lyrics
Corey Stewart – “Shadows”
“Shadows” was written after the breakup of a pretty messy relationship, a relationship which was characterized by me having to walk on eggshells for most of it.
In the song I try to conceptualize the feelings of nervousness and anxiety I was going through at the time.
Having your words and actions questioned by your partner all the time was not a pleasant situation to be in however, in saying that I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process.
Here is the song for your listening pleasure…
Shadows
© C. Stewart 1999
It’s only one word
That’s all that I ask of you
I don’t ask for much
But it seems like that I’ve asked for the world
You say that it’s okay
And everythings forgiven now
But no matter what you say
It never fits with what’s in my mind
I’m walking away, walking in circles
Looking through windows
A prisoner of my own mind
Can’t you see the tears in my eyes?
I’m trapped in this lifetime, it’s never-ending
Due to my sorrow
Shadows and lifetimes
Can’t you see the tears in my eyes?
My smile has disappeared
It’s been replaced by all my fears
Fears I’d thought were gone
But now have come to haunt me again
I dare to say a word
Just in case you hear me wrong
It’s still the common thing
Even though we are apart
I’m walking away, walking in circles
Looking through windows
A prisoner of my own mind
Can’t you see the tears in my eyes?
I’m trapped in this lifetime, it’s never-ending
Due to my sorrow
Shadows and lifetimes
Can’t you see the tears in my eyes?
**************************************************
Of course, any comments or feedback is most welcomed.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, corey stewart
I Wish I Wrote That #3 – “Falling Slowly” By Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
If there ever was a movie that makes me want to pick up my guitar and play it to an inch of its life it would be “Once”.
If there ever was a song that makes me want to do the same thing it would be “Falling Slowly”.
I fell in love this song the first time I ever heard it. From the tinkling acoustic guitar motif introduction through to the impassioned extended climax plus the gorgeous harmonies in-between the listener becomes intimately involved in the sexual tension between the two main characters.
Simply perfect. Enjoy…
Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
I don’t know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can’t react
And games that never amount
To more than they’re meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ll make it now
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I’m painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I’ll sing along
**************************************************
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: glen hansard, marketa irglova, once, the frames, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting zen, songwriting resource, corey stewart
29th Australian Songwriting Contest 2009 – Entries Close April 30th!
Hi everybody,
I just wanted to let you all know that the 29th Australian Songwriting Contest 2009 run by the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) is in full swing. Entries for this songwriting competition (the longest running in Australia) close April 30th.
You can enter your songs in one of two ways:
- Manually by downloading an entry form (with terms and conditions included) HERE
- Online by using SonicBids
Prizes include:
- Songwriter Of The Year – $3000 Cash
- Rudy Brandsma Award – Maton Acoustic Guitar
- PPCA Award – $400 Cash
- Contest Category Winners – FREE SongCentral Memberships
Entry is open to all Australian residents however the ASA have included an international section for songwriters outside Australia. For more information go to the ASA Website.
Give it a go, what have you got to lose?
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
PS: I’m not joking here 
Keywords: songwriting contest, songwriting competition, songwriting, songwriter, australia, songwriting zen, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting resource, corey stewart
Songwriting Zen – One Year On
Well, it’s been a little over a year since I started Songwriting Zen (on February 29th, 2008) and I must say I’m very proud of my songwriting blog.
It’s given me a forum to share with you my thoughts and feelings about the wonderful craft of writing songs. It’s also enabled me to get to know other from all over the world, the networking opportunities are endless.
One of the most interesting sides of running a website/blog is the statistics that you can collect and the conclusions you can draw from that information.
Below are the 10 most popular posts/pages over the past 12 months and the amount of views these posts/pages received:
- 11 Ways To Eliminate (Song) Writers Block FOREVER! – 305
- Aleve® “MOVEMENT” Jingle Writing Contest – 267
- Using A Thesaurus To Conquer Songwriters Block – 202
- Music – 149
- Songwriting Tool – Free Worksheets For The Songwriting Guitarist – 134
- The Singer/Songwriters Toolbox (Book 1) – 128
- 50 Songs In 90 Days – Can You Do It? – 124
- Songwriting – 120
- My New Songwriting Tool – Zoom H4 Handy Recorder – 120
- Contact – 117
What does this mean? People are looking for information on songwriting and the creative process. People want to tell the world their stories through music and that they are using Songwriting Zen as one of the websites that provides them with what they are looking for.
What are people looking for when it comes to songwriting information? Well, here are the top 10 keyterms that people are type into their search engines that lead them to Songwriting Zen and how many times these terms have been keyed in:
- song writing ideas – 150
- songwriting ideas – 129
- songwriting – 106
- songwriting help – 77
- jingle writing contest – 49
- songwriting prompts – 45
- songwriting zen – 44
- songwriters block – 40
- jingle writing contests – 40
- song writing – 36
People are looking for songwriting help, songwriting ideas, songwriting prompts and ways that they can beat (song) writers block. It’s heartening to find that what I’m doing with Songwriting Zen is on the right track.
As a songwriter I find one of the most important skills is listening. By using your ears you pick all sorts of phrases, rhythms and quotable sentences that make for good song lyrics.
When running a website/blog, the way you listen to your audience is either through your communication with them via comments and forums and/or your web statistics. I intend to write more about the songwriting process, creativity and useful songwriting tips.
This year however, I do want to expand into writing about songwriting theory and the business that surrounds the songwriting craft. More on that in the near future.
I also want to enlist your help a whole lot more. If you have any songwriting question that you want answered or have an idea for a songwriting article (or you want to write one and have it published on Songwriting Zen) then contact me and we’ll have a chat.
I’d love to hear from you. I want to listen.
Here’s to the next 12 months. Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting zen, songwriting blog, corey stewart
“11 More Ways To Eliminate (Song) Writers Block FOREVER!” Is Finally Here
I know it’s been a while but my new FREE eReport, the long awaited “11 More Ways To Eliminate (Song) Writers Block FOREVER!” is finally here for you to download and share with others. Talk about hot off the virtual press and ready to be devoured by songwriters everywhere.
Feel free to download it and give it away to anyone and everyone that you think will benefit from writing more songs and not letting songwriting blocks get in the way.
This eReport is my gift to you.
I’m very passionate about the songwriting and creative processes. Having something like writers block getting in the way of that is something that writers of all disciplines dread.
Since February 2008 when I started Songwriting Zen my focus has been exactly the same. To make sure that you receive the most relevent, topical and unique songwriting information around.
I’ve always felt that it’s important that songwriters, being the backbone of the music industry are supported by organizations, associations and, most importantly their peers.
Songwriting Zen and now this FREE eReport is my way of giving songwriters a helping hand and, it’s also my way of giving back to a music industry that has helped me greatly.
11 More Ways To Eliminate Writers Block FOREVER! is a list of 11 more techniques that I use myself to get out of a rut or, to generate more songwriting ideas.
Download it, read it, print it out if you want to, and apply it to your songwriting process. I’m sure that these techniques will greatly enhance your songwriting and besides, it’s FREE!
Let me know what you think of it. Has it helped you to get out of your own rut? Any techniques work better for you than others?
To download 11 More Ways To Eliminate Writers Block FOREVER! just go to the FREE STUFF page on this website and follow the instructions from there.
What have you got to lose?
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: writers block, songwriters block, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting news, songwriting blog, corey stewart
It Doesn’t Matter Where You Start, As Long As You Start Somewhere
Sometimes writing songs is a linear experience.
You come across a possible song title that jumps out at you and after writing the first line of the first verse, a first draft is suddenly completed from start to finish.
Sometimes writing songs is a puzzle solving exercise.
You take a piece here, a song title there, a bit of a verse here and a half written phrase there and, after discovering the common thread that connects everything, a song is eventually completed.
Sometimes writing songs is like incubating an egg.
You finish writing a chorus but find you can’t go any further however, after leaving the half finished song for a period of time something triggers in your mind and the song magically completes itself.
Sometimes you start writing from the beginning and work forwards, sometimes you start from the middle and work outwards and sometimes you start at the end and work backwards.
It doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you start somewhere.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting zen, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, corey stewart
New Hair, New Song
Last Tuesday I had all of my hair cut off after almost 3 years of having long hair.
Before
After
The main reason for cutting it all off was that I was just over it. I was over how it made me feel when I looked in the mirror or when I saw myself in a photo.
The long hair was becoming “old hat”.
As soon as my hair came off I immediately felt so much better about myself. I literally had a weight lifted off my shoulders (there was a lot of hair that come off) and I felt free. I also noticed that with my new found freedom, a new sense of creativity was appearing before me.
I even wrote a new song for FAWM.
This experience has taught me first hand that the muse loves to call on people who feel good about themselves. I suppose this makes the muse feel welcome.
This is another example of how the smallest changes make the biggest differences.
Oh, about the song. It’s called “Hear You Scream” and it’s about a friend of mine who is living a life he doesn’t want to live in, but won’t speak out about it.
It was sparked by a line that popped into my head as I was strumming the verse chords “But who am I to judge you on why you choose to live this way”.
It’s amazing what comes out when you open the door to let the muse in.
© C. Stewart 14/2/2009
Through your mask I feel your cries
I see behind your face
But who am I to judge you?
On why you choose to live this way
With all the words that are in the world
Why don’t I hear you speak?
This silence I hear from you is deafening
It’s offensive to my ears
I want to hear you scream
I want to hear you scream
You have this need to be wonderful
And everyone’s your friend
You gravitate towards decadence
And succumb to the latest trends
It’s very easy to lose yourself
But even harder to find
I still don’t know why you let yourself
Decompose from the inside
I want to hear you scream
I want to hear you
I know that in silence you’re suffering
Because you’re trapped in a world of pain
And greed and obligation
Where nobody whispers your name
You live your life for everyone else
But at the end of the day they don’t care
It’s too late to wait for tomorrow
You’ve got to find your voice today
I want to hear you scream
I want to hear you scream
I want to hear you scream
I want to hear you scream
**************************************************
I have jotted down a lot of songwriting ideas in the last few days, I’m really looking forward to turning some of those into songs. I’ll keep you posted.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: fawm, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, songwriting zen, corey stewart
Some Final Thoughts For 2008
I wanted to give you a final thought before I sign off for the year about writing and writers block. It comes from a post on one of the songwriting blogs I subscribe to and read regularly called “The Shy Singer/Songwriter” by Canadian songwriter Vikki Flawith.
It’s a great blog, check it out
She quotes author Philip Pullman’s response to the question “What do you do about writers block?”
“I don’t believe in it. All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”
I agree. This is a great example of how pearls of wisdom from an author can still be relevent to a songwriter. Writing is writing regardless of the end result whether it be a short story, a song, a novel or a technical paper.
Some other noteworthy quotes from Philip Pullman:
On where ideas come from
“… I can’t believe that everyone isn’t having ideas all the time. I think
they are, actually, and they just don’t recognise them as potential
stories. Because the important thing is not just having the idea; it’s
writing the book. That’s the difficult thing, the thing that takes the
time and the energy and the discipline. The initial idea is much less
important, actually, than what you do with it.”
His advice to anyone who wants to write
“Don’t listen to any advice, that’s what I’d say. Write only what you
want to write. Please yourself. YOU are the genius, they’re not.
Especially don’t listen to people (such as publishers) who think that
you need to write what readers say they want. Readers don’t always know
what they want… “
On inspiration and the process of writing
“… if you’re going to write anything that will last – you have to realise
that a lot of the time, you’re going to be writing without inspiration.
The trick is to write just as well without it as with… “
The last word I’ll leave for Vikki Flawith herself
“IMO the antidote to writer’s block is… to write.”
Amen to that.
To everyone who have read these pages and contributed in some way either by commenting, giving feedback or just by being yourselves, I thank you and wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a wonderful 2009.
I’ll see you next year.
Until then, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
PS: Speaking about writers block, click on the link to download my FREE eReport “11 Ways To Eliminate (Song) Writers Block FOREVER!”
Keywords: vikki flawith, songwriting, songwriter, writing, songwriting zen, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, corey stewart
Create Your Own Comprehensive Songwriting Resource
Here is another wonderful article from Orlando of www.songwriteradvisor.com fame called “Great Songwriting Resources Are Yours For the Taking.”
It’s about how you can best use the free songwriting information found online to create your own comprehensive songwriting resource.
Great Songwriting Resources Are Yours For The Taking
By Orlando Gutierrez
If you’re looking for free songwriting resources you don’t have to look much further than your favorite search engine search box!
The Internet is chock full of juicy, free songwriting tips because songwriting webmasters have painstakingly put together many excellent websites for beginner to advanced songwriters.
If you’re a beginning songwriter and you’re not sure where to start, there’s a ton of useful information on the web if you type the keyword “beginner songwriting” into a search box.
For example, if you’re an intermediate or advanced songwriter, if you enter “songwriting tips” you’ll instantly have access to many quality, free songwriting resources!
The majority of songwriting websites on the internet have useful, instructional material, and you can assemble your own personal “how to write songs manual,” and learn quite a bit during the process as you weed through the many articles.
To assemble your very own songwriting guide all you need is a large binder, some page dividers, and a hole puncher. Then start researching the web on your own using the following topics as your starting guide:
1. Song Verse Development (what is a song verse, how to develop a verse, etc.)
2. Pre-chorus Tips (what is a pre-chorus, how to develop a pre-chorus, etc.)
3. Chorus Development (what is a chorus, how to develop a strong hook, etc.)
4. Second Verse tips (ideas for starting a 2nd verse, etc.)
5. How to Write a Bridge (what is a bridge, how to write a bridge, etc.)
6. Song Forms (how to choose, etc.)
7. Song Title (how to create, etc.)
8. Rhyming Tips and Techniques (how to rhyme effectively, etc.)
9. How to Create a Melody (what constitutes a great melody, etc.)
This is just the tip of the iceberg and definitely enough to get you started, but you get the idea!
You can either print out web pages for your personal songwriting resources or assemble them using Microsoft Word or a similar program.
Personally, when I was learning songwriting years ago I preferred using a thick binder with dividers separating the many songwriting topics I was learning about. The trick is stay organized with your songwriting tips entries from the various free songwriting websites on the net by cataloging them efficiently and accurately.
So, for this songwriting resource, the only thing you need to have is a decent hole-puncher and a binder to make yourself the ultimate songwriting guide!
By completing this project a few years ago, I was able to improve my songwriting technique drastically, and I built myself a
strong, solid basic songwriting foundation from which to build on.
****************************************
About The Author
Did you know anyone who listens to music can learn how to write quality songs because music is a hearing art form? All you have to know are the basics of songwriting. If you want to see how easy it is for free….click here!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Orlando_Gutierrez
****************************************
I’m personally giving this a try. How about you? Let me know how you go.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, writing, songwriting zen, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, corey stewart
What I’ve Learnt From Doing The 50/90 Challenge
Let me tell you, I failed miserably in the 50/90 challenge.
I can only sit here and contemplate why I’ve only posted five songs on the 50/90 website.
I know that the world isn’t going to end because of this so, instead of beating myself up over it (which I tend to do in these situations) I’m going to try and put a positive spin on it and work out what I’ve learnt about myself through this 50/90 experience.
You see, when I started the challenge I was hopeful and confident that I’d be able to do it. I had a lot of encouragement from friends and Songwriting Zen readers (thanks guys).
I had lots of songwriting ideas floating around my head, on MP3 and paper and I was positive I’d be able to make the time necessary to write, record and post the songs on the 50/90 website.
So what happened?
I started the 50/90 challenge with all guns blazing, then I got a couple of reviews that were constructive but not overly positive. This was all the evidence my inner critic needed to start undermining me.
There were many, many times where I tried to marry a musical and lyrical idea together only to have a little voice inside my head say things like.
This is absolute crap
You’re not going to make it
You’re a fraud
Call yourself a songwriter?
You can’t write hooks
This sounds like another song
Give up now
I got scared. I was scared of writing bad songs. I got scared of what other people thought of my songs. I got scared of the possible feedback.
I lost the battle with my inner critic. I gave up.
There is a real difference between challenging yourself and being competitive with others. In hindsight I should’ve seen the 50/90 challenge as just that, a challenge. It’s not a contest to see who gets to the goal first.
So what have I learnt about myself through taking part in the 50/90 challenge?
1. See the 50/90 challenge for what it is, an outlet to write songs
2. Learn to take contructive feedback and/or critisism on the chin
3. Use all experiences as a learning experience
4. Don’t do anything that I don’t feel comfortable in doing
5. Don’t make promises to myself and others that I can’t keep
Lessons well learnt I reckon. What was your experience doing the 50/90 challenge?
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, lyric writing, lyrics, songwriting zen, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, corey stewart
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