Thank you, John, much appreciated.

Yes, lyrics usually come second for me after the music, but in the case of "William" it was simultaneous, but with plenty of rewrites. You are correct about the structure in that there is no bridge after the first two rounds of verse & chorus. I have considered putting one in, but people always tell me to leave it alone, and I tend to agree on this one...one of the most popular songs I play based on those who give me feedback. What fights monotony is a musical interlude that follows the same chord structure as the verse but with a different feel, brought about in one particular recording by several 12-string guitars harmonizing a different melody, it gets "stormier" sounding, and instead of going back to a third chorus it leads into the final verse, with sort of a surprise abruptness, into quiet again with the "your dream is real" line.

In general, the verses have a quiet feel to them and build into the choruses that have harmonies that don't precisely follow the same timing as the melody line but rather swirl around the melody and crescendo until the word "downtown" which is sung alone.

Don't really know where this one came from or why the name was William. It sort of wrote itself, so I enjoy puzzling it out myself...hard to even say it's mine--I feel more like the messenger or a conduit than the actual writer on this one. A very weird but gratifying feeling, that.

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman