Here’s a song I wrote quite recently that is giving me problems. It’s one of those songs that has certain parts that I like, but then there are also certain parts that I’m not sure fit quite well or that don’t play nice with other parts. What to do? I don’t want to just throw it out. And it’s difficult to rewrite because I’ve created this deep notch that I keep falling back into; I stray a little this way or that and I just come right back to where I began.

Let’s talk about what the lyrics say and maybe we’ll figure this out together, huh?

[The first two stanzas talk about how the singer feels that everything is against him: the world and his age. I have a food/eating metaphor going on. All's well, I like these lyrics.]

I Surrender To Your Love

Sometimes I feel
Like the world’s a hungry mouth
With an appetite
Cold and unsated

Sometimes I feel
Like I’m about to be swallowed up
Just an afterthought
Old and outdated

[Now I introduce the lover/wife/companion who will come to this guy's rescue after a long day of fighting the world and he surrenders to her love. Nice... ok I buy it.]

Then you come to me
You pick me up
You clean and dress my wounds
You whisper softly of better days
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won

Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

[Now what happens here? Does she turn on him? She forsakes him? hmmm. But I like the way it sounds. Also he gives in to her and we get that surrender metaphor again. The music picks up a little here as well and drives along in a minor mode for a bit.]

I’m tired of carrying
The weight of this life
I’m tired of running on
The edge of a knife

Lies are forgotten
Lying underneath the truth
Your eyes have forsaken me
I fly a white flag of truce

[This guy is pitiful - He's kind of making excuses for needing to be picked up off the floor. But then again he could also be saying that he's done the best he could, he's tired of fighting and he just wants to sit on the couch and watch Sport Center.]

I’m coming home
I’ve laid down my arms
I never asked to be your hero
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won

Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

[Here we are back to the first theme. I like these lyrics a lot. This guy is dreaming of what he really wants out of life materially and spiritually.]

Sometimes I want
Just a little more than what gets me by
A rich man’s dessert
Tasting so sweet

Sometimes I want
What a wise man holds to his heart
An hallelujah
Simple – pure – complete

[But then he comes back to who and what really props him up in life - his companion/lover.]

Then you come to me
You pick me up
You clean and dress my wounds
You whisper softly of better days
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won
Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

Do you see what I mean? Maybe I’ll just let this ferment for a year and come back to it? I’ve been playing it at gigs and people say they like it. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

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