Three Artist Challenge Chapter One: Emmy the Great

As I've blogged before, David aspires to be a professional musician and composer.  Following my desire to be involved in such an important part of his life, I want to write lyrics for his music.  So, I wrote "The Ground Never Quite Touches the Sky" ... but, it was so difficult for David to compose music because it had no meter.  I hate meter.

David suggested that I study my favorite songwriters to learn how to write to a beat.  Thus the Three Artist Songwriting Challenge was born.

I'm to choose three songwriters I admire and imitate their style.  With any craft, imitation is the best way for beginners to learn.  In my creative writing classes we did this often.  For example, I once wrote a poem based on Ted Kooser's "Selecting an Reader." (Read it! I love this poem.)

The first artist in my challenge is Emmy the Great! I love her frank and vivid language.  She's my favorite artist of all, so she was garunteed to be the first.  I chose "Absentee" because it was stuck in my head, found the lyrics (edited them... stupid hard of hearing fans), counted the syllables in each line, and marked the rhyme scheme.  I didn't bother with scansion because I will never understand those cups and strikes.

I took the blog post I wrote "Surprise Paper Bag" and now it's a song.  (I changed the skeleton of the song near the end to suit my own purposes.  When imitating, don't be afraid to go off on your own ideas.  Duh.)  David was so happy! And I was brimful of joy!

Surprise Paper Bag

Half-Hearted Elephant

Don’t know who I really am

Staring, in Daddy’s T-shirt, bangs with one curl,

At a surprise paper bag, the one marked “girl”

Dull ribbons

The dollar store will be closing soon

Crumpled dollar bill in my fist waits to hear

The verdict. Wheels grind in my ear

What’s in it?

Yo-yo? Squirt gun? Doll whose paint runs?

I am a surprise paper bag

What will I be if I break inside?

And who would like the things that I find?

If I shared them.

I see a small bright face, a boy

Standing down the aisle. How long has he been?

Blue juice from a gumball dribbles down his chin

Smiles at me.

Shy he finds beautiful, loneliness, too

He picks the bag though sullied and bruised

Pulls out things I thought I was born without

Says don’t pout

Glow in the dark stars

“You’re beautiful and I love you”

Pearl studded hair bow

“You’re you and I want to be with you”

Gold foil glitter glue

“It’s all there and I want to be there, too”

And a pinwheel made of spoons.