1. |
Exercise Your Write
01:13
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[ANY TOPIC CAN BE RELATABLE]
Sunshine or darkness
It’s all fair game
The things that you write about
Give you a name
You can be sure
That someone will relate
And that's what makes
Writing great
The triumphs or the pitfalls
Heartbreak or celebration
The stars and the starving
Deliverance, damnation
Just try to write from your heart
And realize it’s only one part
Of the bigger picture of life
Simply exercise your right
Exercise your write
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2. |
Nevertheless
01:18
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[FINDING INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE]
Like a mosaic upon the wall
You can take a little bit of all
The pieces you find
From here and there
Up and down
And everywhere
And scramble them up
To make something new
Something that means a lot to you
Stitch them together
Like a surgeon
Your hopes, your fears
Curiosities, yearnings
Until you have a fresh creation
This could become your vocation
Cause the thing about art
Is there are no limits
And once you start
You never have to finish
You can make a life of clever invention
Give a voice to your purest intentions
A perfect design
From randomness
A never that’s changed to
Nevertheless
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3. |
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[GO AT YOUR OWN PACE]
Like a river
Go at your own pace
It’s not always a competition
Not really a race
Just keep moving
However slowly
And you’ll eventually make it
To your imagined sea
The milk of your heart keeps on flowing
The wonder of the world keeps on showing
Just let the words keep on going
Like the river runs to the sea
Like an alphabet, from A to Z
Just try and let your
Soul be free
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4. |
Show Then Tell
01:01
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[SHOW AND THEN TELL]
Like throwing a dart at a balloon
You popped my heart
Like a waning moon
I feel like I’m gonna disappear
Because you
No longer want me near
It’s the last time I try
To say hello
I say goodbye
To love
By painting a picture first
You draw the listener in
Create a thirst
There’s the concept of “show
Then tell”
Which communicates
Your intentions well
It’s easy
Give it a try
It satisfies the ear
As well as the eye
Show then tell
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5. |
Game Of Semaphore
01:18
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[RHYMING WORDS]
When you’re trying
To write
A poem or song
Let the rhymes
You encounter
Carry you along
You know what you
Wanna say
You’ve got your inflection
But the end of
The sentence
Gives you direction
Kudos, I say
If the words are unique
Like pendulum, acrobat
Merlot or physique
The rhyming can often lead
To the best
Metaphor
Your letters like flags
In a game of
Semaphore
The more
You do it
The funner it can get
That’s the beauty
And magic
Of the alphabet
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6. |
Your 100 First
00:58
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[STARTING OUT]
You might have beginner’s luck
Or your very first pieces
Might really suck
But stick with it and you’ll know in time
How to mix the drinks
Add bitters or lime
Like a cook you can learn the ingredients
There’s no better teacher
Than experience
Chalk your first pieces up to practice
And then pretty soon
You’ve got this
Ten thousand hours
To become an expert
But you’ve gotta get through
Your 100 first
So approach it like a student
There’s so much to learn
Yes, if you’ve got the inclination
Take one and then another turn
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7. |
Heighten Your Senses
01:23
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[DEVELOPING YOUR SENSES]
Like a sporting team
With solid defenses
It helps you as a writer
To develop your senses
What do you feel
When you see a sunset?
Does it reel you in
Like a fish in God’s net?
What did the rain sound
Like on the water?
Like the teardrops of angels
Or something like laughter?
What did you see
When light on glass reflected?
Stars blowing up
Or smiles collected?
Your ability
To capture sensations
Is directly proportionate
To your power of relation
So listen to what
Your senses tell you
So you can pass on
Your story well, too
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8. |
Properly Pruned
01:04
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[EDITING YOUR WORK]
Say goodbye to those
Unneeded words
Imagine if the birds
Had any more notes than they do
Would their melody
So move you?
Cause when we
Talk about crediting
The most crucial job
May be editing
Taking the knife to the fat
Learning to go to bat
In such a way
As to get men on base
Making the best use
Of space
Like an engine
That’s fine tuned
Is a poem that’s
Properly pruned
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9. |
Take The Plunge
00:58
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[DIVING IN]
If we waited (oh how much we wait)
With bated breath
We’d suffocate
So much is given from birth to death
But it’s really (it’s truly)
The life that we make
That means the world in the end
The reaching out
The diving in
Making ourselves into a friend
The risks we take
To get comfortable in our skin
So take the plunge
Cross the line
Be a sponge
Devote the time
You’re not getting any younger
But I bet you’ve still got that hunger
To satisfy your wildest dreams
Find out if it’s as good as it seems
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10. |
Like La La La
00:45
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[LIGHTER MATERIAL]
Every song
Doesn’t have to be
The deepest stuff
Some of it can just be
A little fluff
Like la la la la la la la la
la la la la
Every song
Doesn’t have to
Be smart or shrewd
Maybe it’s just something
To change your mood
Like la la la la la la la la
la la la la
La la la la la la la la
la la la la
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11. |
Songs Are Made
01:09
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[WHAT MAKES A SONGWRITER]
Songs are made
Of melodies
Songs are made
Of chords
Songs are made
Of imagery
Songs are made
Of words
It might sound real simple
Might not sound too complex
But you don’t have to sweat
You don’t have to flex
Just pick up your guitar
Get a pad and a pen
Write a simple song
And then write one again
Then suddenly
You’re a songwriter
Suddenly
You’ve written songs
And then
Maybe if you’re lucky
People will sing along
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12. |
Curtail Sail
00:57
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[CALLING IT QUITS]
You’ve got control
Of the sail
So don’t be afraid
To curtail
A project that’s
No longer true
Some things are
Long overdue
It’s up to you
When you wanna stop
Working a certain crop
And maybe switch
To another
Some things are not
Worth the bother
You’re not being seditious
When you treat your
Time as precious
Some things come
Under the knife
So you can lead
A better life
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13. |
Like A Corner Man
01:14
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[LISTEN TO YOUR INFLUENCES]
Like a corner man
In a boxing match
Let the writers who have
Taught you so much
Whisper advice in your ear
Remind you of what got you here
And where you want to be going
Cause how you’ve been sown
Is how you’ll be sowing
Except for your personal touch
The writers you read
Amount to so much
Who you listen to defines your sound
So gather them all around
And remember them as you write
It’ll give you a leg up
In this difficult fight
You stand on the shoulders of giants
Listen to their voices
Not the blank page’s silence
Like a #corner man
In a boxing match
Those writers who have
Taught you so much
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14. |
Burrito Indeedy
00:53
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[ORIGINAL PAIRINGS OF WORDS]
If you want to convince
Your listener
To be caring
One technique
Is to use
Original pairings
Like Impossible Germany
In the words of Wilco
Or gentle tattoo
Or flamboyant radio
If you want
You can write out
A list of random adjectives
And random nouns
Join them up
And then see what gives
This is the advice
Of the song maestro
Jeff Tweedy
And if I say so myself
It’s burrito indeedy
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15. |
Get Lost!
00:49
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[MAKING MISTAKES]
Sometimes the mistakes
Are the best part
There’s something to be said
For chaos in art
You don’t have to be afraid to fail
When Shakespeare made up words
He was doing quite well
We wouldn’t have some
Of the best inventions
If somebody didn’t stray from
Their original intentions
And sometimes the most
Memorable phrases
Come from getting lost
In language’s mazes
Get lost!
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16. |
Writing Is A Superpower
01:34
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[THE JOY OF WRITING]
Like jumping out of a plane
Like what sugar does to your brain
Like skiing down a hill
Like a paranormal thrill
Getting lost in your writing
Can be so very exciting
To be able to create your own world
The headiness of a heart that’s hurled
With abandon at the page
In joyfulness or rage
Writing is a superpower
A delightful way to pass the hour
And then when someone relates
There’s hardly a feeling so great
So put some time aside
And venture deep inside your mind
Write your way to euphoria
With your imaginative story
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17. |
The Flag Of You
01:14
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[BE AUTHENTIC]
Write about what you know
Tell us what you’ve
Experienced
Take the time to show
Deeper than just
Appearances
If you’ve been in love
Then you can play Cupid
If you’ve made a mistake
Show us how you
Were stupid
Whatever you’ve felt deeply
You can feel again
The blessing of language
Is that just a pad and a pen
Can communicate
Inner worlds
With the wind of your truth
The flag of you
Is unfurled
You can play make believe
With your senses
Just make sure how you write
Is still authentic
Dig deep into your own
History
And I promise
You’ll create chemistry
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18. |
The Wise Have Whys
01:25
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[KNOWING WHY YOU WRITE]
In order to not scratch the surface
I think you have to write with purpose
Do you want to heal?
Help another person feel?
Spread the love of God?
Or share some other way you’re awed/odd?
Do you want to rewrite history?
Make known the universe’s mystery?
Give a real voice to pain?
Or merely entertain?
We each have our motivation
Our genesis and our causation
And though they may evolve
It’s always the reason we involve
Ourselves in the act of creation
That acts as our foundation
The fire in our hearts
That we turn into art
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19. |
The Year Of The Ox
01:29
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[THE WORK OF WRITING]
Shoulders strain
While working the grain
It’s not the easiest life
Usually in pairs
The burdens to share
But it’s better than under the knife
Working all day in the sun
The valuable crop is won
I’d do good to take their example
Cause the work to be done is ample
Making lines like furrows with my pen
And by editing, taking to the trenches again
Plowing and sowing
Watering, growing
And then reaping the reward
Thinking and writing
To make it exciting
I know what I’m working toward
Preparing food for your table
And earning an income that’s stable
This is the year of the ox
I’ll make my habit of writing
Orthodox
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20. |
Shovel By Shovel
00:57
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[BREAKING IT DOWN INTO PARTS]
If you’re scared
Of the load
Just break it up
Into smaller parts
Like Trivial Pursuit
With the little pies
Or Zelda with
The accumulating hearts
Pretty soon
Your cup will be filled
In some time
You’ll have a novel
A many piece portfolio
Just work at it
Shovel by shovel
You’ll be surprised
What you can do
By making everything bite sized
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Just keep your eyes
On the prize
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21. |
Mist Story
01:07
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[EMPLOYING MYSTERY]
Like a mountain top
That’s shrouded by mist
Sometimes you’re only
Sharing the gist
Of what you really mean
Painting just part
Of the scene
When you start out in
Dracula’s castle
Bram Stoker doesn’t
Make it too facile
Maybe it’s just one
Missed reflection
That gives you some sort
Of direction
When you let your writing
Have mystery
The reader develops
More history
With you as you tell
Your cryptic story well
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22. |
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[THINKING WELL]
Nobody likes a shoddy idea
Except for maybe IKEA
Oh and then there’s
Conspiracy theorists
Who exchange common sense
For their fear, it’s
Not uncommon for
Government agencies
To get bogged down
In Bureaucracy
And extremists from
Both sides of the race
Yell at each other
Till they’re blue in the face
And then there’s those
Who argue against science
Creating something pseudo
In defiance
I guess not everyone
Wants to think
But the benefit of pen and ink
Is that you can champion
Mental clarity
And do some real good
For posterity
So let the work of your mind
Be something that stands
The test of time
And if it's mildly entertaining,
Maybe for years
It will be remaining.
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23. |
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[BE FOCUSED BUT FLEXIBLE]
A tendon’s there for flexibility
But it’s attached to bone
Find out what you want to say
And then with wings you’ve flown
Upon before so fly again
The marvelous thing
About the mind of men
Is that it can see a problem
From multiple angles
It’s a dextrous hand
That holds this candle
Steady set your mark
And then illuminate the dark
With a fierce but fluid light
Like a string upon a kite
Have a concrete thought in mind
Then let it blow free in the wind
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24. |
Vintage Wine
01:30
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[WRITING DAILY]
If you can
Write daily
It doesn’t have to be
A masterpiece
But you’ll find
Your heart enlarging
It’ll give your soul release
And you’ll be building up
The tools and skills you need
To get better at your craft
And finally succeed
Write some in your journal
Post to Instagram
Share some with your friends
Share some with your fam
Or keep it all
Just to yourself
But you won’t regret the time
Yes, you’ll look back
With wonder
That you’ve aged
Like vintage wine
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25. |
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[VERSE CHORUS BRIDGE]
If the verse is like a tree
It’s the first thing
That you see
Providing some intimate detail
To help you tell your definitive tale
It’s an individual observation
To give your listener
Some information
The chorus
Is more like a forest
The chorus
Is more like a forest
The chorus
Is more like a forest
Where you paint
With broader strokes
To reach the hungry hearts of folks
(So your song is pretty full
To give your listeners a thrill)
Then the bridge is like a mountain or lake
There for comparison’s sake
To make some sort of concession
Or an additional profession
Of love or wisdom or weakness
And to give the song uniqueness
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26. |
Like John Lennon Said
01:10
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[WASTING TIME]
You don’t have to cry or cower
If you miss your writing hour
The thing that you did in between
Probably mean everything
Watching a butterfly
On the breeze
That song you heard
Those funny memes
We’re not just means of production
But we’re fascinating humans
Filled with manifold emotions
And completely original notions
Like the singer John Lennon stated,
“Time you enjoyed wasting,
Was not wasted”
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27. |
Letter Master
00:59
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[BECOMING A MASTER]
Like origami that’s folded
Into different parts
Writing’s about the perfect line
Everybody has a different
Style of art
But the thing that makes it “fine”
Is the perfection of your craft
Like a sculptor with
A block of stone
We all start with
The same simple mass
But it’s in learning how to hone
Your skill
And always getting better
Becoming a master
With the letter
The more you work
The more it works for you
Going from an apprentice
To an expert
Someone who can
Teach it too
Is a moment that’s truly momentous
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28. |
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[FINDING YOUR PEOPLE]
Not everyone’s gonna
Like you’re writing
But I have found
It’s still worth the fighting
Cause there’re those
Who will really get you
The ones who’re into
The same things too
You see taste is like
The different seasons
Some can’t really
See the reason
You might like the snow
Or the leaves that fall
Or the flowers that grow
But if you become a connoisseur
Of the things you like
Than you can be sure
That you’ll find a point of relation
Diving deep
Leads to formation
Of space ships or of jets
A movement that
Your passion begets
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29. |
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[BUILDING A BUSINESS]
You don’t build your kingdom
At random
You have to choose
Your governors well
Have your guiding principles
Rule your empire with poise
day and night
The same thing is applicable
When you write
You have to be thinking of your brand
Your ideas like instruments in a band
Have to harmonize
Offer your audience
Some provocative prize
Just like any other business
When you’re thinking about
Its bigness
You have to apportion time
Think in terms of parsley, rosemary
AND thyme
And as you watch your kingdom grow
You can be content to know
That you had some sort of a plan
Much more intricate
Than when you began
There’s certainly room for flexibility
But also a good deal of certainty
Wrack your brain, read some books
And try some different things out
And hopefully people will love
What your business is about
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30. |
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[BELIEVE IN YOURSELF]
If you have an audience
Then thank
Your lucky stars
Whether it’s in a writing group
On TV
Or in bars
But still always remember
That little fire inside
Always be proud of yourself
Never run and hide
“To thine own self be true”
It’ll help you start
It’ll get you through
A million complications
A hundred sunless days
When you have
A light inside
You’ll make it
Through the maze
So try to influence others
But make sure
To love yourself
Whether it’s for
One or a million
Take your heart down
Off the shelf
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Greg Walker Baltimore, Maryland
Indie rock, in the tradition of David Bazan, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Daniel Johnston, with a love for literature and lo fi music. Stays busy creating, so check back often.
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