Sheer Poetry

One of the sites I've been developing while I should have been working on the 50th Anniversary Edition, is Sheerpoetry.co.uk.

Those of you who have been following my progress (and grumblings) in this section of the site will probably express surprise that someone who confesses such disinterest in lyrics should find himself responsible for a poetry site commissioned by some of the UK's leading poets.

And I quote:

I don’t listen to the words in songs, so who cares if you can hear them or not. They just need to fit the shape of the melody and drive the rhythm.
I can't hear the words

Well, having read and formatted thousands upon thousands of words on the poetry that anyone studying English at GCSE and beyond will be familiar with, I'm a little less sanguine.

In particular, I'm struck with the the clumsiness of the refrain in 'I'm back'. The intention is to communicate a kind of mid-life crisis as long as it isn't too demanding; the feeling that the author accepts the loss of those youthful pipe-dreams and throws caution to the winds because he knows that the result will be something much more settled than might once have been the case.

Lying by the fire, glass of wine in hand,
Reading with my spectacles about the latest band

Works for me, although the spectacles might be a bit obvious. Currently (and not yet recorded), the next lines are:

(Time to) put that pen to paper
(Time to) call the instigator
(Time to) put those hopes to never
Here's the blue sky welcome to my
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition

'Put that pen to paper' is awkward, despite the alliteration and the fact that it follows 'reading with my spectacles'. Since when did a groovy rock singer 'put pen to paper'?

'Call the Instigator' is cool, but only because it's a reference to a favourite tune by Pete Townsend - 'because the revolution's here'.

'Put those hopes to never' is shite. 'Pipe those dreams to never'? Nah!

The thing is, with music there are clues to alternative routes; the key, the melody, the harmonies, the rhythm. With words, there's just this wide open space with drifting, floating bits and scraps that refuse to fit.