A retired guy and his old songs.

[Greg Monks]

I'm a retired writer/musician (jazz/classical) who for amusement set aside a bazillion songs that came to me while I was doing other things, such as mowing the lawn, mopping the floor, painting a fence. Thousands of these ditties I simply allowed myself to forget, but the odd one I'd either jot down (my own music shorthand) or slap down using a primitive old programme on my computer.

The lyrics to these ditties are uniformly unusable. A good many were rather profane, and most were downright silly.

Here's the last one, the result of banging nails into the floor upstairs as I floored the attic (don't expect pro quality- this was done using a cheesy old programme on a very old computer).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VJgmUuoQOU
 

Here are the amazing, profound lyrics:

 

Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,
Stare, stare, stare . . .
Like a bear . . .

Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,
Stare, stare, stare . . .
Like a bear . . .

I've been staring like a bear since we parted,
Left the air so thick and blue as you departed,
How you overturned your chair as you departed,
Blew apart your underwear when you farted,

Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,
Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,
Stare, stare, stare . . .
Like a bear . . .
Underwear . . .

chorus (3 female singers)

Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,
Stare, stare, like a bear,
I can see your underwear,

 . . . with a little ditty at the end that could be its own tune.

Anyway, as you can see, the lyrics, such as they are, are silly and disposable, and as a writer, I could do a professional job if the spirit moved me.

The thing is, though- I am not a songwriter, and the songs I've written are pretty much in this same style- whatever that style is. So I'm not sure what to do with them: toss 'em all out, as I'm sorely tempted to do; write them down in pie-anna-songbook form to become a paperweight collecting dust in someone's attic, or whatever.

Do you more knowledgeable types have a name for the genre in question? "1950s Schlock" would be my best guess.

[TapperMike]

As I've forgot to say it already... Welcome to the Forums Greg.

I enjoyed your youtube channel offerings.

 

 

[MikeRobinson]

The song in your YouTube video is very pleasant to listen to, indeed.  And the set of accompanying images is very creative, as well.

Don't "sell yourself short" in this Internet age.  Even with regard to the lyrics!  First of all, remember that o-n-e "clean" limerick was very-recently discovered!   Second, just stop and think about how many "stupid" lyrics made a fortune:  "Don't Worry, Be Happy" anyone? . . . 

First, start gathering all those songs together, including their lyrics.  Make a collection and copyright them.  (Should be $35 for the lot.)  Then, start making YouTube videos.  Start "talking 'em up" on Facebook and other places where like-minded people meet.  Maybe someone else will pick up one of them and do something with it.  Since you own the thing, you'll get paid.

[McnaughtonPark]

As a retired musician, seems as though this is great material to teach with.  I know many songwriters start out a lyric just like this, in fact what you have is more than some, and they build from it.  Well, you know what I mean, but you could go instructional from here taking the angle that lyrics are a process.