Back to basics.
A co-write with Bill Osofsky.

I have to dig through some backups to find the track list.
I'll add it when I find it. Pretty easy to hear and guess the BIAB tracks.



I'M NOT READY

i know our meetings with the counselor aren't going very well
you haven't come right out and said so, but darlin', i can tell
when i hold you close, you're so far away
seems you're just this near to leavin', but i gotta make you stay

i'm not ready for goodbye
we're not over in my heart
i love everything about you
i still need you in my arms
if i lose you there'll be nothing left of me
i'm not ready for you to be.... just a memory.

last night i saw you turning scrapbook pages on the bed
don't think i didn't notice the tear you shed
i can't bear to have the future... just faded photographs
a love too quickly buried with a needless epitaph

i'm not ready for goodbye
we're not over in my heart
i love everything about you
i still need you in my arms
if i lose you there'll be nothing left of me
i'm not ready for you to be.... just a memory.


a little time
a lot of love
a prayer for help
baby, i forgive you
won't you just forgive yourself?

i'm not ready for goodbye
we're not over in my heart
i love everything about you
i still need you in my arms
if i lose you there'll be nothing left of me
i'm not ready for you to be just a memory.
i'm not ready for you to be just a memory.


Have at it.

fj

Great song Floyd. Wonderfully put together with perfect imagery. I sure liked that line "if I lose you there'll be nothing left of me I'm not ready for you to be.... just a memory." As usual, the production is inspirational. Fantastic how it just starts with the guitar and then builds with the drums, cello, steel etcettera. You consistently put out a complete package, it's always a pleasure to see a new post from you, and great I get a chance to be the first to tell you this time!

Brad

Floyd...really nice melody here and the perfect arrangement to showcase it ...love the passion in your vocals and as always a great lyric to sing...I'm always amazed with your productions...you and Bill are a top-notch writing team for sure...just another treat to listen to and learn from...thanks for posting this one!

Hi Floyd,

Well written song and very good vocals.

I would have liked a few instrumentals to break it up and maybe a stop verse for a bit of light and shade.

Definitely worth working on.

Best Regards
Nigel

Floyd, you and Bill are masters are writing songs. Floyd your vocal was perfect for those lyrics. I could feel the pain in your voice. The backing band was perfect. Loved that guitar vocal duo at the beginning followed by the introduction of other instruments. It was perfect for this song.
Loved it.

HI floyd.

Wow! This one really tugs at the heartstrings 😢 and this 'tugging' it amplified by excellent writing, a superb arrangement, an equally superb production, and a truly outstanding performance.

I seriously love what you and Bill have done. The genderless lyrics are perfect for both male and female vocalists. This thought crossed my mind somewhere mid-song, and when it did, I found myself wondering what kind of difference a female singer would have brought to my listening experience. Have you ever had the opportunity to hear a woman sing this? (I'm just curious.)

The chorus is powerful-plus, and the mystery of what the bridge lyrics are referring to was a really clever idea for emotional development. It's a technique that has never once occurred to me. It's such a great idea. I'm definitely taking that onboard

What stood out to me most was the triplet rhyme of me/be/memory at the end of the chorus, and that pause that's full of expectation before "just a memory". The way these lyrics flowed kept my mind thinking about the song's story beyond the close of the chorus. As I see it, that's '10th dan black-belt' lyric writing!

I really enjoyed where you took me with this superbly crafted composition and presentation.
--Noel

Hi, floyd jane.

Where to begin? It's a great write, with a the first line sets the entire conflict:

"i know our meetings with the counselor aren't going very well"

I love the use of opposites - especially how "near to" in the second line links back "close/far" in the prior line. Even "you/I" are opposites:

when i hold you close, you're so far away
seems you're just this near to leavin', but i gotta make you stay

Nice rhyme with "photographs/epitaph". And I love the economy of:

if i lose you there'll be nothing left of me

It beats the long-winded version I'd have written.

You plaintive vocals are perfect here, and the arrangement and mix are stellar.

Most importantly, it gives the "the feels", which is what songs should be all about.

Excellent, as usual. What a treat!

A beautiful song for a beautiful voice.
Laurent

Floyd,

No one does heartbreak like you... A superb write and a stunning vocal.

Love the arrangement and the choice of instrumentation. Mix is perfect. Everything fits so well.

Beautiful production...

Bob

Floyd, not to knock your own writing (I wish I could write like you), but man, when you write with Bill, it's always something special.
You two shouldn't have gone the songwriter route, you should have released your songs yourselves, in a sort of John/Taupin concept.
(okay, now I have images in my head of you walking around dressed as Elton John )

I love everything about this song!

Thanks, Brad. Good to see ya back around. Bill deserves credit for most of the lyric. The rest, I do, but he gives me a hell of a start...



Thanks, Dan. Bill and I did about 25 songs together (in a 3-month period). He'd send a lyric and give me free reign to change anything that needed it (little did). Finding melodies for some one them took some doing, but it was a lot of fun.


Thanks, Nigel. Simple and subtle holds a place in my musical vocabulary. Light and shade can be found there if you look. I think there's plenty here.

Floyd,

This is a really touching song. Seems like this includes some of those oldie but goodie real tracks from back in the day. Really well done!

I remember when I got Band a box 2014, and I had 32 real tracks, and I thought to myself, man this is incredible, this is all I need, why would a person need more than this, I got everything I need here to write hundreds of killer country songs and ballads and Tom Petty songs.

As you've proved here it doesn't take a whole lot to write a great song!!!

🙂

I can't believe it's 2024 already and I'm looking at 10,000 or 11,000 styles!!!

Keep going bro!!!

What can I say man, another great one.

Floyd, jeez. Fabulous write and big, killer vocals! Love the bare arrangement and how you let your solo voice carry the song. Just wonderful.

Thanks, Mario. Much appreciated.



Noel - Thanks! All that delicious stuff in the lyric is Bill's doing. And he knows what he is doing. It is unusual to find a lyricist (only) who possesses the prosody that Bill has. True talent. A real joy to work with. Interestingly, sometimes that prosody took a while to uncover. He gave me lyrics that sometime took a long time to find the cadence that he heard (since I just had a piece of paper). I'd scratch my head for a while - then when I latched on to it, it just happened - and just flowed...like magic.

Floyd - great voice & singing, excellent song & lyrics, very nice production!
Can't say more than that - top job!!

Cheers, Carl

Nice one Floyd and Bill! Excellent write and vocal as always.
I like the way you build the intensity as the track progresses, and how you bring in the strings towards the end.
Top notch and totally professional, enjoyed!

Thanks, David. As I mentioned in other responses, all those lyric goodies are Bill in this one. He often adds perspectives that are unique and original - and, yet, so obvious once you've heard them...


Thanks, Laurent...

Oh, I was defintiely ready for another one of yours, floyd. Your inspiration is unending. Love the soft beginning in this one. The way you craft a song is so pro from germ to master. You wear so many hats and they all fit tailor made. "i'm not ready for you to be.... just a memory." What a terrific hook. Heck the quality of your vocal is enough to crave a re-listen, but that hook and the heartfelt lyrics elevate the crave to a demand.

From my novice experience what you recorded is not easy to do. Clean Acoustic guitar with great tone and matching vocals. There is nothing to hide behind in the mix just you. Great lyrics too.

Floyd,

The sparse accompaniment is perfect! Nothing more is needed! Your great vocal carries the tune in fine fashion! The greats of the past could do that! Jonny Cash comes to mind in that regard!
It's a wonderful touching song that has so much potential that it will be a crime if it doesn't get the exposure it deserves!

Take care, TB

“I can't bear to have the future... just faded photographs
a love too quickly buried with a needless epitaph”

Nice! And what a rhyme.

As you’ve noted Bill’s prosody is very good and then you match that to your rich vocals and poignant melody and arranging skills and voila, a lovely song is born.

This may be an oldie from the earlier BiaB days but it is also a goodie!

Great by all the measures.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Inspired singing that sells the song. Strong on the upper range notes.
Tender song that touches on the bitter-sweetness of the persona's relationship.
Well done!

WOW great write. Everything about this is spot on. Your vocal performance hit me right in the gut. The lyrics are powerful, and tell the story perfectly. The arrangement, backing tracks, fit the mood. Excellent lesson in great songwriting, the power of BIAB and production.

Wow. Such a lovely song, I think many including me can totally relate to. The instrumentation for it is faultless.

Stellar.

Thanks, Bob....


Much appreciated, Brian.
Bill knows what he's doing. It's nice to find a lyricist who can really do the heavy lifting.
My duck suit is around somewhere....

this was done 10 years ago - probably BIAB 2013 - The number of new RTs since then is astounding. The choices used to be "pretty good" - now they are Great. It just keeps getting better...



That's enough.

Much appreciated, Ron...


Thanks, Carl!!!



Thanks, Dave...

This is vintage Floyd.

That opening, the meeting with the counsellor ... grabs one's attention immediately.

When you hit those high notes, and then go back on "I'm not ready" ... omg. And the spacing before "just a memory" ...

Which one of you two came up with these lyrics? You're both magicians, anyway, but this IS top-notch magical work:

"i can't bear to have the future... just faded photographs
a love too quickly buried with a needless epitaph"

I could take this apart and praise it until kingdom come. Thing is, this song works incredibly as a whole, as well as the sum of its parts. And you deliver it ... omg. "if I lose you, there'll be nothing left of me" ... "... just a memory" ... You are the storyteller par excellence, and you always have something incredible to tell. And what an incredible musician you really are.

Master story teller Floyd. Such a heartfelt vocal. So much emotion in your voice. Beautiful lyric. Well done..

Great lyrics, very heart-felt. Accompaniment suits the song perfectly.

Thanks, Marty. Bill deserves most of the lyric credit on this one. It's nice to have co-writers who know what they are doing...


Thanks, gman.
That acoustic guitar is an early BIAB acoustic (so is available in all the packages). So anyone can get that sound!



Very nice of you to say, Torrey...thanks...



Thanks, y'all!!

floyd
Always hard to follow when Noel and others are so eloquent.
So just - Excellent!

Peter

Thanks, Scott.


Thanks for the nice comments, Elliot...


Appreciated...


Thanks, ray.



Very kind of you , James...


Thanks, Scott...


Thanks, Gayle....


Thanks, Peter...