Counting Down the Days. Counting Up the Songs

Hope posted a blog yesterday in which she discusses our going to The Song School at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colorado and what that means to her.  I say "same."  She also provided a list of the all the songs she has written in the past year since Song School. I thought taking stock was great idea and set out to do the same.  It's like New Year's Eve over here--the year starts over at Song School.

Thinking back over the year showed me that time sometimes folds over on itself.  It's been a long year.  Time has flown by.  Songs that seem like they've been around forever are actually still infants.  Some songs didn't make the cut and were only played through once or twice.  It also took some detective work--looking up the dates on Google Docs to see when I typed up the lyrics--before or after last August?  Here's my list (in no particular order).  It was a more productive year than I had given myself credit for.  Thanks, Hopie, for the inspiration both in making the list and writing the songs.

1.  Memphis 1993
     I started this last summer before Song School, but I'm counting it because I worked on it all year.  I chucked the verses at least twice and started from scratch and still knew it wasn't right.  This summer on vacation I finally chucked the chorus (all but the line "Memphis 1993") and rewrote the verses again.  I think I finally got it.
2.  Mary, Mary & Martha
     A three part vocal piece for Easter morning.  My daugher and three other high school girls sang it for sunrise service this year.
3. The True Ballad of Belle Gunnison
     I wrote this on a songwriting retreat over MLK weekend with Hope, Andy, and Emily.  I looked up serial killers on wikipedia and found Belle Gunnison.  It's a dark song.
4.  Alpha & Omega
     A three part round written for our church weekday school kick off.  Turns out, I won't be there to lead the congregation in singing it.
5.  On the Team
     Theme song for vacation bible school.
6.  You'd Think By Now
     The most recent song.  Started it on vacation--still putting the finishing touches on it.
7.  Spirit of Elvis
     Hope gave me this prompt:  after losing a bet, an Elvis impersonator must choose between love and money.
8.  Despite the Weather
     I wrote this over Thanksgiving at Camp Luther with an assist from Hope.  It's about blizzards and cannibalism.
9.  Crying Chair  
     Did you know I'm writing a musical? It's called Mrs. Parker's Room.  It's about Julie Parker's kindergarten class at Hawthorne.  Songs 9-11 are my first three songs for the show.
10.  Tattle Phone
11.  School Today
12.  Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)
     Some women who participated in RealWomenRealSongs started an alumni songwriting group with monthly prompts.  I wrote this song about a Pollack piece.  It's mostly spoken word, which was a departure for me.
13.  Small Town Parade
     I wrote this on the way home from a Star Belle gig at the Chimney Rock Pioneer Days Festival in Bayard, NE.  I love it and it's now a Star Bell regular.
14.  Effervescent
     It's about mermaids and bioluminescence.
15.  Unexamined Heart
     Another RWRS Alumni song.  I strip mined it and used chunks of it for the new/keeper verses of Memphis 1993.
16. Moving On
    A song about carrying on when life is hard.  I love it.  Star Belle has adopted it.
17. John 15:15
     17-21 are memory verse jingles I wrote for VBS.  They are maybe 30 seconds long.  I almost didn't count them, but they count.
18.  1 Corinthians 12: 27
19.  Philippians 4: 13
20.  John 11:25
​21.  Psalm 105: 1b