November/December 2021 Lyric Contest Winners

Congratulations to all our November/December 2021 Lyric Contest winners! CLICK HERE to enter the January/February contest before the Early Bird Special ends.

1st place

“Don’t Waste the Rain”
By Chuck Thomas

I’m just an old oak with a pretty good lean
And I might look strong but my roots are weak
I wear lots of rings that you can’t see
No there aren’t many seasons left in me

Now I stood tall back in 18 and 65
The day soldiers mustered by my side
Those boys used my trunk to fight behind
I took bullets as their mamas cried

And don’t waste the rain
Don’t waste the rain on me
Let it fall on the desert
Let it flow to the sea
Just let me go
Leave me be
And don’t - - - - -
Don’t waste the rain on me

Yeah I’ve got breaks and I’ve got scars
Some caused by wind and some are carved
Like James plus Mary inside a heart
One of many love promises in my bark

Now if lightning strikes me down some day
Splits my soul in two turns my leaves gray
Please gather the limbs and carry me away
Then build a chair to sit carve a cross to pray

And don’t waste the rain
Don’t waste the rain on me
Let it fall on the desert
Let it flow to the sea
Just let me go
Leave me be
And don’t - - - - -
Don’t waste the rain on me

Let’s celebrate the young
Those I’ll leave behind
Just shower them with love
Watch them grow with time

And don’t waste the rain
Don’t waste the rain on me
Let it fall on the desert
Let it flow to the sea
Just let me go
Leave me be
And don’t - - - - -
Don’t waste the rain on me

I’m just an old oak with a pretty good lean
And I might look strong but my roots are weak

Have a Groundbreaking Lyric? Enter American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest today


2nd Place

“The Collector (I Found These Things)”
By Benjamin Diamond


A golden lion with a ruby jaw
A stickpin panda with an opal chest
A smuggled Cuban out of Panama
A birthday card wishing all the best

A candle dish with tears of wax
The knife my dad gave when I was ten
A bright red ball without the jacks
A rifle bullet from I-don’t-know-when

I found these things, but none of them will do
I found these things, I can’t find you
I found these things, I can’t find you

A tail-less monkey from the Rock of Gibraltar
A picture of me from Kuala Lumpur
A letter from you about my old boss Walter
Gonna keep your note right in this drawer

A box of matches and some cheap cufflinks
A leather wallet from the Netherlands
A Montblanc pen and a cartridge of ink
Mardi Gras beads and your wedding band

I found these things, but none of them will do
I found these things, and I’ve lost you
I found these things, and I’ve lost you

BRIDGE
I’m a fool, he made me travel for a living
Love is cruel! Lonesome wives are not forgiving
All these keepsakes on my bedside-alter
I’m left with memories, you left with Walter

A jewelry box of inlaid wood
Bought for you in the south of Spain
Some Turkish coins and a watch that’s no good
Half a heart on a golden chain

A silver billfold from Mexico
A baby shoe and a ten-pound note
My friends all ask, “Well, where’d she go?”
“I’m with Walter now” is all you wrote



3rd Place

“Different Light”
By Michael McGee


Verse 1

You like to go out
I like to stay home
You’re crazy bout, Elvis
I’m more Haggard and Jones
You love ballet
I can’t stand it
We share a 30-year mortgage
But not the same planet

Chorus

We see things in a Different Light
You’re the sun, I’m the moon
But that’s all right
As long as our love keeps on shining bright
We can see things in a Different Light

Verse 2

You like Tae Bo
I like Tai chi
We both exercise
The right to disagree
I hate going dancing
You hate going fishin’
We share a five-year-old son
But not the same solar system

Chorus

Bridge:

But the differences don’t keep us apart
Love ain’t where you’re from it’s where you are.

Verse 3

You like decorating
I like to work in the yard
You turn on Oprah
I tune into NASCAR
You like going shopping
For me, it’s a curse
We share a used ’99 Saturn
But not the same universe

Chorus





4th Place

“Barns Fall Down”
By Greg Poulos


There’s plywood on the windows of my favorite five and dime
Where my daddy used to buy me candy once upon a time
I haven’t been here since that day in 1962
Before the fire choked away the hope that we once knew

There’s craters down on Main Street where I used to ride my bike
And where I had my first true kiss by the blinking traffic light
The only thing that’s left here now are the memories we made
And the echoes of a lifetime built with all the love we gave

‘Cause barns fall down, down, down
And bridges crumble into dust
But all the love we learn to give
Becomes a part of us
It heals all the heartache
And the sorrow with its touch
Barns fall down and bridges burn
But love remains with us

Oh ashes, ashes on my pillow, ashes in my head
Some are easy to shake off and some will linger til I’m dead
But the sweetest love that I know came from going through some hell
And I’d go back one more time again before my last farewell




Honorable Mentions

“More Than Enough”
By Kathy Wallace

“End Up Town”
By Blake Bard

“Don’t Wait”
By Boyd Perttu

“This Is Not A Love Song”
By Gerald Lenoir

“Julyin’”
By Greg Wilson, Michell Canning, Bill O’Hanlon

“Before the Color Dried”
By Jeff Dayton

“Losing Mama Every Day”
By Paul Bethel

“Lewis Prison Blues”
By Hardy Smith


“Shootin’ the Breeze”
By Matt McTighe


“Hang On Let Go”
By Blake Bard


Have a Groundbreaking Lyric? Enter American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest today