The night is upon us and the day now is done
You’ve put away your toys and bathed
And had a day full of fun

We brush your teeth, read a book
And cuddle up tight
The lights are dimmed, the blankets warm
It's almost time for goodnight

You put up a fuss but sleep wins after all
Eyes closed tight clutching little bear
It is hard work being small

Stay in bed
Stay in bed
You know you are loved
Dream away and sleep my child
A new day’s ahead

What are you doing you sleepy head
You snuck into our room again
And now you’re in our bed

You snuggle up close and pretend not to know
That this is not the place for you
And you have to go 
To your bed

PROMPT:  Back to Bed
Written April 2019 for the Fearless Songwriting 7 Song in 7 Day Challenge

Stay In Bed

Around the edges
Seldom seen
Gathering dust

A touch of beauty
Telling stories
This is us

All the places we have been to
Sitting on a shelf
Holding the times we keep for ourselves

Chorus
One day they’ll be packed in boxes
Or tagged with a dollar price
But memories we can keep forever
and that’s life


Filling empty spaces
Buying things
We don’t need

Wanting more and more
It’s become
A disease

Working hard for lifeless pieces
No love in return
Holding all the pain we have earned

Bridge
Searching for the perfect piece
We can never seem to find
Is it really worth all of that time



Around the edges
In the corners 
Of our mind

Mark each occasion
With a stamp
Of precious time

Gathering a life of moments
We build for ourselves
More precious than what sits on our shelves

5 in 5 Songwriting Challenge June 2019
Prompt:  Write a song titled "Still Life"
Additional Challenge:  Write an ascending melody

Still Life

What do we really need
To get us through our days
What do we really want
How much are we willing to pay

To work hard and sacrifice
Building the best life
We can

Chorus
Give me hope give me truth give me love
It will be enough

Who do we choose to keep
Beside us along the way
Who do we choose to leave
Behind when we’ve seen their true face

To open up and understand
The people close at hand
We love

When will we have enough
To be ready for the next step
When will we figure out
How to live without having regrets

To let go and realize
This is the only life
We have

5 in 5 Challenge June 2019
Prompt:  You’ve been cleansed: what is gone, and what remains?
Optional Amplifier: Write a chorus that consists of only 2 lines.

Hope, Truth And Love (Song #5 -2 5 In 5 June 2019)

I’ve heard enough
Words fall out of your mouth
A constant stream
Of whining and doubt

You say too much
Views best kept to yourself 
Everyone struggles
And we all need some help

Chorus
Take a good long look around
See the world and figure it out
You have more than most
And I bet you would find
Millions of people 
Would take your place in line
Your place in line

It’s hard to tell
When you really need help
Complaints raining down
Drown the real problems out

And we all need a little help
We must show that in spite of ourselves
We have more than most
And I bet we would find
Millions of people 
Would take our place in line
Our place in line

Life’s not easy I know
It’s a challenge each day
But I know you can find
A much better way
 
To let off some steam
Release all you can’t stand
Without a negative cloud
Hanging over your head
(Chorus)

Outro
Take a good long look around
See the world and figure it out

Soul Writers University June 30, 2019
Prompt:  "Quit your bitching", Write in 5/4 time,

There's A Better Way

Chord Progression: G C G C D C G
Flipped Titles:
My Favorite Faded Fantasy → Your Worst Vivid Nightmare
Living in Twilight → Dying in The Morning
Moon Shadow → Sun Light
Under My Skin → Over Your Bones
The Greatest Bastard → The Worst Saint
The Hour I First Believed → The Second We Last Doubted
Here Comes the Sun → There Goes the Rain

Your worst vivid nightmare is dying in the morning
When the sun light spreads
Over your bones
You remember
Playing with fire
The slow burn lingers long
Will you rise strong
You aren’t running away
The worst saint knows your name
Please stay

The second we last doubted I forgot a little lie
Old roots deep and wide
Fed with hopeful hearts
I remember
There goes the rain
Washing fresh doubts away
At least for today
Together we go
For better or worse
I’ll stay

What will come next is yet to be known
Pushing forward together
A fresh start we can grow
Why don’t we stay
Remember well
And stay

SWUOnline Week #7 Verse, chorus, bridge, breakdown, whatever, all over the same progression. You can use dynamics if you want but no variation from your original groove, tempo or chord structure. For your prompt, take the title of any book, movie, album, anything with a title and write the opposite of that title

Stay

The moon's bright glow shines strong
Interrupts black skies till morn
The night feels like home

Flying silently through time
There but hard to find
It’s always worth the climb

One day ends and another begins
The cycle spins over and over again
Caught on the wheel and trying to hang on
Just until the dawn 

Working all alone
Vigilant till dawn
Waiting for the moment to come

Wisdom drives the plan
Enough to understand
Knowledge that doesn’t come firsthand 

Eyes as big as the moon
Taking in the scene
With a howl of a tune

Fearless Challenge July 2019 Song #4

Night Life

Got a bulge in my belly it’s no baby it’s my fat
Yeah I know it’s there so what the hell you looking at
I’m reminded every day that sucker gets in the way
My belly fat

My rolls have rolls no lie it’s where I’m at
Nobody is perfect and we all got some fat     
Keep staring at me and I’m gonna want to see
Your belly fat

Belly, belly fat
Belly, belly fat
Not my arms or my ass
It’s just my belly that is fat
My belly’s fat

Yeah I used to be skinny never thought I would see
The day when my belly blocked the view to my feet
Look around I can see hey it’s not just me
With belly fat

You start with a little hardly notice it is there
Eat with abandon like you don’t even care
Give a little time and womp you can share
Your belly fat

Belly, belly fat
Belly, belly fat
Not my arms or my ass
It’s just my belly that is fat
My belly’s fat

So watch and learn if you don’t wanna be like me
Exercise a lot and eat carefully 
Cause once your belly is fat
It’s really hard to roll back
Your belly fat

Belly, belly fat
Belly, belly fat
It goes up when I go down
And jiggles all around
My belly fat

Fearless Challenge July 2019 Just for fun!!

Belly Fat

Lyrics by Acousticmaddie

You who had everything to say  
Did not say a thing   
Not a word came across your lips  
  
But  
Your silence said it all	
It was endless
Like a sunset dying on lost, forgotten ships  

Chorus
On your fingers you count for months   
And in the soul you count for wounds   
Your silence tells a thousand bloody lies  
I can see them rise   
Yes I can see them rise   
They rise slowly  
in the bottom of your eyes 

You who stole their life
Hear the echo
An echo of what once had been

And the autumn leaves that swirl around your feet
My dear 
Are the shadows of the souls you've never seen

Chorus
On your fingers you count for months
And in the soul you count for wounds
Your silence tells a thousand bloody lies
I can see them rise 
Yes I can see them rise
They rise slowly 
in the bottom of your eyes

Bridge
Why are you so silent  
Why are you so silent   
soldier, soldier    
Why are you so silent
Why are you so silent
soldier, soldier

Chorus
On your fingers you count for months
And in the soul you count for wounds
Your silence tells a thousand bloody lies
I can see them rise 
Yes I can see them rise
They rise slowly 
in the bottom of your eyes

Susan Veit Heslin