in the Twitter world and discovered people who are taking identities of Downton Abbey characters.  In a previous post I might have mentioned that and I believe Lady Rose should have an affair with a gypsy lover, and maybe Mary too, why not Bohemians existed back then; plus we are great romantics.

So guitar in hand, a great bouncy beat the first verse went down with much of it borrowed from the 2012 piece:

The dance of the life, the chance of time

Ages of man women have written

Pages and pages filled with rhyme

Still the real bells and whistles simple

A wink of an eye, a glance from behind

To blink you’d miss it, a lover’s symbol

Now the chorus has to more dramatic, modulate it up (even if the voice can't) and DANCE!

So take this dance with me tonight

My hand gentle on your back

Keep me in your constant in your site

As we dance, we dance thru the night

A great writer John David Souther always said, "A good song is timeless" and I think dancing with the woman you love, with your hand on the sweet spot of her back, and her staring in your eyes is timeless.  As I playing it quick, I did attempt to soften up especially as I gently place my hand on her back.  Next up my other mentor, Pierce Pettis said, "Move the story alone"  First verse was the attraction, next has to have the action.  Here I draw off of my love for dark eyes, long neck of a woman with her hair up, and white complexion, ah easily this could be Michelle Dockery or Lady Mary.  Though I wrote it not to be specific makes a song much more compelling; and yes I married a woman with dark eyes and fair complexion over 30 years ago

You hair pulled high all the fabric pressed

The music begins and the crowd stirs a start

Cruising the floor in you red dress

Your skin so white, your eyes so dark

Unclench my soul be still my heart

I would be yours, please drop your guard. 

I really love this verse and thought at one point I might have stolen "Unclench my Soul" but Google did not return any hits to that line. (yet I need to make sure my song comes up HA)

Next up keep the story going, and this song of little over three minutes probably captures a half hour of elapsed time at most.  So the dance is over and a lady with wine and a man with his black and tan live happily ever after.

So mark the time …that song did end

A pregnant pause a silent bow

We left the floor hand in hand

A with a toast … our life began

A blend red a black and tan

We started life a lady and her man.

Now one might wonder if there really would be a sarcastic comment coming after the dance?  Well put two people together and I would claim that too many times we say something we regret saying, thus the  silence ensures the ending.

Now you know the story... hope you enjoyed it and the song.