Lyricists! Here’s your chance to shine!
Enter The Dallas Songwriters
Quarterly Lyric Contest
Entry fee is $10 per lyric.
Quarterly Entry Deadlines:
Winter - 2nd Tuesday in March
Spring - 2nd Tuesday in June
Summer - 2nd Tuesday in September
Fall - 2nd Tuesday in December
PRIZES TO BE AWARDED
Of course the MAIN prize is what we ALL aspire to:
RECOGNITION FOR OUR LYRICAL WORK!
ALSO: The 1st place winning lyricist receives $50 cash.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winner's lyrics and judges critiques
will be published in the DSA “Songwriters Notes”
and on the DSA Website
Fall 2007 Contest Winners
(see below for lyrics and judges critiques)
1st Place Memories on a Silent Night
by Kathy Dunn, Grand Prairie, Tx
2nd Place The Loneliest Lonely
by Mike Hyden, Ralston, ME
3rd Place The Cars We Drive
by Craig St Clair, Carrollton, Tx
HM Black and White
by Mike Hyden, Ralston, ME
Next Contest Deadline for the Winter Lyric Contest:
March 11th, 2008
Bring your entries to the meeting or mail to us:
Dallas Songwriters Lyric Contest % Sammons Center for the Arts
3630 Harry Hines Blvd. Box 20, Dallas, TX 75219
SEE BELOW FOR WINNERS
OF THE FALL LYRIC CONTEST
FIRST PLACE
Memories on a Silent Night
By Katy Dunn
Verse 1
No little ones are sleeping in the bedroom up the stairs
It's Christmas Eve and here I sit in my favorite easy chair
Computers, phones and gift cards are addressed to Dad and me
But no cookies wait for Santa beside the Christmas tree
Chorus
My memories on this silent night turn to Christmas long ago
With the back yard dressed in winter white beneath the falling snow
Where children sleep in a magic world where reindeer can take flight
That's where my memories go to play on a lovely silent night
Verse 2
We helped Santa put the toys together working far too late
With laughter and hot coffee to keep us both awake
We smuggled in the puppy when the kids all went to bed
Tied big red bows on brand new bikes and a teddy bear named Fred
Chorus
My memories on this silent night turn to Christmas long ago
With the back yard dressed in winter white beneath the falling snow
Where children sleep in a magic world where reindeer can take flight
That's where my memories go to play on a lovely silent night
Verse 3
We barely closed our eyes when we heard footsteps in the hall
From tiny little slippered feet as daybreak came to call
So many presents there for us beneath the Christmas tree
But the blessing that I treasured most was our loving family
Chorus
My memories on this silent night turn to Christmas long ago
With the back yard dressed in winter white beneath the falling snow
Where children sleep in a magic world where reindeer can take flight
That's where my memories go to play on a lovely silent night
JUDGES COMMENTS
This is a well crafted holiday song. My only suggestion is that you shorten some of the lines but still say the same thing.
SECOND PLACE
(Judges Comments in Parenthesis)
The Loneliest Lonely
By Mike Hyden
Verse 1
Bustling sidewalks, the reason is clear
Holiday shoppers, the season is here
Arms full of packages, hearts full of cheer
As the snow starts to fall through the air
Here I am dreaming, an ocean apart
Warm cards and letters tear into my heart
Wond'ring how Santa could let Christmas start
Without first making sure I was there
(I want to know why he/she isn't there. Perhaps he/she is a soldier in the Middle East. That would make a good story)
Chorus
Oh, the loneliest lonely is being away
At the (this) time of year only Saint Nicholas (Santa..it's more singable) should stray
And I feel just as far as the Bethlehem star
When I'm not there to share Christmas day
Verse 2
(I would leave this verse out because it makes the song too long)
A stocking for certain with my name attached
Missing some candy, a child yet to catch (not conversational)
Look for the crook with the chocolate mustache
And you'll find an angel instead
Family members arrive from the cold
Warm-hearted greetings, a sight to behold
Peeling off layers, the fire's burning bold
I can picture it all in my head
Repeat Chorus
Verse 3
Caroling children, engaged in a song
Everyone gathers to all sing along
Sooner than later, out appetites strong (Appetites are growing, it won't be long)
Let the Holiday dinner bell ring
Warm buttered muffins with cranberry jam
Overstuffed turkeys, a honey-cured ham
Salads and legumes(veggies) and sweet candied yams
It's a Christmas feast fit for a king
Repeat Chorus
Verse 4 or Bridge
Then by the tree, once that dinner is done
Opening presents, the magic's begun
Four generations behaving as one (That's a lot of generations )
As the spirit of Christmas prevails
(I think this last verse or bridge should say something about how he can picture it but he wishes he was there to join in the festivities. Make this song more personal...not just a review of what families do at Christmas. The images are good, but you need to insert the singer in these images...like how much he misses Mom's pecan pie, hugs as warm as the fire, Uncle Ed's corny jokes, etc. In other words, personalize it.)
THIRD PLACE
The Cars We Drive
By Craig St Clair
(This is a great hook but you need to shorten your lines. In the Chorus, the 3rd line "We live our lives we laugh and cry", I would change to "And we changed our lives like we changed our cars")
HONORABLE MENTION
Black and White
By Mike Hyden
(The idea here is a good one if you can do it without sounding preachy. I would leave out the verses about rival gangs. The first 2 verses are very good because they are more personal. The chorus is also good. It's a long song so I would skip to the verse that starts with "The color of a person's skin" )
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