As songwriters, it's the inside of the song we are to get to,..the core of the song is what when planted, reproduces itself in the spirit of the listener.
We are given an idea, an idea when executed in the right manner, reveals a truth. unfortunately, in most cases, the song gets tainted by the writer before the mystery at its center is ever revealed.

How is it tainted??..It is tainted because the writer has a preconceived notion that he or she knows how to write the song. When this happens the poor song is subjected to the poundings of the hammer much like that of a horseshoe on an anvil by a blacksmith; in this case, the tune smith straightens the song to his or her's own liking, but never gets to the heart of the idea they've been given.

It comes out misshapen , average, mediocre. The secret is to come to the idea one has been given with humility and let the idea reveal itself without you imposing yourself on it. Let all the heaviness of self importance, opinions, and so called knowledge go. It gets in the way of the song being able to "write you". this is the secret we as songwriters must come to;

For a song to be a work of art that is revelatory in nature, it needs to have written "you". In other words, the writer must humbly get out of the way, to be used only as a channel by the spirit of the idea so that it's hidden truth can be exposed to the light. Mumbo Jumbo..??..No !! After all these years of doing this day in and out, this is the mystery key I've been given to this spectacular art form.

We hear a lot of songs out there, but how many of them tear you down and build you up in the three or so minutes so when it's finished, you've been changed forever. That song had the power to do that. How did it get that power??, it got that power because the person involved humbled him or herself as a bearer of a message instead of the writer of a song.

by Chris Gantry
www.chrisgantry.com