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Hi Floyd,

This is outstanding. The whole scenario of the lyrics rings with emotional honesty and truth. I was at a Beth Nielsen Chapman seminar a couple of years ago and she made a big point of saying that the 'truth' of a lyric was one of the most important aspects of a song. Such truth not only makes the lyric believable, it also provides something listeners can relate to.

Yet another top notch work! The whole package is a testimony to your excellent musicianship.

All the best,
Noel



This thing you mention about the 'truth' is curious to me in the sense that it is obvious, yet it's not one of the most important aspects of songwriting, in my view, so I would disagree with this Beth Chapman, despite so many of my songs being utterly truthful in nature. A songwriter would be wise I think to keep in mind that they can also write from a detached position of empathy for another; or of the human condition in general, without having actually lived a particular experience which may be the subject of their composition. This is called, art, in my estimation, abstract though it might seem. I have never attended any songwriting seminars, but I have learned to compose my humble attempts at music from analyzing the work of those I consider some of the best songwriters ever. It's very likely that there is no 'Mr. Tambourine Man' or 'Strawberry Fields' etc, for example, whom or whatsoever. These songs are simply the embodiment's of the imaginations of two fine songwriters, being Dylan and Lennon. Are these songs any less - works of truth?

Another of my songwriting mentors, once said, that it may be necessary sometimes to "lie a little to help the truth." A songwriter like this Chapman, may not agree with this approach, but that is only their assessment of what works for them. In my case, I have always striven to approach songwriting from every artistic angle 'imaginable'.

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