[Jenna]

I decided to scan through the lyrics of the contest winners at American Songwriter to see what others are currently writing. This one won second place, but I really liked how his story unfolded throughout. There were two hooks for me in his lyrics and his repetitive use of "what whiskey is for" had as much of an impact, if not more, than the imagery of him keeping his heart in a Crown Royal bag.

2nd Place

“Crown Royal Bag (A Senior Year Story)”
Adam Cooper
Suwanee, Georgia

I was eighteen when my daddy died
His heart it stopped beating, the light left his eyes
That’s when I said, “I can’t take anymore”
And that’s when I learned what whiskey is for.

I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag
And I bust it out
Late at night when I’m sad
I drink through the good times,
I drink through the bad,
And I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag

Just three weeks later, my friend died in a crash
They went off the road, they was moving too fast
The loss of her soul, cut me to the core
And I furthered my studies, of what whiskey is for

I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag
And I bust it out
Late at night when I’m sad
I drink through the good times,
I drink through the bad,
And I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag

My love for a woman, led me astray
I was enchanted so easily by the things that she’d say
She said that she loved me, well she don’t anymore
And that right there friends is what whiskey is for

I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag
And I bust it out
Late at night when I’m sad
I drink through the good times,
I drink through the bad,
And I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag

I woke up this morning in the E.R.
My mom she said, “Son, do you know where your are?
We found you this morning, passed out on the floor.”
Cuz I know all too well, what whiskey is for

I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag
And I bust it out
Late at night when I’m sad
I drink through the good times,
I drink through the bad,
And I keep my heart
In a Crown Royal bag

I hope this isn't in violation of any copyright laws. The quote is an extra precaution, just in case.

[Jenna]

Here's another I really liked. I'd love to hear this one done folk or bluegrass style.

3rd Place
“The Glitter Of Gold (Song To Save Bristol Bay)”
Robert Thatcher, Signal Mountain, Tennessee and
Tom Brown, Varnell, Georgia

Lord you know it’s a mighty long way
From Sutter’s Mill to Bristol Bay
But the story’s the same and must be told
We lose the land for the glitter of gold

The wagons came in long, long line
To find the gold of ’49
It’s a devil’s deal and we sell our souls
When we trade our riches for the love of gold.

Salmon swim from silver to red
From the bay to the riverbed;
Against the currents of our day
We must save our Bristol Bay.

Now they want to dig a two-mile hole
Right in the heart of Bristol’s soul
Scar the land and foul the stream
Seeking fortune in a golden seam

Slate blue waters — sparkling sun
Home to the last great salmon run
It’s a Bay of life, not a bay of tears
Way of life for ten thousand years

Chasing dollars and corporate greed
Can’t provide all the things we need
Beauty here can’t be bought or sold
We can lose it all — to a lust for gold

Gold can make a million things —
Shiny coins and fancy rings
But it can’t make a river — clean and cold
Don’t lose the land to the glitter of gold

Mountains quake — tides will rise
Winds will shake the angry skies
God made this land — and broke the mold
Don’t lose it all to the power of gold

[katiewilson1]

Thanks I think it's good to see what others are writing - a bit like authors are better authors for reading other people's work and the same with poets

[katiewilson1]

I think that the lyric thread on here is somewhat neglected

What are your favourite lines that really speak to you mine is in supersonic by Oasis there's a line that goes I need to be myself I can't be no one else and that really cuts to my very chore it is what drives me and helps me to accept who I am xxx

[Jenna]

I agree. I haven't spent much time reading lyrics but it's about time I start. Trying to pin down something that speaks to me lyrically is like hitting a possessed moving target. It all depends on the day.