Enter Today.

Lyricists! Here’s your chance to shine! Enter The Dallas Songwriters Quarterly Lyric Contest Entry fee is $10 per lyric.

Quarterly Entry Deadlines: Winter - March 31 * Spring - June 30 * Summer - September 30 * Fall - December 31


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:

A certificate, $50 cash and a 1 year DSA membership.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winner's lyrics and judges critiques will be published in the DSA “Songwriters Notes” and on the DSA Website.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

SPRING LYRIC CONTEST WINNERS

SEMIFINALISTS


One Night Stands by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ
Peace Is Not So Far Away by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ
Turtle Bait by Rio King, Plano, TX
The Old Wrecked Vet by Rio King, Plano, TX
Forever Free by John Mason, Grand Prairie, TX
Letters In The Moonlight by John Mason, Grand Prairie, TX
This Backyard's Rockin' by Sarah Ashley, Maryville, TN
End to End by Mark Paterson, Plano, TX
Workin' For You Ain't Working For Me by John Thomas Lane, Monument, CO
Old Bill by John Mason, Grand Prairie, TX
Ghana Dream Girl by Michael Mante Harrison, Kumasi, Ghana, AF

WINNERS

First Place: 

This Backyard’s Rockin’ © 2014 Sarah Ashley, Maryville, TN

Has great bones – good structure, good imagery, relatable topics. Seems to be a good song just right for an upbeat, rockin’ fun song, along the lines of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “House is a-Rockin’”
Favorite line that represents the fun tone of the whole song is in the Chorus:
“Don’t call the cops, they’re all here.”

Suggestion: in the bridge, consider changing the first words to “Guys and girls” to keep that line from objectifying women.


Verse 1
Summertime Saturday
Washed the car, mowed the lawn
When the sun goes down
We turn that blender on
Tequila’s flowin, flowin
Put the speakers in the windows
Lynryd skynyrd, Rolling Stones
We’re staying home tonight
This party is homegrown
Get it goin, goin

Chorus
This backyard’s rockin, rockin,
Turn it up, turn it up
Drinkin’ summertime from a paper cup
Don’t call the cops, they’re all here
They brought the beer
This backyard’s rockin, rockin
Turn it up

Verse 2
Someone’s rockin’ in the hammock
Someone’s smokin’ something sweet
All the pretty girls
Dancing in bare feet
everybody’s movin, movin’
I gotta take away some car keys
Gotta pay the pizza man
But someone blonde and cute
Has got me by the hand
So I’m gonna be groovin, groovin

Chorus
This backyard’s rockin, rockin,
Turn it up, turn it up
Drinkin’ summertime from a paper cup
Don’t call the cops, they’re all here
They brought the beer
This backyard’s rockin, rockin
Turn it up

Bridge
We got girls of every flavor
Baby won’t you be my neighbor?
Everybody’s out here
Tearing up my lawn
We’re all gettin’ hot and sweaty
And I’m hopin’ yall are ready
Cause it’s way past time to turn the sprinkler on

Chorus
This backyard’s rockin, rockin,
Turn it up, turn it up
Drinkin’ summertime from a paper cup
Don’t call the cops, they’re all here
They brought the beer
This backyard’s rockin, rockin
Turn it up

Second Place:

 End to the End © Mark Paterson, Plano, TX

Nice writing, good imagery

I heard the fabled fat lady sing
Hung on tight and did the right thing
Waited for word that no one would send nice
I held up my end to the end also nice

I felt the rain before it came down yes
Heard the train comin’ clear across town
Wasn’t much left for me to defend
But I held up my end to the end

I held on a minute too long
Thought I could right the things that went wrong
Rather than spend a life on the mend
I held up my end to the end

Bridge:
I couldn’t let the dream just flicker and die
With everything gone in the blink of an eye
Maybe it’s better to break than to bend nice
But I held up my end…to the end

(Solo Section)

I heard the fabled fat lady sing
Wrung my hands and played with the ring
There’s plenty of time to make our amends
I held up my end to the end

I was the last to give up the ghost
Did like Dad and stuck to my post
Say what you want about me my friend
I held up my end…to the end

I couldn’t let the dream just flicker and die
With everything gone in the blink of an eye
Maybe it’s better to break than to bend
But I held up my end…to the end


Third Place: 

Workin’ For You Ain’t Workin’ For Me © John Thomas Lane, Monument, CO

OK you got me with the title, I’m in. Good work.
Consider dropping “Man” in the last line of the chorus – although it may be intended as conversational slang, it also locks the boss into being a man – and the singer may be working for a woman.


The mornin’ comes in like a black-hearted blur
So I drag myself to the shower
Run some soap over my head
Crawl back under the covers to the safety of my bed
I stare at the ceilin’
Mumble to the cold bare floor
But I can’t shake this feelin’
And I can’t work there no more

I don’t need to scream and shout
Never been a shadow, never a doubt
Stand up and say it right out loud
Workin’ for you ain’t workin’ for me
Burn that bridge and walk right out
Man workin’ for you just ain’t workin’ for me

Like cattle to the market and lemmings to the sea
That same feelin’ grows inside like a bad dream
So I asked myself and I agreed
A good day would be you minus me
Cause workin’ for you ain’t workin’ for me
Man workin’ for you just ain’t workin’ for me

I don’t need to scream and shout
Never been a shadow, never a doubt
Stand up and say it right out loud
Workin’ for you ain’t workin’ for me
Burn that bridge and walk right out
Man workin’ for you just ain’t workin’ for me

People say I’m makin’ my way, climbin’ the ladder, collectin’ honest pay
I say I’m slappin’ that back and kissin’ that ass eight hours a day
So this is it, one last time, once and for all
I’m done watchin’ the clock do its soul killin’ crawl

I don’t need to scream and shout
Never been a shadow, never a doubt
Stand up and say it right out loud
Workin’ for you ain’t workin’ for me
Burn that bridge and walk right out
Man workin’ for you just ain’t workin’ for me



Fourth Place:  

OLD BILL © John Mason, Grand Prairie, TX

 Nice story here. Good meter, easy rhymes. Next time please indicate Verse and Chorus and bridge – this was a little hard to tease apart. The line breaks are my own guesses…:

Old bill lived near the railroad track
 On the run down side of town
He kept to himself he never looked back
 Nobody came around
Now some folks said he was once on the run
He might have done someone bad
But I know the truth because I knew him well
He was the best friend I ever had.
I was just 13 with too much time to face,
 All alone without a dream
And I wandered down by the railroad track
Where I heard a sound so sweet
When his fingers moved across those strings
 Made it sound just like when an angel sings Tighten up the meter – a few too many syllables in the last line.

Could not take my eyes away, that day I was saved.
I knew that if got the nerve
 I could find a way to ask him sir
Would you please teach me how to play?
Old Bill must have known by the look on my face
That my world had just been found
Because he said come here boy, if you want to play
 From then on I lived for that sound
We played every day and Old Bill would always say
That music lives in your soul
He gave me a gift I could never repay
 But I’ll always remember him so.

And the years went by the story got old
Yet the ending is still far away
While there’s a boy and a guitar on my porch outside
 I will remember that one summer day.
When his fingers moved across those strings
Made it sound just like when an angel sings
Could not take my eyes away, that day I was saved.

I knew that if got the nerve
 I could find a way to ask him sir
Would you please teach me how to play?

Old bill lived near the railroad track
 On the run down side of town
He kept to himself and he never looked back
Nobody came around
Now some folks said he was once on the run
That he might have done someone bad
But I know the truth because I knew him well
He was the best friend I ever had.

When his fingers moved across those strings
 Made it sound just like when an angel sings
Could not take my eyes away, that day I was saved.
I knew that if got the nerve
 I would find a way to ask him sir
Could you please teach me how to play?