NationStates Jolt Archive

Who are your favorite songwriters?
Try to avoid obvious choices like Lennon or Dylan.
Include some lyrics or whole songs.

James Mercer (The Shins):

Untie me, I've said no vows
The train is getting way too loud
I gotta leave here my girl
Get on with my lonely life

Just leave the ring on the rail
For the wheels to nullify

Until this turn in my head
I let you stay and you paid no rent
I spent twelve long months on the lam

That's enough sitting on the fence
For the fear of breaking dams

I find a fatal flaw
In the logic of love
And go out of my head

You love a sinking stone
That'll never elope
So get used to the lonesome
Girl, you must atone some
Don't leave me no phone number there

It took me all of a year
To put the poison pill to your ear
But now I stand on honest ground, on honest ground

You want to fight for this love
But honey you cannot wrestle a dove
So baby it's clear

You want to jump and dance
But you sat on your hands
And lost your only chance

Go back to your hometown
Get your feet on the ground
And stop floating around

I find a fatal flaw
In the logic of love
And go out of my head

You love a sinking stone
That'll never elope
So get used to used to the lonesome
Girl, you must atone some
Don't leave me no phone number there

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine):

tell me, baby, tell me
are you still on the stoop
watching the windows close?
i've not seen you lately
on the street by the beach
or places we used to go

i've a picture of you
on our favorite day
by the seaside
there's a bird stealing bread
that i brought
out from under my nose

tell me, baby, tell me
does his company make
light of a rainy day?
how i've missed you lately
and the way we would speak
and all that we wouldn't say

do his hands in your hair
feel a lot like a thing
you believe in
or a bit like a bird
stealing bread out from under your nose?

tell me, baby, tell me
do you carry the words
around like a key or change?
i've been thinking lately
of a night on the stoop
and all that we wouldn't say

if i see you again
on the street by the beach
in the evening
will you fly like a bird
stealing bread out from under my nose?

Kenny Rogers
The Gambler

On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Ronnie Milsap
Daydreams about Night Things:

I'm having day dreams bout night things
In the middle of the after-noon
And while my hands make a living my mind's home loving you
I'm having day dreams about night things
In the middle of the after-noon
And every night you make my daydreams come true

Well all day long while I'm working in town
Time slows down to a crawl
When I'm not thinking about you I'm checking the clock on the wall
Then it's goodbye factory and hello loving
There's a smile across my face
Cause I'm back in the arms of your sweet love
Where my thoughts have been all day

I'm having day dreams bout night things
In the middle of the after-noon
And while my hands make a living my mind's home loving you
I'm having day dreams about night things
In the middle of the after-noon
And every night you make my daydreams come true

Yea, Every night you make my day dreams come true.

Steven Curtis Chapman
some of his songs
For who he really is:

Too many hypocrites - I heard her say

I even saw it in the headlines today

How can I follow God, when His own people turn away?

Nobody's perfect but I just want to see

somebody living what they say they believe

If they've got all this world needs like they say

I wonder why won't they give some away



(Chorus:)

Can she/he/they see God for who He really is

In what she/he/they see(s) in you and me?

Yeah, Can she/he/they see God for who He really is,

for who He really is, is all she/they really needs to see

for who he really is - is all he really needs to see

All he really needs to see



He slips into church and he puts up his guard

They look so happy but his life's been so hard

He keeps his distance so they wont see the scars

It's just religion that's all dressed up in white

and God is love as long as you're living right

But does he know that Jesus also had scars

and His love can reach him no matter how far



The skeptics are watching to see who will fall

while those disillusioned search for the truth in it all

Maybe today we'll cross their paths unaware

and they'll stop and look at us. What will be there?

For the Sake of the Call:
For The Sake Of The Call

by S.C. Chapman



Nobody stood and applauded them

So they knew from the start

This road would not lead to fame

All they really knew for sure was Jesus had called to them

He said "Come follow me" and they came

With reckless abandon they came



Empty nets lying there at the waters edge

Told a story that few could believe

And none could explain

How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus led

With no thought for what they would gain

For Jesus had called them by name and they answered



CHORUS :

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call

No other reason at all but the sake of the call

Wholly devoted to live and to die...



BRIDGE :



Not for the sake of a creed or a cause

Not for a dream or a promise

Simply because it is Jesus who calls

And if we believe we'll obey

And we'll answer....



CHORUS :

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call

No other reason at all but the sake of the call

Wholly devoted to live and to die

For the sake of the call....


More to this life:
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,

And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;

But they all looked back at me as if to say

Life just goes on.



The old familiar story told in different ways,

Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;

Dream your dreams tomorrow because today

Life must go on.



CHORUS:

But there’s more to this life than living and dying,

More than just trying to make it through the day;

More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,

And there’s more than this life alone can be.



Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,

And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,

But in the morning light it looks the same;

Life just goes on.



He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,

And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;

And somehow he still feels a need to search,

But life just goes on.



(chorus)

So where do we start to find every part

Of what makes this life complete;

If we turn our eyes to Jesus we’ll find

Life’s true beginning is there at the cross where He died.

He died to bring us . . .



(chorus)

My Turn Now:
Well it's my turn now

My turn now

Hey, my turn to give my life away



I close the book and I shake my head

Sometimes I can't believe the things I've read

I don't deserve what He did for me

Hey, hey

He gave His love and His life away

And now He's asking me to do the same

So I'm gonna give Him all I am

And all I ever hope to be 'cause



Chorus

It's my turn now

Well it's my turn now

My turn to give my life away



I open up the book and look again

I read the stories of the faithful men

Who gave up all they had to follow Him

Yeah, yeah

He used the strong and He used the weak

He even gave the timid words to speak

He called whoever listened then

And now His call goes out again



Chorus



Bridge

My turn to say "I love Him"

My turn to let Him know

My life is His, so where He leads me that's where I will go



Chorus Accapella

The Great Adventure:
Started out this morning in the usual way
Chasing thoughts inside my head
I thought I had to do today
Another time around the circle
Try to make it better than the last
I opened up the Bible
And I read about me
Said I'd been a prisoner
And God's Grace had set me free
And somewhere between the pages,
It hit me like a lightning bolt
I saw a big frontier in front of me
And I heard somebody say 'Let's go!'

Chorus:
Saddle up your horses
We've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's
Amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the Glorious unknown
This is the life like no other oh oh,
This is The Great Adventure

Come on, get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion
In a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons
Just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for, yeah

Chorus

We'll travel over, over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys below
Still through it all we'll find that
This is the greatest journey
That the human heart will ever see
The love of God will take us far
Beyond our wildest dreams
Yeah, oh saddle up your horses
Come on get ready to ride

Chorus

Burn the Ships:
In the spring of 1519 a Spanish fleet set sail
Cortez told his sailors this mission must not fail
On the eastern shore of Mexico they landed with great dreams
But the hardships of the new world make them restless and weak
Quietly they whispered, "Let's sail back to the life we knew"
But the one who led them there was saying

CHORUS
Burn the ships, we're here to stay
There's no way we could go back
Now that we've come this far by faith
Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return
Our life is here
So let the ships burn

In the spring of new beginnings a searching heart set sail
Looking for a new life and a love that would not fail
On the shores of grace and mercy we landed with great joy
But an enemy was waiting to steal, kill, and destroy
Quietly he whispers, "Go back to the life you know"
But the one who led us here is saying

(Chorus)

BRIDGE
Nobody said it would be easy
But the one who brought us here
Is never gonna leave us alone

(Chorus)

King of the Jungle:
Well, the day has just begun
And I'm already running late
With too many irons in the fire
And too much on my plate
I'd be pulling out my hair
If I could just get one hand free
And I'd stop this world
If I could find the key

What I feel
Is telling me I'm going crazy
But what is real
Says God's still on His throne
What I need
Is to remember one thing:
That the Lord of the gentle breeze
Is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is the King of the jungle

People say this world's a jungle
And sometimes I must admit
I'd be scared to death
If I did not know who was king of it
But the truth is God created
This whole world with His own hand
So everything is under His command, and...

What I feel
Is telling me this world's gone crazy
But what is real
Says God's still on His throne
What I need
Is to remember one thing:
That the Lord of the gentle breeze
Is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is the King of the jungle

K-i-n-g of the j-u-n-g-l-e
He's king of creation
K-i-n-g of the j-u-n-g-l-e
Ruler of all of the sky and the sea
K-i-n-g of the j-u-n-g-l-e
He's always in control
K-i-n-g of the j-u-n-g-l-e
He is the King of kings
K-i-n-g of the j-u-n-g-l-e
He's sitting on the throne
He is the King of kings

Facts are Facts:
Well I don't wanna' take up anybody's time
I'm just givin' my opinion with a rhythm and a clever rhyme
I don't want these words to sound
Like I think I've got it all figured out
But there are a few things I can say I know without a doubt

Chorus:
I know there's a God who knows my name
And a Son who died to take the blame
I believe that Jesus is coming back
'cause promises are promises and facts are facts


These days some say there's no one way to believe
Just keep it loose, you're free to choose
There's no absolute it's all relative you see
Calling all defenders of the truth
Live a life that spells out God's worldview
Let these words be heard in everything you say and do

Chorus:
I know there's a God who knows my name
And a Son who died to take the blame
I believe that Jesus is coming back
'cause promises are promises and facts are facts

BRIDGE:
As sure as there's a law of gravity
That says what goes up must come down
This is the ultimate reality
That God is, and God loves, and God can be found



Well I know there's a God who knows my name
Promises are promises and facts are facts
And a Son who died to take the blame
Promises are promises and facts are facts
And I believe that Jesus is coming back
'Cause promises are promises and facts are facts

(Chorus)

Promises are promises and facts are facts (x3)

Heaven in the Real World:
i saw it again today
int he face of a little child
looking through eyes of fear and uncertainty
it echoed in a cry for freedom
across the street and across the miles
cries from the heart
to find the missing part

CHORUS:
where is the hope
where is the peace
that will make this life complete
for every man, woman, boy, and girl
looking for heaven in the real world

stand in the pouring rain
and believe the sun will shine again
to know that the grade is not the end
to feel the embrace of grace
across the line your real life beings
you know in your heart
you found the missing part

Chorus:
there is a hope
there is a peace
that will make this life complete
for every man, woman, boy, and girl
looking for heaven in the real world

heaven in the real world

happened one night
with the tiny baby's birth
God heard creation crying
he sent heaven to earth

he is the hope he is the peace
that will make this life complete
for every man, woman, boy, and girl
looking for heaven in the real world (2X)

heaven has come to the real world
heaven has come
come to the real world

he is the hope
he is the peace
jesus is heaven
heaven in the real world

Best Songwriter: My father :D I'll type up a copy of one of his songs once I get the chance and post it up for you guys....I know just the one to, he wrote when he and my mom split up...but its really good...

There's Harry Chapin, Carole King, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Badly Drawn Boy, and it could be argued, Shel Silverstein. (Shel wrote A Boy Named Sue and just about all of the songs Dr. Hook ever performed.)

http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/lyrics/ixf-lyrics.html

http://www.lyricsdepot.com/carole-king/

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/harry-chapin-lyrics.html

http://rlg.peircecentral.com/Cat.html

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/badly-drawn-boy/

http://www.twin-music.com/croce_lyr.html

http://www.banned-width.com/shel/misc/lyrics.html

As always, keep your pop-up blocker at the ready when clicking links.

Definitely Mark Eitzel of American Music Club:

Sample lyrics:

Electric Light


You got me good, you did the right thing
And nothing matters, everything's understood
You did the right thing
Are you gonna be my judge and jury at night
'Cause I'm busy baby with the electric light

I'm not afraid of it, why are you, why are you
C'mon, tell me the truth
I was just a little bit lonely and that's not a crime
I was crying for the very last time
I was caught blind staring into your electric light

But I'm never going back again
I'm never going to go back again

At a drink booth for a straight pack in the room
You could see me down here again
That is not a very pretty sight
I can see pretty face but you're raped every night
It's all plain as day in the electric light

But I'm never going back again
No, I'm never going to go back again




If I had a hammer


The love cry of the traveling man goes
No one knows who I am
But I'm as priceless as a brass ring
That's losing the heat from your hand

A quiet man sits quietly learning his lesson
The slow smooth wheel of disintegration
You don't want them to talk to you
No you don't want to take part
You say, "Just get me back to the leper colony
'Cause that's where you left my heart."

I feel time pass by like a joy no medicine can preserve Somewhere along the line I lost my nerve

Maybe I'm almost there

Give me the keys to your theme park
Bury me under your layer of snow
And watch me ride all the rides
Around and around I go

I don't know if I've reached the bottom yet
And I don't know if the ice has finally begun to set
I feel time pass like a joy I tried so hard to relearn
But somewhere along the line
I passed the point of no return

Maybe I'm almost there

The love cry of the traveling man goes
No one knows who I am
But I'm as priceless as a brass ring
That's losing the heat from your hand



I Just Took My Two Sleeping Pills and Now I'm Like
a Bridegroom Standing at the Altar


The world hides like a smile behind your hand
I became hard and cold, your smile became quicksand
I don't know what city I'm dialing your number from
I don't know if you'll be there or if I'll ever get home

I just took my two sleeping pills
Now I'm like a bridegroom standing at the altar

I'm not innocent but I'm bled dry
And I'm stuck wide awake with no dreams in my eyes
Do your worst
I'm sure that it couldn't even scratch the crust
Of a case study of a life without trust



I just took my two sleeping pills
Now I'm a like bridegroom standing at the altar
Waiting to embrace my new life
with all the love in my heart
Waiting like a bridegroom standing at the altar

And everyday I meet more people that I'll forget
And everyday I become more like someone
that you should forget

I just took my two sleeping pills
Now I'm like a bridegroom standing at the altar
Waiting for you to slip your ring around my finger



Unfortunately, songs can't be done justice without the accompanying music..