[jonie]

The February Lyric Contest is now open CLOSED for entries. See scoring instructions below. Please note an addition to the scoring qualifications.

Open theme (which means there is no provided theme)

Submission Rules:

Standard rules apply (you can read them in full HERE) but, in short, they are:

- Send your lyric to me (jonie) by Private Message before the end of Saturday February 19, 2011
- You must have 25 posts to enter.
- Lyrics must not have been posted on the Muse as a lyric or a song.
- Once submitted, I will allow you one chance to make a change to your lyric. (I know this is not usual, but I've often wished for the chance) The change must be PM'd to me within 24 hours of the original PM of your lyric. You may not change your lyric, once it is posted.

Scoring:

When the contest closes, I will provide a list of the lyrics and instructions on how to submit scores

- If you enter, you must provide a score or your own lyric will be disqualified.
- Vote for all lyrics except your own on a scale of 1 to 10, whole numbers only (any decimal places or half scores will be rounded down).
- Your lyric gets the average score you gave the others.
- To Be eligible to vote/score in a Muses Muse Lyric contest if you are not a contestant, you must have been an active member for at least 30 days and have a minimum of 10 posts within the previous month. Posts are not restricted to the Lyrics Feedback forum.

- Scores must be in by the end of Friday, February 25, 2011.
- Winners will be announced on Saturday, February 26, 2011.

Finally, a request to all voters. Please score in keeping with the spirit of the contest. Your votes should reflect not only how you feel a lyric stands up against the competition but how it stands up on its own. In other words, it is not in keeping with the spirit of the contest to isolate a favorite lyric by scoring it very high while scoring all other entries lower than they may deserve. You can find a good guide to scoring HERE

Here is a list of the lyrics to be scored:

Caroline
Safe and Sound
The Season’s Air
Samurai Smile
Don't Deny It
A Two Dollar Tear
True Love
I've Lost My Way
Paint My Picture
Limbo
Too Fine A Lady
Pretty Stories
Pick It Up and Start It Again
Cut and Run
The Lake
Faded Blue
Meet Me

[jonie]

Caroline
Peter Pan

(verses)
We were students when I met her,
standin` her a coffee for a kiss and for a smile.
I can`t help me, my eyes`re always gettin` wetter
when I start just thinkin` of that time.

Open minded from conviction,
that was her, finding out what`s what since she was just twelve,
mysterious, quiet, full of contradictions,
but somehow logical for herself.

(chorus)
Caroline, oh, Caroline,
what`s this all about?
There`re things people sense (just) all the time,
but they do not say them loud.

Caroline, oh, Caroline,
I knew it all the time.
somehow.now we can cry or shout.
Caroline, oh, Caroline,
what`s this all about?
tell me, please, yes, tell me, please: what`s this all about?


(verses)
In those days we were a couple,
it was too late when I noticed the stab wounds in her leg,
I did not realize she was in big troubles
till I found that LSD and Crack..

I talked and fought, tried to save her,
whereas she dissociated more and more from me,
and strange, suspicious figures began to date her,
while payin` with Snow and THC.

She got the lover of the dealers,
then a prostitute, there`s no way out once when you are trapped,
I know, people say that time is a great healer,
excuse me, I cannot stand that crap.

Years ago when I advised her
she did not listen, you know, I met her recently
by case, in bad shape, I hardly recognized her,
she said calmly she got HIV.

(chorus)
Caroline, oh, Caroline,
what`s this all about?
There`re things people sense (just) all the time,
but they do not say them loud.

Caroline, oh, Caroline,
I knew it all the time.
somehow. now we can cry or shout.
Caroline, oh, Caroline,
what`s this all about?
tell me, please, yes, tell me, please: what`s this all about?

[jonie]

Safe and Sound
AndyLef

Verse 1
There’s a kind old lady knitting
looking through her window pane
Spending days, months, years and sighs
trav’ling winding mem’ry lanes
She sees a girl and the boy next door
feels their hand in hand
Unafraid of the path they take
it’s their future to command

Chorus
Inside she’s still that little girl
from all those years ago
Still hearing school ground laughter
feeling thrill of new laid snow
Reliving all the hopes and tears
with fam’ly close around
And though those times are distant now
Inside they’re safe and sound
Safe and sound

Verse 2
There’s a cat upon the window sill
and a clock chimes on the side
The fire’s cold in the grate now but
pride cloaks the cold she hides
Then as she nods and falls asleep
smiles lingers on her lips
And a ball of wool rolls to the floor
from between her finger tips

Chorus
Inside she’s still that little girl
from all those years ago
Still hearing school ground laughter
feeling thrill of new laid snow
Reliving all the hopes and tears
with fam’ly close around
And though those times are distant now
Inside they’re safe and sound
Safe and sound

Break
Across the room her photographs
Smiling faces watch over her
They’re on their guard and they never sleep
In their likeness she looks out too
Over you (over you, over you, over you)

Chorus
Inside she’s still that little girl
from all those years ago
Still hearing school ground laughter
feeling thrill of new laid snow
Reliving all the hopes and tears
with fam’ly close around
And though those times are distant now
Inside they’re safe and sound
Safe and sound

[jonie]

The Season’s Air
Stewart Alexander

In the winter days I feel
Time is just a way to heal
In the winter nights I see
The glorious moon my love is she

In the spring morn I hear
My birds my friends are home and near
In the spring her evening days
Summer rings he’s on his way

For I am lost
Till I can taste
All colours in
The season’s air
My mind takes turns
From joy to hurt
What can I do
But stop to stare

Summer fills the grass and ground
Such warmth can friend the fox and hound
The fall my autumn friend has come
Within rain my dad and mum

For I am lost
Till I can taste
All colours in
The season’s air
My mind takes turns
From joy to hurt
What can I do
But stop to stare

[jonie]

Samurai Smile
starsinmyeyes

V1
She's one controlled 24 year old
Her movements so clear and precise
Admit I'm sold on her heart of gold
And her twenty four carat eyes

V2
I'm almost dead when she turns her head
And removes me from her sight
Right or wrong I'll take her on
If she'll go a few rounds tonight.

PC
She never mentions love
Just engagement and defeat...

C
First she gets me hopin
That she might cut me open
Then she'll slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile
Her honour is her word
There's no need for a sword
When she can slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile.

V3
Both exotic and intelligent
She keeps to a strict regime
She learns Musashi's wisdom,
Recites the Book of Five Rings

PC
She never mentions love
Just engagement and defeat..

C
She hooks me with that look
And guts me with that strut
Then she'll slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile
Her honour is her word
She won't remove her sword
When she can slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile.

Bridge
Her mind's an enlightened forge, her skill in war is prized
She has no natural fear of death, but mine's there in her eyes
Yeah, mine's there in her eyes...

C
First she'll get me hopin
She might cut me open
Then she'll slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile
Her honour is her word
She don't need a sword
When she can slice me nicely with her Samurai Smile.

[jonie]

DON'T DENY IT
RKG

There's a feeling on the streets
See it in the people that you meet

Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot

Pressure building up inside
There is nowhere left for it to hide

Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot

Politicians take the throne
They're not going to leave us alone

Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot
Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't' deny it, you want to riot

Things have got to change
Before everyone's deranged

Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot
Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot

Come on
Lets
Get it together now

Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot
Don't deny it, you want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot
Don't deny it, your want a riot
Don't deny it, you want to riot

[jonie]

A Two Dollar Tear
no future

She gave me a look, I answered with a smile
But she was begging for help with her eyes

Since several years, finding comfort in her despair, life gave up on her
And after several beers, in Riga’s bus terminus she slowly wanders
Silently waiting for the winter cold to remove her pain and feel much better
She doesn’t eat, wishing for her hunger to die; where to go now? She still wonders
Her face was red as fire

I gave her some coins; she thanked me with a tear
That’s all she had to offer but she was sincere

(Chorus)
A tear of happiness because she got what she asked for
And a tear of sadness because it was surely not enough
A new life and a home are dreams she cannot afford
Forever waiting for the next bus which will never stop

Without wasting a moment, bent and broken, she proudly walked to the closest store
And to my discontent, she left with another beer she swallowed as syrup
Relief doesn’t imply recovery; it’s the alcohol that’s subtly consuming her
Selling her dignity to forget how she lost it, now she just doesn’t give a ****
Her hands were white as snow now, I got duped

(Bridge)
(A two-dollar tear) For a moment, this made her feel warmer
(A two-dollar tear) But after a while, it freezes and feels colder
(A two-dollar tear) And it won’t dry so next time she’ll remember
(A two-dollar tear) What she did when she’ll look in the mirror

(Chorus)

[jonie]

True Love
Midway

V1
You fell in love too blindly
Not caring where you’d land
Until it all was over
Much sooner than you planned
You had to learn the hard way
The rules to Cupid’s game
And after your first heartbreak
Were never quite the same

CH
First love
Unrehearsed love
Is the worst love by design
Because true love
Bolt from the blue love
Is a love few ever find

V2
You packed your pride and moved on
A little worse for wear
And when you found a new love
Had something to compare
When promises were traded
You held back all you had
In case the whole thing ended
It would not hurt so bad

CH
Next love
More complex love
Still affects your peace of mind
Because true love
Bolt from the blue love
Is a love few ever find

BR
You can drive yourself to utter madness
Searching for love’s reason and love’s rhyme
But if you’re truly wise
You’ll stop and close your eyes
And beg for love to fool you one more time

V3
You finally decided
To give love one last chance
You boldly walked on over
And asked her for a dance
Hearts beating with the music
In tempo bar for bar
She resurrected hope again
And healed those ancient scars

CH
Last love
Unsurpassed love
Will stand fast as years unwind
Because true love
Bolt from the blue love
Is a love few ever find

Oh yes, true love
Bolt from the blue love
Is a love few ever find

[jonie]

I've Lost My Way
graybeard

Verse 1
She left me in April
On a day that it rained
Felt like a fool
But I didn’t complain

Verse 2
Helped her load her things
Into her old Chevrolet
Showed no distress
As she was driving away

Verse 3
But when I got back inside
Emotions imploded
Took me on a ride
Down a dark lonely road

Chorus
I should have known
I should’ve begged her to stay
These weeks alone
I’ve lost my way
I’ve lost my way

Bridge
Back into her arms
Send me directions
Sound an alarm
I need protection

Chorus
I should have known
I should’ve begged her to stay
These weeks alone
I’ve lost my way
I’ve lost my way

Tag
What can I say?
I’ve lost my way

[jonie]

Paint My Picture
crazypoet

That guy by the bar is looking at everyone else but me
I wish I was the only girl in this room that he could see
When I leave this bar
he’ll take a different car
Although I wish we’d share this night
in my dreams I’ll be the star

(Pre ch.)
I’ll paint my picture with colors so bright
on a canvas of white

(Ch.)
Layer number one is my past
It won’t last
Layer number two is today
It won’t stay
But layer number three is the real me
the one I’ll be
when I paint my picture

This girl that I work with is always looking smoking hot
I wish I was a bit like her with all that confidence she’s got
She’s like a beauty queen
that you see on the screen
But when I get home and turn off the light
then it’s me who will be seen

(Pre ch.)
I’ll paint my picture with colors so bright
on a canvas of white

(Ch.)
Layer number one is my past
It won’t last
Layer number two is today
It won’t stay
But layer number three is the real me
the one I’ll be
when I paint my picture

(Br.)
I’ll shine through the darkness
like a meteor shower
and strut my stuff
as the girl of the hour

(Pre ch.)
I’ll paint my picture with colors so bright
on a canvas of white

(Ch.)
Layer number one is my past
It won’t last
Layer number two is today
It won’t stay
But layer number three is the real me
the one I’ll be
when I paint my picture

[jonie]

Limbo
feegis

Lord, you brought a good woman into my life
And I know she deserves to be a good man’s wife
And when we started I thought that’s where we would go
But I lost something and now it seems so hard to know

(chorus)
Lord, let me love her or let me leave her
I don’t want to put her through this anymore
The hell of life in limbo
Will I stay or will I go
Let me leave or let me have the feeling I had before

I know the greatest feeling in life truly does exist
Once you feel it, it’s the hardest feeling to resist
But once you have it and it’s gone, does it ever come back
Having to walk away from gold can freeze you in your tracks

(chorus)

Holding on for fear, holding on for hope
Either way I’m putting her through hell
I always thought of myself as a decent man
But lately, Lord, lately I can’t tell

Two years in and I’ve never asked her to be mine
And I don’t feel like much of a man straddling the line
They say that when in doubt, you should do without
Maybe this is something I shouldn’t have to think about

(chorus)

[jonie]

Too Fine A Lady
Alistair S

I am a roughhouse boy.
I am a tinker’s son.
I have no money saved.
I have one suit of clothes,
A good knife and a gun.

I’d take a walk with her
If she would walk with me,
I’d change myself into
Who she needs me to be,
I’d take a chance with her
If she’d give me a sign,
But she’s too a fine a lady ever to be … mine.

There’ll be no wedding bells.
There’ll be no blushing bride.
There’ll be no singing choirs.
The day will never come
She’ll lay down by my side.

(But)
I’d take a ride with her
If she would ride with me.
I’d turn her life around
And set her spirit free.
I’d take a chance with her
If she’d give me a sign,
But she’s too a fine a lady ever to be … mine.

I own the sky, but not the land beneath my feet.
I own the future but the past still has me beat.
I own a flame and I can build a blazing fire.
I’ve downed a drink or two and have but one desire …

To have my way with her,
To have her want the same,
To feel my hands on her
As she cries out my name.
I’d take a chance with her
If she’d give me a sign,
But she’s too a fine a lady ever to be … mine.

(And)
There’ll be no wedding bells.
There’ll be no blushing bride.
There’ll be no singing choirs.
The day will never come
She’ll lay down by my side.

For she’s too a fine a lady ever to be mine.
She’s too a fine a lady ever to be … mine.

[jonie]

PRETTY STORIES
scubed

Don't think I'm foolish
Don't think I'm blind
I'm only asking for you to be kind
Don't give me insight
Don't get too deep
Just tell me something to help me to sleep

Tell me Pretty Stories
Tell me they're true
Don't paint me darkness
Don't sing me blue
Tell me Pretty Stories
End with a smile
Maybe I'll believe you
For a while


I remember the days
Of my sure-footed youth
Eager to reach out and handle the truth
Now I see what I see
And I know what I know
And I carry it with me wherever I go

Tell me Pretty Stories
Tell me they're true
Don't paint me darkness
Don't sing me blue
Tell me Pretty Stories
End with a smile
Maybe I'll believe you
For a while

Bridge:

Just for awhile let's pretend
That things will somehow be all right in the end

Tell me tomorrow
We'll see better days
Tell me life works in mysterious ways
'Cause it's all falling down
And I'm falling apart
Just tell me something to unbreak my heart

Tell me Pretty Stories
Tell me they're true
Don't paint me darkness
Don't sing me blue
Tell me Pretty Stories
End with a smile
Maybe I'll believe you
For a while
Maybe I'll believe you
For a while

[jonie]

Pick It Up and Start It Again
MrFitz

She stood there teary eyed
wondering what was going on
I said its over
and its time we started moving along
she watched and waited
wondering if I was gonna laugh
but i showed her the door
and waited for the aftermath

Dont blame me I dont know better
through the window can see her hair getting wetter
Im not a monster and I had to let her back in
and tried to explain myself

If its broke dont fix it (things are probably better that way)
If its ripped ill mend it (Doesnt mean Im gonna stay)
But when i get so tired (i cant help thinking that)
I'll just start again (pick it up and start it again)
Pick It Up and Start It Again

I said just listen
things arent gonna work out
Im just so screwed up
and you arent helping out
She said we could try
and I said its really no use
It made her angry
and I got ready for the abuse

Dont blame me I dont know better
shes angry i shouldnt of upset her
shes got that look of crazy in her eye
ive awkwardly done it again

If its broke dont fix it (things are probably better that way)
If its ripped ill mend it (Doesnt mean Im gonna stay)
But when i get so tired (i cant help thinking that)
I'll just start again (pick it up and start it again)
Pick It Up and Start It Again

She said I should
She Said I Should
She said I should go

Then she threw the vase down
and the flowers went everywhere
I saw a rainbow
in the shards on my living room chairs
It was then i knew
that she meant what shes gonna say
and im not the kinda man
to ever stand in her way

Dont blame me I dont know better
She started crying and her eyes got redder
and as she stormed out i cant help thinking
things are probably better this way

If its broke dont fix it (things are probably better that way)
If its ripped ill mend it (Doesnt mean Im gonna stay)
But when i get so tired (i cant help thinking that)
I'll just start again (pick it up and start it again)
Pick It Up and Start It Again
Pick It Up and Start It Again
Pick It Up and Start It Again

[jonie]

Cut and Run
kimberlyinnc

I paid allegiance to Uncle Sam
But one tour in ‘Nam didn’t impress my old man
A lifetime Marine; I was long haired freak
Playing Country Joe, marching in the streets
So, I gave sister a kiss, and my hi-fi stereo
Hopped on my Harley rode ‘er fast as she’d go
I cut and run

Chorus
I had no map, had no plan
Just a rucksack of canned spam
An old tin pot and pinto beans
Without any reign on me
I cut and run

Stopped for gas and smokes on 95
My ex, Caroline was there buying Boone’s Farm wine
She hadn’t changed though her kind eyes looked so sad
Dad hung himself in jail, was all she had
So we split a chili dog, and talked over a few beers
But when she said she missed me after all these years
I cut and run


Worked the carnivals on the west coast
Luring sticky fingered kids to lose at bottle throw
After the lights and sounds went down, I’d see dad’s face
‘til I’d find a chick, party until day
I won some bread playing poker, but lost it rolling dice
But before losing another tooth in a fight
I cut and run


Chorus
I had no map, had no plan
Just a rucksack of canned spam
An old tin pot and pinto beans
Without any reign on me
I cut and run


Bridge
Was planting trees in Tennessee, when I got the call
Sissy cried “Daddy’s dying, please come back home”
What could I say? He was my dad, I was his son
And it’s be said you can always go home
So, I cut and run


Chorus

I had no map, had no plan
Just a rucksack of canned spam
An old tin pot and pinto beans
Without any reign on me
I cut and run

[jonie]

The Lake
John Paragreen

Giant blades spin in the wind
Producing electricity
And the politicians proclaim
That this is clean energy,
But some farmers in China
Stand sullen faced
Their once fertile land
Is a lake of toxic waste.

The furnaces near Baotou
They burn day and night
Producing rare earth metals
To feed our green appetite,
Each magnet we install
In every turbine
Adds more chemical junk
To the lake of septic slime.

chorus
Bubbling and hissing
Poisoning the land and the air,
The lake paints a picture
Of apocalyptic despair.

On the crust near the shore
Children used to play
Some drowned in the sludge
When the surface gave way,
Now guards patrol the lake
All five miles wide
When money's at stake
Values get swept aside.

chorus
Bubbling and hissing
Poisoning the land and the air,
The lake paints a picture
Of apocalyptic despair.

bridge
Standing by my window sill
I see a wind farm on the distant hill
But I don't think of green energy,
My head starts to shake
As I think of the Baotou lake
And how selfish mankind can be.

chorus
Bubbling and hissing
Poisoning the land and the air,
The lake paints a picture
Of apocalyptic despair.

bridge 2
I wonder how many lakes we'll create
Oh but maybe I'm thinking too far
But I know we'll need lots of magnets
When we mass produce the electric car.

chorus
Bubbling and hissing
Poisoning the land and the air,
The lake paints a picture
Of apocalyptic despair.

The lake paints a picture
Of apocalyptic despair.

[jonie]

Faded Blue
Gordon

How many times did I write her in class?
It seems so clear; could so much time have passed?
Once we laughed and made angels in the snow
Tossed snowballs at icicles, breaking a window or two
Skating on the pond out behind the school
Catching each other whenever we slipped

Now I watch the hands of the clock marking the hours
While I nurse a drink amidst our wilting flowers
And her yellowed fingertips cling to her day’s last smoke
Once upon a time she used to smile
Perhaps someday it’ll come back in style
But for now we just sit here, each alone
Immersed in the stale stench of cigarettes
And our memories faded blue

How many times did I sing her my songs?
I wonder between the clock’s hollow gongs
Once we laughed and ran barefoot in the grass
We rolled in the soft clover, searching for a little luck
Racing to the pond out behind the school
Stripping off our jeans to probe its cool depths

Now we lie in our bed, basking in the TV’s glow
Another day’s passage marked by growing shadow
Leno makes me laugh, but only silence leaves my lips
It seems there’s something I used to say
Maybe I will again someday
But for now I’ll just lie here quietly
Wrapped in the stale stench of cigarettes
And our blankets faded blue

How many times did I kiss her goodnight?
Embracing underneath the faint starlight
Once we strolled to the crickets’ serenade
While holding each other’s hand, the warmest security
Passing by the pond out behind the school
Pausing to skip a stone and make a wish

Now in the silence of our room, flowers never bloom
And gray clouds gather here, enshroud us in their gloom
The lamplight flickers low as we settle down to sleep
I wish there was more that could be done
It seems there’s nothing left that’s fun
So I turn to whisper in her ear
But notice her pale skin so much paler
And her soft lips faded blue

[jonie]

Meet Me
Wendy D

Meet me, here
On this night so clear
And watch..
as the stars
fall out of the sky

Pull me, tight
At the falling of light
Kiss me..
be with me
As you whisper
goodbye

As the moon starts to fall
And flames burn the world
As empires break down
And the void comes unfurled

Stand with me..
On the edge of this knife
And love me,
Don't leave me..
At the end of this life

When, we must go
Find your way
to my soul
I will be here
At the end
of all tears

[jonie]

Time to vote.

Please see post #1 for scoring details and a list of the lyrics.