The Wide Open Sky

As a novice songwriter, I am always fascinated to read about what successful artists say about the subject. More often than not, even prolific writers like Paul Simon and Neil Young have trouble putting their finger on exactly how songs get written. One thing is for sure, there are no rules and there are no shortcuts. Songs either come to you or they do not. And while there are software programs and books that can help you organize your thoughts and provide tools such as rhyming dictionaries, thesauri and the like, there are no templates or machines, even in these app driven times, that can spit out hit songs. Tools are one thing. Striking gold is quite another. In the words of the great Tenacious D, it's about finding "Inspirado."

As a frustrated writer, I submit that songwriting is probably the most challenging and intimidating kind of writing. Typically, the subject matter is incredibly personal and not only do you have to find words that fit an idea or an image in your head, it also has to fit into a specific musical and lyrical form. Then you have to play it in front of people. Baring your soul in front of a room full of strangers can be a bit intimidating, and has probably cost the world more than a few great songs.

Also, writing styles are amorphous. There are those, like Robbie Robertson, who are “outside in” writers. That is, who write about other people (The Weight), historical events (The Night they drove old Dixie Down), or an entire exodus (Acadian Driftwood). When done well, as in Robertson’s case, they create a certain imagery and convey color and emotion that can be truly transcendental - like little movies. I am envious of songwriters who can do this well. Others write about themselves and their feelings and experiences. This style of writing can be easier due to the access to the subject matter, (provided of course, that you are able to self examine and have traveled and/or experienced things) but they can be intimidating to share if the songs cut too close to the bone. Most write about love, some write about food. It’s a dodgy craft. And whatever the style or subject matter, the muse is elusive. Some songs may take years and years to write, edit and complete and some reveal themselves to you all at once – complete the minute it pops into your head. And sometimes inspiration comes from something completely unexpected. I thought I would share the following songwriting experience in the hopes that it would perhaps help other writers shake off some cobwebs. 


The song below was inspired by the above photograph I took this winter. As I was driving around one day, I noticed a huge condemned haybarn and farmhouse not far from my house. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, and when the light was better (around sunset) I returned with my camera and took a bunch of pictures. One of them came out sort of blurry and out-of-focus. (Mostly because I had no idea how the camera worked) But something about the blurred picture of the old farmhouse spoke to me. Not sure if it was the structure, the memories locked within, my ideas about it’s demise, this idea of rebirth that I had in my head, or the fact that I was battling some internal demons at the time, (most likely all of the above) but four words popped into my head – The Wide Open Sky - and I wrote the following song based on that idea.

The chorus and refrain came first, then verse one and two, then verse three about two weeks later, after I had a demo. As far as the music, I had a simple I-V chord progression I was messing with in G that I liked, but there was something that didn’t quite fit. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, I heard a version of the Neil Young song, “Words (Between the lines of Age)” by Chip Miller on a Harvest tribute album. I began to play around with the chord progression, transposed it to B minor, and it fit perfectly for the verses. So I wrote a few simple embellishments and played with a few different arrangements until I got something I really liked. 

To write a song in that manner was a revelation. Maybe it’s the evolution of my songwriting or maybe it was just one of those bolts of lightning. But however it came together, the process just felt right. It's as if a huge door has opened for me, and it happened by chance. It's bizzare how that works. Wonderous, even, One thing is for certain, I’m going to take a few more pictures to see if it happens again. 


And so I would encourage any songwriter to try to seek out inspiration and dabble in other art forms to inspire you. Try painting, writing prose, taking pictures, whatever. The biggest lesson I learned during this process is to always keep my eyes open. The living world is awash with inspiration.

Learnings:

• Seek out inspiration
• Play your instrument often, jam as much as you can and try to find a groove. 
• Listen to the greats and when appropriate, appropriate. (Or, as T.S. Eliot said, "Immature poets imitate, mature poets steal.")
• Look at other forms of art, especially photographs, for inspiration.
• Write everything down and record practice sessions if possible. A lost idea can be devastating.

The Wide Open Sky

Capo II (Bm)

Intro: Bm-A-Bm (3x)

Bm – G – A - Bm

I can’t shake this feeling, things aren’t what they seem

Sure enough surprise you, Like waking from a dream

Days growing together, Links in endless chains

Losing all of my soul, changing up my names

Answered to the wrong things, beckoning to me

It was on the table, a simple mystery

Swinging from the rafters, ‘til my arms were numb

Falling to the floor, I scraped up every crumb

Surely slowly melting, from the inside out

Forgetting who I was, what it’s all about…

PRE- CHORUS

Bm-G-A-Bm

Always another train

Rolling down the line

Get me to the station

Before I run out of time

Bm – G – A – Bm

Stare…Stare

at the wide open sky

See the sun. Rise.

In the wide open sky (Bm-A-Bm)

          A                  Bm

In the wide open sky….repeat

Trying to remember, it was like before

You darkened up my doorstep, busted in my door

Out flew all the innocence I tried so hard to keep

And I became an older man while I was fast asleep

Pre Chorus

Chorus


Solo (in B)

Chorus then out.