“The Promiseland”
By David McMillin
Interview by American Songwriter
David McMillin is the American Songwriter Red, Write & Blue Lyric Contest Promotion winner for his song “The Promiseland”. American Songwriter caught up with David to get the story behind his lyrics.
How long have you been songwriting?
I’ve been writing songs since I was around 13. I’ve been writing good songs since around the age of 22. I turned 40 earlier this year, and I’m hoping that my continuing road as a songwriter will feel more like a bottle of fine wine than a third-string NFL running back.
Why did you enter American Songwriter’s Red, Write & Blue Promotion?
I’ve always been a fan of this song, but let’s face it: I’m a bit biased. Putting unreleased songs in front of accomplished songwriters feels like a better way to put my work to the test than humming a melody in my living room.
What was the inspiration behind your song, “The Promiseland”?
I wrote “The Promiseland” in the early days after Trump’s inauguration, which felt like watching the world fall off a cliff. Like a lot of people, I was depressed. But rather than dwelling on the fact that the country seemed unrecognizable with the maker of a reality show about celebrity apprentices in the White House, I decided to channel my image of what the country could and should be.
Who are your all-time favorite songwriters and why?
Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows – his lyrics are a master class in the value of specificity.
Warren Zevon – a genius whose work always reminds me that it’s good to be weird.
André Benjamin – can you show me a line better than “shake it like a Polaroid picture”? I didn’t think so.
Are you planning to release any new music this year?
My Chicago-based band Fort Frances is nearly finished with a new album, and Grand Am – I’m half of this indie/alt rock duo – will be releasing a steady stream of singles over the next few months.
What would you tell other artists who are considering entering the contest?
Who doesn’t like the chance to win something? If you’re like me and some of the only trophies you’ve ever won are the Mental Attitude Award (high school baseball) and putting champion (golf camp, sometime before I turned 12), your lyrics might just be the path to feeling like a star.
Read the winning lyrics below:
Have you ever heard of America?
Well, I saved a chair for you
Take a seat, trace the lines of history
Blue collar boots, white collar ties
Politicians and picket lines
World wars and peace signs
It’s a timeline with dates and names
Moments of pride and moments of shame
Now it seems so easy to forget everything
Talk of left and right and win or lose
If you make a promise to me, I will make a promise to you
Let’s do our best to try and understand
That every one of us is a part of the promiseland
Have you ever been to America?
It’s somewhere between the air and the
Ocean floor miles below your feet
Take a look in the mirror
At two hundred and fifty years
Don’t let the truth disappear
Out in the streets
Turn off all the breaking news
Make a promise to me, I will make a promise to you
Let’s do our best to try and understand
That every one of us is a part of the promiseland
I’ve been searching for America
I drove coast to coast as I stared at the
Horizon as the sun was laying down
From New York to New Orleans
From Oregon to Aberdeen
The mountains and the valleys and all the in betweens
The same song was playing everywhere
At dinner tables, in morning prayers
In big cities and in the middle of nowhere
The words were simple, the words were true
Make a promise to me, I will make a promise to you
Let’s do our best to try and understand
That all of our tomorrows are right here in our hands
Let’s do our best to try and understand
That every one of us is a part of the promiseland
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