Congratulations to all our July/August 2024 Lyric Contest winners. Read the winning lyrics for first through fourth place, below.
CLICK HERE to enter the September/October Lyric contest.
1st Place – “She Pours”
By: Paul Ivy & Elizabeth Eckert
She says y’all get inside I smell a storm
She closes the windows and latches the door
she knows what’s coming she’s been here before
Neath this Kansas sky
When the wind starts to howl her ghosts all come out
She’s that little girl growing up in this house
In a thundering rain daddy went south
Didn’t say goodbye
She don’t stand a chance to get through this one dry
When it rains she pours
She paces that cold kitchen floor
Like mama would watch out the window for daddy‘s old Ford
When the sun comes out
She knows she’ll be alright but for now
She’ll reach for that handle like whiskey could even the score
When it rains she pours
She never thought she’d be much of a drinker
Cause she watched her daddy get lost in his liquor
But holding that glass makes him feel nearer
To her right now
It helps her remember and helps her forget somehow
So when it rains she pours
She paces that cold kitchen floor
Like mama would watch out the window for daddy‘s old Ford
When the sun comes out
She knows she’ll be alright but for now
She’ll reach for that handle like whiskey could even the score
When it rains she pours
She prays for the day she won’t need the bottle
To keep memories away and fill up the hollow
Place that he left when she couldn’t follow
It all stays at bay with just one more swallow
When it rains she pours
She paces that cold kitchen floor
Like mama would watch out the window for daddy‘s old Ford
When the sun comes out
She knows she’ll be alright but for now
She’ll reach for that handle like whiskey could even the score
She knows what’s coming she’s been here before
When it rains she pours
When it rains she pours
@ Paul Ivy, Elizabeth Eckert 2024
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2024 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
2nd Place – “Tangerines From Morocco”
By: Rick Jerram
It’s fifteen years since Michaela brought me
A shot-glass from Paris and a map of Italy
-A back-pack of memories- and this taste on her tongue
Of tangerines from Morocco & what it is to be young.
Tangerines from Morocco & what it is to be young.
She came like a shipwreck, tossed on a reef,
Weighed down with young love’s inconsolable grief,
Naked underneath, with this taste on her tongue
-Bitter lemons from Spain & what it is to be young.
-Bitter lemons from Spain & what it is to be young.
Then she took all my bad dreams out of their vault,
Taught me to take life with garlic and salt
-It’s nobody’s fault, just a taste on the tongue
Of Kalamata Olives and what it is to be young.
Kalamata Olives and what it is to be young.
So I followed down valleys to the grip of her desire.
She led me across mountains with inexplicable fires
And she still says ‘Come higher
We’re no longer so young, but our travelling’s not done
The moon’s reaching down. Let’s climb one more rung’
So I follow in further and when we are done
It’s tangerines from Morocco that I taste on her tongue
It’s tangerines from Morocco I still taste on her tongue
3rd Place – “Look Back and Learn”
By: Coty Hoover & Becca Smith (Admiral Radio)
Verse 1
There’s a pain that’s coming up from the past
It spins around and ‘round your head, then it circles back
It’ll keep you up all night, leave you hardened with regret
V2
But that memory’s filled with wisdom, scorn, and tears
That you’ve felt so deeply all throughout the years
If you listen to the heartache close enough, I hope you’ll hear
Ch1
That without the hell you wouldn’t pray for heaven
And every scar left from your past is just a lesson
So be patient, ‘cause we all gotta wait our turn
And to give you peace that Lord knows that you’ve earned
The best thing you can do with the hurt, is look back and learn
V3
But don’t look back in anger, look back and smile
‘Cause you know that in the end it’s worth the while
They say that good things take time, but not without the trials
Ch2
‘Cause without the hell you wouldn’t pray for heaven
And every scar left from your past is just a lesson
Running from it now won’t do you no good
‘Cause there’s a fortitude that’s waiting down the line
And a love that’s gonna stand the test of time
So be patient, ‘cause we all gotta wait our turn
And to give you peace that Lord knows that you’ve earned
The best thing you can do with the hurt, is look back and learn
Outro
So be patient, ‘cause we all gotta wait our turn
And take back the fire inside that used to burn
And to give you peace that Lord knows that you’ve earned
Forgive and seek forgiveness in return
‘Cause the best thing you can do with the hurt, is look back and learn
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2024 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
4th Place – “St. Augustine”
By: Mitch L’Herault
I ran with some friends, all of my crew
Running down alleys smoking in n school
We had us some wild times, as rowdy lads must
Chasing the ladies who weren’t chasing us.
Gamblers and con men, stumbling drunks
Saints without halos, the usual punks
With no true direction, no master plan
No complications and wasn’t it grand
Chorus
Some leaving some living a future unseen
Even the lonely find comfort in dreams⁸
tumblers keep tumbling when the winnings are lean.
When your times running out in
St. Augustine
But sit by the fire and I’ll tell you some more
Of scoundrels and beggars and a knock at a door
Yes pull up a chair, put a log on the fire
For there are no heroes no birds on the wire
The fog hung like smoke at the old poker table
They pulled out that jeep with a come-along cable
Long after midnight back at the shed
No sleep until morning. The sun came up red
Chorus
Some leaving some living a future unseen
Even the lonely find comfort in dreams
tumblers keep tumbling when the winnings are lean.
When your times running out in
St. Augustine
The steam engine hissed and rattled about
A bucket of bolts there was never a doubt
Then each took a seat, just one to a car
Don’t offer them pity whoever they are
Things never get better when things start out bad
They sat on chrome stools and opened a tab
The eyes of the barmaid were iron and steel
She shuffled the deck and started to deal
She led with a pair but no one was folding
But 4 of a kind was what she was holding
So she raised for her queens to sweeten the pot
And raised one more time to tighten the knot
Chorus
Some leaving some living a future unseen
Even the lonely find comfort in dreams
tumblers keep tumbling when the winnings are lean.
When your times running out in
St. Augustine
The guy with the beard was starting to sweat
He grabbed for his gun and doubled her bet
She gathered the pot and grabbed for his knife
She stabbed him just once at the end of his life
Chorus
Some leaving some living a future unseen
Even the lonely find comfort in dreams
tumblers keep tumbling if you know what I mean.
When your times running out in
St. Augustine
Chorus
Some leaving some living a future unseen
Even the lonely find comfort in dreams
tumblers keep tumbling if you know what I mean.
When your times running out in
St. Augustine
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2024 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
Honorable Mentions:
“Don’t Answer Me”
By Adam Book
“Heaven is a Honky Tonk”
By Siobhan Mildren
“California Gone”
By James Johnson
“Weatherman”
By Matt Daniel
“I Wish That I Was Him”
By Anthony Quails
“Tomorrow’s On Our Side”
By Matt Jaffe
“Strangers with Memories”
By Payti Harrison & Kayliann Lowe
“Serves Me Right”
By Wayne Massi
“A Prayer in Heaven or a Chance in Hell”
By Debby Dever
“Girl Dad”
By Laura Honken
“I’m Still Me ”
By Mark Woodside
