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How candid are you in your lyrics?


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It's a great thread, and as is to be expected, everybody is approaching it from a different perspective. We are not all addressing the exact same issue, because the issue is different for each of us.

Perhaps my lyrics are more obsure than I care to believe, but what I notice is that no matter what I write, or how directly I believe I have written it (which is never close to 100%), there are various interpretations of it, depending on the reader / listener. So I have sort of dropped my concerns about being exposed. I have written lyrics and handed them directly to the person who the song is about, and they never have a clue.

That said, I don't write too directly from experience. I am more likely to take the emotion, or the essence, or the lesson learned (or sometimes just a few words that sound cool together), and use it for inspiration. Sometimes I may write directly from experience, but fthe lyric will focus on the emotion or some other aspect of it, with only a loose reference to actual people or events, rather than writing it like a bad news account (or a good country-western song). I don't think I do this so much to hide behind it, as to free myself up from trying to do an accurate portrayal, and allowing me to focus on the essence of the song's message.

If I write a real 1st person story about an experience, it might be in the 1st person, but it isn't about me.

People can look as deeply into my lyrics as they like. I'm bullet-proof [smiley=vocals.gif]

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heh, I wish I could say that! I actually wrote the lyrics to the possibly bad song last night during a bout of insomnia, but I'm not posting them on here yet cause I'm paranoid, simply put! My girlfriend is looking them over and I'm waiting for her verdict on how good they are, and how hurtful they could be, and therefore how much effort into changing the exact words to retain the meaning to put in...

It's a pain in the arse writing autobiographically i can tell you! The first line of my new song makes it absolutely clear to anyone who knows me that it's about me, and the rest of the song aint subtle... Still on the upside, I've been avoiding writing about this experience for a long while now, especially as previous incarnations kept trying to be nasty(!) so now that I have I might be able to move on lyrically.

Another positive is that the new lyrics seem to be coming quicker every time! YAY!

Rohan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Something I've noticed is that the lyrics I've written that I don't think are crap are the ones I wrote under a heavy period of stress about myself in the stressful situation. Currently I'm working on writing good lyrics without the stress part, but hey, as far as inspiration goes, nothing does it for me like a shot of emotional instability. ;)

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well i suppose it depends on how i am with the subject how candid i am some of my latest stuff has been cryptic mainly because its a very sensative issue (for me ) but other times im very open but again it depends on where i am in my head at the time [smiley=vocals.gif]

Edited by musicthom
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What is this monster I have created???!!!

I started this thread about 18 months ago. I didn't imagine it would still be going!

Unfortunately I am an occasional visitor to Songstuff at the moment - this is for good reasons as I am playing music more often than surfing the net.

It's good to hear everybody's thoughts on this one. I tend to disguise my feelings in metaphors but my best songs are when I have a lot to say, through direct experience. When I am making it all up, it's so much harder. But as a repressed Scot, I find it hard to let rip with real emotion!

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I started this thread about 18 months ago. I didn't imagine it would still be going!

It is obviously a good topic, Al - and a thread I have enjoyed following - even if it's ostensibly something of a non-issue for me.

I am much less interested in candour than in the sound of words and rhythms colliding and bouncing effectively.

I am happy if I can make something that is authentically convincing - more craft than confessional - which can then become truthful in performance.

Seems I have only one set of lyrics which grew direct from personal circumstance - and it didn't necessarily go down with complete approval here.

But I personally like it still (as do my associates and, especially, my wife) for reasons of rhythm and effectiveness as well as the way it renders our common (?) frustrations slightly ridiculous.

Edited by Lazz
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Guest voclizr

I LOVE deep lyric lines!! They're my favorite type of lyrics. The Joni Mitchell approach! I don't care what she's saying. She knows and it's self expression at it's best! Just like a painting or a piece of sculpture expresses the painter or sculptor, the songwriter can use his/her lyrics to elegantly express THEM!!! Some people on this forum think that it's important that the audience knows exactly what the writer is saying. I'm sorry, but I most respectfully disagree with that. Not everything has to be a "made for radio" hit. Some, if not most of my favorites are not "made for radio".

Insofar as my tunes, I choose to write deep with the lyrics. Not always, though. A few of my songs tell you plain and straight what I mean to tell you, but most are deep and it won't do you any good to anally probe them. Only I have the key to the meaning. Just like Joni. Just like Donald Fagin (Steely Dan). Just like Keith Reid (Procol Harem). These people are my lyrical heroes and heroins. They are how I model most of my lyrics.

Try to understand.

:) John B.

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Aren't you all? :rolleyes:

Hey Steve

Not me. I declared independance in 1990. I'm just waiting for the rest of the country to catch up :P I only did this so that I could get more milage on my passport which was sadly neglected. Luckily so far no one has noticed my independance and I haven't been asked for my passport. talk about slack immigration control! :D

Opressed maybe, not repressed. The nature of Moxey is irrepressable. :)

Cheers

John

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@merciful evans: I'm not convinced! There's several bands I love whose lyrics are often meaningless, or unrelated to their actual life... Like Kaizers Orchestra, they seem to like writing about the mafia, as far as I'm aware none of them are members, but it fits, especially as the actual words aren't so important with them (most Norwegians claim not to be able to understand them - which I find hard to believe as I can to a certain degree!). Also early Foo Fighters are a good example, although I think they had an element of 'candidity' (candidness? ooh, look at that, my in browser spell checker reckons that's right.. i prefer the former though :) ) in, they weren't stories that could be interpreted, more the odd line that stands out as more meaningful than the rest...

Rohan

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'candidity' (candidness?)

The noun is 'candour', Ro.

Evans more than likely knows this - he just loves playing with language.

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Wow, I actually knew that one... should've got it... meh... I'll blamei t on lack of sleep, like I'm blaming my lack of revision today!

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@merciful evans: I'm not convinced! There's several bands I love whose lyrics are often meaningless, or unrelated to their actual life... Like Kaizers Orchestra, they seem to like writing about the mafia, as far as I'm aware none of them are members, but it fits, especially as the actual words aren't so important with them (most Norwegians claim not to be able to understand them - which I find hard to believe as I can to a certain degree!). Also early Foo Fighters are a good example, although I think they had an element of 'candidity' (candidness? ooh, look at that, my in browser spell checker reckons that's right.. i prefer the former though :) ) in, they weren't stories that could be interpreted, more the odd line that stands out as more meaningful than the rest...

Rohan

Evans didnt say that meaningless lyrics were unlovable; though he did imply they were of less merit.

Just one line from 'The Eleven' by Phil Lesh & Robert Hunter is, without doubt, an utterly lovable line:-

'Eight Sided Whispering Halleluya Hatrack'

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I usually write from personal experiences and emotions.

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  • 7 years later...

I never worry anymore about whether someone associates my lyric with me or not. I just let it come out with no impedance. 90% of the lyrics I write are from observation or a scenario I visualize, like a made up mini movie. I have no qualms though letting people know where I come from personally. I say just be you, and if someone judges you personally, and not the lyric itself, then their opinion is of little importance anyway. Critique and judge the lyric and don't make assumptions about the writers life is what I say. You do good work Alistair, the more personal a lyric seems (even if it's not about you) the better it can be (imo). Let loose I say!

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