A Matter of Time - Song A Week 2010 -17

My next door neighbor was diagnosed with cancer and given about six months to live... that was almost a year ago. The details in this song are completely fabricated, but the spark that led to the song is real, lives next door and still waves to me sometimes when I mow my lawn.




A Matter of Time – T.C. Elliott

He’s been here for years
In this neighborhood
As the world just goes on by
All the things he loves
Turns into memories
They grow old and then they die

A lonely teardrop falls
The only sign of pain
He knows that this too will pass
It’s only a matter of time

All his kids are grown
They’ve all gone away
So he sits lonely and alone
He talks to the photographs
Hanging on his walls
Lonely in the house that was his home

All his pills are gone
And so is all his wine
Soon his pain will go away
He’s been sick for years
Now his time has come
He knows he’s better off this way

Hate And Pain - Song A Week - 16

Two local college students, both in their teens, recently littered on Mizzou campus. They threw cotton on the ground outside of an area frequented by black students. Needless to say it has been in the headlines around here quite a bit.
This song kind of takes a look at it.

Hate and Pain



Two dumb kids with nothing to do
Dared each other with something to prove
They snuck in and didn't make a sound
Then they threw cotton on the ground

Oh how could you be so stupid?
Did you know what you were gonna do?
Did you really want to stir up all of this hate and pain?
Stupid boys was it worth it?
A bag of cotton and your future
Did you really want to stir up all of this hate and pain?

They messed up and went to jail
Who is gonna go their bail?
Just two monsters they wanted to be
We locked them up and threw away the key

Chorus

They call you racist boys
Do they really know?
Is it a prank or is it more?

They let them out and tears were shed
Now they try to get ahead
Are they monsters or stupid teens?
Nobody knows what it means.

Chorus

Never Alone - Song A Week 2010 -15

I wanted to do a rock song so I put aside my first few ideas this week and went with this. I'm hoping to get more time to do demo stuff and have more rock sounding stuff but I'm willing to take what I can get.

Never Alone




Never Alone – T.C. Elliott

You never smile when you walk around -- D A GG
You like it when you’re the talk of the town
Red lipstick and eyes painted black
And a punk rock t-shirt with a ripped up back

But I know -- em A
Don’t you think I don’t know -- em A
You’re too afraid to ever be alone -- em A D

You’re wearing chains around your wrist
You’re wearing leather you just can’t resist
And a tattoo of a dagger on your arm
You wear a bracelet with skulls for charms

Chorus

In the dark of the night -- C G D
You close your eyes and pray for the light -- C G D
You hope no-one can see the fear and the pain -- em C G D
When you’re alone -- C - D

And don’t you think that I don’t know
Your silly little act has got to go
There’s something beautiful hidden inside
Won’t you forget all those pretty little lies

Chorus
Chorus
And now you never have to be alone

Believe - Song A Week 2010 - 14

Helen Robertson was so kind as to send me a rough demo of an incomplete song she had lying around, a backing track, in response to my complaint that I was not motivated to write a song this week. I added a bit of guitar and voice and lyric and here we go.





Believe - T.C. Elliott and Helen Robertson

A singer
A player
with that magical touch

When you say it I believe
When you say it I believe
They say I shouldn't trust you anymore
You don't believe

You want to
You need to
But you don't have the time

When you say it I believe
When you say it I believe
They say I shouldn't trust you anymore
They don't understand why I still care
Why I still care
They say I shouldn't trust you anymore
You don't believe