Original Song - Only A Fool

It looks as if I will be including more of my song lyrics in the future, I guess that there is only a difference in perspective between my poetry and the lyrics and I am not really writing much "poetry" at the moment. Also I will be trying to find a home for the lyrics (which I will be typing up) from songs written by myself over the past 60 years. Yep that was no typo, I have been writing songs since I was 120 years old. Some times in my life have been more productive than others but I have been at it for over 60 years.

This song was written, as I say when I was about 12-14; I was never very good at keeping a record of dates for most of the time and I can only date the songs from other memories of my life. I remember writing this and about half a dozen more whilst keeping a rythm going with a home made drum kit. The kit consisted of cardboard boxes, biscuit tin lids (the round ones, sometimes with nails drilled thru them to give a lovely swishing sound) and a couple of drums from an old toy set. Those did have skins however. Anyway, the lyrics:-

Title: Only A Fool 

written by John Dyhouse (1958/9)

You treated me bad

And put me down.

Then played around with other guys,

Out on the town.

But I still Love you,

I'm only a fool.

Won’t you please come back to me?

Stop being so cruel.

(Bridge) How could you hurt anyone so?

I really don’t know.

I’ll ask again, comeback,

‘Cause I love you so

If you still love me

Don’t be so cruel

Because I still love you so,

I’m only a Fool.

... Only a fool,

... Only a fool.

Notice that last stanza, in the song it would be called a coda ( or an outro in modern
parlance) but would probably have no place in a poem - or would it? Also would a
poem have a bridge?

If you would like to hear this, sung with a ukulele baking, you will find it here on
my music pages.

Still Writing ...

Some time since my last post - again;I seem to be writing in fits and starts these days. And doing far more reading. Maybe I am getting old, or maybe I am just too busy. However, I suddenly had an urge to write again last night. An urge which was generated by the purchase of a new ukulele of all things. It is actually a Cordoba branded instrument and I absolutely love the sound. (Note : the link is to the actual uke which I purchased but there is no association between myself and the company concerned)

I had been playing some of my old songs and wondering why I had stopped writing songs. The answer is guessed was because I had started writing poetry. Not a very satisfying answer because I have not written any poetry for a while. I think it had something to do with being able to express myself as a writer much better with simple lyrics than with the poetry. I decided to put this to the test and sat down to write a song using the methods I would use to write poetry. If that makes sense?

With songs, I used to play a few chord riffs until a melody came into my head. I would use simple lyrics as a "place marker" for the finished article, however much of that simple lyric often remained.

I thought what if I wrote the lyric first, and in fact I managed to put something together and when I felt ready (the lyric was not complete) I picked up the uke and started to play and sing. At some point I felt that both aspects gelled and was quite happy with the whole and managed to record a first take using my PC's built in camera.

This showed a few inconsistencies but meant I would not have to try to remember the melody / timing and then find if I did not get back to it for a few days I would need to repeat the second part of the process, i.e. the melody.

Here is a copy of the lyric with a few chord names (tentative at this stage) added for my convenience. The chords are written as capitals in square brackets, e.g. [C], [G7], etc.

BIttersweet Memories

INTRO

[C][F][C][G*][G7*]

Verse1

-tacit-

My em[C]otions are all in a mess

Should be pulling myself [F]together, I guess

Let me tell you, I want to explain

You're the [G7]reason I'm in so much [C]pain

V2

I can't see a future that's clear

The options I have bring me nothing but fear

A fear that you're leaving me soon

the sky will fall with visions of doom [C*][CM7*][C7*]

BRIDGE

[F]Memories, bIttersweet [C]memories

You [F]fill my heart with images of [C]joy [C*][CM7*][C7*]

But you [F]cut the chains,

and you [C]loose the reins

And [F]cast me down just like some broken [C]toy

V3

I just never know what to expect

Whatever I do for you, is never correct

As close as you and I have been

Anytime at all you can erect that screen

Not quite poetry but maybe poetic? I will be posting a video on line when I have got a "clean and finished copy for anyone interested. I will edit the post when it is ready.

A Poem By Artyfax

This poem has been set to music.

It tells of the ending of a love affair. The individual to whom this has happened is telling his story by using the metaphor of a song that is finished – a song that has been song, not to be repeated.

The Song Of My life.

The song of my life has been long

But now it is finally sung

And I sang it to you,

As I bade you Adieu.

Yes the song of my life has been sung.

Who cares now?

The words have no meaning for me.

The melody seems out of key.

I wished you farewell,

The performance went well,

But the song of my life has been sung.

Who cares now,

There’s no one conducting the band?

The harmonies hang on my ears

And sympathise with all the tears.

I watched with regrets

As you walked off and left.

Yes, the song of my life has been sung.

Who cares now

There’s no one conducting the band?

Who cares now. Who, who, Who?

It has a slightly strange structure as the chorus grows with each repeat after the verses. The whole chorus is used once only in the version set to music and acts as a contrast section after the second verse. For the poem, I did not want to retain this structure and so it became this extraordinary growing section. I think it is the only time I have ever used this technique.