the woods are on fire

[nigel lawry]

hi all

can someone tell me how a bridge should be written into a lyric ???

seems to me as a thing u guys who write music only know about...then moan at the writer of words to not include 1

any how whilst im here a poem that was rejected

but i think has poss as a lyric,just a little help...plz

as ever

peace

the woods are on fire

you can take your time as much as you like

leave me wondering in the night

without a light in sight

there’s nothing here for hire

and honey the woods are on fire

when you promise to call

knowing I’m waiting in the hall

But the only voice I hear is in my head

guess I’ll just go back to bed

because there’s nothing here for hire

and honey the woods are on fire

table at eight

guess who’s running late?

is it bad luck or just fate

that there’s nothing here for hire

and honey the woods are on fire

the woods are on fire

and the flames are licking the sky

this time it’s no more you and I

so maybe I’ll call just to say good-bye

because there’s nothing here for hire

and honey I’m burnt to the wire.

copyright..n.c.lawry06/07/02

[Rudi]

can someone tell me how a bridge should be written into a lyric  

seems to me as a thing u guys who write music only know about...then moan at the writer of words to not include 1

Im surprised you have complaints about the absence of a bridge. I very seldom use one and no flak yet.

I believe you should try to concieve of a song as a complete project before contemplating about whether a bridge should apply or not. It isnt complicated, but it is part of the structure of the music. If the verses are samey or there are many, a bridge can break things up and at best be very dramatic.

They are by no means essential or clever. Offhand, I cant think of any Dylan song that uses a bridge. If you want to employ one anyway, then listen to some songs and identify what bridges you like first. They are typically 8 bars long and occur after the first two verses and have a different melody also. If I explain it poorly, tell me!

[nigel lawry]

rudi

call me dumb but to me a bridge is where every thing slows down???

8 bars.....sorry cant read or write music :'( :'(

cheers

nigel

[Rudi]

OK, we need an example. Difficult to think of one we are both likely to know. Do you recall Man of the World from Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac?

The part where these lines occur is the bridge:

Sometimes a woman will make you feel like a good man should,

I dont say Im a good man, oh but I would be if I could.

It doesnt last long and its different from the rest of the tune.

[nigel lawry]

OK, we need an example. Difficult to think of one we are both likely to know. Do you recall Man of the World from Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac?

The part where these lines occur is the bridge:

Sometimes a woman will make you feel like a good man should,

I dont say Im a good man, oh but I would be if I could.

It doesnt last long and its different from the rest of the tune.

think im slowly gettin there.

bear with me rudi

thanx

nigel

[Nightwolf]

Hey Nigel,

My understanding of a bridge is that it is a change up to bring a different element to the Song, unlike the verses and choruses it only happens once in the Song. It can be slower or faster as long as it is a nice break in the repetitive action of verse/chorus/verse/chorus and as Rudi said, not always needed.

Hope that makes cents,

John Nightwolf

[Nightwolf]

Using the verse you started with, I would use:

table at eight

guess who’s running late?

is it bad luck or just fate

Leaving off the tag to make it different.

[Alistair]

Hmmm

I'm not sure that the bridge has to occur only once in the song. I've often thought of the bridge as a link (literally) and use what I would call a bridge to change the melody of the verse before it gets to the chorus.

Nige, an example is in my version of Closure. When you wrote the lyrics you did not write a bridge. But when I wrote the melody, I wrote the bridge around the lines

(in verse one)

"...it always happens when you're not looking

There is always something cooking"

- (sorry if I haven't quoted this quite right). At this point the melody changes and creates a sense of anticipation for the chorus - well, it's supposed to.

I do agree that the bridge is usually a one off though. Others may well disagree with my view!  

[Nightwolf]

I generally call that a pre-chorus. It's all verbage in the end, whatever works.

[nigel lawry]

cheers guys

more things to think about

cheers

nigel