The Walk of Time

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good4somethingbum
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The Walk of Time

Post by good4somethingbum » Sat May 23, 2020 3:36 pm

The Walk of Time © 05-23-2020 Robert George BMI

Well, the graveyard’s overgrown with spider-weeds and sticky grass
Moonlight cuts the Mississippi like a diamond cutting glass
It’s not like the Navy cemetery near St. Mary’s church
This is where the midnight crow and fallen angel come to perch
Rumored to repose here are some river pirates with their loot
But it’s mostly alley cut-throats, reprobates and prostitutes

Shadows slither ‘round the mausoleums and they talk of crime
Bat-infested willows hear the footfalls of the walk of time


Now, there’s absinthe in the old caretaker’s deer-hide jug
And there’s talk a buccaneer was rolled up in a Persian rug
There’s a withered rose bouquet beside a faded wreath
Rusty pliers and a hollow gourd for golden rings and teeth
There’s the rat-like squeaking of a rotted coffin lid
And a greedy hand reached in where unspent wealth was hid

Shadows slither ‘round the mausoleums and they talk of crime
Bat-infested willows hear the footfalls of the walk of time


O her hair was darkness without limit and her eyes were hazel
Some say she had Creole in her blood
Beauty such as hers had tempted Uzza and Azazel
In the lawless days before the Flood


The new recruit was watching from his lonely booth
And he somehow knew the moonlit markers were the only truth
Then a shadow moved among the concrete seraphim
Was it raised by saints or talisman and teraphim
Lightning flashed and there were rumblings of a distant storm
As a cool wind welcomed something in a captain’s uniform

Shadows slither ‘round the mausoleums and they talk of crime
Bat-infested willows hear the footfalls of the walk of time


Well, her wait was over when her lover’s hand reached down
And she wore the ivory starlight like a virgin’s wedding gown
In the shadow realm their kisses held no shame at all
So they sailed together upward to a cosmic port of call
With the rug beneath his arm and gold within his hollow gourd
The robber bought damnation with his vile reward

Shadows slither ‘round the mausoleums and they talk of crime
Bat-infested willows hear the footfalls of the walk of time
The footfalls of the walk of time…

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cosmicdolphin
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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by cosmicdolphin » Sun May 24, 2020 7:57 am

Good imagery, felt like I was there but as much as I like it but it's way too specific lyrically for sync

good4somethingbum
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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by good4somethingbum » Mon May 25, 2020 9:27 pm

Hi Cosmic. I'm glad you liked it but I'm not sure what you mean about it being too specific for synch.

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by Zaychi » Tue May 26, 2020 6:05 am

good4somethingbum wrote:
Sat May 23, 2020 3:36 pm

Moonlight cuts the Mississippi like a diamond cutting glass
It’s not like the Navy cemetery near St. Mary’s church
Stuff like this, I gather.

Remember most listings:
TAXI wrote: Lyrics that avoid references to specific names, dates, times, brands, and places could make your Songs more appealing to the Publisher, and Music Supervisors as well!

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by good4somethingbum » Tue May 26, 2020 6:29 am

Aah, I see.

Well, I didn't write this to be a pop song. It's about a graverobber, a dead prostitute and the ghost of a Navy captain. It's not gonna end up playing in the background of a teen love scene on Freeform, haha.

And I'm surprised pubs don't want songs with details. Details are the lifeblood of writing. That's basic.

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by AlanHall » Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:14 am

details in sync listings, no. details for artist listings, sure! It's what Dean Krippaehne and Robin Frederick (and others I'm sure) emphasize in their "show it, don't tell it" approach to songwriting.

Do you have a melodic/structural idea for these lyrics? I'm kind of left hanging with the title line, expecting some magnification of that idea in the bridge. Or some melodic accent that (obviously) doesn't appear in the written text. Just wondering out loud :)

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by good4somethingbum » Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:42 am

Hi Alan. I've never heard of those guys. What songs have they written?

It's my opinion that details are the heart of any good creative wtiting.

This is, honestly, more of a poem, although it's metered so a melody could be composed for it. It would be more of a moody talking blues, like Dylan's Ain't Talking.

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by AlanHall » Thu Jun 25, 2020 12:02 pm

good4somethingbum wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:42 am
Hi Alan. I've never heard of those guys. What songs have they written?
https://www.deankrippaehne.net/
https://robinfrederick.com/

I guess they mostly write about songs. And other stuff.
It's my opinion that details are the heart of any good creative wtiting.
I agree unabashedly.
This is, honestly, more of a poem...
..and speaks to me as being part of something more than a poem. That's why I asked :D

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by good4somethingbum » Thu Jun 25, 2020 12:21 pm

Aah, I see. If you're a composer and have an ok voice, give it a shot.
It needs a film noir atmosphere, like a Tom Waits or a Leonard Cohen song.

Dean seemed to be described as a songwriter but I didn't see any songs by him on there. I did see some stuff about tv music cues, which I'm not that interested in.

The Robin lady...there weren't any songs by her listed, either. I did listen to the song by one of her students.

I'm not big on cyber-mentors for songwriting. Buy some classic records and learn from those. If you have talent and dedication, you'll improve. That's just my view. Many disagree and they have every right to.

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Re: The Walk of Time

Post by AlanHall » Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:13 am

https://www.deankrippaehne.net/
https://robinfrederick.com/
I'm surprised that you are as active as you are on Taxi and haven't seen the many Taxi TV episodes featuring these folks. I only mentioned them in the first post because they're part of the musical currency here. Not for any other reason. And I made the comments I did about melody and flow because the lyric intrigued me enough to ask. If you're suggesting I could set it to music, then I'd be delighted ;)

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