Members Christopher Kai Posted August 18, 2006 Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 Don't Pray for Rain On MySpaceDon't Pray for Rain On SoundClick Dont Pray for RainVERSE 1Daddy was a crooked man who never told a lieHis hunch came from working fields, a back turned to the skyWorkin longer than daylight and harder than the dirtHe never stopped a dayExcept to pray At the country church Spoken: And Daddy would always tell me... CHORUSDont pray for rain, my sonJust let the Lord provideSome days are drenched in rain, my sonSome days are gonna be dryDont ask the Lord for moreAnd miss what Hes already doneDont pray for rainThank God for the sun VERSE 2For thirty-seven summers me and my Daddy worked the groundEach year I'd work some more and each year he'd slow downLast summer I worked alone, it was the hardest one in yearsThe only drops That fell on the crops Were my sweat and tears Spoken: And Daddy would always tell me... CHORUS BRIDGESummer went to AugustDaddy went to the LordAs we covered his grave in the dustThe heavens started to pourDaddy spoke once more CHORUS 2Dont pray for rain, my sonJust let the Lord provideSome days are drenched in rain, my sonSome days are gonna be dryDont ask the Lord for moreAnd miss what Hes already doneDont pray for rainThank God for His Son____________________________________Thanks in advance, y'all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JSimms Posted August 18, 2006 Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 Great melody. Can't quite hit that note on "more" but that's ok. You don't want me to say anything about the lyrics--I am not religious. I can see how a religious person might say that they are good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Christopher Kai Posted August 18, 2006 Author Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 I suppose I should explain that I am a songwriter and not a performer. After I get the song critiqued I'll take it to my publisher in Nashville. Then, session musicians and session singers will hit the notes I most definitely can't! I was kinda' hoping that non-religious people could identify with the song, too- maybe more on a father/son old ways/new ways level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted August 18, 2006 Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 Lyrics are the strongest aspect of the song. Very solid lyrics: good story, and I get the main character. It took me a second to understand how you were using "crooked." Nice. One thing I didn't like about the last chorus, sun to Son. It's not a religious issue, just a writerly one. Isn't it a bit cliche to switch those two words around? Sometimes cleverness and wordplay can elicit a groan and mar a good tune. Gotta be careful with puns. I think a Christian listener would understand the deeper meaning behind "Thank God for the sun" without having to spell it out in the final chorus. Melody works best in the chorus (except on "more," as JSimms noted). Maybe sing it in a different key? Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JSimms Posted August 18, 2006 Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 Originally posted by Christopher Kai I suppose I should explain that I am a songwriter and not a performer. After I get the song critiqued I'll take it to my publisher in Nashville. Then, session musicians and session singers will hit the notes I most definitely can't! I was kinda' hoping that non-religious people could identify with the song, too- maybe more on a father/son old ways/new ways level... Yeah, I remember that you have people that perform your stuff, I was just yanking your chain a bit. As far as non-religious people identifying with the song, I think that most of them will be able to. Most people profess religion whether they have it or not, and I think that you have written an easily identifiable and poignant theme. Just not for me personally--I have an aversion to even vaguely religious songs. Just my atheist blood I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JSimms Posted August 18, 2006 Members Share Posted August 18, 2006 Originally posted by Stackabones [...]I think a Christian listener would understand the deeper meaning behind "Thank God for the sun" without having to spell it out in the final chorus.[...] I agree with this as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Christopher Kai Posted August 20, 2006 Author Members Share Posted August 20, 2006 Originally posted by Christopher Kai I suppose I should explain that I am a songwriter and not a performer. After I get the song critiqued I'll take it to my publisher in Nashville. Then, session musicians and session singers will hit the notes I most definitely can't!I was kinda' hoping that non-religious people could identify with the song, too- maybe more on a father/son old ways/new ways level... LOL- Great point! If I change chorus 2 to "Thank God for the Son" the listener wouldn't know any difference but it would still flip the meaning... does that still make you groan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted August 20, 2006 Members Share Posted August 20, 2006 Good to see you back here, Christopher. I like the lyrics a lot. I don't care so much for the chord progression, especially during the verse. The minor chord with a major dominant thing is well worn. As much as I love the lyrics, I would definitely drop the Son bit. As it is, when you get to that part, it kind of cheapens the song. Since the rest of the song doesn't provide a strong lead to that twist, it doesn't provide a great resolution. The song, in retrospect, becomes less than what it purports to be. If you leave it as "sun", the double meaning is not a difficult leap, and the song appears to have greater depth. Does that make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted August 20, 2006 Members Share Posted August 20, 2006 Originally posted by Christopher Kai If I change chorus 2 to "Thank God for the Son" the listener wouldn't know any difference but it would still flip the meaning... does that still make you groan? You're right, listeners will hear it or not. If they get it (sun=Son), you're not flipping the meaning. If they don't get it, one day they will. On the page (that is, reading the lyric), changing the spelling of "sun" to "Son" is a gimmick--one that's used by unsure lyricists, but one that could be avoided in a strong lyric like yours. As Chicken Monkey said, If you leave it as "sun", the double meaning is not a difficult leap, and the song appears to have greater depth. Well said, and I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.