[quote] Alright! Songwriting Workshop #3 coming atcha!![/quote]
Because time is moving fast for me, this week’s assignment is to write a song about “time”. My song might be about the lack thereof, but yours could be about time and space, time traveling, a wristwatch, …you get the idea!
Now get to it! Email me your submission by Sunday night, and let me know if you have any questions. 
This week’s songwriting assignment was to describe a time you took a chance on something. I didn’t follow the assignment. But that’s totally cool! You don’t need to either!
This week’s submissions include Ryan B’s first submission, a beautifully-crafted song called Love Me
AND
my submission, a spiritual story about ascending to heaven, called “Amen“. I first had the idea for “Amen” while walking home from Lisa’s a couple of hours ago. I recorded the background melody on my phone, and you can listen to it here. I have this bug in me to write a gospel opera…
“Love Me” Lyrics (by Ryan B.)
Sitting here just drinking
Wish I weren’t alone tonight
I want someone to hold me
And love me ‘til the morning light
What is the problem?
Don’t know what I’m doing not right
Put myself back out there
Still you’re nowhere in my sight
Love me tender, love me true
Love me tonight, and I’ll love you
Have another a whiskey
Maybe I’ll make it two
Not that it matters
Won’t bring me any closer to you
My hands are all but tied now
Don’t know what I’m going to do
Guess I’ll keep on pushing
Hoping just to make it though
Love me tender, love me true
Love me tonight, and I’ll love you
“Amen” Lyrics (By Toby Cryns)
Please take my hand.
Let me guide you to the promised land.
Ain’t noone gonna hold you down.
The good lord has come to town.
Be loved.
Beloved man, I will take you to the promised land.
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing no more.
We are going to open Heaven’s door.
Amen.
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Let’s start fresh this week with Songwriting Workshop #2.
Summer is a great time to try new things, let your hair down, and take chances in life, love, and everything. With that in mind, this week’s assignment is to write a song that describes a time you took a chance on something.
Get to it!!
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I finally turned on the computer yesterday to churn out my first song for the Cryns #3 Songwriting Workshop.
Ever since recording Boulder back in 2005, I have had this dream of recording a whole album of gospel songs that a church choir could sing. In fact, some day I hope to gather a whole church choir and perform said album in a live setting. Just to be clear, I’m talking about those fun, foot-stomping, inner-city choirs. I love ‘em! The church choirs I grew up with in the Lutheran and Catholic churches wouldn’t be able to hang with this shit.
The topic of this week’s workshop was “Something Big”. My new song is called “Salvation”, which is just about the biggest thing I could think of – bigger even than my appetite for ice cream. To be saved in the afterlife would be the biggest thrill – and what a surprise it would be! Listen to Salvation!
The song tells a story of life, from confident childhood to unsure adulthood to (finally) salvation in the Lord.
I have always liked thinking about my faith. I don’t actually believe in a benevolent or an angry God for that matter. The only reason I actually believe God exists is because I believe in the Law of Conservation of Matter, which states, “Matter can neither be created nor destroyed,” which causes me to constantly ask myself, “Well then, who created the matter to begin with?”
Still, there are a lot of unexplainable, beautiful things in this world. There are so many varieties of living beings on this planet that it’s hard to fathom it all coming together without divine intervention.
Oh my Lord!
Let your rain fall on me!
What do you do when the gospel comes?
What do you do when the gospel comes knockin’ on your door?
You’ve got to praise the Lord!
You’ve got to praise the Lord, and ask for his sympathy!
He’s got a manger.
He’s got a saint.
He’ll show Ceasar!
He’s gonna save our souls today.
There’s a baby in the manger.
He’s gonna stand tall and get murdered for our sins.
What you gonna do with all those souls?…
What are you gonna do with your soul?
You’re gonna pay the piper!
NOOOOO!!!
Oh my Lord!
I found salvation!!!
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Topic/Inspiration: Write a song about something big in your life.
Deadline: Sunday, June 14 @ 7 p.m.
Submit: Email me an mp3 of your work. Send emails to toby at cryns dot com.
“Something Big” could be a project you are working on at your job, an emotionally-big topic, or the big, fat guy who sat next to you at the Twins game last week.
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions!
I’ve been listening to CDBaby.com’s “Do It Yourself” Musician Podcast for a couple of months now, and it has given me all sorts of ideas and inspiration for my music career. Today, I listened to their interview with and follow-up discussion about Jonathan Coulton. As I was listening, I had this strong urge to do a Coulton imitation and write & record a song every week. This would do two things:
Plus, it would be a challenge. Writing and recording a song, even a shitty one, takes me about 12 hours total, which equates to 2-3 days of passive recording and writing (I find that it helps to let ideas ferment for a day or two before reworking and recording them).
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One idea I had that interests me is to have a songwriters’ workshop type of thing, where I would supply a theme or topic on Monday morning and anybody who is interested would write a song based on the theme or topic. Then, we can all share our videos and do a big circle jerk to celebrate our brilliance. What do you think? Would you participate?