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The verse to this came to me after reading a piece in American Songwriter on an Artists community in Austin, Texas. It came words and music together. I'm still not happy with the melody for the chorus, but we're getting there. I got some rough recording done tonight of a couple of the pieces I have posted. I'll get them up on myspace over the next few days.

Somewhere There's a Place called Austin.

Somewhere there's a place called Austin
A place where hearts don't get broke
A place where lovers never leave
Some things aren't so hard to believe

There's a whiskey sour goin' stale by the kitchen door
And a broken glass that floods across the floor
There's a door key that was flung into the night
And an emptyness that says that she was right.
He sits and stares. He cannot sleep
Wishin' spoken words had never been.

And there are memories of Pease Park and the jazz
A day of love she hoped would never pass.
There were old men wringin' tears from simple tunes
And a warm walk home beneath a hunter's moon.
But she sits and stares and cannot cry
She took her love and walked away.

The telephone sits cradled in his palm
She stares at hers, says "You know where I am."
He scrolls through all those names on the screen
The ex-es, the ghosts in the machine.
He hesitates. She waits for him to ring,
Then flicks the mobile off - leaves everything.

Wonder what you think of this. I've no tune as yet.

Nobody, but Nobody.

Nobody, but nobody
Makes me feel so good
Nobody, but nobody
Can do me like you do
There's no-one else in this wide world
Can turn my troubles into gold.
There's no-one else I know
Brought me in from the cold.

Don't think me wrong,
Don't take it bad,
Don't take it strange,
Don't think it sad.
You taught me one fine thing,
That love is all you need.
It sweetens everything.

Nobody, but nobody
Ever held me like you do
Nobody, but nobody
Ever told me the truth
There's no-one else in this wide world
Stood up for me like you.
There's no-one else I know
Cared enough to pull me through.

Nobody, but nobody
Stayed around like you did
Nobody, but nobody
Ever loved me like this.
There's no-one else in this wide world
Can turn my tears to laughter.
There's no-one else I know
That I will love for ever after.

Spent a large part of last week at the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival ( http://www.belfastnashville.com/ ). Since 1994 Belfast, Ireland, and Nashville, Tennesee, have been twinned as "Sister Cities". The Belfast Nashville festiva ( or BelNash) l is an annual recognition of that relationship. The reason for this is both cities appreciating the Scotch-Irish connections between them.

I particularly focussed on the songwriting workshops. There was a great diversity of opinion on songwriting available. Jason Blume was very analytical in his presentations on Melody, Writing for the Nashville market, and Looking after business. The last of these was particularly good for suggesting opportunities to sell rights to TV and Film producers. Jason was very much high end stuff ( How do you write for the Keith Urbans, Beyonces etc).

Jerry Harmon also did a session which I found more to my way of writing - country singer/songwriter style. I had a good chat with him after the session and am going to send him some work for possible collaboration - who knows ! Andy White also did a great opening session that just let everyone talk about how they wrote - very affirming.

The final sesdsion I attended was with Iain Archer ( toured with Snow Patrol) who went all airy fairy about writing without any structure, but left you with a head full of ideas at the end of it.

There were also over 100 singer songwriters playing across the city, with showcases and off the cuff jams. Included in the price of the delegates ticket were two concerts with Nancy Griffiths and with Ralph McTell.

I'll be back next year.