Smoke Without Fire
This early summer morning
Swept the pain away
As you danced it through your mind
Like watching children play
That late summer evening
A familiar face
And you walked around the room
As if you owned the place
Chiming
The wind chiming
The bad timing of
Running into you again
Rewinding
Reminding me
Of how you blinded me
To everything good and pure
You
Were on top of the world
And you walked away from everything
Like you didn’t care
You
Were on top of the world
And you threw away our memories
Like you didn’t care
Years from ground zero
And I’m seeing you again
At a place I didn’t expect to see you
I’m back there
I’m back then
But it’s a place in my life
Where you don’t exist
So I show you my smile
And unclench my fists
Churning
The world churning
The pages burning
In the atmosphere
Writing
Igniting fires
Splashed upon by reality
And smoldering for eternity
You
Were on top of the world
And you walked all over everyone
Like you didn’t care
You
Dropped the pictures of us
Into the flames
Like you didn’t care
This smoke is without a fire
This smoke is without a fire
And you don’t look happy
You’re not doing well
And you realize what you had
I can tell
I couldn’t do anything about it
Even if I wanted to
And I don’t want to
We’re through
And I don’t care about you
You
Were on top of the world
And you let it slip away from you
Like you didn’t care
You
Were the love of my life
And you let me slip away from you
And I don’t care
This smoke is without a fire
This smoke is without a fire
Edward Hotspur
Is that you or a song lyric? Because that is twisted and bleak like a dried up rose stem with sharp thorns and wilted petals.
I sort of imagine myself in situations, and then write what I feel. Sometimes I’ve actually experienced it. Sometimes it’s more of a universal feeling, not necessarily specific to one event.
I tried to tell my wife that I don’t write songs to specific people, but rather to emotions and feelings and experiences.
It is true, but she isn’t buying it.
Write them using other people’s names you randomly pick from a baby name book
She keeps wanting me to write a song just for her. It is a lot of pressure.
Oh I see your problem! No wonder! You can write inspired songs to “no one” but not to her?
You’re going to have to write one about her, or inspired by her. I think the trick is to write how you always do, but somewhere while writing, think of something that reminds you of her and put it in the poem/song.
I once wrote a poem for my brother’s wedding (I read it during the ceremony), but it was actually 75% about/for/inspired by my wife.
I will give that a try.
If that sounded condescending, it wasn’t. Trial and error doesn’t give the auhority to be so.
It didn’t sound condescending… just descending, because you are on a higher plane than the rest of us… ha!
That last ha was half a laugh. I am no better than any of you mortals!
Yes, Master…
Practicing for the wife?