This is another song I've written from my experiences as a Corrections Officer. Every inmate I ever worked with had three things in common. They felt they were misunderstood, they loved their mama's and they always had some kind of woman waiting for them on the outside who stuck by them regardless of what they did. As always, I've got music for these lyrics but looking for a musical collaborator to help out.


Demon In My Soul
(By Bobby Wayne; Copyright 2010)

v1
I woke up in a cold sweat, thought I heard the demon call,
Saw the shadows of barred windows hangin' crooked on the wall,
Right away I knew that once again I'd been misled,
Prayed for sleep to come and save me from the voices in my head.

v2
Now the demon first appeared in me when I was just a child,
I took up with a restless crowd and started runnin' wild,
Now every jailer here's become familiar with my name,
I've made a shambles of my youth and the demon is to blame.

Chorus:
I've wasted too much time inside these god-forsaken cells,
Payin' for my crimes and feelin' sorry for myself,
Because I'm not all bad there's just some things I can't control,
Got an angel in my heart but a demon in my soul.

v3
Now I love my mother dearly and she means the world to me
Even though I broke her heart and filled her life with misery
And daddy ran out years ago and not much of him is known
But I remember grandma sayin' he had a demon of his own.

Chorus:

v4
Outside a woman waits for me and she prays for my return,
She knows the demon well by now but I guess she'll never learn.
In spite of all I've done I know her love for me endures
And if it takes me my whole life I'm gonna make it up to her.

Chorus.

Hi Bobby, I think this is a very well written story song which kept my attention all through. The rhyming scheme is the same in the verses and chorus and perhaps it would improve an already very well written lyric a little if you had different rhyming scheme in the chorus.

I thoroughly enjoyed this
Jan

Thanks Jan. I agree that the rhyming scheme could use a little tweaking. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the feedback.

Bobby

Hi Bobby,

I think this is well written and has a nice flow and rhythm. The story is clear. Something that struck me as I read this, I'll just say, is I am wondering who he is talking to. I was thinking it could be tweaked throughout so it's like a letter/promise directly to this woman who is waiting for him and so then that last line really hits home....ex:
"And if it takes me my whole life I'm gonna make it up to YOU."

Just thinking out loud...there are always tons of creative options for any song...just passing along one idea!

Kristi

Hi Kristi. To be honest, he's talking to me; the Correction Officer. I had countless conversations with inmates just like this one where I just sat back and let them tell their story. That's why they liked me because I was a good listener. I certainly could make this a little more apparent in the lyrics but I'm not sure I want to. To me, that sort of makes it a little gimmicky. Thanks for taking the time to read the lyrics and offer me your advice. I really appreciate it.

Bobby Wayne

hey bobbie,
i liked this. I've done a month or two.
I'm bettin' you could tell a story or two.
I remember one or so officers being cool w/me.
It must be wierd. your not supposed to treat'em
nice, but, once and a while your gut must tell you
"hey, THIS guy seems ok,he's not a monster"
yet, he most likely is.
tough gig bob.....
stay safe,
peter

I like it. Very good hook too.

Hey Captain. I truly enjoyed my time amongst the inmates and for the most part they were just ordinary people who had come up against unfortunate circumstances. It was only the rare exception that seemed "criminal" or "dangerous" to me. The reason that I finally retired had more to do with the ineffective administrators that I worked for and the way that they continually turned their heads while guards harassed and, occasionally, assaulted inmates. It made me wonder sometimes on which side of the bars the real criminals were. I guess that's another song that I'll get to someday. In the meantime, thanks for the look and good luck with your own stuff.

Hey Sparrow. Thanks for flying by and dropping me the positive vibe. I'll try and return the favor.

hey Bobby, I like this one, a redemption perhaps or maybe just a temporal peace in his soul till he hits the streets again. but the power of love is strong and might just overcome the demon that feeds on hate. great write.~~~MFB III

Hi Bobby,

I like this very much. I think it'a good story with strong hook and well written. I honestly like it just the way it is:)

Dottie

Thanks Dottie. I'm currently working on the recording of this song and I kept it pretty much as it appears above. I hope to have a link available to it soon. Thanks for the kind words.

Bobby