Lots of talk about song length. Here's the deal.

People ask me a lot "Where do your song ideas come from?"

My answer is always the same. "Songs are stories set to music. And a great place to get stories is from your life experiences. Remember though, that life isn't always happy. Sometimes it is sad. So when you tell a story in song about a sad event, the 'story' will be sad."

Okay, so THIS song is is a story, like any other I have written. It's a story about a relationship that went bad. I knew the girl for 2 years as a friend before we got together as a couple. She came from a HORRIBLE marriage to a Neanderthal who hurt her in every way possible, and I spent that whole 2 years explaining that I did not hurt he, HE did, and I wouldn't do that, and dwelling in past mistakes only keeps those bad times alive in your mind.

NOW go listen to the lyrics. Knowing the STORY, they make more sense. Now this story can not be told in one short verse and one chorus. It HAS to be the whole 5 minutes or it's like tearing the last page out of a book right at "....and the killer is...."

Here is the first verse, bridge and chorus.


I know that there were men before me
Who didn’t really treat you well
But it doesn’t really matter what happened before
And it does you no good to dwell
And I’ve proven it to you time and again
That you could trust me with your love
And I promised you I’d never hurt you that way
But that was something you weren't quite sure of

And you never understood
That the past is the past
And I’ll give you a love
You can count on to last
Tell me what do I have to do?

I’ve been tellin’ you now for over 2 years
That everything you need is standing right here in front of you
If you’d only let me through
I know you built a wall to guard your heart
And I'll tell you again what I said at the start
But you need to believe it’s true
I’m the one for you


Verse 2 if after the dumping, how I felt duped and used.

For a time you really had me believin’
That this was more than just a fling
That maybe you really cared about me
And I’d finally found the real thing
But as time passed by it was clearer each day
That you really didn’t care at all
Still I took a real chance and I gave you my heart
Even knowing I was risking a fall

And you never believed
That my love was for real
That there wasn’t anything
I was tryin’ to conceal
Tell me what do I have to do?

I’ve been tellin’ you now for over 2 years
That everything you need is standing right here in front of you
If you’d only let me through
I know you built a wall to guard your heart
And I'll tell you again what I said at the start
But you need to believe it’s true
I’m the one for you

After the solos, I am talking to her explaining how badly she hurt me.

And it hurt me so bad
When you sent me away
I never really thought
You’d treat me that way
Tell me what do I have to do?

Now, could I really take ANY of that out and still tell the whole story? Music world stuffed shirt penguins demanding 3:43 songs or not, I can not tell the story without all the verses.

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.