My Old Lyrics - Need Music Help Suggestions

[Mac Wilkey]

I wrote this "song" before 2004.  When I wrote it I was singing it to Doris Day's "Whatever Will Be Will Be."  I've never let a collaborator have the lyrics because I knew they wouldn't come up with music as good as the melody I had in my mind (which obviously sounds a lot like what someone else had already written).  Anyway, I'm now thinking that I need "copyright-able" music that fits these lyrics so that someone will want to record this song.  After at least 20 years, I'm pretty sure that God is not just going to send me my personal collaborator who will work with me to get my music to my lyrics.

 

Note: I have recently picked out one of my "songs" [Caleb's Brother] and sent it to a Music Transcription Service.  So now I have a lead sheet, a MID file, some other music files and still don't know what to do next.

 

Back to "God Let Me See the Hedge"  --  One of my first significant songs (IMO).  It's based on Satan's assertion in the book of Job that he (Satan) can't get to Job because God has built a hedge around him.

 

Once when I struggled and floundered about

When I heard Satan allege

"He doesn't care what might happen to you."

God let me see the hedge.

 

Satan had not even made it inside

Only his words made it through

Speaking as if he had total control

But talking was all he could do

 

The hedge was so thick even Satan's long arms

Could never reach me inside

The Hedge reached to heaven; no one came across

Clearly old Satan had lied

 

Now when some sickness or hurt causes pain

I'll trust what God has in store

Never forgetting that He's in control

I see the hedge like before

 

Again:  "in my head" melody is "que sera sera"

[Peggy]

Hi Mac,

Great to see you sharing some of your lyrics.  So are you looking for a musical bed, melody, vocalists for "God Let Me See the Hedge"?  Like a demo? 

 

We have a collaboration board you might want to check out.  

Peggy

[Mac Wilkey]

Peggy:

I would like to find a vocalist that would work with me and wouldn't mind singing acapella using my 'rough acapella' recordings to "get" the tune that I want.  My goal would be to get a musical transcript of my song with "my melody" recorded so that could get a musical transcriber to develop sheet music from a quality acapella recording.  

  

I'm not sure what a musical bed is.  I've found that most collaborators just want to take my lyrics and put their music to them.  Hasn't been satisfactory for the two I've tried in the past.

 

Patchez:

Lots of good and probably helpful information in your post here and on the welcome page.  I'm having trouble absorbing all you wrote about.  Maybe we could go one point at a time because I think you can help me get where I want to get to.  I'm assuming you're willing to try.  If I'm overstepping, let me know.

 

I agree that my lyrics probably wouldn't track with Que Sera Sera.  I don't even have a chorus.  Why don't you check out me singing "Caleb's Brother" on YouTube.  You can find it if you search for it by title.  You'll see that my vocal limitations may preclude me from getting sheet music good enough to sell.  I've got a limited budget but I do have one that I will be glad to spend when prospects look promising.

 

Thanks again.  I appreciate your tenacity.  I made myself wait a day to look back at my post.  I might have saved you some trouble if I'd answered more quickly.

 

Thanks

Mac Wilkey

Lots of good information in your

[Mac Wilkey]

Patchez:  this is primarily for you.  Others: Listen at your own risk

Its probably safe enough to provide the link. Nobody will still be following our conversation this long.   I'll put the new one as well as the old collaborator the didn't just quite make it for me.  He got my money, I got a CD and its on youTube but it's not as good as my original "tune" which was already probably similar to one that had already been recorded commercially--I'm not sure I didn't try to run it down. Top one is collaborators version using my lyrics his music.  Bottom one is my acapella version of Hedge

. The collaborator's version of my other song is embedded above.  My singing of my tune for Hedge is below:

 

[MikeRobinson]

Mac, you said:  "I'm pretty sure that God is not just going to send me my personal collaborator who will work with me to get my music to my lyrics ..."

 

Well, it looks like He just might be in the process of doing exactly that.  🙂

 

Remember:  there has always been, "Rogers & Hammerstein," "Rogers & Hart."  In other words, "lyricists and tunesmiths."  It is a perfectly natural collaboration.  Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music to his famous musicals, but didn't write the lyrics.  He didn't do the choreography ... the set design ... the staging ...  He was a piece.  One of many.

 

Your O.P. lyric is very interesting, although I think that you should consider that maybe it needs a lead-in stanza for those who are not familiar with, or who are not thinking of, "the Book of Job."

 

Focus on your lyric as you seek a musical collaborator.  You are very likely to find one right here.

[Mac Wilkey]

I’m not against adding a lead in but I think/thought the first verse did that. Always thought a chorus would be nice though. Anyway thanks for the encouragement. I’ll think about an explanatory lead in. Maybe a chorus upfront?

[Peggy]

13 hours ago, Mac Wilkey said:

I'm not sure what a musical bed is.  

 

Just an instrumental composition, like for example keyboards, bass, drums and guitars that's composed. Then the vocal melody is added. 

 

13 hours ago, Mac Wilkey said:

 

I've found that most collaborators just want to take my lyrics and put their music to them.  Hasn't been satisfactory for the two I've tried in the past.

 

Yay, I think successful collaborations depend on a pretty good working relationship.  

[Mac Wilkey]

Parchez

i keep getting furtther behind. I did just read this last post all the way thru and think I got the gist of what you’re telling me. STICK AROUND AWHILE. LET FOLKS LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO. LEARN WHO TO TRUST. PUT ALMOST ALL YOUR WORK ON LINE SO POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS CAN SEE A BIG CHUNK OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER. YOU (patches) HAVE A LOT TO OFFER MUSICALY BUT ARENT GOING TO WASTE YOUR TIME WITH A FLY BY NIGHT. 

 

I’m not sure I got everything but that was my take. BTW I’ve tried the canned music providers. You didn’t mention the other link. Guess I/we know just to move on from that venue. I’ll try to read your i between post later. I’m retired so I’m pretty busy. Funny how that works out

[Mac Wilkey]

I misspoke. I had read.both your posts. There were just two I had missed. First was basically about singing. Thanks for saying mine was fine. My first collaborator said I was awfull. Good way for him to keep me quiet and let him keep peddling his canned music. 🌈. I feel better. Both about doing more acapella to get sheet music. AND to upload most of my lyrics and poems to an online location. Thanks for the support/advice 

[Mac Wilkey]

I’m starting to follow you without back tracking and rereading. With regard to wife’s cooking I go with supper is very good and provide examples works well for us. Jewelry is good too. 
 

im guessing you switched to keyboard. Cleaner rhetorical presentation. Ha I’m am married to an English teacher. 
 

I was in lulu.com poetry and songwriting forums. Didn’t mesh with SWs. They’d brag on my lyrics for a few weeks and then drop me with no explanation or response to future queries. 
 

puttered around with SoundCloud and bandcamp. Got a track on the former using a Dolby recording app. Got my YouTube video and a .wav file onto the latter. Not a whole audio track. Just practicing but I already have a SoundCloud fan.  Can I block her someway?

 

im leaning toward my own voice audios and lyrics for now. Can upgrade to better vocalist when available. 
 

im 71. Loved computers before you could carry them around or get one to fit on your desk. Really liked them after that. I’ve never drunk alcohol or taken drugs. This is as sober as I get
 

Check back tomorrow 

[Mac Wilkey]

Here’s what I want. I want to walk into a room and hear the audience singing one of my songs. Doesn’t have to be The Lighthouse or Low Places. I don’t care if somebody stole my lyrics and turned them into something good. It could just be a local congregation or a family reunion. Those are hard sells. Prophet in his own country. 
 

if it’s a great granddaughter or grandson after I’m gone that will be fine too. Ought to sound good from heaven. 
 

I think Bandcamp is a good place to start. Good way to leave a legacy. 
 

only reason I brought up computers is to say that I’m computers savvy even at 71

 

thanks for all the input. Following you is like chasing the bull calf up a long cattle chute. It is my first rodeo

[john]

Good luck to you both! I was just hanging back... observing lol

 

Good forums, good relationships and good music all mature with age. Sure there is the odd thing with instant appeal that burns bright, but often it just takes a little patience. There’s time wasters in all fields, and sure they chaff, they burn, but fortunately not everyone is like that. Luckily some are brilliantly awesome people who have no idea just how good they really are.

[Mac Wilkey]

Thanks for info. I will digest in small bites. Later. But you may have missed MY GOAL. It’s really ambitious. I want the congregation to be singing my song from memory because they like it and have sung it so often they know the words by heart 

[Mac Wilkey]

@Patchez this is the way I envisioned the melody instead of how old Melvin did it in the Gods Greatness and His Love link you listened 

Mac Wilkey by He’s Big Enough To Hang the Stars in Heaven https://soundcloud.com/mac-wilkey/hes-big-enough-to-hang-the on #SoundCloud

[john]

On 5/21/2020 at 2:13 PM, Mac Wilkey said:

I wrote this "song" before 2004.  When I wrote it I was singing it to Doris Day's "Whatever Will Be Will Be."  I've never let a collaborator have the lyrics because I knew they wouldn't come up with music as good as the melody I had in my mind (which obviously sounds a lot like what someone else had already written).  Anyway, I'm now thinking that I need "copyright-able" music that fits these lyrics so that someone will want to record this song.  After at least 20 years, I'm pretty sure that God is not just going to send me my personal collaborator who will work with me to get my music to my lyrics.

 

Note: I have recently picked out one of my "songs" [Caleb's Brother] and sent it to a Music Transcription Service.  So now I have a lead sheet, a MID file, some other music files and still don't know what to do next.

 

Back to "God Let Me See the Hedge"  --  One of my first significant songs (IMO).  It's based on Satan's assertion in the book of Job that he (Satan) can't get to Job because God has built a hedge around him.

 

Once when I struggled and floundered about

When I heard Satan allege

"He doesn't care what might happen to you."

God let me see the hedge.

 

Satan had not even made it inside

Only his words made it through

Speaking as if he had total control

But talking was all he could do

 

The hedge was so thick even Satan's long arms

Could never reach me inside

The Hedge reached to heaven; no one came across

Clearly old Satan had lied

 

Now when some sickness or hurt causes pain

I'll trust what God has in store

Never forgetting that He's in control

I see the hedge like before

 

Again:  "in my head" melody is "que sera sera"

So, I saw your topic again and, rightly or wrongly, thought you were dissatisfied with the outcome.

 

I realised, I don’t really know what you are asking? Are you looking for a collaborator? In which case perhaps a post to our collaboration board might be a good idea. Are you looking for suggestions over what you could do with a finished song? For example record and copyright the song in order to pitch the song to performers, versus keep it to be included in an album release of your own material, for example.

 

What are your goals for your music? If you have goals, they would largely determine your next steps. 
 

If you don’t have goals, set some. If nothing else it would set some limits and allow you to draw a line under your songs.

[Mac Wilkey]

@PatchezNo you haven't GOT IT yet.  Garth Brooks at the National Library award as musician of the year has all of these Republican and Democratic politicians in attendance.  He starts singing "Low Places" and holds the mic up for them to all sing his song.  That's what I'm talking about.  I was saying the crowd could be at a church (congregation) or a ball park or even at a family reunion (I'm being really ambitions with the family thing).  I've written 6 or 7 novels and only my aunt and her three girls have read them.  I think my wife read one, some of  my daughters have read one or two.  By best fans are our renter's kid who says "It's a great book."  When I started to critique myself, he repeated, "It's a great book"  I think @john captures the fan thing pretty good in his article.  I now know my two "real" fans of my book writing.  Karen and Jackson (no relation).

 

@PatchezDon't get me started about church feedback.  John may want to move on although he's welcome to hang around.  I have actually written a poem for the pastor of our church who NEVER acknowledged that I wrote it.  I had to get his son to promise to make sure that the pastor's mother read it.  Current pastor is the same way.  Never uses any of my stuff.  I wrote a poem that included him and no response.  I decided to redo and put a generic pastor in the "title roll".  A neighboring pastor calls me his favorite poet and read my poems frequently.  Of course, I rewrote Devil/Georgia to "A Preacher Came up from Georgia" ad he loved it.  I got to read it at his 10th anniversary celebration.  They wanted me to sing it but I opted out of that.

 

Prophet is without honor in his own country holds true for other roles as well.  John is right about getting a fan base that likes your work and except for a favorite aunt and two of her three daughters, family is not a good place to expect fans.

[Mac Wilkey]

Our pastor plays the guitar. Hope you’re not him in disguise @Patchez I did a Billy’s Mule reverse parody which was quite complimentary  to him. Rewrite used Freddy’s Boy rather than the pastor’s dads name. Oh well did an acapella recording of my American Pie religious jingle and sent it to The Cousins. Almost a LOW PLACES reaction