Hi, all:

Well, here's a song I'm not sure I'll record--it runs a bit long. But there are aspects of the lyric that I like, so I thought I'd share for feedback. What I call the first bridge (the second stanza) is really just a different melody between the first and second verse, and what I call the second bridge is a variation on the verse, but more spoken word or (dare I say) rap. Anyways, hope it's worth the read. My thanks in advance for any suggestions.

My best to all of you,

Deej

Paper Dreams

(V) Momma told me when I was young,
she said, “Don’t ever be afraid to chase the sun.
You never know the heights you can go until you try.”
And she could play and sing like angels do.
She taught me every note and every chord she knew.
She said that I could be a big star if I’d like.

(B1) Momma had her own dreams, too,
but she gave them up when Daddy asked her to.
She passed when I was nine,
but every dream she had and her ’52 Gibson guitar,
well, I made them mine.

(V) Swore on her soul I’d be a country star,
played every high school dance and every local bar.
I told them, “I’m gonna hit the bigs like no one else.”
Daddy said, “All your hopes and schemes,
won’t amount to more than paper dreams.”
Well, I guess I’m gonna find out for myself.

(C) And so I’ll try to chase down the sun.
And I’ll fly to heights no one’s gone.
With every breath I can breathe,
with every drop I can bleed,
I’m never giving up ‘cause I believe
in these paper dreams.

(V) I met a man down on Music Row,
he said, “I seen every wannabe here come and go.
You better pack it up and run back home, boy, while you can.”
I said “You may have seen a million wannabes,
but you ain’t never ever seen the likes of me.
And, well, even if I should, I know I can’t.”

(C) And so I’ll try to chase down the sun.
And I’ll fly to heights no one’s gone.
With this light in my eyes,
and my heart on my sleeve,
I’ll give it all I got ‘cause I believe
in these paper dreams.

(Ain’t no luck, you gotta make your own breaks.
I’m gonna do everything it takes)

(B2) I’m gonna wake up every morning with the dawning sun;
sweat the frets until I get down everything I’ve done;
work the bar every night at the Patterson,
while writing lyrics on the back of a napkin;
post my tunes to YouTube and the music sites;
playing in the parks and at every open mic;
knock on closing doors; sell myself and more;
anything and everything it takes to score.

(C) And so I’ll try to chase down the sun.
And I’ll fly to heights no one’s gone.
With every breath I can breath,
with every drop I can bleed,
I’m never gonna stop ‘cause I believe
in these paper dreams.

(Outro)

And some day when I make it big,
I’m gonna head on back to the place he still lives,
and say “What do you think of me now?
Hey, what do you think of me now?
Hey, Dad, what do you think of me?”

(c)2018 DJ Lekich