 I've decided that Wednesdays on the blog will be all about WORDS. As a songwriter, I contribute both lyrics and melody to almost all the songs I write. However, I would say without question, I am primarily a lyricist. I love speaking into the development of a melody, and have certainly written many complete songs (lyric & melody) by myself. But the opportunity to take an idea from thought to language to art form and watch someone else work their musical magic with it is simply my favorite. I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best melody writers around and it has only confirmed that words are probably my thing.
I have written hundreds of songs, yet many of them may never see the light of day because they were written for a publisher who now calls the shots regarding their use. However, this is my blog, these are my lyrics, so my call: I'm going to share them with you. Every Wednesday, a new lyric and a bit of the story behind how and when it was written, and the person(s) I wrote the song with. Should be fun! First up, ANOTHER, written with my friend Eric Laughlin. If my memory is correct, I believe I met Eric at a songwriters retreat in 2011. I remember lots of laughter when we hung out at the retreat and at every writing session we had from that point on. Eric is welcoming, creative, a ton of fun, and has an adorable long-haired dachshund named Reilly.. This particular song was written a few months after we met. I think it was the third song we wrote together - maybe? Eric started building a track as soon as the idea started to form so we crafted the lyric to match what he was feeling musically. I love the way the song came together - how the hook turns a bit at the end of the chorus. Eric produced a great pop demo - you should really look up his other stuff - you can find him under the name Strong Suit Syndicate. I continue to be challenged by this song's message. Some days, I completely suck at this "love one another" thing. Maybe one day I'll get it right. ANOTHER Gina Boe / Eric Laughlin V1 With every step I take I leave a trace Of who I really am along the way There rings an echo of the words I say They hurt, they heal I long to be someone without regret And see the lessons I have learned instead Remember to move on but not forget To love, to feel CHORUS If there’s another day If there’s another minute If there’s another breath I’ll make a difference with it ‘Cause every moment is a chance to give my life away To another V2 My eyes are open and I finally see The bigger picture, the deeper need There’s so much more I’m meant to be To love, to feel CHORUS BRIDGE Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be the hands that reach out Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be the voice that speaks now Wanna give, wanna give, wanna give with all my heart With all my soul, with all that’s in me Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be the hands that reach out Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be the voice that speaks now Wanna give, wanna give, wanna give with all my heart With all my soul, I’ll give my life away CHORUS
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 Today, my Summer of Songs adventure is coming to a close. My younger kids went back to school today and I am sitting here in the quiet alone with my thoughts. Okay, not quite alone. Gus, our new Goldendoodle puppy is at my feet. Leo, our sitting Ragdoll cat, is on the chair in the corner. And Jake, our 6-year-old Golden Retriever is in the kitchen, still angry Gus has taken his usual place under my desk.
Going into this summer writing challenge, I was hoping to come out of it with a bunch of new songs, a renewed passion for what I do, and a clearer picture of what the next season might look like. So, how did I fare? Well, new songs were written. Some I love, some are okay, some need more work. Do I have a renewed passion for what I do? This is tough to answer. I continue to be certain of my gifts and my calling. What I am not certain of is the capacity in which I am supposed to be using my gifts. And that leads to an unclear picture of the next season. So, I guess one out of three ain't bad. More on this later... The guidelines I had set for myself were definitely helpful, but in all honestly, there were days the guidelines were completely ignored. And I'm fine with that. If I've learned anything over the years it is that the only set-in-stone rule for my life is to be flexible. My life demands it. I kicked off my SOS at a writing retreat which proved to be a great jumpstart and much needed encouragement for my soul. I typically write with a small group of regular co-writers, and I needed to be reminded I could be thrown into a room with someone I didn't know and hadn't worked with and still be able to walk out with a song. So thankful to my friend Joel for this opportunity. I finished up a VBS project with a church I am privileged to work with on a yearly basis. This particular work is challenging and fulfilling in a completely different way for me and I feel a great sense of responsibility to do it well. I'm just so grateful I get to be a part of the work they are doing. Partnering with my friend Sue Smith is always a treat and this summer we dove into a couple different projects, one of which is yet to be completed. First, we tackled a kids musical. We've written a few together, but this one was particularly rewarding because we wrote every bit of ourselves; the concept, the script, the lyrics, the melodies. It will be unleashed this fall and hopefully churches and schools all over will be performing it next Spring. The second project is a book which I'll blog more about in the next few weeks. We've talked about writing it for a while and some recent circumstances kind of forced our hands. We're midstream and working hard to finish it very soon. We are both pretty excited about seeing this little dream realized! The rest of my writing time was in regular weekly online appointments with some great co-writers, and some intentional write-alone time. I haven't determined a song count yet but I'm guessing it was around thirty to forty songs either started, finished, or unleashed. So, what about this summer was difficult? A lot. At about the same time I headed into this journey, I was also confronted with something that rocked my personal world in a pretty big way. Every day became an exercise in taking thoughts captive, surrender, and trusting God like never before. I tried hard to believe in His sovereignty; that He had foreseen the collision between this crisis and my creative aspirations. Many days, writing songs seemed like a frivolous and futile activity in light of other things that needed my time and attention. And yet, the writing room called. Not to write about what I've been facing as I have felt strongly it isn't time for that. But simply to push through and keep exercising my songwriting muscles, as I am hoping to continue using them for a while. Some days writing was the distraction needed to set my gaze on something else. Other days writing was my weapon; my way of telling the enemy "You are evil and I hate you and you will not win and I WILL write a song today." Yeah, some days were like that. Another tough thing about this summer was the further realization that the world I started writing songs in isn't the same world today. People don't buy music. We've raised a generation of kids that quite possibly may never purchase a song. I remember having conversations with my friends 15 years ago about how their kids were illegally downloading songs and the impact it would have on the industry one day. And here we are. Even the government seems to want to make it impossible for songwriters to make a living doing what they do. It is beyond disheartening. I've also been confronted a little more with the reality of being an independent songwriter. I chose to walk away from a publishing deal a few years ago. I'm sure it seemed crazy to some people, but all I know is it felt right in my gut at the time. Mostly, I'm glad and would do it again under the same circumstances. It has afforded me the privilege of working with multiple publishers on a variety of projects which has been a blast. It's also lonely. I miss being a part of a team. And I know I miss out on some opportunities. So, do I stay here working on my own or make an effort to find a publishing home somewhere again? It's a tougher road because of where I live. Not impossible, but definitely harder. I have no idea what to do about all that. As if I can do much about it at all. So, where do I fit? And what does the next season look like for me? I honestly don't know. What I do know is the thing I've chosen to devote much of my life to is becoming more costly every day. I've been fortunate to have some success professionally, but has that translated into making a living? No. I work multiple jobs to help contribute financially, but I'm also starting to look into other things. Different kind of writing opportunities? That could be fun. A completely different career? Maybe, but no clue what that would be. Back to school? Maybe, but yuck. Or do I focus more intently on this songwriting thing, plugging away, digging for the next idea, and occasionally fashioning words and melodies together in a way that just might move somebody. I have no idea. For now, I write. And do whatever is necessary to keep doing that. And I pray. A lot. Begging God to either open a big ol' door or show me there's something else I'm supposed to pour my life into. To those of you who have followed along on this adventure, thank you. I hope you've enjoyed the peek into a songwriter's life. More than that, I hope you've been encouraged to go on your own adventure. If you do, please let me know. It's better to have friends to root you on along the way. I'd be privileged to be one of those friends.  I am sitting in my office this morning at our venue, The Space. There are 60+ business people here for a breakfast and I'm here serving them coffee. Just one of the many jobs I have to try and keep this songwriter thing going. While I've cleared my schedule of a lot this summer, there are certain things that can't be cleared and this business is one of them.
I was hoping for an hour or so of downtime - quiet time - to get my bearings for another busy day and weekend ahead. Instead, I'm sitting here listening to construction workers pound away in the bay next to ours. Holy moly, it ain't peaceful here, folks. To say it's a distraction is an understatement. Kinda feels like my entire writing world right now. I'm constantly fighting for the space, peace, time, and everything else needed to stay on this Summer of Songs journey. And it's tough. There are distractions everywhere. Mostly just normal life stuff vying for my attention. But the distraction also comes in the form of professional discouragement. A recent Department of Justice ruling has left my writing community pretty disheartened. I won't go into all the details here, but I'll just say it's another blow in a long line of punches that cause a lot of us to ask ourselves why in the world we keep writing. The truth is, many songwriters just can't do it anymore so they've walked away. Many others are having tough conversations with themselves. Why do I write? Does what I do matter? Where is my place in the creative community? I feel called to do this - so where does that calling leave me? I don't mind asking myself those questions. But the answers are sure hard to come by some days. On one of those days a few months ago, I decided to jot down all the reasons I write songs. I needed the reminder. Those thoughts became a song that will likely have no life outside of me sharing it occasionally. So here you go - I've posted the lyric before, but I'll post again below. If you're a songwriter, maybe this will help get you back into the writing room today. I sure hope it does. Because even though some things have happened lately that are pretty discouraging to us songwriters, I still can't shake that voice in my head and the piercing in my heart that compels me to write. I am praying you feel that too. The Writer’s Song To make a heart beat faster, to slow a moment down To pose a question asking, to give an answer found To capture fleeting seconds, to chronicle the years To soothe a wounded lover, to calm the mourner’s fears I answer to the call in me To fashion words and melodies CHORUS And the poet won’t be silenced The composer can’t be tamed And It’s futile even trying To attempt my own escape From this sacred place of honor Where my soul forever longs For the duty and the privilege Of breathing life into a song To celebrate the victor, to sound the loser’s cry To wonder at the mystery, to beg for reasons why To bless the gift and giver, to curse the days of pain To quiet to a whisper, to shout a louder praise I answer to the call in me To fashion words and melodies CHORUS To tell the old, old story, to grace the sinners ears To lift my eyes to glory, to pray that someone hears And if the only listener, is He who gives the song I’ll be the foolish minstrel until my days are gone CHORUS |
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