Janice, Bud, Tom, floyd...

I reckon that this is in the top 5% what you've ever written. It's brilliant. The images are eidetic. In my mind, they were so vivid that the whole lyric unrolled like a scene from a movie. Janice's outstanding vocals captured the mood and she was the perfect narrator for the story. "Mystic Chords of Memory" is such a fantastic phrase - you have a great ear for titles, Bud.

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Just in case you're interested...

... after I read the phrase 'Mystic Chords", I ended up going on a little bit of a journey. I've only ever known 'chord' to mean a harmonious group of musical notes or a straight line connecting two points on a circle's edge. When I read Lincoln's speech, though, the context in which he used the word (stretch, strain, break) indicated that he took 'chord' to mean a thread or string. In this sense, I would have used 'cord'. Interesting. So it was off to the Oxford English Dictionary.... there I discovered that 'chord' in the sixteenth century did mean a string or small rope and it was still used with this sense in the 1800s. It also meant the string of a stringed instrument (such as a harp, lute, etc.). From there, it's more modern meaning developed, I guess.

I mention the above, because it's outstanding how 'chord' in these lyrics simultaneously has musical overtones (pun not intended) as well as strings of thought that link the character's memory to the past. Very, very excellent lyric writing smile

Also... I thought the chorus was spectacular.

Quote:
now no more crowds... no more cheers
he turns the radio up... downs a few more beers
in the corner, a battered Martin left for dead
while mystic chords of memory play... in his head


I really like the line "radio up...downs a few more beers". The back-to-back words with opposite meanings is cleverly conceived. Equally skilled, though, is the personification of the Martin guitar... battered and left for dead. In my head, these words created an image of a well used guitar tired and gasping and worn out by the years - so much information in so few words!

Overall, this song truly is outstanding in every regard.

All the best to you all,
Noel

MY SONGS...
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