There is nothing more delicious than a lovely lyric emerging from somewhere in my consciousness. I am never really sure if I will keep the lyric, but sometimes I feel something is emerging that I need to pay close attention to. These past couple of weeks I have had a song idea enter my consciousness. I saw Jeff Bridges amazing performance in the movie "Crazy Heart". The movie is filled with songs based on simple, raw emotion filled lyrics with strong country infused folk music to back it up. As soon as I finished watching the movie I grabbed my guitar and song began to take shape. I was up late and kept waking up with bits of lyrics ideas which I kept jotting down. Much of this song was written while falling asleep or just waking up. I woke up this morning and lay half asleep while the a revised first verse drifted up to me. The song seems to run through my days as I take the chance to pick up my guitar and work on the music. And ahh yes the music, somehow for the song to work the music must fit the lyric like a glove. It must make the lyric come alive while standing on it's own feet with no lyric to hide behind. I am almost finished with the song...so I guess it's time to take a nap (maybe the bridge will be completed when I wake up!)

No matter what stage of development you are in as a writer and how refined your craft is it is your ability to access your own deep emotional, spiritual, or intuitive dimensions and give them voice that will produce great songs. I have heard many clever and well- crafted songs, but the songs that makes me feel something inside my heart and soul are the ones I want to hear again and again. Our role as songwriters is to access the place inside of us where true inspiration lives and communicate it to through our songs. The craft and polish of our songs comes second. Inspiration and emotional connection come first.