SONGWRITING #3

by Clayton B. Howell & Keith Caldwell

I promised you the words to my song about Noah, so here they are. My writing partner, Keith Caldwell will be finishing this column this month.

Vs 1

I'm sittin' here Lord, wonderin' about what You just told me to do.
If I understand it right, You want me to build an ark for You.
Now I am not complainin', and I want You to understand
That I'd gladly go anywhere in the world, if I'm led by Your strong right hand.

Vs 2

You said to build it out of gopher wood, I've always wondered about that name.
Guess it's 'cause I'll have to go for wood so much that my back will never be quite the same
And You said to seal it all over with pitch and go exactly to specification,
Then it's gonna rain for 40 days and nights and drastically change my location.

Chorus

I just want to obey You, Lord,
I just want to have faith in You!
I just want to obey You, Lord,
And have faith in You, my God!

Vs 3

I'm sittin' here Lord, on this ark, doin' what You told me to do.
Seems like there's just SO much work, that I'm never, ever gonna get through!
But I am not complainin', and I want You to understand
That I'd gladly go anywhere in the world, if I'm led by Your strong right hand.

**************************************************
Hi Guys,
This is Keith!!

A new young songwriter came up to me last year and told me that he had writer's block. I asked him to describe his songwriting process. He began to tell me how he would sit in front of his keyboard waiting for inspiration. I will now share with you what I shared with this young man.

Inspiration will rarely come upon demand, especially, while sitting at the piano. I would probably start writing a song about the piano keyboard or something related to playing piano. Inspiration for songwriting comes through living a full life. Pay attention to everything around you.

Psalms 119:18 says, "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." God shows us truths everyday. God places little miracles, events, and situations as we live our lives. We just have to pay attention. Stop being so focused on where you are trying to go, but look around at what God places for you along the way, as you are traveling.

A songwriter also needs to become an avid reader of the Bible as well as every religious book, pamphlet, or article that catches your eye. Also, things in the secular world might inspire you to bring that subject into the religious realm of music. I enjoy writing stories about events that happen to my family that are spiritual in nature.

Human interest stories can also provide great ideas for stories that can be turned into a spiritual message. Look at the group Emerson Drive's song, "Moments," about a homeless man who follows another man who is contemplating suicide to the middle of a bridge where he talks him out of jumping. I don't know where the inspiration for this song came from, but, oh, what a message of redemption it holds for the listener.

I have also talked to a few songwriters who have told me how they struggle to find new material and then I find out they don't have a home church because they haven't found one that they feel comfortable in. If this is the case with you, please realize that great messages are revealed in the Word through wonderful preachers throughout the world. Many of these pastors work all week long to perfect their sermon and attempt to deliver their sermon in a way that will not only spread the gospel, but be interesting enough to keep everyone awake as well. As a gospel songwriter, you need to realize that pastors are some of the wittiest writers with some of the best "catch phrases" as a "hook" for a song. Even reading the sermon title on the display outside of the church as you ride by during the week can be of great inspiration.

Next, you must begin to write down every idea you come up with or that the Holy Spirit gives you. I firmly believe that if the Holy Spirit has a message He wants to get out to His people, His Word cannot be stopped. If you don't write it down and finish the song, the idea will be given to someone else. Often, I have said, "Oh, what a great idea for a song that is. Surely, I will remember it tomorrow morning." Well, tomorrow came and the idea was completely out of my head. I even have a small, empty gift box on a pedestal in my bathroom; upon lifting off the gift-wrapped top, you will discover a small Post-It notes pad with a pen inside with many song titles and lyric ideas on the tiny sheets. I have notebooks in my car, my bedroom, my office, and every where I go with pens or pencils. If I ever find myself without a means of writing down an idea, I call my office phone and leave it on my answering machine.

So, again, I will repeat, write every idea down and organize those thoughts later much like writing a term paper with index cards. Some of the easiest songs written by Clayton B Howell and myself have simply been songs taken directly out of the Bible. We just had to find the right passages and then rewrite them to make them rhyme. We, of course, often have to omit certain verses, repeat others, or add in text to link the verses together. However, we always make sure that the lyrics stay true to the message intended in the scripture.

For this article, I have focused on inspiration. Later, Clay and I will be dealing with form and structure of lyrics, as well as chord structures for songs.