Monday Poetry Train #8
Since my head has been buried in my Fruits of the Spirit storyworld for the entire past week, I might as well post the lyrics to a song I wrote for one of its characters who is an aspiring Country and Western singer. I may post the story that goes with it in Friday Snippets after I've finished posting the four parts of Of Cats and Claws and Curiosities.
Rag Doll Babies and Million Dollar Maybes
Mama makes a living making rag doll babies
And praying once a week at the church for bingos.
She says the only blessing she asks of heaven
Is a winning number for Wednesday’s lotto.
She’s making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And promising the moon a cloudless sky.
She’s making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And laughing like a loon who cannot fly.
My Mama for each birthday made me rag doll babies
That looked just like me and every day she dressed us just alike.
She told us ‘Doll Babies, this life is all caprice.
You gotta take what it gives and give what it takes.
She’s making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And hasn’t got a clue that I’m alive.
She’s making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And finding life’s a tune she’s sung too high.
I say, “Mama, I’m not another dolly to set on your shelf,
I’m your real live child set on being myself!
”Mama tells me, “Baby! This world’s plum crazy
And you just never know when your card’s gonna win. See,
“I’m making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And promising the moon a cloudless sky,
Cause making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
Is just my way of giving you the sky.
“I’m making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
And promising the moon a cloudless sky,
Cause making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes
Is just my way of teaching you to fly.”
© 1998 & 2005 by Joy Renee Davis
Meanwhile, I'm still sweating for Sven and starting to panic as the reality of a commitment to a minimum of 1000 words per day for 70 days is sinking in. Every time I think about word count it sends my muse to deep freeze. Which just makes it worse.
9 tell me a story:
Cool song. Don't start out thinking about 1000 words, start by thinking about where you are in the story and where you want the story to go. Write the first sentence and then the first paragraph and then the first page. The word count will take care of itself. (Must go to bed now-have to face the dayjob once again). Good night.
"And finding life’s a tune she’s sung too high" -- wonderful line! I would want to read the snippet behind this for sure. And I agree with Ann - taking it in small steps will most definitely help. Best of luck and keep us posted!
i look forward to seeing the companion piece to this. I could hear the twang baby and ghostly guitars.
"She’s making rag doll babies and million dollar maybes"
Your title/repeating line is my favorite. Captures the character's essence in nine words.
As for the muse freeze-up, I tend not to be so good with word-count output myself. I have to ignore that as Ann suggests. My muse needs freedom to soar - sounds like yours does too!
I hate country music, but I love these lyrics. I love good story songs, though, and this is one of them. You've got almost an entire novel here.
I agree with everyone else: don't worry about wordcount. Worry about the story and the words themselves. They'll add up and multiply faster than rabbits once you quit watching the word counter.
A watched word counter never rises, after all...
"...‘Doll Babies, this life is all caprice.
You gotta take what it gives and give what it takes...."
Sage advice indeed. I do not like Country music , but the lyrics are good. Thank you for this.
good thing you copywrighted it, I could actually see someone singing it in my head.
I've got to agree with Julia, that title/repeating line really has a hook to it.
this is great, Joy. :) I can see a country singer singing this.
Don't think about the word count limit. Just write what the muse gives you. It'll all work out in the end.
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