I wrote a song called Shades of Gray. No, it isn't like the Shades of Gray movies. This is a song about my Dad. A black and white type of man. Call it like it is. Kinda like an umpire. Call strikes- strikes and balls- balls. Call sin - sin . If something is a sin, don't do it. If you do, ask fogiveness. Sounds pretty simple when you type it. lol

      (To all of my family). There are a couple references in the song that aren't completely accurate. Dad wasn't and Awana leader and his singing was pretty good. (not like mine) I take some songwriting liberties to make a song more universal. Guilty as charged.

    Check out the song if you want to hear the rest of the story. Jim

Thisis a song that I wrote with my friend, Fletcher. It is a song that I like but it will probably never go anywhere. It is a sad song and sad songs aren't what the songwriting gods are looking for. They want upbeat songs that have a happy ending. Songs that make the singer look good, even though he is just like you and me with his own struggles. This song is about regrets. We all have a couple of those that we have been trying to shake, but we just can't always shake them. Kinda reminds me of the stick tights that I remove from the top of my cat's head. He knows they are there but he can't remove them by himself.  

Here are the lyrics to the song- Almost, the story of my life.

Almost (Story of my life) 

Jim McCarter/Fletcher Moudy

 

I shouldatrained a little harder,Got up early, hit the weights   

paid attention to my coaches, memorized all the plays 

 shoulda scored a winning touchdown on our final drive 

brought home a championship, held my head up high.

 

Chorus- When I think about my story  

It all starts and ends the same  

If I could do it different, 

 Change my life change my name 

I’m so tired of this memory 

 

How I didn’t get it done 

That Quarterback keeper 

4th and goal from the one 

I’d fake left, run back right 

almost wouldn’t  be, the story of my life 

 

I shoulda found an ounce of courage, shoulda listened to my mom. 

 shoulda knocked on your front door, asked you to the prom 

Coulda danced with you so close, coulda found our favorite song 

We'd be hometown heroes for our folks to brag on 

 

When I think about my story  

It all starts and ends the same  

If I could do it different, 

 Change my life change your name 

 

I’m so tired of the memory 

How I didn’t get it done 

That Quarterback keeper 

4th and goal from the one. 

I'd fake left, run back right 

almost wouldn't be the story of my life.  

 

Now I lie awake at night 

And think about what used to be 

How I almost had it all 

And you almost wanted me.

 

When I think about my story  

It all starts and ends the same  

If I could do it different, 

Change my life change your name 

I’m so tired of the memory 

 

How I didn’t get it done 

That Quarterback keeper 

4th and goal from the one 

I’d fake left, run back right 

Almost wouldn’t  be, the story of my life\\ 

Almost wouldn’t be, the story of my life

 

     I wanted to share a new song with you. I got this song back today. The name of the song is Grace. I could go on and on and tell you what the song is about but I will let the song do its job. (No hype!)  Here are the lyrics.

Grace    

Grace is amazing ask anyone they will tell you 
she dont judge me, condemn me, like other's do. 
she's big on forgiveness,  loves to give it away 
I need her so much, can't get enough, that's why I say she's 

Chorus- Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful 
Yeah,  she is 
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful 
all the time 
Merciful, merciful, merciful 
Hear me cry 
God gave me Grace   
Grace still amazes me.  

Grace is like sunshine, it shines on, flowers and weeds 
she watches me grow, and see's her yellow in me 
I'm a dandelion, she loves me just as I am 
I need her so much, can't get enough, and I can say she's 

 Chorus- Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful 
Yeah,  she is 
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful 
all the time 
Merciful, merciful, merciful 
Hear me cry 
 Grace is amazing 
 Grace keeps amazing me.  

Grace is  a gift, I couldn't earn 
I'll sing this song, about what I've learned, You're 

Chorus-  Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful 
Yeah,  she is 
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful 
all the time 
Merciful, merciful, merciful 
Hear me cry 
Grace is amazing 
Grace keeps amazing me. .  

 Grace is amazing 
Grace keeps amazing me.

    This week was a vacation from my job at Dillons grocery store. Vacations have changed with COVID 19. This was a staycation. I wanted to work on songwriting this week. Here is what a songwriting vacation looked like.

     Sunday and Monday I worked with a new songwriter that I met last month. Bill Miles. Bill is an NSAI member at the Tidewater, Virginia, NSAI chapter. We got in touch when I attended a zoom meeting in February. We texted each other about writing together but life get's busy. I contacted Bill and told him I was on vacation this week. 

      Bill and I had a very productive week. We were able to write two songs. Not totally finished buy pretty close. We are going to work on the second song again tomorrow and hopefully finish it up. Bill is a great singer and songwriter. You can check out his music on all the of digital platforms. The name of his band is The Bill Miles Band. 

      I also was able to write a song with my friend, Fletcher Moudy on Tuesday. We were able to finish up a song. It might need a few tweaks but not to much more. There are always tweaks to do to songs before you demo them. Sometimes, maybe a line doesn't sing quite right. Maybe it needs another word but usually it goes that other way. Most of the time, songs get better when you take words out. 

       Tomorrow I am attending the Kansas City NSAI chapter zoom meeting. Kansas City has a big chapter and their meetings can be longer than most. I am looking forward to attending it. I will be playing a song I wrote by myself last month called, Dance for Me. It is a dance song about a guy and a girl meeting and dancing on the dance floor. I am looking forward to getting some feedback on my song. 

       Also, this week I have done alot of reading. I am an avid reader. I finished reading two books this week. I read a book called Never split the difference. It is a book written by a hostage negotiator for the FBI. A very interesting book telling about how to bargain with others. Very interesting.

        The second book I finished this week was Wild Tales by Graham Nash. This is the Graham Nash that was part ot Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. It was a big book - 700 pages. I started speed reading toward the end. Just for any other rock stars that are going to write a book. Keep it interesting. Don't just tell me what you did, tell he how you felt, what you did right, where you messed up, and how your life story can make a difference in my life. 

         Tomorrow is my last day of vacation. Back to work on Sunday. It was a great vacation. Looking forward to  next week and the adventures it will bring. 

     I was reading the Bible yesterday and found a very special verse. I read from the New Living Translation. I will start with verse 10.  God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so God's generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you.

     What if I changed one word in verse 11. Are you called to be a songwriter? Then write as though God himself was speaking through you. God calls some folks to be preachers, speaker, writers and also songwriters. Imagine how much better my songs could be if I actually wrote it, with total confidence that the words and melody were a gift that God gave me. 

      I do believe that God does this. But when you write a bad song, don't blame that on God. You need to do your part in the songwrting journey. You need to know how to write a song, Knowing where the verses and chorus's go. If the song needs a bridge. How to make the song easy to sing. Re-wrting the song to make it the best possible version of that song that it can be. 

       Maybe the way to look at songwriting is. You and God are writing a song together. He is the writer and you are the co-writer. Don't write a song that God wouldn't want his name in the credits.