u/Superb-Donkey7202

To give a for example, say you want to write a spaghetti western like Marty Robbin’s Big Iron or Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door . Does anyone else put together a rough idea or string together a few lines to build off of?

Hiding bottles all over the house 

Hiding bottles so he don’t find out 

And Maria sleeps here on my couch 

Says she gotta hide from the man who keeps pushing her away.

(pre chorus)

And she said soul searching is all I’m really doing these days 

If I’m buying time it’s only just to give it away 

And I just throw it away 

(chorus)

You’re just a thorn inside my soul 

one’s not enough here’s a dozen more 

choke on the feast of roses 

Can’t swallow enough blood just to let it go 

(Verse 2)

Table for one away from the sun 

Sure does sound like a lot of fun until you realize that you’re drinking alone 

That’s alright I just drink to forget 

They’re still sending me them welfare checks 

It affords me a room with one Hell of a view 

Cause he’s grabbing bottles from under the shelf 

Grabbing bottles until there’s nothing left 

And he says, “I just toast to myself 

until they find me on the bathroom floor.”

(pre chorus)

soul searching is all I’m really doing these days 

If I’m buying time it’s only just to give it away 

And I just throw it away 

(chorus)

You’re just a thorn inside my soul 

one’s not enough here’s a dozen more 

choke on the feast of roses 

Can’t swallow enough blood just to let it go 

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter"

I don’t like to rant about things but I feel the need to say it really sucks living in a fallen world. There are people who believe the lies of “there’s no hope“, “God is dead”, “you can make up your own truth“, “the Bible is vile and evil“, “Hell is a fun place”, “you have all the time in the world“, and so on and so forth. It’s exhausting being constantly bombarded by this. I try to stay away from social media but occasionally you see it.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12

The worst part of this is the lies that I am too small to do anything. Or I can’t save anyone. Or the worst one: “you’re not really saved.”

“For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

1 John 4:4

God help me.

(Intro)

Like swallowing salt water 

I’m swallowing Dramamine 

I jump into the ocean just to escape 

 

(Break)

Will I be saved?!

(verse 1)

I’m tired of cleaning up my blood from below the decks 

I’m tired of hearing my name over engine noise 

I got to get off this ship

Because I was about to murder my chief before the guilt set in

Like swallowing salt water 

I’m swallowing Dramamine 

Walk the birthing where a young man hung himself and fantasized that it should have been me

Guess I’ll swim to shore 

Take my chances among the waves 

I fold my hands and pray for a calm 

(Break)

Will I be saved?!

(verse 2)

I got this chief that’s three times bigger than me

Can’t fit through a scuttle much less fit through a door 

I’m an utter disappointment as he inspects my shave

Guess I’ll get with a first class and un-fuck myself 

Like swallowing salt water 

Like swallowing Dramamine

I heard the Chief Engineer over the 1MC

Saying, “abandon all hope all those who come here!!”

I toss and turn in my rack

I hadn’t been able to eat a decent meal in days 

Given my chances are slim to none at survival 

I think I’ll take my chances among the waves 

(break)

Will I be saved?!

Shall I be saved?

(Outro)

I should have listened when they said turn back

When I saw blood dripping from Wetter’s pipe wrench 

Or the blood dripping from Monnahan’s head 

I should have swam just to get away 

I should have planned my own escape 

I’ll take my chances on  Mindanao

I’ll hide myself on Tioman Isle

And hide amongst the monkeys in the trees 

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”

John 16:2

“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.“

Revelation 20:4

I was watching an interview with a prominent pastor who brought up these verses pertaining to the end times. I wanted to highlight the part I found interesting.

“the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”

“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.” 

I think this is a great warning for our day.

I was writing a song called Drug Mule Blues that was the most fun to write. The first chorus was, “they forgot to put cocaine in the ashtrays.”

Towards the end of the song I wrote the line, “now my body is a winter wonderland.”

It was meant to be tongue in cheek but I would have to say that’s probably my worst line of a song. I probably wrote a lot more than just that. So feel free to comment. Let me know what’s your worst.

4pm on Saturdays waiting for a friend of mine 

I watched the Wall so many times I can quote every line 

And it been way too long since the last time I saw her face

And I‘m left to wonder what if she sees me for me

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse 2)

I met her at Nature’s Market Place when she was 19 years old 

She was standing next to her sister and together they looked so beautiful

And I was dating someone who was  into the art of jealousy

And I just wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Outro)

20 years goes by so fast 

When you wonder about the life you could have had 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

Note: I wrote this about a girl who I was ”seeing“ when I lived in North Portland. She went on to become a film director for an independent film company.

4pm on Saturdays waiting for a friend of mine 

I watched the Wall so many times I can quote every line 

And I’m waiting for her call 

And sometimes she doesn’t show 

Some days I wonder if she sees me at all 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse 2)

I met her at Nature’s Market Place in Vancouver Washington when she was 19 years old 

She was standing next to her sister and together they looked so beautiful

And I was dating someone who was  dating everything 

And I just wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me 

(Chorus)

I watched Maria dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was 

staring back at me 

(Outro)

20 years goes by so fast 

When you wonder about the life you could have had 

(Chorus)

I watched her dancing on film

I saw her dancing 

Imagine my surprise when she was staring back at me 

(Verse)

You know your gonna look fine

Adorn in roses

Dancing with the dead on the boulevard.

With streets aligned 

In pure celebration.

As you close your eyes, bow your head, and cross your heart. 

A soft parade

Cuts through heaven 

And I say so much for the afterlife 

I just want to hold you in my arms 

(chorus)

Don’t you just love how they treat us?

Acting like they don’t even need us?

You know there’s too many Judas here and not enough Jesus.

Everyone’s looking out for themselves.

Oh, but when I get to heaven 

I’ll get to see you again 

(2nd verse)

Hard to say goodbye 

In my dark hour

As I hold onto your memory in the soft moonlight. 

I start to question myself 

If it could have been a better?

i saw it all and realized my hands were tied.

So I’m left to wonder

at your final moment.

I guess something’s are better left unsaid 

And somethings are better left to the unknown.

(Chorus Outro)

Maria waits up in Heaven 

Shining down like the sun 

Is there any room up in Heaven 

For anyone 

Or for me 

(Note)

I wrote this about a friend of mine who died back in 2004. I didn’t find out until years later. I still don’t know what happened to her and regret not keeping in contact. This was my goodbye to her.

(Verse)

You know your gonna look fine

Adorn in roses

Dancing with the dead on the boulevard.

With streets aligned 

In pure celebration.

As you close your eyes, bow your head, and cross your heart. 

A soft parade

Cuts through heaven 

And I say so much for the afterlife 

I just want to hold you in my arms 

(chorus)

Don’t you just love how they treat us?

Acting like they don’t even need us?

You know there’s too many Judas here and not enough Jesus.

Everyone’s looking out for themselves.

Oh, but when I get to heaven 

I’ll get to see you again 

(2nd verse)

Hard to say goodbye 

In my dark hour

As I hold onto your memory in the soft moonlight. 

I start to question myself 

If it could have been a better?

i saw it all and realized my hands were tied.

So I’m left to wonder

at your final moment.

I guess something’s are better left unsaid 

And somethings are better left to the unknown.

(Chorus Outro)

Maria waits up in Heaven 

Shining down like the sun 

Is there any room up in Heaven 

For anyone 

Or for me 

(Note)

I wrote this about a friend of mine who died back in 2004. I didn’t find out until years later. I still don’t know what happened to her and regret not keeping in contact. This was my goodbye to her.

See them dancing on the stage like a bunch of celebrity has-beens

Grinding them heels but the heels just won’t go in

I‘ll be cutting coupons while watching infomercials

For a Friday night the silence is deafening

(Chorus)

Football season is over

Let’s just cut to a commercial

Let’s see if them chicks from the View are doing anything

(verse 2)

Dancing with the stars on shows with dogs and people

The price is right made you a celebrity

I turned down every role they tried to offer

My agent got me a role with alongside chimpanzee

(chorus)

Football season is over

Let’s just cut to a commercial

Let’s see if Oprah Winfrey is doing anything

(pre chorus)

Give them bread and circus and they won’t revolt Give them bread and circus and they won’t revolt Give them bread and circus and they won’t revolt Give them bread and circus and they won’t revolt Give them bread and circus and they won’t revolt

(chorus)

Football season is finally over

Let’s just cut to a commercial

Let’s see if them chicks from the View are doing anything

Make your promises empty

Give me an infomercial

All while broadcasting lies from my TV screen

Leaving the Factory 

(Intro)

On my knees just scrubbing the floor 

Sweat pouring out of every pore

It’s hard to move forward when you’re stuck in reverse 

Am I a slave to you?

This little bit and some government stamps is barely enough money just to pay the rent 

And I’m starving myself to death 

Just to prove myself to you 

(Verse 2)

On my knees just scrubbing the floor 

You think you’re better than me 

Yeah, you think you’re better than me 

Sweat pouring out of every pour

You think you’re better than me 

Yeah…you think you’re better than me 

And I’m not gonna whore myself out

For you to get rich

In this land of opportunity 

Why am I still stuck in this ditch 

(Chorus)

Let me earn enough money just to get me far

Just to get me far from here 

Let me earn enough money just to get me far 

Just to get me far from here

You think you’re better 

I think you’re never 

(Verse 3)

I got a night job at a concrete plant 

You think you’re better than me 

Some days I can and others I can’t 

You think you’re better than me

And I’m out here in the parking lot 

trying to talk myself down

The only thing worse than this

Is sticking around

(Chorus)

Let me earn enough money just to get me far

Just to get me far from here

Let me earn enough money just to get me far

Just to get me far from here

I think I’m better than this 

(Refrain)

I was born into poverty praying for a dollar just to set me free 

If you hand me any loose change

I’d probably throw it away on someone else’s dreams

(Ending)

Because 

I’m leaving this factory 

I’m leaving this factory 

I’m leaving this factory

I ain’t gonna sell my soul to get out of this hole 

I’m leaving this factory

I’m leaving this factory

Yeah I’m leaving this factory

Ain’t gonna sell my soul just to get out of this hole

You think you’re better than me 

You think you’re better