Amen, Brother Jeff!  I have to keep reminding myself that long political campaigns help to articulate and prioritize the issues that are most important for the nation.  "Change" seems to have emerged as the underlying theme.

The truth people don't want to hear is simple - just changing leaders is not enough . . . we also have to change fundamental attitudes and behaviors.  Our house of cards is doomed to collapse unless citizens/consumers control their greed for more oil and more junk.

Hi PPonU4Me & let me add my welcome to the forum.

Jase and Roger both have good suggestions.  You have a delicious dilemma . . . there is obviously some germ of a song in your head, it's just a matter of helping it happen.

Roger is very correct regarding the metre of the song - the rhythmic feel is a great place to focus.  Nonsense syllables might be a way to loosen up your imagination.  Just 'doo-bee-doo' and 'gabba-gabba-hay' along with your chords and see if you can find a pattern that suits your liking.

Melodic lines are fun to play with, but I would suggest getting a topic for your song first.  Songs are best when they are about simple things - big ideas are hard to fit into a song.  Don't feel like you have to change the world with your lyrics.

As you play your chords, what images are conjured up in your imagination.  Freeze-frame an image and then ponder it a bit.  What words or phrases can describe that image?  See if you can get off on a flight of fancy about that image/idea.

I was recently playing around with a 1, 3b, 4, 1 chord set and it conjured up a sort of lurking/menacing feeling.  So, I used that idea and wrote a little ditty entitled "Food Chain".

For me, it is helpful to jot down words or phrases otherwise the ideas evaporate.  I also find that simple physical activities like walking, riding a bike, raking leaves, or doing chores lets my imagination roam freely.

Seemingly very simple ideas can be nurtured into a song. For me, it is easier to nurture and expand on a little idea than it is to compress or compact a big idea into a song.

OK - enough pie-in-the-sky junk . . . Here is a very practical suggestion:
Carry a piece of paper and pencil with you every day.  Keep your ears and eyes open and alert for stuff that is neat/stupid/silly/gross/funny/sad/typical/odd/exciting/boring.  Listen to the voices around you - bits of conversation or words or sounds.

Whip out that piece of paper and jot down something about what you have noticed.  Do this a lot.  You will soon have a whole bunch of ideas any one of which might resonate enough in your imagination to become a song.

Here is another idea that might jump start your creative juices:
Pick an object - any object big or small.  Stare at it and think of all the words that can describe that thing - how it looks, how it smells, how it sounds or feels or where it is.  Jot down all these descriptors.  See what these words or ideas remind you of - think of other words that rhyme or sound like those words.  Think of words that are opposite those words.  Think of words that start with the same letters - - - the whole idea is just to exercise your mind and let your imagination wander.

Sorry to go on for so long - I guess my mind and imagination were just wandering!
James

Good news for all concerned . . .

Our Irish diva has agreed to give this waltz a whirl!
Not I wouldn't be simply stunning in stilettos and lipstick - but I simply don't have anything to wear!

I have sent a rough version of 'Good Riddance' to Old Doll.
Once she works her magic on this ditty, I'm hoping it can go up the Friends of Chordie site on MySpace Music.   James

Hi Tim0473,
Like Russell Harding, I am working on some original stuff.  Had big plans for doing lots of projects around the house on this day off (MLK Day), but mostly just relaxed and took it easy.

Found a scrap of an idea in my song writing notebook - a scribble really - and have been playing with the idea this evening.  Tentatively entitled "My Cowbelle".

Someday, it might actually be a song - but not quite yet!

Alrighty then . . . have been pondering who it is in this song and I think I finally figured it out.  It was so obvious that I couldn't see it until I happened to notice the date - then it was clear.

Are there lines of chords missing, or something?  Seems like there might be . . .
James

This is fabulous, Zurf!  You are a very very cool dad . . . (at least until she gets to be a teenager and then you will be a source of embarrassment).

Hope to hear the recording - maybe you can send it to Roger Guppy and put it on the Friends of Chordie myspace music page?

I live in northeast Mississippi and we have a few gators in lakes and ponds.  They mind their own business and stay out of sight mostly.

Whack!
There . . . I just extracted a rather large stick from up gerry wood's butt and smacked him over the head with it.

Hi bonedaddy -
Roger is correct about the proper form of the commands.  Extra spaces could be the problem.

But, I have also noticed a minor little quirk in the print-from-forum routine.  It seems that some lines will ignore the indent command.  Seems to be certain lines located at specific parts of the page - don't know why.

HA!  I love it!

I was typing my answer to this query while another administrator was also composing a response - great example of just how helpful the chordie community can be!

bonedaddy, I just saw your 'Shut Up and Sing' video.  Bravo!

I am reminded that I need to get a webcam or something - I hope to contribute to the YouTube group, just need the gear & the gumption.  James

Hi tcalvano & welcome to chordie!

This weekend there will be some improvements made to chordie's servers.  The changes are expected to take a day.  Your problem may be related to this upgrade process.

Other than that, I don't know why this would be happening - I'm not the programming whiz.
Try this workaround:
Create a new songbook - - - go to your songbook page and you'll see a button there to start a new book.
I know this doesn't solve your problem, but at least you will be able to add to your collection of songs this way.

Hopefully, somebody with more technical knowhow can suggest a real fix.
James

Very interesting - makes me realize just how much ambient noise is in my self-made recordings.  I'm glad there are people out there who revel in the art of recording - I'm still just happy to make a crude one-track recording of my songs.  It would be interesting to know what his studio is like and what gear he uses.