Episode 15 of notmovingpictures is Ready!!!!

The much delayed episode 15 of the notmovingpictures podcast is finally available. This time around Don and Tommy go for an in depth discussion on their differing writing styles and how those very differences compliment each other. Of course you know at some point that Don will start rambling as he is wont to do but it wouldn't be the same otherwise. Tommy's band Alloy is working on new songs and that factors in as well. As always Alloy supplies the opening music and this time the closing music is from The Rollins Band. Listen to it here or go to www.notmovingpictures.podomatic.com where you can stream, download or subscribe on Itunes.

  

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Tell Me Something

Okay, it's been a while but here are some lyrics I wrote tonight on my break at work. They are pretty straight forward, at least for me.

Tell me Something

You got an opinion and you’re
Not afraid to share it with
Whoever is so dreadfully unlucky to
Drift into the space of your gravity well
Life, liberty, religion, sports
All the behind the scenes politics
Your tongue leaves no topic unscathed
Nor any sacred cows unspared

Vapid girl spouting vapid words
Standing tall speaking for all
Spitting out multisyllabic words
Trying oh so hard to impress
Who appointed you to speak
And have all our ills addressed
I have to wonder seriously whether
You really are all that sincere

Tell me something
That I don’t know
While you’re telling
Me just where to go
Tell me something
That I don’t know
Tell me, tell me, tell me

Open your mouth and spit out
An awful lot of nothing nonsense
Half thought out comments built
On even more half baked ideas
You can quote the Dalai Lama
James Dean and Henry Rollins
It makes the question spring to my mind
Do you know what any of it means

Tell me something
That I don’t know
While you’re telling
Me just where to go
Tell me something
That I don’t know
Tell me, tell me, tell me


Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

The First New Lyrics of November

I've taken a little time off from the blog but it hasn't been because I lack ideas to write about. Quite the opposite, I have many ideas but not much time to use on them. Also, I've had this feeling, I want to write but when the chance comes I can't bring myself to do it. It's not writers block, more like I allow myself to distract myself and end up running out of time without having accomplished anything. Perhaps that will change with this sudden surge of song lyrics that came pouring out of me last night at work.

I had already clocked out when they broke through and forced themselves onto my consciousness to the point that I couldn't deny them the time. The first came about in a few moments fueled by emotions held barely in check. The second came with an idea for the chorus first then followed by the song. Neither one of them took long (as you can tell) and both are very raw. We'll see what will happen to them in the future, which direction they take. Already I've started writing another song so more than likely parts of them will end up merged together to build one stronger, better song. I hope. That's usually the way it goes.

A Life Like This

The only words I hear you say
Are filled with negativity
The only sounds you make
Express misplaced anger
If that’s all you want to do
Then I’m done with this
I’ve got better things to do
It’s time to walk away
(Was it worth it?)

I don’t want to live
A life like this
I don’t need to live
A life like this

No problem is your problem
No need for made up drama
But there you go again
Making something from nothing
Now I’m sitting here with
My stomach tied in knots
You’re sitting there with
Your high priced excitement
(Was it worth it?)

Where do we go from here
As if there’s someplace to go
My patience it at its end
My head is about to explode
Don’t beat around the bush
Or hint about what you say
I won’t beat around the bush
Let the truth come out
(Is it worth it?)


You Don’t Love Me

Your anger bites sharply
Spit in its venomous zeal
Lashing out at the only one
You know can really feel

Chorus:
You don’t love me
(Do you love me)
You don’t love me
(Do you love me)
You don’t love me
Unless you love me

Will this storm blow over
Like a thousand times before
What does the future hold
I don’t really know anymore

You don’t like me
(Do you like me)
You don’t like me
(Do you like me)
You don’t like me
Unless you like me

If I run away to the hills
Until the wrath and fury are gone
Will you give up the search
Before I finish this song

You don’t know me
(Do you know me)
You don’t know me)
(Do you know me)
You don’t know me
Unless you know me


Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

It's Been A Good Month For Song Lyrics

It's been quite a month for me as far as writing song lyrics. This one came to me last week and to be honest I haven't had time to go back and look at it to make changes. Still, why should this stop me from putting it up here? As usual most of my lyrics don't mean what they appear to mean, so what does this say about me? And in case you are wondering, no this isn't about my wife and our relationship, that's fine thank you.

Let Me Go

The tie around my neck
Doesn’t hold me to you
Like you wanted it to
It only ends up irritating me
Constantly at the back
Of my mind someplace
Always tugging at it
My heart can’t take this

The restless shake of my arm
Twitches me out of a dream
About me and you it seems
The end of time has come
Even separated by space
You find a way to invade me
I’m not sure what’s going on
Anymore or any less

If we wait for the perfect day
Some might look the other way
Do you believe it will ever come
One thing leads to another
Never finishing what we tried
To start over again and again
Better to stay inside and
Shake this feeling from my heart

Chorus:
Living with you day to day
Tell me there’s no other way
Keeping this pain inside me
Comes at too high a cost
It’s time to let me go
Let me go, let me go
It’s time to let me go


Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

What Do You Mean More Lyrics????

THese go back a few months, nothing has been done with them so I thought why not put them up as they are with no new work done on them? What have I got to lose? No, besides weight.

Broken Down

Broken down and worn out
From an older time different world
One era is done barely begun
Shelved before anyone notices
Thought you got the better end
The bargain wasn’t the deal
Frustrated lonely and unused
Left to your own devices

Is it any wonder
why we win the battles
but lose the war
Is it any wonder
That we’re still here

Weakened from the outside
Attacked and subdivided
Belittled and brought to shame
Where does it all end
Quote the statistics and
Sound the battle cry
Sever all ties instantly
Better to fade away than die

Is it any wonder
why we win the battles
but lose the war
Is it any wonder
We’ve lost the war


Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Yet more song lyrics..............

I won't say where I was when I got the inspiration for this song but it all came about in roughly three minutes or so. I was playing a game of Mahjong when I said outloud to myself the first two lines after which I immediately paused and said hmmmm. That sound good. Bang presto there it came. By the way, more than likely it's not about what you think it is.

Make It Back

I’m having trouble seeing
What you’re telling me is there
The future that you believe in
To me doesn’t seem so clear
Once upon a time I would
Have followed you anywhere
Believed a word that you said
Now I’m not so sure anymore

Where do we go from here
The future is looking pretty bleak
Where do we go from here
The earth has inherited the meek

Tell me anything you feel
About living beyond our means
The money flows out easily
Not enough ends up coming in
You say that good is evil
Something I can’t comprehend
All the lies have been added up
Into the beginning of the end

Where do we go from here
We’ve fallen from our path
Where do we go from here
I don’t think we’ll make it back

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Critics (A World Of)

Here are some new lyrics that I came up with on Friday. These took a little time, I opened a Word document and would come back to it every so often and add to it. See if you can guess what it's about.

It doesn’t matter what you say
If your opinion goes either way
All they want is to pull you down
From behind a safety net of anonymity
Spewing vitriolic verbal diarrhea
It stands to reason they’re glad to see
Even noncommittal comments
Provide a bounty of new enemies

It’s a twist of the times
Log on set up blast off
Don’t hold back so much
Tell me what you really think

Over analyze each step taken
Cut the context stir it all up
Transform a lie into the truth
Now your point is made
With a smirk and a smug smile
Looking down the nose of society
Judging those that are in the right
Pious indignity falsely applied


Written and Published by Don Leach.May not be used without permission from the author.

A Paul Westerberg Quote Sparks A Song

While reading the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad I started the section on The Replacements and came across this quote from Paul Westerberg: "Sometimes you don't want to be creative. You just want to be normal and not have to worry, or think, or write." Of course it got me thinking and my creative mode kicked in so in about fifteen minutes I came up with these lyrics. My plan is to give them to two different friends who write lyrics and see much they change, maybe even get two songs with a similar core but they become totally different. Then if only I could get them recorded, even lo-fi would be fine and all would be well with my world.

Grow Up Somewhere

Nothing to do no place to go
Always driving down the same road
Staring at all the pretty girls
We're never gonna talk to
This night ends the same as the last
Always looking for the big blast
Sometimes I just wish I could
Turn normal like all the rest

Are these supposed to be the happy years
This time filled by all the pain and fears

Take me away from this one horse town
Take me away from all this running around
I know something is in me better than this
So take me away before I take me down

Walking up and down the same old halls
Same old faces mock and haunt me
Looking at the life I know I’ll never have
Not sure I’d want it all anyway
This day drags on like all the rest
Waiting for the thing to relieve the stress
Don’t tell me things will get better
When will my future become my life

It's not easy when you don't grow up somewhere

All words by Don Leach and may not be used without permission.

Published by Don Leach

Conflicted State Of Mind

This is something I wrote a few months back and haven't really edited since, until typing it here tonight but I thought I'd put it up. I think there's something there if I can get the time to think about it but really if I can sit down with Tommy I know we can turn it into something good. But then time is elusive isn't it?

How am I supposed to feel
when a man is killed
should I shout and cheer
because he was evil
how should i react to the news
the bringer of death is dead
should i fly a flag on high
stand in the rain fist raised

according to you God loves us more
we're on his side and he protects
according to you we've got the right
to do as we please where we please
according to you our God rules supreme
and sets us on a pedestal

you tell me that God takes sides
thank God he's on ours then
but if his hand touched them
why didn't he save the towers
what makes one life worth more
than a thousand others
does he pick and choose who
or let us do for ourselves

it can't be both so
is my God the same as yours?

Published by Don Leach

The Line

Just a few lines I came up with a few weeks ago about well, waiting in line, whether it be standing, in a car or what have you. Take from it what you will.

a long lumbering line of slow minded dullards
each as uncertain and insane as the other
slowly creeping along in a line of prolonged deceit
too afraid to decide about making a decision
jamming up the airwaves, the freeways and the mindwaves
everybody behind them held hostage in some way
inexorably dragging down my enthusiasm for humanity
leaving me awash in a fit of despair and depravity


Published by Don Leach

Do not use without permission.

Blood From A Stone

Things have been rough lately in our household. There's a lot of uncertainty mixed with a fair amount of stress and pain on all fronts. So it was with a great deal of relief when my brother (from other parents) Tommy came over to work on some song lyrics. Of course first I was able to talk with him and sound off on the various things that were on my mind and gnawing at my stomach. As always not only did he listen but he also had some sound advice for me. Sometimes it's good to just talk with a person whose opinion you trust. After that we tried to start on a particular set of lyrics that had been our plan to be the next new song but instead a different idea pushed it's way to the forefront. I had written a single verse only eight lines long while at work and it was clear to both of us that it was the one we needed to concentrate on. Here's the original verse that I wrote:

Feel the noose lightly tighten ever so slightly
Slowly so slowly until it seems normal
Nothings out of place it’s all chased
It’s when your memory turns bright to dull
Who is this person I don’t remember
Staring at me through the looking glass
This is not my house nor my home
Painfully familiar yet hard to grasp

It can be hard giving up some of the words that I wrote originally but as we worked on it we tried to keep the core idea there and flesh it out. As we worked and bounced ideas off of each other we were able to make the words fit and sharpen it all to present a clearer picture of what was on my mind. It amazed me how we had taken those first eight lines and in just two short hours had evolved them into a complete song. Minus the music that is. That will come later from the rest of the band although Tommy already has an idea from an older unused music track that just might work. It feels really good to create something like this and it's surprising how much better I feel from it. Now if I can just keep this feeling going and build on it. Here's the final (for now) lyrics, make of them what you will:

Blood from A Stone

The noose tightens ever so lightly
A dulled perspective so hard to grasp
All I’ve chased seems out of place
Self desolation has come to pass
Familiar faults slowly breed a pattern
Who is this person I can’t comprehend
Every start seems to deaden my heart
With deception as the means to an end

Waves of restlessness surge
Igniting a sweat that burns
Perceptions always the same
Blood from a stone leaves it’s stain

chorus:
Now run the gauntlet Run the gauntlet
Run the gauntlet again

Currents flow ever discretely
A scandal burns at both ends
Motives consumed I must resume
Feigning interest, I just can’t pretend
From a place I’ve never controlled
Sinister winds rage against me
To reveal all the flaws I conceal
Is a mistake in identity

Repeat Bridge and Chorus

All words by Don Leach and Tommy Terneus and may not be used without permission.

Published by Don Leach

Over My Head song lyrics

I friend came in to work last night and told me about how his recording session had gone with his brothers band. They are without a bassist and wanted him to play bass on a song. Nothing special mind you, just something basic so he agreed. Once he was done two members of the band showed up with a few other guys from another band that had broken up. They wanted him to play drums on a song that they had written and it also had some of his lyrics on it. At first he felt like they were much better musicians than he is but then he settled into the song and let himself be lost in it. As he described his experience I started getting an idea and it came out in a chorus for a song. I don't know if I'll work on the rest of the lyrics of if he wants to. Who knows, but I've learned that when the muse strikes, you better be ready for it or else you'll lose it. Anyway, here's the chorus that I came up with:

Start and stop

Here we go again

I feel like I’m in (Over my head)

It’s what I dread (Over my head)

Start and stop

Lose myself in it

I feel like I’m in (Over my head)

I cannot dread (Over my head)

Over My Head!


Really simple but if I feel it tomorrow I'll work on it some more.

Published by Don Leach