Someone asked me where I find my inspiration for writing songs. I mean, at 72 I can’t be writing about girls and cars. So here’s the story. I let my mind wander and I conjure up a picture. A still picture or a moving picture. I call the technique “Cinematic Writing”. I don’t know if that’s a thing or if I just made it up. Anyway I imagined a person standing on a hillside. So the first line in the lyric is “Standing on a hillside”. The image in this post is not what I saw, it’s just something from the interweb to demonstrate. And then the story flows from that line and I have long lifetime of experiences good and bad to draw upon in the telling of the story.
I pictured this person is looking down the hill at a river. I don’t actually say that in the lyric but I think it’s implied. I also imagined him unable to continue the journey. I don’t actually say so but again, I think it’s implied. The story continues over several verses and reveals the person to be full of remorse and self doubt. Some of this is from my imagination and some of it may actually be me. It’s never literal, only implied. This is the beauty of lyric writing or poetry. You don’t have to give a blow by blow account. You just paint enough of the picture for the listener/reader to add their own brush strokes to the story.
You can hear my rough demo of the song (warts and all) below the image. Then there are the lyrics.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zi9FtZUyyU479fgUBlSMbNFeARbq9u6L/view?usp=sharing
Flow River Flow
standing on a hillside
taking in the sun
seems the journey ended
before it had begun
Looking to the distance
Towards the great unknown
One thing is for certain
I’m never goin’ home
Flow river flow
down to the sea
don’t you pay no mind
to little ol’ me
Flow River Flow
rollin’ on
you’ll still be rollin’
long after I am gone
Wrote you a letter
while you were asleep
shared with you a secret
I hope that you will keep
Told you my intentions
I know it’s only fair
You should know the reason
When you wake and I’m not there
Flow river flow
down to the sea
don’t you pay no mind
to little ol’ me
Flow River Flow
rollin’ on
you’ll still be rollin’
long after I am gone
My intended purpose
Was as clear as day
Now impending darkness
Takes my confidence away
Maybe there’s an answer
Come the morning light
For now i need to find a place
To lay my head tonight
Flow river flow
down to the sea
don’t you pay no mind
to little ol’ me
Flow River Flow
rollin’ on
you’ll still be rollin’
long after I am gone
So many turnings
A man can take
Wish I had a penny
For every mistake
Some things get broken
Way beyond repair
If broken dreams we’re banknotes
I’d be a millionaire
Flow river flow
down to the sea
don’t you pay no mind
to little ol’ me
Flow River Flow
rollin’ on
you’ll still be rollin’
long after I am gone