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"The Man In The Mirror"

1st verse
Standing here before my own reflection
Staring at a man not recognized
There's parts of the image that's familiar
Though wrinkles now frame my hazel eyes
In my brush, I realize there's silver
Silently it's appeared there overnight
The last time I noticed I was thirty
Now forty five by this mornings light

chorus
The man in the mirror's getting old
The passion in his eyes is growing cold
He keeps reaching for his youth
Like it's something he could hold
But the man in the mirror's getting old
Yes, the man in the mirror's getting old

2nd verse
Like a thief in the night, time stole those years
Yesterday now seems so far away
I knew the life I had could cost me some
Now I see how much I've really paid
Too much whiskey, cigarettes, and late nights
Encouraged the boy to disappear
I believed old would come tomorrow
Already, I see tomorrow's here

chorus
The man in the mirror's getting old
The passion in his eyes is growing cold
He keeps reaching for his youth
Like it's something he could hold
But the man in the mirror's getting old
Yes, the man in the mirror's getting old

bridge
Time slips away, time slips away
Seconds turn to minutes, minutes yesterday

chorus
The man in the mirror's getting old
The passion in his eyes is growing cold
He keeps reaching for his youth
Like it's something he could hold
But the man in the mirror's getting old
Yes, the man in the mirror's getting old

Copyright2002TonyGunterBMI
all rights reserved



[This message has been edited by Perfectpitch (edited 05-19-2002).]

Hey Tony,

Like this a lot! Liked it so much I got my guitar out and wrote my own melody to it, since I do not know yours. What a lot of truth there is in this puppy! I'm 55, so I get to eat cheap, now. My hair color has changed. too... kind of a fleshy tone!

The single nit I had was in the 2nd line of the bridge: It flowed much better for me when I changed it to "seconds turned to minutes, minutes into days".

Of course, that's just my opinion. Everything else was pretty darned good. Like this a whole lot. Good luck with it!

Alan

------------------
When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

Hi Tony,I enjoyed the read,you have a lot
of people out there that can identify with
this one.Funny thing I find is while I keep
getting older everyone around me looks the
same as I rember them 10 yrs ago.Except for
the children,they are all growing up.
Best wishes Regards Cody

Hello Alan,
Thanks for the look in on this one. My birthday was last Friday and I guess it was on my mind. I am glad to hear I'm not the only one changing before my eyes
Tony

Good morning Cody,
Thanks for reading and I'm glad you liked it...so true bout the kids...enjoy them while you can cause in a heartbeat they're gone.
Tony

Howdy Tony,

Man, I can relate to this one. Sad, isn't it. Don't have to be a man to watch those inevitable changes happen and wonder where the person you were has gone. Sorry to have missed your birthday!! Hope it was a good one!! How is Vanessa doing these days?

BTW..I liked the song a lot. Very universal one IMO, and well written (except forty doesn't have a "u" in it <G> )

Bobbie

Tony - This is excellent! And how true very relatable..You took such a common thought and wrote about it with great imagery
One of my favorites of yours - great job
Pam

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http://www.soundclick.com/pamhurley

Hi Bobbie!
Thanks for the critique and liking my lyric. I can't spell for beans now that I am older. I liked it better when I was tin! Thank you again,
Tony

Hello Pam!
Thanks for taking time and the kind things you said. I am really glad you liked this one!
Tony

Hi Tony. Something all the guys & gals can identify with

Very well done..enjoyed the read

Take care,
Amelia

Thank you very much Amelia!
Getting older is something we all hafta do and the alternative really is a downer
Tony

Hi there Tony. As a member of the "I Can Relate" Club just wanted to offer a bit of advice. Break all your mirrors then you will never know you're getting old. No mirrors in my house... Cheers, Judy

Mornin' Tony,

I stopped considerin' 'em as mirrors about fifteen years ago. Now I consider them pictures of ol men. Unfortunately, they are all over the house.<g>

dawg

Hi, Tony!

I don't know if you have music for this yet, if you do just disregard the suggestions.

The image of the silver in the brush is cool.
I like this but it seems unnecessarily wordy in a lot of places. You may want to consider condensing it a bit. I played with it to give you an example. If you like it it's yours, if not toss it. Good luck with this.

JeanB

There's a man in the mirror.
someone I don't recognize
He looks kind of familiar
past the wrinkles 'round his eyes.
I see my brush laced with silver
it gleams in the morning light.
Seems like I went from thirty
to over forty overnight.

Hi Judy!!!
I should break all of them! My daughter would absolutely die without them though! Thanks for the note...
Tony

Evening Dawg!
I'm not sure who that old man in the picture is but he is in most rooms here too!!! Thanks for looking,
Tony

Hi Jean,
Thanks for taking the time on this one. I am glad you liked the silver line...that was the first line of the song and I built around it. I appreciate your ideas
Tony

Hey Tony, enjoyed the lyric. my ONLY concern is the hook and that's ONLY because Michael Jackson had a song with the same name. Not the same genre i know, but might be worth maybe setting yours apart...even if the difference is only slight...just a thought anyways. Enjoyed!

Hi Blake and thanks for the note. I had thought of that also and maybe would change it a little if it gets that far. Thanks again,
Tony

I know the feeling. But 45 is still young enough to get a woman in her 20s if you have money.

Hi nice one, my only change would be to keep the man in the mirror in the moment.
all the best john

It's interesting when a piece written 15 years ago gets recycled here on this forum. I have done this too a few times. I am now 73 and yet I feel bewildered about the generation that wanted to be forever young now in some cases getting old before its time. Guess I never expected the Boomer crowd to utter "been there, done that" when it came to such things as late-night partying and casual sex. In many ways so many of them became the very people they had once ridiculed. I always say that I would still be doing many of the things I did in my younger days if the money was available, which it almost never is.

Hi, Nice Write.

Lyric reads well from the first verse

Hi Perfectpitch, Nice Write.

Lyric reads well from the first verse to chorus. Then I when on to read the second verse. First line,second line reads okay, However I was cut short of the joy I was having just as my eyes made contact with the third line and on wards.

I'll say this.....Your second verse has been forced written, and that isn't doing any good for the lyric.... which to me this could be a very big song

My advice to you is to rewrite those other lines in the second verse and your job is done.

2nd verse
Like a thief in the night, time stole those years
Yesterday now seems so far away
I knew the life I had could cost me some--------------------
Now I see how much I've really paid-------------------------------
Too much whiskey, cigarettes, and late nights ------------ these words (For me, takes away the all ages attention from the international feel and vision of which this lyric set up to be from the beginning)
Encouraged the boy to disappear --------------------
I believed old would come tomorrow--------------------
Already, I see tomorrow's here------------------------------

Certainly a reflection on life has you swallow up the years; Very sad though when you don't recognise yourself anymore. but the tale you tell is in many peoples thoughts so well done friend good work.