[Neal K]

November 11 marks Amistice Day - the symbolic end of WWI, the war that was supposed to end all wars. With that in mind, the theme for the November Lyric contest is Peace: Why we want it, why we don't want it, how we can achieve it, if we can achieve it, what peace means to you, etc.

This has the potential to be a polarizing topic so I urge everyone to be respectful of each other's views. I think we can get through this without getting too political. This is also a fairly broad topic so you'll have to use your own discretion on how you interpret it.

The deadline for entries is midnight, November 11. Send your lyrics to me via Private Message. To enter, you must have been a member for 3 months or have at least 50 posts to your credit.

Neal

[Neal K]

Peace Can’t Be Bought Or Sold

Verse 1
I’d hold up a flag of surrender
If I had a flag to hold
Mine’s been badly tattered
By dissents bitter wind and cold

Verse 2
United we will surely stand
But divided we will fall
Unity insures a strong command
Together we stand tall

Chorus
When a voice rises in anger
Pride can gain a damning hold
War is a mad man’s wager
Peace can’t be bought or sold

Bridge
Survival demands we adapt
Be willing to change hats
Kindness is a welcome mat
Change doesn’t require a bat

Chorus
When a voice rises in anger
Pride can gain a damning hold
War is a mad man’s wager
Peace can’t be bought or sold

Tag
Yes, war’s a mad man’s wager
Peace can’t be bought or sold

[Neal K]

THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW

The other side of now
Is when it was so clear
And now we are here
On the other side of – the other side of – the other side of now

Remember when it was then
The future seemed so far
And now, here we are
On the other side of – the other side of – the other side of now

The other side of now
It would’ve happened anyhow
With the future stuck in the past
How can the present ever last?
We’re looking to the sky
And it almost makes you cry
To know we came so close
To the peace we want the most
On the other side of – the other side of – the other side of now

From the cradle to the grave
We’ll always be a slave
To the other side of – the other side of – the other side of now

It led us to the pen
You know it happens now and then
On the other side of – the other side of - the other side of now

It seemed so far away
Now I hope there's time to pray
That we will all be saved
From the other side of – the other side of – the other side of now

[Neal K]

Beautiful Dreams

(v1)
Peace is a beautiful
and impossible dream,
against human nature
and will never be seen.

(v2)
Wile there is oil,
land and religion to
war is inevitable,
that will always be true.

(c1)
Peace is the dream
our children believe,
innocent and dear
they are being deceived.
No matter what country
we live in to day,
there beautiful dreams
have been taken away.

(v3
War is the nightmare
we live with each day.
war is indeed
human natures way.

(v4)
Hidden in the promise
of freedom are lies
of wealth and greed,
and lost innocent lives.

(c2)
Peace is the dream
our children believe,
innocent and dear
they are being deceived.
No matter what country
we live in to day,
there beautiful dreams
have been taken away.

(v5)
Lost in the name of
greed and belief is
our innocent children,
and there beautiful dreams.

(bridge)
Not only death takes innocent lives,
your taking there dreams with your terrible lies.
So this is a request to the powers that be,
please stop the wars and let innocence be free.

[Neal K]

It Keeps Spreading All Around the World

It’s born in the place where you live
The home is where the heart learns how to give
Then it grows
And it grows
‘Til the house can’t contain it
And it starts spreading all around the world

Then it pours out into the street
To the neighbor we took no time to meet
So we stop
And we say
“Let’s get to know each other”
And it keeps spreading all around the world

No wall made of stone
No gate made of steel
Can hold back - the power of love
The love in your heart
Is hard to conceal
Let’s bring back - the power of love

And so, street to street, town to town
For miles and miles - let’s share it all around
We will learn
We’re the same
The miles don’t make us different
And it keeps spreading all around the world

[Neal K]

Charlie Ryan

v1
Charlie Ryan runs the halls
Wets his bed and climbs the walls
He plays too rough and talks too loud
Charlie Ryan's not allowed
To be this way
But Charlie Ryan won't obey

ch 1
They punish and placate him
Nothing does the trick
Today they're going to take him
Downtown to get him fixed

v2
Charlie Ryan runs their lives
He won't conform or compromise
But they have faith the doctor will
Concoct a shot or magic pill
To tame the beast
Charlie Ryan needs some peace

ch 2
They're going to recreate him
In colors not so bright
They'll medicate, sedate him
Make Charlie black and white

br
In his gray and empty place, Charlie Ryan's lost
Glassy eyed and frozen faced, peace comes with a cost
Children free to be themselves, made of shooting stars
Some fade away or sadly pay the price for who they are

tag
Charlie Ryan can't decide
Ritalin or suicide?
Either way, he's dead inside
Dead inside
Charlie Ryan's dead inside

[Neal K]

There Will Be Peace

There will be peace
There will be joy
For every girl
For every boy
When there is love
That does not cease
There will be hope
There will be peace

There’ll be no sorrow
There’ll be no pain
There’ll be no trouble
There’ll be no shame
When there is love
That does not cease
There will be hope
There will be peace

There will be kindness
There will be songs
And color blindness
All will belong
When there is love
That does not cease
There will be hope
There will be peace

There’ll be no hunger
There’ll be no thirst
There’ll be no beggars
All will be first
There’ll be no one
Who is the least
When there is love
There will be peace

When there is love
There will be peace

[Neal K]

Simple Things

(v1)
On a backwoods evenin’
In the deep old south
I’m leanin’ on the fence post
Wipin’ off my mouth
Got a jug of ’shine
That I’m fixin’ to share
My brother’s waitin’ on the porch
In his fav’rite rockin’ chair

(v2)
I haven’t see Jim
In a long, long time
Seems the miles keep on stretchin’
In an endless line
I walk up to his cabin
‘N I’m already smilin’
‘Long with biscuits and grits
I can smell chicken fryin’

Chorus
A city can bring a grown man
Right down to his knees
Simple things that please
Are lost along the way
Like the way rain beats
On an old tin roof
Grandma’s hand-sewn quilt
Or grandpa’s hundred-proof

(v3)
I sit beside him
He throws me a grin
And it feels like my brother’s
Just a boy again
With the ‘shine between us
An old hound at our feet
We pick up our guitars
And start strummin’ a beat

Chorus
A city can bring a grown man
Right down to his knees
Simple things that please
Get lost along the way
Like the way a tune
On an old guitar
Can remind two brothers
Of who they really are

Bridge
Ma smiles from the window
And shells black-eyed peas
I reckon she knows as she watches us play
That moment’ll matter very much one day
When the world closes in with its greed and grabbin’
And I ache for the porch of a backwoods cabin

Chorus
A city can bring a grown man
Right down to his knees
Simple things that please
Get lost along the way
Like how a country path
Can shape to your feet
And love’s the flavour
In the food you eat

[Neal K]

More Than a Word

When freedom can’t be free
what’s the price we pay
ask a grieving mother
wonder what she’d say

And if its worth this cost
How can we be sure
This precious way of life
Will remain secure

Its not our might that makes us strong
Its love used as a verb
Good will that knows no boundaries
Makes Peace more than a word

The response to terror
Must be more than war
Families must have freedom
Never known before

Bloodshed gets the headlines
But behind the scenes
Soldiers building classrooms
Meeting people’s needs

Its not our might that makes us strong
Its love used as a verb
Good will that knows no boundaries
Makes Peace more than a word

The evil must be dealt with
It can’t just be ignored
But people helping people
can put an end to war

Its not our might that makes us strong
Its love used as a verb
Good will that knows no boundaries
Makes Peace more than a word

[Neal K]

ROUND THIS TIME OF YEAR

Bells may ring to celebrate
Some may shed a tear
Peace on earth a little late
Round this time of year

Somewhere there’s good‐will to all
Somewhere free from fear
Somewhere someone builds a wall
Round this time of year

Angel bright come shine your light
Waken all your wisest men
Come save us from unholy night
Keep us from the dark again

Bring us tidings to rejoice
Let my people hear
Blessėd those without a voice
Round this time of year
Round this time of year

Angel bright come shine your light
Waken all your wisest men
Come save us from unholy night
Keep us from the dark again

Hark the herald’s warning roar
Bring my children near
Peace on earth delayed once more
Round this time of year
Round this time of year

[Neal K]

Until

The wars and rumors of wars won’t slow down
And decisions are made by power hungry clowns
As they look down on their people from secure towers
Ticker tape parades pass displaying fire power
As the faceless people’s children pay the highest price of all
We feel safer for a minute behind our white picket walls

Chorus

We wonder why, we wonder why
as we speed to the end of twenty O nine
We can’t lay our heads down and find peace at night
We take a pill, drink a shot, and steal a five minute sexual thrill
To numb our minds, to buy some time, to numb our minds, to buy some time
Until…Until…Until


Musical Break

Bridge
Until we are loving everyone on a global scale
Until we do what we know is right
despite the threat of heaven or hell
Until we look in the whites of their eyes
And lay our weapons down
Until we all come together as one human spirit
Peace will not be found…peace will not be found

We wonder, why we wonder why
as we speed to the end of twenty O nine
We can’t lay our heads down and find peace at night
We take a pill, drink a shot, and steal a five minute sexual thrill
To numb our minds, to buy some time, to numb our minds, to buy some time
Until…Until…Until….

Tag
All we are saying
All we are saying
All we are saying
Is give peace a…………..

[Neal K]

The contest is now closed for entries and open for scoring. I'm switching back to the 1 - 10 scoring system this month. Some members said the 1 - 5 system was too restrictive.

So, send me your scores via private message. Remember, all contestants must provide scores or their lyric will be disqualified. Scores will be accepted until midnight, Sunday November 15th. The results will be posted the following Monday morning.

The songs are:

Peace Can’t Be Bought Or Sold
The Other Side of Now
Beautiful Dreams
It Keeps Spreading Around the World
Charlie Ryan
There will be peace
Simple Things
More than a word
Round this time of year
Until

Neal K

[Neal K]

Two entries jumped to the front of the pack and stayed there for the entire contest. The lead switched back and forth several times and the winner was determined by the last score to come in. So, without further delay, the winners are...

1st Place: There will be Peace, by Wendy D
2nd Place: Charlie Ryan, by Jonie
3rd Place: Round this time of Year, by Lazz

All contestants voted so no lyric was disqualified. Thanks to the writers for rising to the challenge and writing about peace. Special thanks goes to Alistair - our only non-contestant voter this month.

Wendy D's lyric now qualifies for the Don Martin Lyric of the Year.

Neal

[BrianJ]

Congradulation to the winners a tough subject mine was Beautiful Dreams it was alot of fun taking part cant wait untill next month and thanks for running it neal

Brian

[DonnaMarilyn]

Indeed, congratulations to the winners! Well done.

This was my first time participating (with "Simple Things", which was in fact somewhat
off topic), but I look forward to the next comp(s).

Thanks to you also, Neal, for organising everything.

Donna

[Alistair S]

Congratulations Wendy, Jonie and Lazz!

Along with the winning three, I also rated Donna's "Simple Things" highly (I was wondering who wrote that!) and More Than a Word.

[Neal K]

Here are the writers and the final scores:

69 - Peace Can’t Be Bought Or Sold - Graybeard
61 - The Other Side of Now - RKG
60 - Beautiful Dreams - Brian J
62.5 It Keeps Spreading Around The World - TomR
81.5 - Charlie Ryan - Jonie
82.5 - There will be peace - Wendy D
68.5 - Simple Things - Donna
73 - More than a word - dhess
74 - Round this time of year - Lazz
66 - Until - Kimberlyinnc

Neal

[Lazz]

Thanks for posting authors, Neal.
Each time, like Alistair I believe, I try to guess who they are.
I hesitated over identifying Jonie - through lack of real familiarity - but I hesitated, and struck-out completely.
My score this time on the guessing-stakes was a very round figure - zero.

Well done Wendy and Jonie.
Yee-hah !

[BrianJ]

I cant believe i got the lowest score lol oh well it was fun none the less

[kimberlyinnc]

Congrats to the winner--Wendy!!

and to Lazz and Jonie!!! Very inventive way to write of Peace, Jonie. Nice stuff!!

I had Wendy's tied for first with
More than a Word (Dhess)
I had Lazz's Round this Time of Year as 2nd place...


It was a hard choice with many good ones this month.

Brian...in note, as to your comment about being last...don't you give up...We have all been there before in last place...sometimes lyrics won't work on paper too, and with music work, so keep writing..ok? It was good to have you partcipate!

Congrats again guys!!! (gals) Now, I just hope Wendy will sing hers..it would be lovely.

KIM

[Neal K]

I cant believe i got the lowest score lol oh well it was fun none the less

This is why I hesitate to publish all the scores... but Brian, there's no such thing as "last place" in these contests. First, because you scored well above all the other members who (for whatever reason) didn't rise to the challenge and enter the contest. Second, because it's not really about where you place in the contest in relation to your fellow writers. It's about improving your own personal skills as a songwriter.

I've entered many of the songwriting contests on this board. I've won a few, placed in a few, but have received the "lowest" score more times than I have won. I especially suck in the collaboration contests. Getting the lowest score there is my specialty. It doesn't matter. I write for the joy of writing and performing. I hope you do too.

Neal

[BrianJ]

I wont give up kimberly i do this because i enjoy it and i enjoyed joining in

Neal you are right i really dont have a problem with scoring the lowest im new to writing and i do it because i enjoy it i will have to post it for critique though so i can learn from it and find out my mistakes and i like that you posted the scores dont stop posting the scores because of my comment it would have bugged me if you hadnt i would have wonderd about it lol

thanks Brian

[jonie]

Well, I feel as if I've been thrown to the floor and tickled. There have been times when I've entered these contests thinking I had a pretty good entry only to find myself near the bottom (hang in there, Brian ) then there are times like these that I find myself flabbergasted that I managed to edge out ahead of so many great lyrics. Well, all except Wendy's great lyric.

I didn't think I stood a chance as I don't feel my lyric really hung with the spirit of this theme. There's a reason why I chose this topic for the theme, but wasn't sure anyone but me would make the leap.

Anyway, Congratulations Wendy and Lazz. I had you both in my top three spots along with Donna's exemplary "Simple Things". Lazz's "Round This Time of Year" was my top pick. Extremely well crafted and as quietly powerful as bullet through the gut.

I only guessed Lazz and Kimberley this time around.

Thanks for the good topic, Neal and for running a great comp, as always.

Oh, thank you too, Alistair - The lone non-contestant voter.

[dhess]

Awesome contest--all winners in my book. Jonie, your's was so original--only reason it didnt get my highest vote is 'cause it hits too close to home right now. Got a 17 year old just diagnosed with the on-set of schizophrenia--and we are just praying he can find peace. Thanks again Neal--appreciate what you do for all of us.
v/r
dale

[Wendy D]

I can't believe I won! Thanks everyone and thanks to Neal for running the contest. I hesitated to enter because I felt my lyric was pretty simple and peace is such a weighty topic, especially for the times in which we are living. I felt that it was probably going to be last, or next to last because of the simplicity.

I do have a tune for it and I'm hoping to be able work it up and post it soon.

Dhess - I can imagine how hard that must be to deal with. I'll pray for you and your son.

Charlie Ryan was my pick. After that, there were four tied for second place on my scorecard. But I thought they were all good.