Congratulations to all our January/February 2022 Lyric Contest winners! CLICK HERE to enter the March/April contest.
1st place “Blue September Morn” By Rich Deans When we came up from the subway, the sky was filled with smoke There were people up on balconies, who must’ve thought it was a joke Paper flew down from the sky, like dirty snow it fell And I could hear the car alarms ringing out like Christmas bells And I stood there like a statue, like an orphan in a storm ‘Til someone dragged me up the street On that Blue September Morn Well I guess we should have known it, I guess we should have seen The dark clouds that were gathering, above our field of dreams We were young and brash and flush with cash We were bold and brave and proud We were talking like Americans, a little bit too loud But I never saw it coming; no I can’t say I was warned And the sky has never looked the same Since that Blue September Morn Bridge City lights and lots of laughs, a sudden sound, a brilliant flash Faces freeze like photographs and no one says a word Silver rain on summer grass, silver planes, and broken glass Not everything is built to last, although we wish it were So wave goodbye to the spacious sky and the boys in their uniforms Wave goodbye to the days when all the lines were clearly drawn And raise your glass to the working class The hook and ladder crews They tried their best no questions asked They just did what they had to do While out there in the harbor In a dress faded and worn She still waves to the passing ships On a Blue September Morn
Have a Groundbreaking Lyric? Enter American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest today
2nd Place “Love You Like June” By Beau Morgan Verse 1 Take anything and call me in the morning Momma said love sneaks up without a warning But I never knew it came so fast Momma didn’t mention that I was a one-man band yea a rolling stone Stuck between lonesome and being alone But you ain’t just a face in the crowd Girl, I can see it now Chorus I can see us laid out now Hanging out on riverbank Hands In mine riding ‘round on a quarter tank As soon as you’re gone yea I miss you Let’s make the whole thing official And I can sing you old love songs That you prolly never even heard Mess em all up Cause I only know a couple words But that never seemed to bother you If my name was Johhny I’d love you like June I’d love you like June Verse 2 Take this ring and wear it if you wanna That smile you got makes me think you’re gonna Even if I can’t make the payments Cause she still thinks that I’m famous Ain’t it a wonder she’s sticking around now She even cooks and she cleans while I sit on couch And I’m working on an old love song She just sings along Chorus I can see us laid out now Hanging out on riverbank Hands In mine riding ‘round on a quarter tank As soon as you’re gone yea I miss you Let’s make the whole thing official And I can sing you old love songs That you prolly never even heard Mess em all up Cause I only know a couple words But that never seemed to bother you If my name was Johhny I’d love you like June I’d love you like June Bridge I got two tickets now to a old sunset Everyone liner wrote that you ain’t heard yet It’s you that I wanted to carve my name In a heart, in a tree, on a perfect day Chorus 3 And I can see us laid out now Hanging out on riverbank Hands In mine riding ‘round on a quarter tank As soon as you’re gone yea I miss you Let’s make the whole thing official And I can sing you old love songs That you prolly never even heard Mess em all up Cause I only know a couple words But that never seemed to bother you If my name was Johnny I’d love you like June I’d love you like June 3rd Place “I Wish You Could Stay” By Chris Bickel Footsteps on a cold stone floor Rain pounding on the roof This house, it ain’t a home no more Wildflowers were the proof The memories rise to meet me Like an old friend passing by Head in my hands, I think of you I think of you and cry There was nothing I could do Nothing I could say I know it’s time to let you go But I wish that you could stay We’ve both been through so much Seems our lives were always hard But I didn’t think that it was time For our two souls to part I watch as they lay you down Though you’ll always be mine I stand alone in this field of stone Where they’ve laid my heart in pine There was nothing I could do Nothing I could say I know it’s time to let you go But I wish that you could stay Footsteps on a cold stone floor Rain pounding on the roof This house it ain't a home no more Wildflowers were the proof 4th Place “These Two Hands” By Jim Chalker My granddad was a woodcarver Never had a lot to say But what he spoke came through his hands And it took your breath away He owned an old worn set of tools Used to chisel as he stood And he could carve a symphony From a simple piece of wood Chorus And he lived each day like it mattered Did all that one man can He was humble, yet he could hold his head Just as high as any man And he taught me life’s a challenge And how to make my stand ‘Cause everything he ever owned He earned with his two hands My father was a mason Made his name in brick and stone You could see his work all over town In all the finest homes As straight as any laser beam The courses that he laid And everybody marveled At the beauty that he made Chorus And he lived each day like it mattered Did all that one man can He was humble, yet he could hold his head Just as high as any man And he taught me life’s a challenge And how to make my stand ‘Cause everything he ever owned He earned with his two hands And me I play this old guitar I have since just a boy In these two hands, it’ll make you cry Or make you sing with joy I can fill your head with songs of praise I can fill your heart with chills The work ain’t always steady But it always pays the bills Chorus And I live each day like it matters And I’m doing all I can Cause I learned from guys who understood What it means to be a man And I know that life’s a challenge And I’ve learned to make my stand And everything I’ve ever owned I earned with these two hands Bridge You know I never wore that cap and gown Didn’t choose to go that road But I’m doing fine with these hands of mine Always carried my own load Chorus So I’ll live each day like it matters And keep doing all I can And I’ll raise my son to know what’s right And how to be a godly man ‘Cause it’s true that life’s a challenge But I rise to its demands So I thank God for what He did When He gave me these two hands Honorable Mentions “Death Does Stand Up” By William DeRaymond “I’ll Take It From Here” By Dale Allen Pommer, Bobby McCormick & Janice Gilbert “Letters” By Brad Mays “Paper Airplanes” By Brian Sutherland, Devin Barker, & Rob Ricotta “She Ain’t Finished With Me Yet” By Lauren Smith “Goodbye Song” By Jesse Wilson “It Never Turns Out That Way” By Rob Ramsey “Born Here All My Life” By Bill O'Hanlon & Greg Matthews “Early Morning Hours” By Ed Seifert “His World Is Getting Smaller” By Randall Burrows
