Glasgow Songwriting Festival with lots of good tutors and inspiration.
This was written after an afternoon with Boo Hewerdine

Every Road

My friend was friends with Steve Earle's sister
And the stories that she told about her telling stories
With second hand hearsay being small town gospel
Pray

At these times we should stop and wait
It's not my place to speculate
Think about the nothing that we make with time
And the something that we leave behind

You can take someone out of context, try to grow them straight
In the shade of burning trees a street or two away
You can take years to leave the ones before
You can take someone out of context, but when the context is a war
Sometimes it doesn't matter
Some die fighting losing battles

It's a wonder for those on the line
That anyone makes it to 29
Easy enough for me to say
The leaving behind, the nothing made
The thousand miles, the setting straight
The burning bright, praying for rain
The small town gospel gossip pray
The, hell, who am I to say

Not Waiting Around (Out of Context) - Song a Week 2020, Week 35

"This One Night Stand Could Stand Just One More Night" (#386-#389, 200817-200828)

 * co-written with Melvin Purvis * 

Buckled up my jeans slipped my timepiece on
Headed downtown to the honky tonk
Goin' where I know I can find a dance and a drink

As I pulled up in the truck I thought I spied
Pretty little cutie with those Monroe eyes
Said a quick prayer she was there lookin' for the same thing

I held the door open and she walked right in
Knowin' how tonight could end

Never mind the same old pick up lines
Just one question your place or mine
I don't even care if we close the blinds
This one night stand could stand just one more night

I went what do you say we grab a cold one for the road
She said you got game but this ain't my first rodeo
Yeah she saw me comin' from my watch down to my boots

Like an old time cowgirl she headed me off at the pass
Every time I opened my mouth she shut me down fast
Kinda' started thinkin' that I bit off more than I could chew

Sittin' there wonderin' how the night would end
When she grabbed me by the hand

Never mind the same old pick up lines
Just one question your place or mine
I don't even care if we close the blinds
This one night stand could stand just one more night

When we wake up tomorrow we can flip a coin
But we both know where this thing is goin'

Week 35a - This One Night Stand Could Stand Just One More Night (200828)

My heart just sank at the news today
Nothing to do
What can anybody say about it all?
At this the latest blow to fall
I sigh at the waste at the pointlessness
Shake my head, and I'm cursing as I turn a weary eye
To the earth and to sky

What sense to make except to be grateful for the gifts you gave?

Thank you for your service to your people
Cause you were a king - you were a king
In the vision of a world with all men equal
You showed the dream, you showed the dream
You showed a courage and a strength, and dignity though,
Too soon to go, too soon to go
The unfinished work of superheroes*
Must be our own, becomes our own

Surprised to learn how you knew of it
Long before your triumph, that this thing was inside you
That your days were numbered too
Love and respect the choice you made
To take the wave and ride it,
Dance along, crack a smile,
Live it all before you die

What sense to make except to be grateful for the gifts life gave?

Thank you for your service to all people
You were a king - you were a king
Vision of a world with all men equal
You showed the dream, you showed the dream
You showed a courage and a strength, and dignity though,
Too soon to go, too soon to go
I guess the unfinished work of superheroes*
Becomes our own, must be our own

* Credit where credit's due, I just wanting to acknowledge that this line comes from (indeed, is a reference to), Ben Harper's "the unfinished work of our heroes must be our own", from "How Many Miles Must We March". When I heard his line, I assumed it was an existing quote or a saying, but it looks like Ben Harper is just deep.

You Were A King

Copyright 2020
All Rights Reserved

Lyrics & Music: Erin Wolf
Guitar & Vocals: Erin Wolf

run run running around
run run running around 
in circles

let me take a moment
to explain myself
i know this is hell
quite a bitter pill

promise if you just
really hear what i'm saying
don't take it out of context
hear me out

then we won't be
run run running around
run run running around
in circles

i know it's hard to hear
that he lied with every word
how do you think that i had felt
when he'd done what he'd done

but then you cast me out
made me the villian in my own nightmare
i guess you gave me my way out
had my way out

i guess there'll be no more
run run running around 
run run running around 
in circles

i knew to be free 
it would take all of me
and i knew to be free
it would cost but i didn't know
it would cost so greatly

no more
run run running around
run run running around
in circles

Running In Circles

Out of context #songaweek2020 wk35
out of context out of time
we keep on missing repeating the lies
we’re spinning further deep into space
we hitting the targets still make mistakes

how great to wonder and know u r mine
at dawn i perceive your  perfect design
 once what was hidden now comes into view
a symphony of hope from the blackened dark hue

out of context out of time
we keep on missing repeating the lies 
seeking more wonder the ebb and the flow
its pulling us under and never lets go

the crown and the sceptre the robe and the ring
the comfort of truth that compels us to sing
the passing of things from this world to the next
our eyes wild in joy in perfect sweet rest

out of context out of time
we keep on missing repeating the lies
we’re spinning further deep into space
we're hitting the targets still make mistakes
hitting the targets but still make mistakes
hitting the targets but still make mistakes

out of context SAW35

The seventh song from Deconstructed

Solo para ti

Cada que me besa
con esa destreza
sabe cuanto me gusta
su mirada traviesa
Cuando ella me mira
pierdo la cabeza
Baby soy de ti
sólo para ti

You're what I want for me
and I can't go on así
so baby just let me be your man

Ay, you’re the one for me
sabe cuanto me gusta
su mirada traviesa
Ay, tú eres para mí
Baby soy de ti
sólo para ti

You're what I want for me
and I can't go on así
so baby just let me be your man

Deconstructed

Solo Para Ti

Artwork by the amazing Ayelen Molina ❤️

Lyrics:

I feel like I know you, know you from another life.
I think I already lived the moment of looking at your eyes.
And your voice, I heard it before you even made a sound.
I knew you'd be right here before you came around.

And this torture of feeling closer
keeps me here even when you disappear.
The silence that I'm fighting,
is it a dream or am I just pulling all the seams?

If I was a little bit smarter,
I'd wear all my tears as an armour.
You'd say it's ok to feel good,
but it's so far from fine.
Wouldn't take this any farther,
cause losing you is harder.
My broken bones still remember the war
from another timeline.

I'm walking back home, when it used to be your arms.
Every thought of you aches like stepping on thorns.
I hate I can't erase it, cause here I got nothing  to efface...
Just another glass of wine, spilled all over the place.

This torture, I'm at the border 
of saying your name as if you'd even care.
But I hold it till it overthrows me,
and our lines overlap, break a brand new heart...

If I was a little bit smarter,
I'd wear all my tears as an armour.
You'd say it's ok to feel good,
but it's so far from fine.
Wouldn't take this any farther,
cause losing you is harder.
My broken bones still remember the war
from another timeline.

(Say it's ok to feel good)

And I know it's too much
gin and sadness for the heart.
Living in blissful ignorance
(cause it never knew any different)
It's too much to take 
for the hall of fame of late night mistakes...
(gotta be a little bit smarter)

If I was a little bit smarter,
if I was a little bit smarter...

If I was a little bit smarter,
I'd wear all my tears as an armour.
You'd say it's ok to feel good,
but it's so far from fine.
Wouldn't take this any farther,
cause losing you is harder.
My broken bones still remember the war
from another timeline.

(Say it's ok to feel good
cause it never knew any different)

If I was a little bit smarter...
If I was a little bit smarter...
(cause it never knew any different)

Timeline

At the Glasgow Songwriting Festival, Emily Barker asked  us to write a song about a River and mine turned into a song about a Dam.
Whaley Bridge is a town in The Peak District in the UK and just just over a year ago a dam nearly collapsed. My children use to sail in competitions on this water. If it had it gone it would have taken out the town(and much of the surrounding area with it). We heard the helicopters going in and out from our house.  The hard work of the rescue services and the town stopped the disaster.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/02/whaley-bridge-dam-raf-helicopter-collapse-peak-district

That Dam Wall

Sure, "Prove It" was the Week 14 prompt. But I didn't finish this song then. Don't think I finished it now.

*****

It's easy to say
We'll hold everything dear
Like we do right now
When the ending is

The ending is
What we make of it
You're going to be what we need right now
Prove it
Prove it to me

Everything starts to shake
Everything starts to blur

I can barely sleep
You're  early morning dreams
You're talking half to me
And half to you

Get inside my head and pull me out
Pull my body through when it calms down

It's all coming home, if you feel that darling
Pretty lies we were ready for

I remember rain, I remember sun
It's been so long it's gonna come, it's going come
Prove it
Prove it to me

Get inside my head and pull me out
Pull my body through when it calms down

Prove It - Song a Week 2020, Week 36

You say
I am f ine
But you’re not
I say I m doing well
thanks a lot
Behind it all were far from what we long for  and  ache
We are not AOK

You say
Things look good in the dark
I say great but its cold in my heart
Behind it all there lies a veil to cover  up mistakes
We are not AOK

This is the truth
We are wanting to know
All will be well
All that is broken made whole

Behind it all were far from what we long for  and  ache
We are not AOK

You say  I am here for the haul
I say YES  LETS wait on the dawn
A sacrifice our  paradise
A friend FOEVER stayS
Makes us A OK

A sacrifice our  paradise
A friend forever stay
Makes me feel  A OK

This is the truth
We are wanting to know
All will be well
All that is broken made whole

A sacrifice our  paradise
A friend forever stay
Makes us A OK

AOK SAW 36

Nashville songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Godin Guitars Official Artist and Founder of www.songaweek.org.

His catalog of 500+ titles includes collaborations with hit writers Mark Narmore, Elliott Park, Steve Dean, and Pete & Pat Luboff, among others internationally from England to Australia.

Redding's music has landed cuts by numerous recording artists including Dan Whitehouse, Emma Gale, and David Easterling.

Week 35a - This One Night Stand Could Stand Just One More Night (200828)

James Tristan Redding