Write Away Magazine Dec 2019

Issue No:12 

The Lyric Writers Magazine 

Recalling ‘Last Christmas’ 

With George Michael 

A Christmas 

Celebration 

Featuring 

All Our Regulars 

Plus Original 

Christmas Songs 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk

] 

In This Issue... 

Page 40 - 43 

Regulars: 

04 The Lyrics Doctor 

06 Daryn Wright 

08 Trevor Dimoff 

10 Paul Sykes 

12 Bill O’Halloran 

14 Simon Wright 

16 Happy Ron Hill 

18 Life In Lyrics 

Featuring: 

20 John Nicholson 

22 David Sutherland 

24 Stephen Kalpin 

26 David Michael Rose 

28 Augusto Flameño 

Monsayac 

30 James K Victor 

32 Sydney Westan 

34 Jason Baker 

36 Queen Regina Of The 

Gigglefits 

38 Bob Love 

40 Paul Michel 


44 Jimmy Travis Band 

46 Dave Eidson 

48 Nick Lawrence 

50 Colin B Leonard 

52 Sivle 

54 Rollin Jewett 

56 Bamil Gutiérrez 

Collado 

58 Don Murdock 

60 Mike Turner 

62 Jane Shields 

64 Richard Solleveld 

66 Ric Angus 

68 Linda Harborth 

70 Gary Snead 

72 Stanley Thompson 

74 Pete Marksteiner 

76 Ron Todd 


02 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk

A Word From The Editor... 

A very warm welcome to my Christmas issue of 

Write Away Magazine. It’s packed full of cheer 

from talented artists around the world who have 

kindly contributed thier own original Christmas 

songs/lyeics for your pleasure. Please take a 

moment to check out all the links provided. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all my 

readers a wonderful Christmas, and ask that if you 

enjoy my magazine please share it on social media 

for all to enjoy. 

I’ve also released Volume Two of ‘My Life In 

Lyrics’, which you can now preview or download 

from my website. Volume One is also still 

available from www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 

You can also submit articles for my magazine 

directly from my website should you so wish to. 

I would like to offer a huge thank you to each of my 

regular writers for their invaluable support over the 

past twelve months, and for producing such 

excellent content in all their articles. I would be lost 

without your input, and am truly grateful to you all. 

So, here’s wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 

time, and also good fortune and health for the 

coming New Year. 

Jane xxx 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 03

Finding Your Words 

Show what you mean - don’t tell. “I’m so sad, I just feel 

bad, my girlfriend left me today...”....Not the best way to 

express your words. This is a fast way to make your song 

forgettable. 

The best lyrics, like any good writing, get us to feel emotions 

because they capture that experience, not because 

they tell us what to feel. Try to write about what it’s like to 

feel something, instead of just 

telling your audience. 

A good example of an alternative to this “I’m so sad” thing 

is from Damien Rice’s song The Animals Were Gone: “At 

night I dream without you, and hope I don’t wake up; 

‘Cause waking up without you is like drinking from an 

empty cup”. 

Brainstorm some ideas so you can see what you have and 

choose or even build off of an existing idea. It is probably 

best if you have an inspiration. 

https://www.rhymezone.com/ - Check this out if you’ve 

never used it before. It’s a great aid to rhyme. 

has far more rhyming than other ge 

not required. It’s just stylistic. 

Try non-standard rhyme schemes. I 

your rhyming stand out a bit more a 

cheesy, you can experiment with diff 

rhyming. Did you know that there’s 

Explore assonance/consonance rhym 

alliteration, forced rhymes, etc. 

Assonance is the repetition of vowe 

create internal rhyming within phra 

together with alliteration and conso 

of the building blocks of verse. Ass 

to be a rhyme; the identity of which 

sequence of both vowel and conson 

Consonance refers to repetitive sou 

consonants within a sentence or ph 

often takes place in quick succession 

patter. It is classified as a literary ter 

as well as prose. For instance, the w 

kick are consonant with one and oth 

existence of common interior conso 

Rhyme within reason. You know when you see a song 

written by someone who isn’t very good and the lyrics just 

come off as cheesy? This is often because they rhyme too 

much or very badly. Aim to avoid having all of your lines 

rhyme, and look for rhymes that you do use that look 

natural. Don’t put weird phrases or words into your lyrics 

just to get a rhyme. Really, your lyrics don’t have to rhyme 

at all. Plenty of songs have non-rhyming lyrics. 

Good: “You make me feel real again/You just have to smile 

and I know/The sun’s coming out - Amen!” 

Bad: “I really love my cat/My cat is where it’s at/Her tail 

looks like a bat/She’s getting kind of fat...” 

Of course, there are some genre considerations. Rap often 


The Lyrics Doctor 

nres, but even then it’s 

f you do want to make 

nd avoid sounding 

erent styles of 

more ways to rhyme? 

es, pararhyme, 

l sounds to 

ses or sentences, and 

nance serves as one 

onance does not have 

depends merely on 

ant sounds. 

nds produced by 

rase. This repetition 

such as in pitter, 

m used in both poetry 

ords chuckle, fickle, and 

er due to the 

nant sounds 

Another example, Macklemore’s Same Love uses many 

examples of assonance rhymes and other non-standard 

rhymes: lately/daily, anointed/poisoned, important/support 

it, etc 

Pararhyme is a half-rhyme in which there is vowel variation 

within the same consonant pattern. 

“Strange Meeting” (1918) is a poem by Wilfred Owen, a 

war poet who used pararhyme in his writing. Here is a part 

of the poem that shows pararhyme: 

Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred. 

Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared 

With piteous recognition in fixed eyes, 

Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless. 

And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, 

By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell. 

Alliteration and rhyme 

Alliteration refers to words that share the same 

initial sound, like Peter Piper, Bugs Bunny, or Mickey 

Mouse. 

Rhyme refers to words that share the same final sound or 

sound sequence, like me and tree or tap and cap, or fun 

and sun. Rhyme is actually quite complex and difficult to 

explain precisely, so you’ll want to keep it pretty simple, at 

least at first. My advice: stick to one-syllable words with a 

simple sound structure, at least at first. 

Avoid cliches. You want to avoid cliches because these 

keep your songs from standing out and don’t show off your 

unique talent. If you have someone down on their knees 

(especially if they’re begging please), someone is walking 

down the street (either it’s a girl or it’s you, either way, it’s 

been done), or you just have to ask “why can’t you see”, you 

probably need to go back to the drawing board... 

Please email any questions for The Lyrics Doctor 

directly to me and I will forward to him. 

jane@writeawaymagazine.co.uk 


V1 

Every morning it’s the same routine … 

Alarm clock is waking me at four … 

Hot cup of coffee stirred with a candy cane … 

Sugar pie then out the door 

Making my way through the traffic jam … 

With thousands of elves heading to Santa’s shop … 

Where we all make toys on the assembly line, … 

And the work it never stops 

CH 

Slap on a set of tires make the noise “vroom, vroom” 

… Send the car rolling across the room … 

Grab a hammer, whack a nail, make a tug boat … 

Throw it in the tub see if it floats 

Stand the doll, brush the hair, put it in the box … 

Tie a golden ribbon in a knot … 

Every task is different but the goal’s the same … 

Filling Santa’s magic bag 

V2 

Steam-whistle toot-toots for the shift change … 

I’ll finish this toy before I go … 

Then skip rope, dance a jig, sing a Christmas song … 

As I’m heading for the door 

These twelve hour shifts seven days a week … 

Don’t leave a lot of time for elf things … 

But it’s what I love and all I live for, 

… And the only thing I dream 

CH 

Slap on a set of tires make the noise “vroom, vroom” 

… Send the car rolling across the room … 

Grab a hammer, whack a nail, make a tug boat … 

Throw it in the tub see if it floats 

Stand the doll, brush the hair, put it in the box … 

Tie a golden ribbon in a knot … 

Every task is different but the goal’s the same … 

Filling Santa’s magic bag 

REPEAT CHORUS 

Filling Santa 

Written By D 

You can find Daryn’s music on Reverbnation... and follow on his Website... 


Daryn Wright 

’s Magic Bag 

aryn Wright 


What Are You W 

Want To Go Further in 2020 Than You Did in 2019? 

Are you willing to spend 30 minutes to get started on 

2020 right now? Why wait for New Yearâ€s Day to 

start planning and working on your next year! 

If you’re serious about improving your lyric writing 

and going somewhere with it grab a pen and paper, 

we’ve got some writing to do: 

Tell Me About Your Made It Moment.... 

What’s it feel like when time stops as you reach your 

dream goal? 

Shivers? Spotlights? 

Are you hearing your words on the radio? Getting 

your first royalty cheque? 

Stop and imagine it. 

Close your eyes and enjoy the feeling of reaching 

your songwriting dream! 

Now before you let reality crush your dreams and 

you start thinking but I can’t. I’ll never, that’s too big 

a dream.. write about it! 

Pretend it’s a piece of fiction if it helps. If you want to 

be a writer, write about it, point form is fine: 

What would a made it momentfeel like, look like, 

sound like? 

What knowledge, skills, connections with other 

people will help you get to your dream? 

What steps or smaller goals do you need to get there? 

write at least 10 before you continue. 

I’m Not Kidding, Write It Down! 

Write it down to help make it real, go get a pen and 

paper, I’ll wait. Seriously... 

Now that you’ve thought about and written about it 

you’ve got an impressive list, yes? There’s at least a 

page of dreams and ideas in front of you. So much to 

do, probably too much. Instead of getting 

overwhelmed be gentle with yourself, dial it back and 

find the best first step: 

What can you do consistently over the next year to 

move towards your dream? 

Here are some ideas to get you thinking: 

Knowledge 

You need to know what to do: how to generate 

interesting song ideas, how to write effective lyrics, 

how to structure them into a song... 

To learn more about lyric structure, you could 

analyze a song each week. 

You could take a lyric writing course and carve out 

30 minutes, 4 nights a week to work on it. 

What knowledge would help you achieve your 

songwriting dream and how will you learn it? 

Skills 

Knowledge is power, but it takes songwriting skills 

to create solid lyrics.. What lyric writing skills would 

improve your songs? 

For more emotional impact with your lyrics spend 

an hour a week building a list of awesome lines you 

love. 

To make it easier to start new songs, create a list of 

titles to refer to when you’re starting a new song and 

brainstorm new title ideas at least once a week. 

To practice coming up with lyric ideas quickly, for a 

month spend 10 minutes a day brainstorming ideas 

for you latest song. 

If you want to make more time for songwriting, you 

can consistently work on your songwriting a little 

every day. 


Trevor Dimoff 

riting Next Year? 

What lyric writing skills would help you get to your 

dream? 

Connections 

Nobody is successful without helping and interacting 

with other people. Put yourself out there online and 

especially in person. 

For example, if you need to find co-writers to help 

you write music you can: 

Reach out to a new songwriter each week with a 

personal message. 

Find a songwriting group in your area and go to 

meetings, meet people face to face. 

Spend an hour a week setting up and having 

conversations with other songwriters. 

Summary: 

I want you to do something new or different or better 

so you’re moving towards you dream. Start with the 

little steps that set you on the path! think about what 

you’re writing next year. 

Now, tell me about your I made it moments, when 

your songwriting dream comes true and let me 

know: what’s your best first step to get to your 

songwriting dream? 

I’d love to hear from you, tell me about it: 

trevor@epicsongwriting.com 

Trevor is a songwriter and songwriting teacher at 

epicsongwriting.com. 

Click here to learn a quick method to write lyrics and 

music for a song chorus. 

What musical connections do you need and how can 

you develop them? 

Action 

All of the planning in the world won’t accomplish 

anything if you don’t follow through! results require 

action! 

Start with the end in mind, your songwriting dream. 

Come back to it when you feel your motivation 

slipping. If it no longer seems relevant, change it and 

focus on a new dream, a new I made it moment! 

Break it down into smaller more manageable steps. 

Perhaps one of these steps is your big goal for 2020. 

Decide what consistent action will help you learn and 

grow. 

You’ve thought and written about your 

songwriting dream, and worked through these 

questions... what’s your best first step to catch that 

dream? 


George Mich 

In the coaching world, one of the primary things 

to get working in a voice quickly is efficiency and 

adduction - the proper closing of the vocal folds. 

So many other great things become available 

when we can do this. So what about all the 

breathy songs out there? Are they sung poorly? 

Are they bad? Not at all. But if you’re in 

training with a pro coach and the ONLY thing 

you can ever do after training is sing breathy, 

then you’d probably want to be asking some 

questions. A car that can go 200Km/hr can 

obviously travel at 60 if the driver desires, yet 

a car that can only go to 60 can’t go to 200. A 

voice that can sing powerfully can obviously pull 

back and sing breathy and intimately, but a voice 

that can only ever do that, can’t sing with power. 

When a singer interprets a song, there are 

multiple options available to them. Loud or soft? 

Pushing the groove or sitting back on it? Bright 

and twangy or dark and mellow? Perfect diction 

(that might make a contemporary song suck) or 

approximate diction (that would make 

traditional singing suck) and breathy or clear. 

The ability to instantly go from a huge belt to a 

seductive and breathy voice is one of the greatest 

hallmarks of George Michael’s sound. He was 

truly masterful at it. And he could do it more 

than once within the same vocal line. 

George Michael had a GREAT tone to his voice. 

It always sounded very open, controlled and 

accurate. What made his performances shine 

was his deliberate (or naturally intuitive) 

movement from breathy to belt without 

changing his tone. This takes skill and a deep 

emotional connection to his voice. Listen to his 

performances and you’ll notice him moving in 

and out seamlessly. 

So when you’re working on your performances 

this month, why not take a leaf out of his book 

and try singing some phrases differently to 

how you usually would. If you have a naturally 

breathy voice, try singing a few with a clear tone, 

and if you naturally sing very clear and 

efficiently, try singing a word or two with some 

breath for emphasis. I can’t stress enough what a 


Paul Sykes 

ael’s Vocals 

difference it will make to your live or studio 

performances when you can step out of the 

dynamic comfort zone and apply dynamics and 

texture to your lines. At first, you may feel silly, 

but with practice and experience you’ll begin to 

develop a whole new vocal expression and 

professionalism. 

Maybe it was coincidence that one of his songs 

was called careless whisper… But after reading 

this, you may come to the same conclusion that 

I came to, that maybe it wasn’t so coincidental 

after all... 

You can find out more about Paul Sykes, vocal 

coach by visting his website. 

Please follow this link... 

Also Paul has just opened a brand new online 

vocal course, which you are all invited to check 

out on the following link. 

Please follow this link.... 


So This Is Christmas... An 

In our last episode, one of the points we touched 

upon was the need to tell a story that was new, 

or at least an emotional groove that was new… 

.”Love is great”, we said, was a statement that, 

while true, was so universal as to be the worst 

of all artistic sins: not interesting. And if there 

were a “runner-up” prize for “Most dangerous 

quagmire for new songwriters”, what could be a 

more deserving candidate than Christmas! (we 

note, as an aside, that topics like this are 

particularly perilous for new, upcoming 

songwriters…..songwriters with widespread, 

universal appeal seem to get away with 

generalized pap they call universal much more 

easily...did Paul McCartney just click to a new 

webpage? Well, if so, I hope he took his 

Christmas bells (and John Lennon’s children’s 

choir with him…..but I digress) 

Christmas! Where religion, family, food,... and 

toys coalesce….and don’t forget alcohol! If, as 

the rehab counselors say, addiction is a 

downward spiral of chasing a first time high over 

and over, but never quite as good….well that’s an 

apt description of what Christmas becomes for 

many adults. That’s a whole nother book! The 

problem for songwriters, however centers around 

the fact that so many people already have very 

strong emotional impressions from idealized 

(half remembered) childhood experiences--they 

already “know” more about Christmas than you 

could possibly tell them. But they want you to 

try. 

Sales of Christmas songs clearly holler that (or 

“carol” that, if you prefer). The waterfront, 

unfortunately, has already been well covered, 

which accounts for the further and further 

“reaches” in order to say something new…. 

did the authors of “Grandma got run over by a 

reindeer” just click to a new webpage? Could 

they take the barking dog Jingle Bells people with 

them? This is kinda for songwriters, ok. 

Actually, though, Grandma and her reindeer are 

actually what you need,or so I would suggest: 

something outside the sappy “Love is great” 

song...with “love” changed out to “Christmas”. 

Which brings us to a personal story: 

In 2014, I decided to take up the challenge of 

a Christmas song. Hazardous, I knew….but 

hadn’t I already written the “Best Song in the 

World”? Well, I hadn’t...but I was runner-up 

(twice) in a contest called that. And I still had 

those Elixir coated guitar strings I had won as 

“honorable mention” in a Billboard songwriting 

contest….so I was clearly qualified ( I thought) to 

take on a challenge that had reduced so many 

talented writers to….dreck. But what to do…. 

what fresh spin could I possibly…...AH HA! It 

came to me in a great moment of clarity (or so 

I thought). I scribbled a few lines, and called 

the band for rehearsal. I began teaching them 

my epic: “All I want for Christmas is...a divorce”. 

Suddenly, my wife Amy, who rarely takes 

interest in musical matters, burst into the room. 

“Did you write that? Is that yours?”, she asked. 

“Uh…..maybe”, I sheepishly replied. There 

was a pause that perhaps seemed longer than it 

was…...and she responded “That’s the best song 

you EVER wrote!”....I couldn’t be sure, but she 

SEEMED neither sarcastic nor upset…..I chalked 

it up to the power of ART….I think. 

You decide, here it is: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-c4G- 

F4Rxpc 

www.wildcatohalloran.com 

And Merry Christmas….also 

Happy holidays, Blessed Kwanza 

etc 


Bill O’Halloran 

d What Have You Done? 


S tand F 

(Verse 1) 

Snow is falling on Christmas Eve 

Reindeer being readied 

Sleigh bells on the breeze, 

But not everybody’s tucked up in bed 

Or has a roof on which to land a sled 

Woah, Christmas Eve 

(Verse 2) 

Snow keeps falling on Christmas Eve 

Riley’s old blanket 

Guards against the freeze, 

The medals that he earned were sold long ago 

A dog-tag round his neck glinting in the snow 

Woah, in the snow 

(Pre Chorus) 

We all have our wars to fight 

Let me stand with you 

Deep in the dark of night 

I know what you would do 

(Chorus) 

You stood for me 

So I will stand for you 

If you can’t stand any more 

I will carry you 

We’ll carry you 

Support each other 

It’s what we gotta do 

(Bridge) 

I see dark clouds 

Cold city walls 

Queues for a shelter 

The blare of car horns 

Heroes in rags showing wounds in their eyes 

They’ve faced more than snow falling from the skies 

(Verse 3) 

Hope comes calling on Christmas Eve 

Stockings on the mantle 

Kids all believe, 

There is no man that will be left behind 

We carry our fallen, eyes for our blind 

Eyes for our blind 

(Pre Chorus) 

We all have our wars to fight 

Let me stand with you 

Deep in the dark of night 

I know what you would do 

(Chorus) 

You stood for me 

So I will stand for you 

If you can’t stand any more 

I will carry you 

We’ll carry you 

Support each other 

It’s what we gotta do 

Written By Simon Wright 

(September 2018) 

Click here to listen.... 

Hope for Homeless Heroes’ Hearts II – a 

Christmas Charity album 

Christmas should be a joyous time. A time to spend 

with loved ones, exchange presents while enjoying 

good food. But Christmas is not joyous for everyone. 

It’s really important that we reflect on this and do our 

bit to help those who haven’t been as fortunate as us. 

One group that particularly deserves support is 

homeless veterans. These are people who have served 

their country, often putting their bodies on the line, 

but who then find themselves on the margins of 

society after returning to civilian life. 

American musician Stephen Kalpin decided to do 

something about the plight of homeless veterans by 

creating an album of Christmas-themed songs, with 

the proceeds of sales going to the National Coalition 

for Homeless Veterans. 

Bringing together a team of big-hearted 

heroes 

When Stephen came up with the idea of doing a 

Christmas charity album, he invited others to 


Simon Wright 

or You 

collaborate through a post on a Facebook group 

called ‘Songwriting and Music Production’. 

His invitation was answered by an enthusiastic and 

talented bunch of musicians and songwriters. It’s a 

really global effort, with contributions drawn from 

Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Finland, England, 

South Africa, United States, Scotland, Italy, and 

Bangladesh! 

The album features fresh interpretations of 

well-known Christmas favourites, plus original new 

material. The music is sumptuous and will make your 

foot tap, your heart smile, and hopefully also make 

you think about what Christmas means to you and 

its true spirit. 

Stand for you lyric 

My contribution to the album was to create an 

original lyric, called ‘Stand for you’. Riley, the veteran 

referenced within the song, is a fictitious 

character, but he represents the plight that many 

veterans sadly end up facing. He has had to sell the 

medals he earned, and has gone (in society’s eyes) 

from being a homecoming hero to just another 

homeless person sat on a street corner. 

I wanted to juxtaposition Riley’s plight with the 

joyous anticipation that kids have on Christmas Eve 

– being tucked up in a warm bed waiting excitedly 

for Santa and his reindeer to arrive. And then to have 

the chorus be an uplifting tale of how others will 

support Riley in his hour of need, just as he stood for 

us when serving his country.I originally thought the 

lyric could maybe be converted into a Bruce 

Springsteen-type song, but when Seth Koos started 

working on it he had the great idea to move it into 

more of a hard rock territory. And we were very 

lucky to enlist Bob Campbell to provide the vocal 

oomph that the song needed. I’m very proud of the 

end result and that a lyric I wrote is helping a great 

cause. 

https://www.hopeforhomelesshearoesheartsii.com/ 

Click here 

to purchase.. 


Maybe Christmas T 

I don’t regret the choice to fight 

for what is right 

But every day I pray 

to be coming home tonight 

So Let us win and let peace begin 

I pray that soon, I’ll get back again 

I don’t know how I don’t know when 

Maybe Christmastime I’ll be home 

Maybe Christmastime I’ll be home 

I never turn around 

when things don’t go as planned 

I never once back down 

when I have to make a stand.. 

REPEAT CHORUS 

INSTRUMENTAL CHORUS 

Didn’t know how much I’d miss 

Mom and everyone 

You tell her I’ll be back 

When the war is won. 

REPEAT CHORUS 

I always think first of the people I protect 

I never once thought twice 

about things I could not get. 

REPEAT CHORUS 

To listen click this link... 

ABOUT HAPPYRON 

HappyRon’s music has been described as 

“Mr. Rogers Meets South Park.” 

At the age of 48 he finally healed a lifelong 

disabilities that have prevented him from 

fully pursuing music and is excited to finally 

bring his music to the world. 

Firstly he is on the autistic spectrum that 

has always made communication difficult 

and music has helped him heal and move 

forward in life. 

Secondly, he was born without a left hip 

socket which brought tension and pain 

throughout his body. After having surgery 

he found that was able to create music 

much easier and has become obsessed with 

teaching people that anyone can make 

music. 

He is most well known for fun sing-along 

songs like “Terribly Happy” and “If You’re 

Bored In San Diego (IT’S YOUR FAULT) 

as well as songs in many other styles. He 

has been described as a cross between 

“punk rock and punk folk.” 

His music is influenced by, among others, 

Ringo Starr, Mr. Rogers, South Park, and 

Leonard Cohen. 

He is now an inspirational speaker with 

music sharing the value of positive thought 

and action to businesses and schools. 


Happy Ron Hill 

ime I’ll Be Home 

“Dare we say HappyRon is making San Diego 

hipper?” - The San Diego Reader 

“HappyRon lives and breathes music. His 

dedication is an inspiration” - The San Diego 

Union Tribune 

“Every guy in the English Speaking world 

needs a copy of HappyRon’s Terribly Happy 

if only to sing along with his own life” The 

Expresso Magazine https://www.theespresso. 

com/ 

“Masterpiece… anyone who listens will be 

amazed at the depth of Happy Ron Hill’s songwriting.” 

The San Diego Troubadour http:// 

www.sandiegotroubadour.com November 

2008 

“Great stuff, great attitude and lyrics as well as 

cool songs. Not to mention brilliant titles” 

Dominic Pedler, author of the 800 page book 

Songwriting Secrets Of The Beatles 

Gregory Page says “ I didn’t like it, I LOVED 

IT!!!” 

HAPPYRON BIO 

The Happy Man has lived in San Diego all his 

life and his hope is to die in San Diego. He 

never sang a note until he was thirty and didn’t 

get “seriously” into music until he was forty. 

He was played more than 2700 shows since 

then bringing to the stage his unique 

combination of fun sing-along songs with 

heartfelt softer songs. 

To celebrate his 44rth birthday he released 

his first real album, backed by no less than 

twenty-two people, including some of the best 

musicians and singers in San Diego. Also 

featured is Paul Litteral on Trumpet, who 

played on the B-52s “Love Shack” and James 

Brown’s “Living In America. The album 

Produced by local music guru Sven-Erik 

Seaholm. The critically acclaimed album was 

nominated for a San Diego Music Award and 

was described by The San Diego Troubadour 

as “Masterpiece… anyone who listens will be 

amazed at the depth of Happy Ron Hill’s 

songwriting.” 

HappyRon was born without a socket in his 

left hip and that contributed to music being 

very difficult for him. After having surgery his 

life and his music changed. He is now in what 

he calls “HappyRon finally unleashed” mode 

and is finally able to create his music in full 

force. 

HappyRon has played with a thousand 

musicians, his current band is The Good 

Hearted People, featuring Stand Up Bass 

Player Paul Tillery and Andy Gallagher from 

Trains Across The Sea on keys. 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ 

HappyRonMusic/videos/2330075183931189/ 

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/ 

happyron10/maybe-christmas-time-ill-behome 


Life In 

Volumes 1 & 2 are now available from my 

You are invited to preview for free the first 7 pages of e 

Each volume contains 30 original lyrics/poems of mine, 

There are a further 12 volumes which will be released 

So, for less than the cost of a cup of coffee you ca 


Lyrics 

Life In Lyrics 

website - www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 

ach volume, or download for only £2.00 per volume. 

with a brief caption on the inspiration for writing them. 

at 3 monthly intervals, exclusively from my website. 

n enjoy reading all of my lyrics/poems forever... 


The room is getting smaller 

The walls are closing in 

The cold bites deep inside me 

Where do I begin 

I sit here watching snow fall 

Remembering times past 

Of love and fun and Christmas cheer 

Times now in distant past 

Christma 

But 

I’ll sing you a song of those days 

Of family food and fun 

And pretend for these three minutes 

That they’ve only just begun 

The wrapping presents, the Christmas tree 

The anticipation on Christmas eve 

But now the kids are grown up 

You took your chance to leave 

You left me in the season 

Thats supposed to be of cheer 

Leaving me to the ghosts of past 

Alone to face my fear 

But 





So while you’re all celebrating 

Think for a second of my pain 

Coz there’s hundreds out there like me 

All feeling much the same 

But 






To listen follow this link... 

All rights reserved @Coolparadiso 

Every year I write a couple of cheery Christmas 

songs, which my wife and I perform and send as a 

video to our friends, like a modern day Christmas 

card. 

I started thinking about it just the other day and I 

had another idea for now. Last year around 

November as we were digging out our Christmas 

songs and starting to practice, a member of our 

musical group stopped coming and sent me and 

email. 

He said he has no cheer for Xmas as it has too many 

bad memories, so he just disappears for a while. It got 

me thinking and I realised that it is true for many as 

well as isolating further some very lonely people. 

Now i am all in favour of Christmas cheer, but my 

song was written so perhaps we take a small 

moments reflection for the people that find 

Christmas a challenge. 

I only wrote the lyrics the day before writing this 

article so at present the song has no music... 

John (Coolparadiso) is a songwriter musician from 

Australia, he has had many songs recorded across 8 

countries and has released three of his own albums (2 

of which he has produced). 

He writes daily and posts early demos on his 

SoundCloud account 

https://soundcloud.com/user-926461130 

his albums can be found at Bandcamp 

https://johnnicholson.bandcamp.com/ 


John Nicholson 

s Past 


First Sign O 

The moon rises early 

In a clear November sky 

Rests upon the brow of the hill 

The ponies in the meadow 

With their turnout rugs keep warm 

While the suns still shines 

Through the winter chill 

Though it’s not even December 

The shoppings all but done 

And there’s nothing left to save for anyway 

Bring me joy, bring me peace 

Bring me comfort and relief 

Bring me truth, bring me hope 

For even though I don’t believe 

I will join you in glad tidings 

And sing within your choir 

At the first sign of Christmas 

Seasons bring no comfort 

And little chance of peace 

As children play beneath Syrian skies 

The ever crumbling ruins 

Of a country on its knees 

Make every day a battle to survive 

Though it’s closer now to Christmas 

The fighting’s never done 

And what is left to pray for anyway 








And there but for the grace of god 










Follow this link to listen... 

First Sign Of Christmas 

The inspiration for this lyric is based around the 

simple principle of peace and good will, and that 

should be a welcome message, regardless of 

religion. The narrator is not religious, but 

appreciates the message of peace. 

The verses concern the difference in ‘life’, 

particularly at Christmas time, between the 

relative opulent and stable Western world and 

that of warn torn Middle Eastern countries. 

‘There but for the grace of god’ is meant as a 

‘cheeky’ bridge between believers and 

unbelievers, but is also an acknowledgment that 

no one chooses their destiny. 

David Sutherland: 

Is a musician and writer of songs. With 

unashamedly Americana influences, he weaves 

stories of love, loss and travel among the open 

landscape of the great American dream. 

EP: Americana is available from https://davidsutherland.bandcamp.com/album/americana 

SINGLE: Carnival is available from https://davidsutherland.bandcamp.com/track/carnival 


Dave Sutherland 

f Christmas 


BEEN TO 

It’s been too long…, Since I saw your face… 

At Christmas Time.., we’ll once again embrace… 

Cause what I feel for you, Despite how far I roam 

It’s Christmas time babe, And I’m coming home……. 

Yes I know babe, that you’ll still be there 

And of course you know, Just how much I care 

Cause you wait for me, and your there to stay..... 

There’s no more agony babe, I come home today…. 

Now I know the time is near… 

And I know I’m almost there… 

I’m so close to what is dear…. 

Feel electric in the air… 

I can’t wait to see you, how’d I get this far 

Alone without you 

Walking to the door… 

And I see you standing there…. 

With that smile on your face…. 

I know you still care…. 

Heart begins to race…. 

There’s just no more time to spare…. 

My spirit starts to soar…. 

Now I feel your warm embrace….. 

Walking in the Door.... 

Walking in the door…. 

And Maybe, I’m a little more….. 

So unlock the door… 

And I’ll be there for you…. 

Said oh, 

Oh this is true babe…. 

I walked in the door…. 

And you’re standing there, 

With a smile on your face…. 

I know you still care… 

Feel my heart…, my heart…, begin to race….. 

‘Cause baby… 

It’s been too long, it’s been too long….. 

So long….. 

Baby, without you….. 

Baby, baby, baby, it’s true 

Now lift the weight…. 

From your heavy heart…. 

this is where I left you…. 

Ah, oh, oh …… 

To Listen click link... 

This song started as a backing track, something to 

play along with, just guitar, bass, and drums. I was 

looking for something that featured an AM chord 

and CM Chord, but not to prominently. It ended up 

being 8 bars. As time went on, I added the piano and 

the synth. After adding the piano melody, I began 

to think of words for it, and wanted to do something 

with the theme of coming home. Much of this can be 

heard in the end of the song since those are the 8 bars 

from the original backing track. 

But I had no chorus, and nothing seemed to work. 

So I got a vision of it starting with a kind of gentle 

finger picked guitar that slowly progressed into what 

you hear in the end. So I tried a few things on my 

acoustic, and came up with what you hear today in 

the beginning of the song. From there, it was just a 

matter of slowly changing each instrument until it 

becomes what you are hearing at the end of the song. 

To be clear, this song is the same 8 bars from start to 

finish. It’s the layering of each instruments voicing 

that was the key. 

Been too long (Christmas Version) – Words 

This song started out as some of the words you hear 

towards the end of the song. The piano melody always 

gave me a feeling of coming home. So 

phrases like walking in the door, sent me down that 

path of a story about coming home. I had this vision 

in my head of a young man, nicely dressed, sitting in 

the back of a car, on his way home. He nervous and 

anxious about seeing his lover again after so long. 

So I put this image, a kind of video in my mind if 

you will, to words. This became the first verses of the 

song. I also had an image of him walking up to the 

door, filled with anxiety that slowly dissipates as he 

sees his lover and they exchange smiles. So I put this 

image to words and it became the middle of the song. 

The rest of the words at the end of the song, were 

gathered from numerous improvisations. 

Since this song is about coming home, and the 

holidays are all about coming home and seeing loved 

ones, I thought it would make a good Christmas 

song. So I changed a few words around, and made it 

about coming home at the holidays. 


Stephen Kalpin 

O LONG 

Short Bio: Stephen Kalpin 

Ever since he touched his first instrument in his very 

early childhood, Stephen Kalpin (AKA Seth Koos 

and Steven Jericho), has always been keenly 

interested in creating original music. During visits 

to his grandparents’ house at a very early age he 

would play songs on their organ, using the numbers 

of course. But he was always more interested in what 

made that combination of notes work, and how it 

made him feel, than the song itself 

Around age 4 or 5, he began playing guitar, 

experimenting and looking for combinations that 

made him feel a certain way. At age 11, he began 

taking lessons and studying music theory. At age 19, 

after playing in a few bands, he stepped up for a bass 

player with an injured finger in a band, and 

immediately became their new bass player. 

Frustrated by the bands unwillingness to try 

original music, he would book studio time and write, 

and record songs. Those songs drew the interest of 

a smaller label. He continued to play with that band 

and do studio work until age 29, when a virus caused 

him, at first a nearly total hearing loss, and forced 

him to leave the band and recording. As his hearing 

began to return, he began to slowly play again with 

friends, until a relocation moved him hundreds of 

miles away. 

At that point, unsatisfied with playing acoustic 

guitar alone, he began recording again. After years of 

comments like “this is too good to keep to yourself ”, 

“Music is meant to be shared”, “You should be on a 

stage somewhere”, and “That should be published”, 

and because changes in technology, made it easier 

to record at a much higher quality, he began writing 

to publish. His first single “Banishing the Beast” in 

2016 under the name “Seth Koos”. He has since been 

working on an EP that will be titled “Days of Vinyl” 

You can find a few of these tracks on soundcloud at 

the link below. So come, feel the music. 

Listen to Been Too Long by WinRec on #Sound- 

Cloud 

https://soundcloud.com/user-265070968/been-toolong 

https://www.hopeforhomelesshearoesheartsii.com/ 

Click here 

to purchase.. 


It was a silent night and I’d drifted off to sleep 

First day on the job 

Third shift watching my brother’s sheep 

It didn’t pay much money 

But it was all that I could find 

I was trying to keep my nose clean 

Tryin to toe the line 

Tried to fight the sleep 

But the job it was so boring 

It didn’t help for me to hear 

Them other fellows snoring 

Then somewhere near the edge 

Of being awake and having a dream 

The night sky lit up the like the noonday 

And I heard myself scream 

And the angels started dancing 

They started saying Noel 

Joy to the world born this day 

Is the King of Israel 

I thought I was seeing things 

Closed my eyes thinking I was dreamin 

But I knew that it was for real 

When I heard them other fellas screaming 

A hundred million angels 

They was dancing in the glory 

We ran for we was worth we left them sheep 

Cause somebody had to tell the story 

And the angels started dancing 

They started saying Noel 

Joy to the world born this day 

Is the King of Israel 

To this day I can still hear’em 

Close my eyes see the glorious fire 

My brother swears I’d been drinking 

That night when I talk about 

that heavenly choir 

You know it doesn’t matter 

He’s gonna feel what He wants to feel 

But as for me I know what I saw 

It ain’t no story man its real 

The angels started dancing 

They started saying noel 

Joy to the world is born this day’s 

the king of Israel 


Outside the Box Writing 

I like to look at a story and pick one element 

and see where that tangent goes. 

In light of the Holidays, I decided to revisit the 

story of the Shepherds and the Angels from 

Luke Chapter 2. As the story goes they were 

watching their sheep at night when the angels 

appeared. 

So I took one of the Shepherds and thought 

about a guy who was down on his luck, maybe 

an ex con. His brother begrudgingly gives him 

a job where no one would see him. I built the 

lyric around him “trying to toe the line” to keep 

his nose clean and not screw up. 

Then an incredible event happens and he leaves 

his livestock. What was the reaction from his 

brother and what happened. Would you 

believe him? I enjoyed just taking a little twist 

and painting a different perspective. This takes 

your listener on a paradigm shift and helps 

them see deeper into the people involved. 

Thinking differently than the norm is fun to 

explore and can create new opportunities 

of discovery and innovative lyric writing. 

Merry Christmas! Happy writing! 

David Michael Rose 


T 

h 

e 

David Michael Rose 

S 

h 

e 

p 

h 

e 

r 

d 

s 

S 

o 

n 

g 


Christmas 

Is the most significant time 

Of the year; 

It’s the earth’s celebration 

Of the birth of our Savior 

Jesus Christ. 

It’s the best time to be with 

The people so dear to your heart 

That is why I always long to 

Celebrate Christmas with you. 

Chorus: 

(And/ I ) greet you, 

Merry, merry Christmas 

Merry Christmas to you; 

Merry, merry Christmas 

Merry Christmas to you; 

I am very joyful 

We’re together 

On this holy day 

That is why I 

Always (long, love) to 


Christmas 

Is the most eventful season 

Of the year 

It’s the world’s festivity 

Of the love of our Father 

Almighty God. 

It’s a season for giving, for sharing, 

For showing love 

That is why I 

Always love to 


(Repeat Chorus, 2x) 

I.... Always love to... 

Celebrate Christmas.... 

With you. 

Celebrate C 

Even though I don’t have the talent of playing any 

musical instrument, I am able to write song lyrics 

with melody. 

When a song chooses me to be it’s channel, I 

usually write it straight away while singing it 

with the melody that goes with it to capture the 

song within me. There are songs that came to me 

smoothly that I finished writing them in just a few 

minutes or hours. When a song comes by 

installments or with missing lyrics or blank 

melodies, I sing them again and again while taking 

a bath until the missing lyrics/melody fill in. There 

are also songs that took me days, months, and 

sometimes years, to complete them. 

I composed the CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS song 

in December of 2012. My father died in July of the 

same year. The loneliness of having thoughts of 

celebrating Christmas without him for the very 

first time sparked in me the urge to write this song 

with sense of encouragement for us to do our best, 

as much as we can, to celebrate Christmas with 

our loved ones, especially with our family, because 

when they are gone, celebrating Christmas would 

never be the same again. 

It is also a product of a renewed excitement to 

celebrate Christmas with hope and love, despite the 

hurt and brokenness of losing my father, because 

of the woman I met when we coincidentally went 

to the Municipal Hall to get the death certificates 

of her mother and my father who died just one day 

apart. As we conversed, we learned that we were 

grade school classmates and we only saw each 

other again on that “destined” day, after 19 years 

since our graduation. My Christmas wish of 

celebrating Christmas with her, that I incorporated 

in writing the song, is always granted since 2012, 

especially now that we built our own family 

together. 

To hear Augusto sing his song... 


Augusto Flameño Monsayac 

hristmas 


Oh Say But 

INSPIRATION FOR THE LYRIC 

Chords and voices 

Silhouettes of a livin’ Prince 

Many hearts rejoices 

That unto us is born a King 

Excitement and noises 

All around the earth and heavens fill 

That golden star announces 

The birth of the prince of peace 

And we welcome Him with joy in our hearts 

With Gold, silver and myrrh in our hands 

We bow our heads for an heavenly regard 

Oh say but we’re glad 

Carols and praises 

Every livin’ soul would sing 

As our hearts embraces 

A beautiful n’ wonderful gift 

In chants and choruses 

We will let our voices ring 

With joy we celebrate 

The birth of our messiah king 

And we welcome Him with joy in our hearts 

With Gold, silver and myrrh in our hands 

We bow our heads for an heavenly regard 

Oh say but we’re glad 

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, it’s 

the time I feel true happiness. For me, writing 

a lyric during this period should come 

naturally. Christmas lyrics I believe must be as 

clear as possible and also very easy to relate 

with. In fact, any kind of lyric must be able to 

get to the target listeners. 

Before I thought of writing this, I was actually 

stuck with the idea of writing something 

related to the significant signs we see when the 

Christmas season sets in. I knew what I wanted 

to do, but I had to pend it because I myself 

wouldn’t be able to relate with most parts of 

the lyric. There’s no way we could talk about 

Christmas season signs without snow. So far it 

was a decent write and Christmas lovers in the 

US would easily relate with it. But then, I never 

felt any life in it. It took me awhile to realise 

what the problem was. Then I had to go back 

to my creative realm, tried to brainstorm ideas 

but I was my own critic. 

I said to myself, “C’mon you’re not trying to 

impress anyone y’know”. I got a good pointer 

at what I should actually be thinkin’ about. I 

had gone through an article “Tips for writing a 

Christmas song” sometime ago, and there was 

a point that got me out of my so-called problem. 

The writer said “a Christmas song must 

be true...” Boom! I got what I needed. 

All I had to do was look at my immediate 

environment and write a song about the things 

that I’ve really experienced. This inspired me 


James K Victor 

We’re Glad 

to create a little piece not to quantify my joy 

for the season, but because it’s the only way I 

could express this wonderful feeling. 

BIO 

I am Kpokunu Victor, born on the 4th of July 

1998. I’m a student and also a teacher. I write 

and compose my own songs. 

Although, none are recorded yet. 

More of my lyrics at: 

https://m.facebook.com/VikyKpoks-Official-362315141008124 


Decemb 


Sydney Westan 

er 31st 

The new year’s just a few days away 

Then the whole world gets to celebrate 

Out with the old, in with the new 

Another magic year to spend with you 

We will leave all our troubles behind 

‘n Start all over with a kiss and a smile 

We’ll tip a toast with midnight cheer 

‘n Dance away the chill in the air 

Make new plans, fulfill new dreams 

Count your blessings, 

your slate’ll be clean 

That big crystal ball will start to fall 

The fireworks fly, fun times for all 

As the midnight hour 

sweeps across the land 

Auld Lang Syne will strike up the band 

(Solo- 16 bars of humming the 

melody of Auld Lang Syne) 

We’ll make new plans, 

fulfill new dreams 

‘n Count our blessings, Oh! 

12 / ThirtyFirst is almost here 

The new year’s just a few days away 

Then the whole world gets to celebrate 

Out with the old, in with the new 

Another magic year to spend with you 

A Happy New Year to spend with you 

Now, the new year’s just a few hours away… 

Yeah, the new year’s just 

a few hours away…… 

It’s time to start chilling…... 

that French champagne!!! 

It’s December Thirty First………………... 

BANG!!! 


I wrote this just to have some fun. There aren’t many 

New Years songs, mostly just Christmas songs, so 

we have to have a song to sing after Christmas to get 

ready for the remainder of the holiday season. 

Sydney Westan - Singer/Songwriter, aka Stan 

Thompson 

Music from the heart of our land... comin’ from a 

Country music man. 

Singer/Songwriter Sydney Westan is committed to 

all original works of Country, Blues, Folk, 

Americana and Western music. His songs are 

crafted into heartfelt ballads, intriguing love songs, 

bluesy shuffles and some ‘just for fun’ songs. 

Sydney has studied at Berlee College of Music in 

Boston, M.A., and has been writing songs, lyrics 

and poetry since the ‘60’s’. He has performed in the 

Santa Fe / Taos area for over a decade now. 

His shows blend dynamic acoustic/electric guitar 

playing with varied vocals, from a deep Country 

growl to smooth tenor and lively falsetto. 

He wears his heart on his sleeve, bears his soul in his 

lyrics and leaves you with a song to remember, so 

please ‘don’t just come to hear some music! Come 

and listen to the song!!’ He’s available for 2 or 3 hour 

shows in the Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque area. 

For info on rates and bookings or to receive a 

promo CD 505-699-5135 

AmericanSongspace.com/SydneyWestan 

YouTube.com/sydneywestan 


Christm 

Christmastime blues, king of the jews 

If you only knew what’s gonna happen to you 

Nailed to the cross, by the big boss 

Everyone just standin’ ‘round at a complete loss 

The baby that’s before us will be joining in a chorus of the 

Christmastime Blues 

Bl 

Christmastime Blues, poor little dude 

A manger for a cradle-bed when you are brand new 

Star in the sky, shines in the eyes 

Of the three old wise men from the east who drop by 

Besides the gifts they bring these wise men gonna sing a bit of 


Christmastime Blues, nothin’ to lose 

Not a single clue about what you’re here to do 

Dad’s got a plan, but he’s not a man 

He’s an ancient idea from way out in Iran 

They marked you as a prophet there’s no way you can stop 

them ol’ Christmastime Blues 

Christmastime Blues, don’t get to choose 

Stay out of Jerusalem man you bound to lose 

Passover time, committin’ crimes 

With the 12 apostles and a bunch of red wine 

But you will be betrayed so there you gonna stay with the 


Christmastime Blues, born without shoes 

Dad above sure knows that you’ll be payin’ your dues 

Ready or not to show what you got 

Kill the Roman Empire from inside with slow rot 

You’ll know it when they gotta sing a whole cantata called the 


Christmastime blues, king of the jews 

If you only knew what’s gonna happen to you 



Jason Baker 

astime 

ues 

While I have been a musician 

since age 14, songwriting is 

something I started in earnest 

in 2017. As part of learning 

how to write songs, I joined 

several songwriting communities, 

including local groups that 

hold song feedback meetings 

monthly. One thing that song 

communities provide is song 

prompts to help inspire songwriters 

get into the practice of 

completing songs. 

One of the very first prompts I 

used was “write a holiday song”. 

Most “holiday” songs are about 

Christmas, so I had to decide if 

I wanted to do that, or 

something “alternate”. As an 

atheist from an ethnically-Jewish 

background, I didn’t feel 

particularly compelled to write 

about Chanukah or other 

holiday. While many, many 

“Christmas” songs are in fact 

secular in content, while 

celebrating the trappings of 

“the season”, I didn’t feel ike 

I needed to add to that large 

body of work. I decided to 

write a song about Christmas, 

and to focus on the main character 

and event, Jesus and the 

Nativity. 

I thought about when I first 

learned about Jesus and his life 

as a kid, and the thoughts I had 

at the time, mixing Chanukah 

and Passover, Christmas and 

Easter in my young mind, and 

wondering… “If they knew he 

was a prophet, why didn’t they 

warn him?”. So this song is 

simply a sympathetic message 

from one Jewish kid to another. 

Jason Baker is a songwriter & 

performer from Burlington, 

Vermont. Jason started writing 

songs in 2017, and performing 

in 2018, releasing his debut, 

“America Dreams”. On his new 

album, “Common Man Blues”, 

Jason continues to write songs 

influenced by the deep roots of 

old-time & acoustic music, yet 

modern in lyrical perspective. 

2019 New England Music 

Awards Nominee for “Best in 

Vermont” 

Nov/Dec American Songwriter 

Magazine Lyric Contest Runner-Up 

for the song “Christmastime 

Blues” 

My Website: 

http://jbakervt.com/ 


This Ch 

Its Christmas, dont you know 

This Chirstmas all I want is snow 

God’s already provided us everything we need 

in our new New Hampshire home 

The only thing left on my wishlist 

is to spent it in the glistening snow 

This Christian already celebrates all year long 

So this year all my wishes have been granted 

Except to spend my first northern winter 

In the White Mountains, high, hi 

I’ll be singing a happy ho ho ho 

to all you Southern folks 

We don’t see much snow in Broken Bow 

So This Christmas, all i want is snow 

Ole man winter visits 

for more that just a brew or two 

Oh yea, he wants dinner, wine, 

& a recliner too 

Settle down for a long winters nap or two 

I’ll watch the snow pile from my easy chair 

where I’m warm 

and Ill make snow angels 

I’ll take my five then come back 

and get warm by the fire 

This season all I want is snow 

To spend Christmas in a pretty red bow 

In the glistning snow 

This Christmas, all I wanna do 

is spend it with family & friends 

In the glistning snow 

Lyrics and vocals by Queen Regina Palmer 

Tony Carlozzi on Guitar 

All copyrights reserved 2019 

I’m an Oklahoma native. I’ve been a poet & lyricist 

my entire life. As long as I can recall back from early 

childhood. But from a broken family & tough childhood 

& adolescence, I never had much opportunity 

to learn music, or be around musicians. But I wrote, 

sang in the shower & dreamed. I couldnt play any 

instrument & allowed that to hold me back. Finally 

at 28, I moved to Nashville. Married a professional 

keyboardist who worked for Young Chang Piano 

Company. But that didnt work out in my favor like 

I had hoped. Moved back to Arkansas in 2003 to 

be with my dying father. Married again & hung up 

the dream. Until it nearly killed my soul. I was on 

the wrong path & felt disappointed in myself, as if I 

had missed my calling. 12 years of physical sickness, 

unequally yoked partnership & internally unhappy, I 

filed for divorce 3 years ago. Walked away with nothing 

just to get out. 

I took my briefcase down from my closet where I had 

aproximately 60 song lyrics written. I prayed over 

them. I told God, if he would give me my health & 

talent back I’d vow to pursue the vision he have me 

come what may. My miracle came in my health with 

hard work, a complete rebuild of the old me began 

to transform me & my fate. That’s when the blessings 

began to rain. I started writing & singing again every 

day. But there was still a very big mountain to crumble. 

I was 50, broke, & homeless. 

So from a borrowed broken hand me down cellphone 

with full Verizon service that my lifelong dear friend 

afforded me, I began adding my acapella songs to 

Reverbnation. I began to grow fans & get fantastic 

comments that fueled me. I felt like finally I was on 

the right path God chose for me. Finally after joining 

International Singer Songwriter Accociation, I met a 

Veteran Cover Tribute artist Tony Carlozzi. I was in 

Oklahoma, he was in Brockton, MA. We worked a 

plan & executed it to come together for music. Thus 

becoming the Gigglefits. That was in May, 2019, just 

over 6 months ago. The growth is astounding. 

Click this link to listen... 


Queen Regina Of The Gigglefits 

ristmas 


Grandma’s Got A N 

The old tree was withered from years of use, 

but grandma couldn’t bear to let it go. 

Through 27 Christmases the tree has survived. 

With love and tinsel the age hardly shows. 

This year, as she was getting it from the box, 

the limbs were tattered and falling apart. 

First she got mad, then she was sad, 

as all the memories swelled in her heart. 

The kids suggested, it’s time to get a new tree. 

Grandma went to Wally’s to find one that’s just right. 

So easy to assemble, granny couldn’t believe, 

It came in three pieces, even built in lights 

Grandma’s got a new Christmas tree 

and she’s showing it off. 

She lights it brightly every night. 

She opens the curtains so everyone will see, 

this shiny new tree with glimmering lights. 

She’s as thrilled as she can be. 

She’s called her friends on the phone 

and her grand-babies too. 

This Christmas will be the best ever. 

Granny’s spreading the news. 

Every day of the week even before dark, 

granny lights the tree and it gives her a spark. 

Cloudy days, rainy days, it doesn’t matter to her. 

That tree will be glistening and she’ll get a stir. 

The kids all love it, especially what’s underneath. 

Grandma went crazy this year way beyond belief. 

Presents for the kids, grand-kids, 

neighbors and friends. 

Granny maxed her credit cards right to the end. 


and she’s showing it off. 

She lights it brightly every night. 

She opens the curtains so everyone will see, 

this shiny new tree with glimmering lights. 

She’s as thrilled as she can be. 

She’s called her friends on the phone 

and her grand-babies too. 

This Christmas will be the best ever. 

Granny’s spreading the news. 

Oh no, it’s almost the 25th this can’t be the end. 

She might roll back the calendar and do it again. 

With all the happiness that the old gal has found, 

it might be the 4th of July 

before the tree comes down. 


and she’s showing it off ! 

To view this lyric on Songbay... 

Growing up in East Tennessee in the 1970’s I had a lot 

of friends in bands, probably not much different than it 

is today. I would work to help set up the stage and their 

instruments since I couldn’t play or sing myself. I did not 

come from a musical family. I discovered it on my own, 

with influence from my older brother and friends. I went 

to my first concert on my 13th birthday, it was Three Dog 

Night I listened to the radio all the time. I’d stay up most 

of the night. I decided at age 14 that since I couldn’t be in 

a band like my friends, I could at least play music on the 

radio. We had a career day in 8th grade and I chose DJ. 

I went into the U.S. Army at age 17. When I came home 

2 years later, I went to broadcasting school in nearby 

Knoxville, Tn. What followed was a 20 year career in radio 

broadcasting. I stayed locally instead of pursuing work 

outside the area. I feel that I could have made it in a bigger 

market. Working in mostly small town radio is tough. It’s 

low pay and no benefits. I worked at numerous stations in 

East Tennessee. Over the years, I developed an 

alcohol dependency. It was not uncommon, for some of 

my co-workers to be involved in drugs and alcohol. It was 

just what we did during that time.I was one of the worst. I 

was an alcoholic. Without going into all the details, it was 

bad. I lost a couple of radio jobs and burned a lot of 

bridges. After years of struggling, I finally got clean and 

sober, over 14 years now. I decided to go back to 

college at the age of 43. I studied Computer Networking. 

I earned an associates degree. Not bad for a high school 

drop out with a GED. I got a job at the company that I’m 

still employed at today, 11 years later. I currently work in 

Cybersecurity. 

I started writing lyrics when I was a teenager. Over the 

years I would write some from time to time. I’ve always 

enjoyed reading lyrics too, it was one of the cool things 

about record albums growing up. The albums would often 

have the lyrics included. I’ve always had a good 

imagination and that helped me in my writing. A few 

years back I started writing more regular. I had talked 


Bob Love 

ew Christmas Tree 

with a couple of people I work with, who play music in 

clubs, and that inspired me.One woman co-worker, 

Theresa, took a few of my lyrics and wrote songs that she 

performed locally. She was very encouraging to me. I 

write all the time now and always have ideas in my head. 

I play some guitar. I have melodies in my mind for most 

of the lyrics that I write. I joined Songbay a few months 

back. I won their 2019 Lyric contest.The people at Songbay 

were able to use the melody I had in my mind and 

match it up almost perfect for, “The Dark Road Leads to 

Light”. The only thing that limits me is a lack of time. I’ve 

been taking some on line classes to help me with my I.T. 

career. I would like to write full time and find someone to 

collaborate with. I survived stage 3 throat cancer in 2011. 

Worth noting as encouragement to anyone. I survived 

alcoholism and throat cancer. 

For the lyric “Grandma’s Got a New Christmas Tree”. I 

thought of it when my wife bought a tree last year. I’m not 

sure how long that she had her old tree, but it took a long 

time to put it up, piece by piece. My wife is all about 

Christmas and she was very excited about the new tree 

and how easy that it was to put it together. I decided to 

write a lyric. The tree is very nice. In case you can’t tell, 

she likes snowmen. It’s worth noting, that where we live, 

especially the past few years, we have seen very little 

snow. Maybe once or twice a year and usually only a 

dusting. I hope everyone enjoys reading my little 

Christmas lyric. 

Link to twitter... 

Link to songbay... 


Last Christmas 

George Michael & Wham By Paul Michel 

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart 

But the very next day you gave it away 

This year, to save me from tears 

I’ll give it to someone special (x2) 

Once bitten and twice shy 

I keep my distance 

But you still catch my eye 

Tell me, baby 

Do you recognize me? 

Well, it’s been a year 

It doesn’t surprise me 

(Merry Christmas!) I wrapped it up and sent it 

With a note saying, “I love you, “ I meant it 

Now, I know what a fool I’ve been 

But if you kissed me now 

I know you’d fool me again 




I’ll give it to someone special (x2) 

A crowded room, friends with tired eyes 

I’m hiding from you, and your soul of ice 

My god, I thought you were someone to rely on 

Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on 

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart 

A man under cover but you tore me apart 

Now, I’ve found a real love you’ll never fool me again 




I’ll give it to someone special 

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart 

A man under cover but you tore him apart 

Maybe next year I’ll give it to someone 

I’ll give it to someone special 

Christmas time wouldn’t be the same without those classic 

tunes that haunt our TV and Radio each year. Wow, do I sound 

ancient saying ‘radio’? Does anyone still use them? Well, I do 

so I suppose that’ll do. So are you haunted with ‘Merry Christmas 

Everybody’ by Slade or ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas 

Everyday’? C’mon admit it, we all have our favourites. 

Last Christmas by Wham! is Jane’s favourite, so I 

thought I would jump on the chance to take a 

look at the origins of the song and the man 

behind it. To be fair, It is one of the best 

during the festive season. After all, 

the UK did vote it the eighth best 

Christmas song ever and us Brits 

do like our Chrimbo party hits. 

Although ‘Last Christmas’ is 

credited as Wham! it was totally 

written and produced by George 

Michael back in 1984 while he 

and Andrew Ridgley, George’s 

partner in the duo, were visiting 

his parents. He jotted the intro 

and chorus down while sat in 

his old childhood bedroom and 

played it to Ridgley who said that 

it was a moment of wonder. 

So in August 1984, George recorded 

the song in Advision Studios, London 

He played all of the instruments on the 

track, a Linn 9000 drum machine, a 

Roland Juno-60 synth and sleigh bells, 

performed and produced it. 

It was released in December 1984 on Epic records 

with ‘Everything she wants’ on the B Side (Yes, we’re 

still in the days of 45rpm vinyl and tape cassettes here) amist 

some fierce competition. Live Aids ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’ 

was rocketing to the top (of which George Michael was a 

major part) and as the Christmas charts were announced ‘Last 

Christmas’ was, as expected, No:2. 

To the credit of George Michael and Andrew Ridgley, all of 

the royalties were donated to the Ethiopian famine. Although 

Wham! had already scored two No:1 hits, this was probably 

their most defining moment in the history of the duo. 

Yes, there were many ups and downs in Wham and in the personal 

life of George Michael which we will take a look at shortly 

but this Christmas classic remains today as the most memorable 

moment. It showed the true spirit of who Wham! really were. 

They were, at the time a major force in the pop world but this 

particular Christmas saw a side of them, and indeed so many 

other pop stars, that was simply impossible to ignore and not 

admire. For that very reason ‘Last Christmas’ will remain as 

one of the greatest Christmas songs ever. 

I suppose we can see why it is Jane’s favourite! 


George Michael 

We’vetaken a look at the Christmas classic but there was so 

much more to George Michael and Wham! So let’s take a 

little time to discover the iconic 1980’s pop duo. 

George Michael and Andrew Ridgley first burst on the 

scene way back in 1983 with their debut single “Young 

guns , go for it” The first of many of what would be one of 

the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980’s. 

Michael and Ridgley first met at Bushey Meads School 

in Bushey near the town of Watford in Hertfordshire. 

For a short time they formed a SKA band called The 

Executive with a few other class mates before forming 

Wham! in 1980. 

Michael took on the majority of roles and responsibilities 

within the band—composer, 

producer, lead singer, and occasional instru 

mentalist. Still teenagers, they promoted 

themselves as hedonistic youngsters, 

proud to live a carefree life without 

work or commitment. This was 

reflected in their earliest singles 

which, part-parody, part-social 

comment, briefly earned Wham! a 

reputation as a dance protest 

group. 

In order to move to a recording 

contract with Sony label Epic, 

Wham! was forced to walk away 

from most of the royalties from 

their debut album, Fantastic. 

None of that mattered when their 

1984 single, “Wake Me up Before 

You Go Go,” became a worldwide hit, 

accompanied by a video of the pair 

cavorting in their sportswear. Almost 

immediately, George Michael started thinking 

of a solo career, and released “Careless 

Whisper,” issued in the U.S. as George Michael of 

Wham! The duo embarked on a much-publicized trip to China 

and enjoyed considerable success in America. 

Andrew Ridgley 

also tried to go it solo but could 

not recover from the Wham! split-up. He tried 

his hand at Formula 3 motor racing but, again, without much 

success. 

George Michael’s popularity continued to grow despite the 

adverse headlines until Christmas Day 2016 when at the age of 

53, he died of a heart and liver condition. 

Owing to the delay in determining the cause of death, Michael’s 

funeral was held 29 March 2017. In a private ceremony, he 

was buried at Highgate Cemetery in north London, near his 

mother’s grave. That summer an informal memorial garden 

was created outside his former home in Highgate. The site, in a 

private square that Michael had owned, is tended by fans. 

Like us all, George Michael had his issues. But his talents 

coupled with his integrity, generosity+and honesty made him 

one of the best loved superstars of the 1980’s and 1990’s. His 

Christmas hit, ‘Last Christmas’ will ensure that he will live on 

in our hearts for many years to come. The group ‘Wham’ still 

remains today as an influence to any young musical act and the 

ultimate in the fun of music. 

Wham!’s end came rather suddenly, in 1985, reputedly when 

the group’s manager, Simon Napier-Bell (later to manage Take 

That), decided to sell a share of his management to a 

South African entertainment conglomerate. 

Supposedly, as part of a stand against South African 

politics, George Michael immediately announced 

Wham!’s breakup. They gave their farewell performance 

before a sold-out audience of 72,000 fans at London’s 

Wembley Stadium. 

George Michael embarked on a solo career which rarely 

saw him out of the press, not only for the amazing music 

he was producing but also a few embarrassing incidents in 

which he was involved in public sex acts and other 

misdemeanours involving the law. 

GEORGE MICHAEL 

1963 - 2016 


Last Christmas 

George Michael & Wham Discography 

Wham! Albums 


George Michael 

George Michael Albums 


It’s Just Not Chris 

Years almost over 

Sure looks like December 

The snow and ice on the ground 

I hadn’t sent a single Christmas card 

The 31st is coming around 

It makes me remember our last December 

How the city looks so beautiful in white 

As we walked the street that day you kept me warm 

We couldn’t wait to get inside 

Now its Christmas and you’re so far away 

On this Christmas I just wish you had stayed 

And I wonder if you’re thinking of me today 

I don’t know what I’ll do 

its not Christmas without you 

I hear carols in the distance 

Don’t want to listen because every sound 

says your not here 

Just in case you change your mind 

I’ll leave a light over the door 

And hope you suddenly appear 

‘Cause its Christmas and you’re so far away 

On this Christmas I just wish you had stayed 

And I wonder if you’re thinking of me today 

I don’t know what I’ll do 

its not Christmas without you 

I’m too old too old to believe in Santa Claus 

What are these gifts under the tree 

But I did this once 

Or many it’s a dream, 

has he really brought you back to me 

its Christmas all I wanted is here 

On this Christmas was for you to be near 

And I wonder if you’re thinking 

of me ‘cause you’re here 

My one wish has come true, 

it’s not Christmas without you 

Click this link to play... 

Christmas song...’It’s just not christmas 

without you’...West berlin...Christmas 1985... 

Sitting in my plane waiting to deplane... 

Friends waiting to greet my visit from 

california...Looking forward to seeing my 

ex-wife here for christmas...I thought i heard 

horses and bells in my head to go with the 

latest snow flurries...Looking forward to 

meeting friends in a local bar called the 

“flying dutchman”. We are mostly american 

songwriters living off the rich German 

economy. Folks ask why we’re here. We told 

them “blondes”. The stewardess woke me 

from my christmas reverie. Took a taxi to go 

uptown and see my -ex. Berlin is a 

wonderland all covered in snow. Women in 

their furs stepping out of their mercedes. 

I took a nice cozy mercedes taxi to the 

“hardke” resteraunt off kudamm. We all 

planned a great sit down dinner including 

my ex, doris. I wrote the lyrics in my head 

spurred on by my love for her, especially at 

christmas. Everyone was there to greet me 

after my flight from california. Berlin was 

always our secret paradise, the only city in 

the world where one could write music all 

day and play for rent money at night. It was a 

privilege to be among this talented group of 

musicians. 

The Jimmy Travis Band Website Bio 

We began as a group of American expatriates 

living in Berlin, due to the fact that we 

discovered that there you can live from music 

alone. Of Music. I, Jimmy, began my public 

musical career in the group “Eastfield 

Meadows” in Hollywood. I moved to 

London to work on an album for Warner 

Brothers. John Vaughan was a U.S. Army brat 


Jimmy Travis Band 

tmas Without You 

who grew up in Germany. Francis Serafini 

is from Rhode Island and I found him in a 

Berlin club playing solo gigs. Trevor Cooper 

is from London and he agreed to put 

together a duo for club dates. Hansi is our 

drummer and the only German member of 

our group. 

I loved playing with these guys, seeing how 

they were some of the best songwriters in 

Europe. Our life style included sleeping 

until 5 pm and getting coffee. Then we went 

to work writing songs we could play in the 

clubs that night. Berlin was heaven for 

musicians. 

We wrote songs and played in the clubs, 

usually three clubs a night. We did TV and 

radio. We toured 

Western Europe out of Berlin. But in the end 

I guess you could say we did it for the music 

and the blondes.... 

https://www.jimmytravisband.com/ 


Can you hear the angels 

Singing soft and low 

Can you hear the angels’ 

Song within your soul 

Saying we should love each other 

Whether friend or foe 

Spread peace on Earth 

Goodwill to men 

Where so e’er e go 

Over and over and o’er again 

The angel band is calling 

Calling to all of fallen man 

A new day is at hand 

Ever and ever and e’er again 

The gentle tones are falling 

Peace on Earth, peace on Earth 

Goodwill to every man 

C 

a 

n 

Y 

o 

u 

H 

e 

a 

r 

T 

h 

e 

Peace on Earth, peace on Earth 

Goodwill to every man 

Peace, peace, the angels sing 

Let only one truth remain 

Our God welcomes every one 

Who hears the angels sing 


A 

n 

g 

e 

l 

s 


Dave Eidson 

I am a 63 year old man from 

the Lake of the Ozarks, 

Missouri. I graduated in 1974 

from Mack’s Creek, Missouri 

as valedictorian. I was voted 

most scholarly and most likely 

to succeed. For personal 

reasons, I didn’t attend 

college but went to work at the 

various industries in the area. 

I spent the last thirty years 

working at Blair Cedar until 

I quit to care for my invalid 

mom until her death. I have 

dabbled at writing short 

stories and had a story that I 

co-wrote with a friend 

published in a book called 

the Book of Exodi titled “The 

Huntress of Aveleor”. I also 

did digital art and had a poem 

in the book. Now I enjoy the 

hobby of playing the keyboard 

and writing songs. 

I wrote “Can You Hear the 

Angel’s” because I felt that the 

message of Christmas had 

been lost among some 

Christian churches. Peace on 

Earth, good will to men, for 

God so loved the world and 

not just Christians, etc. Peace 

had been replaced by war, love 

by hate. They wanted to take 

the name of Christ but ignore 

his central message. Not just 

message but a commandment, 

love not just your neighbors 

but also your enemies. 

Http://soundcloud.com/ozarkbluefox 


Kisses Under The M 

You can spend the year in another’s arms 

He can have the thrill of all your charms 

But I hope that you will see 

How I’ve waited patiently 

For your kisses under the mistletoe for me 

In the Spring when the flowers are in bloom 

And I am all alone here in my room 

As the sky turns blue 

All I think about is you 

And your kisses under the mistletoe for me 

In the Summer you can go on holiday 

While I am on my own you’re far away 

But Now that Winter’s here 

All I want is to hold you near 

And taste your kisses under the mistletoe for 

me 

In Autumn when the leaves fall to the ground 

I search but you’re nowhere to be found 

You are warm no doubt 

But all I can think about 

Is your kisses under the mistletoe for me 

Its Winter time and I can hardly wait 

To hear your voice and to see your face 

My dreams have all come true 

Now its only me and you 

And your kisses under the mistletoe for me. 

In the future when we are old and grey 

And our children have all grown and flown 

away 

As we kiss goodnight and hold each other tight 

I feel your kisses under the mistletoe for me 

As we kiss goodnight and hold each other tight 

I feel your kisses under the mistletoe for me 

The song was written C.2009 and was very 

much inspired by Johnny Cash. I haven’t had a 

chance to record it professionally yet, so what 

you will hear is a demo, but it gives nice flavour 

for what the song is about. We all want to write 

a Christmas number 1 and this was my first 

attempt, and I think its a good song. I hope 

that someday couples will be dancing around 

the kitchen to this song whilst wearing paper 

crowns, or while they are preparing Christmas 

dinner. 

Bio: 

“A Very Original/Great Singer/Songwriter” 

Kent Folk on BBC Radio Kent 

Nick Lawrence is a singer and songwriter from 

Folkestone. His music is most strongly influenced 

by the work of artists such as Bob Dylan, 

Billy Bragg, The Beatles, The Band, Johnny 

Cash, Jake Thackray and The Levellers. These 

inspirational musicians have driven Nick to 

write songs encompassing numerous genres, 

including heartfelt ballads, social observation 

and cutting political commentary. 

I have released three EPs: 

Bludgeoned by the Poetry (2014) 

So Long, Its Been Good To KNow Ya (2015) 

If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going Any 

Road Will Take You There (2019) 

Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ro8txAknGkg6R70iqvSkq 

Music video for “Time To Leave This Town” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch? 

www.facebook.com/NickLawrenceMusicofficial 

Instagram @NickLawrenceMusician 

To listen click this link.... 


Nick Lawrence 

istletoe For Me 


December Lights 


Colin B Leonard 

Guide Me Home 

Verse 1 

At the time of warm spirits and atmosphere 

The smell of pine, of Christmas cheer 

I listen to stories which make cruel souls fear 

Sing the holiday songs year after year 

Yet on the Eve of the day 

my memories come clear 

One the day of days my longings appear. 

Chorus 

Those December lights guide me home 

To childhood memories I’ve never outgrown 

I close my eyes in whichever city I roam 

And those December lights guide me home. 

Verse 2 

Cold skies above a winterland dream 

Welcoming smiles greet warmly this scene 

With childlike eyes I walk in the snow for 

When the lights gather in my heart, I know 

Great friends, great parties I’m never alone 

For at this time of year 

my heart always turns home. 

Chorus 





Bridge 

My own children will know this yearning 

Of egg nog, mince pies, of log fires burning 

The Christmas spirit will always be 

In the eyes of my children, in the eyes of me. 

Chorus 





© Colin B Leonard. The Guild of International 

Songwriters and Composers. 

I’m afraid the top-line melody for 

‘December Lights’ is not down in music, only 

in my head. If someone wishes to collaborate 

on ‘December Lights’ I will send to them 

a poorly sung version, as I have done for ‘I 

Love My Guitar.’ 

I ventured into the world of song writing 

when my friend singer/songwriter Joe 

Rogerson asked me to write lyrics about the 

city of Liverpool. The lyrics were written and 

accepted within thirty minutes one workday 

afternoon. Since that day I have written over 

eighty songs. 

Unlike many songwriters, I don’t write 

constantly as, in my case, I must wait for the 

lyrics and melody to enter my mind. A 

songwriter’s retreat would be a waste of time 

in my case. Inspiration comes when you don’t 

think! (To quote myself.) Having written 

several novel’s, I am able to write prose and 

sustain a narrative. A lyricist and top-line 

architect I may be, a musician I am not. I hire 

a professional in order to create in sound 

what is in my mind. I mainly write in the 

Country genre although, as an example, my 

song https://soundcloud.com/user-28472269/ 

i-love-my-guitar-master-1 could be sung in 

any. 

The song ‘December Lights Guide Me Home’ 

I wrote sitting next to a Christmas tree at 

home in 2017. I once sent the lyrics to my 

friend Joe who commented that he wouldn’t 

sing it in a pub as ‘everyone would be in tears.’ 

I suppose he’s right... 

Guild No: 2196687 


Stack the deck and makes some calls, 

we’re getting ready for a party 

Mr. Price and his son brought ice - 

that was nice and naughty 

Run Run Ruddy do your duty 

and got those records spinning 

Shake a leg, drink rum and egg, 

that turkey there needs trimming 

The broken toys are making noise, 

Cause Santa’s back in town 

There’s mistletoe and ho ho ho 

Fire chestnuts roasting 

And Charlie brown is making rounds 

while Lionel does the toasting 

This is it the house is lit No more days are counting 

They’ll be no waiting just celebrating Joy 

on John Boy’s mountain 


The Leaping Lords are dropping cords 

as Drummer Boy keeps beat 

Jacob Marley’s on the Barley – 

he Stinks of “Beef & Cheese” 

Some old geezer named Ebenezer -- 

gives Sugar Plum the squeeze 

Broken Toys found their rhythm -- 

there’s no Misfitting ... 

Ragtime Jimmy is getting tipsy -- 

acting like a clown 

Frosty Jack is where it’s at when Santa’s back in town 

Zuzu Bailey and ol Fred Gaily dance to the VG3 

Leon got his revillion with Buddy Max and Yukon C 

Cindy Lu that Whoville girl 

brought the prime roast beast 

Cousin Eddie and Banjo Burl are carving up a feast 

Professor Hinkle’s got his new hat down... 

There’s room for more inside this door 


I know I know its Christmas. 

You Know You Know It Too. 


You Know You Know It Too 


You Know You Know It Too 

Blue Christmas & White & Silent Night. I 

ts Tiny Tim ... Let Him In. 

Merry Christmas To All ... Good Night. 

Click here to listen... 

Lyrics by Bob & Joan Minnery. Music by Bob & Bill 

Minnery. Arrangement by Bob Minnery, Joan 

Minnery, Bill Minnery, Dan Taylor Copyright 2019, 

Bob Minnery 

SIVLE 

Joan Minnery – Lead Vocals 

Bill Minnery – Lead Guitar/Backup Vocals 

Bob Minnery – Rhythm Guitar/Backup Vocals 

Dan Taylor – Drums/Backup Vocals 

Our Song: Christmas Gumbo 

Christmas has always been our family’s most favourite 

time of year and definitely the happiest. Christmas 

Gumbo is Bob’s madcap creation stemming from our 

Family’s long love of the Holiday season and a 

lifetime of watching the Classic Movies on TV while 

sitting eating popcorn and all hanging out in the 

living room. Christmas Gumbo is a cornucopia of 

references to some of the most well known and 

legendary Christmas Movies of all time. Look closely 

every line has one or two references to the greats such 

as: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snow 

Man, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, ELF, Edward 

Scissor hands, Little Drummer Boy, Charlie Brown 

Christmas, the Walton’s Homecoming, A Christmas 

Carol, the Grinch and a medley of Christmas song 

puns. See if you can catch them all... 

SIVLE (Elvis spelled backwards and pronounced 

“civil”) is a versatile Indie and Soft-Rock band from 

Brantford Ontario Canada, belting out original tunes 

and an arsenal of legendary tunes from the 50s - 

Today. SIVLE is a family oriented band consisting of 

Joan Minnery on lead vocals, her son Bill Minnery on 

lead guitar, her brother Bob Minnery aka 

bigEZbob on rhythm acoustic and Dan Taylor on bass 

and drums. 

While SIVLE is primarily a cover band; SIVLE went 

into the recording studio in the summer of 2019 and 

has released their own original explosive rock anthem, 

“Whatever It Takes” along with their 

Dixie-Prog single entitled “What Would Walter Do” a 

salute to Walter Gretzky. Both singles have garnered 

radio air play on Indie stations in Germany, Australia, 

the United States, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England 

and Canada. They are distributed through CD Baby 

S 

A 

N 

T 

A 

G 

U 

M 

B 

O 


and available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Spotify, 

Google, BandCamp, Amazon, and more.SIVLE were 

selected out of over 450 bands to play one of 5 spots 

and were the opening act for the 2019 WTFest Rock 

Festival, one of Ontario’s largest music festivals. SIVLE 

were the featured entertainment at the 2019 Mayor’s 

Levee at the Brantford Armouries and will be again 

for 20/20. They also headlined the 2018 ‘FIND YOUR 

SPIRIT FEST’ and the 2018 ‘Downtown Music Fest’ 

both at Harmony Square in Brantford. 

SIVLE 

They have packed rooms at the Sanderson Centre, the 

Corktown Pub, Delhi Harvest Fest, Jeffery’s Lounge, 

Manny’s Place, Branch 90 Legion, Tansley’s, Upper 

Thames Brewery, the Norfolk County Fair, the 

Polish Hall, Frankies Hometown Tavern, the St. 

George Legion, the Honest Lawyer, the Dairy 

Capital Cheese Festival, the Norwich Museum and 

has a heated schedule at a variety of festivals, fairs and 

local establishments. 

SIVLE salutes the classic sing-a-long hits of the 

Beatles, CCR, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Johnny Cash 

and of course ELVIS. There is something for everyone 

as the band also covers Pop and Country tunes from 

50s - Today. The lads often take over and do their own 

original progressive rock songs and also salute Van 

Halen, Jimi Hendrix and other rock icons. 

SIVLE is a refreshingly youthful band combining two 

generations of musicians while bridging the age gap 

through likable tunes and interactive dynamic stage 

showmanship. 

Two Generations --- One Foundation. 

“As always -- SIVLE is a must see live! You can’t see the 

energy this band gives off until you see them live. They 

connect with their fans and our energy feeds their 

energy. If you only see their show once, you have to 

return to a number of shows to witness the change 

from show to show, it’s an absolute delight! While 

contemplating SIVLE, I couldn’t help but think of the 

Grateful Dead who were one of the early pioneers of 

direct relationships with their live show fans and renown 

for fusing many different styles together. SIVLE 

is the Grateful ALIVE.” ~ Ken Shipman, Brantford ON 

https://sivle.webstars.com 

https://www.facebook.com/117SIVLE/ 

https://twitter.com/SIVLEization 


I Aint Workin 

VERSE 1 

Ever since I can remember, the 25th of December 

I’d have to punch a clock and work ‘til I’m half dead 

SoI told my wife and children 

that this year’s gonna be different 

Instead of punchin’ that clock 

I’m gonna punch my boss instead 

CHORUS 1 

‘Cus I ain’t workin’ on Christmas this year 

No, I’d rather be with my family than here 

Well, I worked all day Black Friday, 

But this Christmas is gonna be my day 

No I ain’t workin’ on Christmas this year 

VERSE 2 

My boss tells me I gotta work, 

so I tell him he’s such a jerk 

Cus’ I told him months ago and I made it clear 

So he says “Don’t be comin’ back”, 

so I says “Catch you later, Jack” 

‘Cus I ain’t workin’ on Christmas this year 

CHORUS 2 


‘Cus I’d rather be with my family than here 

So you can take this job and shove it, 

‘Cus I never did really love it 


CHORUS 3 

And I ain’t workin’ on Christmas next year 

‘Cus I’d rather be with my family right here 

well, the hours and pay are crappy 

so I’d rather be broke and happy 

No, I ain’t workin’ on Christmas next year 

VERSE 4 

And all my friends and family 

We all stayed home so happily 

And no one worked on Christmas 

Not even store clerks worked on Christmas 

Not even truck drivers worked on Christmas 

Not even waitresses worked on Christmas 

No, we all stayed home on Christmas this year 

(Except for Santa Claus, but he only works one day a 

year anyway) 


© 1/30/18 

Rollin Jewett 

BRIDGE 

I don’t care how much you’re gonna pay 

Just for one day leave it alone 

‘Cus Christmas don’t last but one day 

And it’s a day we should all be home 

VERSE 3 

Well, I lost my job but I don’t care 

‘Cus I never did really like it there 

And I know I’ll find a better job somewhere 

And I’ll tell my new boss right way 

That there’s a certain holiday 

that I ain’t never gonna work 

and that’s Christmas, so there 


Rollin Jewett 

On Christmas 

There are songs I’m literally embarrassed to tell anyone how 

long they took me to write, lest one get the false impression 

that I’m a careless hack of a songwriter. But really, several 

of what I consider to be my best songs have been the easiest 

to write. So easy, in fact, that they almost write themselves 

because the ideas, rhymes and word flow seems to come 

so effortlessly. “I Ain’tWorkin’ on Christmas” is one of 

those songs. I wrote it barely a year ago and have almost no 

recollection of having written it. I know I started with the 

title. After that, it’s a blur.But let’s start with the title: A man 

proclaims he’s not working on Christmas. Easy enough. Then 

what happens? Those were the questions I wanted to answer. 

According to statistics, millions of people will work on 

Christmas day every year. And the numbers keep growing. 

Let’s consider some of the obvious folks that will have to 

work: doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, caregivers, utility 

workers, clergy, and journalists. Beyond that, however, there 

are many others that, due to the profitability of remaining 

open when many businesses are closed, are forced to work: 

these are store clerks, grocery clerks, truck drivers, and 

restaurant workers, etc., who are not volunteering to work on 

Christmas, but are forced to by employers eager to make a 

buck on a holiday when stores are traditionally closed. 

Christmas used to be an untouchable holiday. Everyone other 

than the necessary above-mentioned workers had the day 

off to be with their families. In fact, so was Thanksgiving in 

America…until “Black Friday” came along and shook things 

up, breaking that traditional mold. According to Wikipedia 

regarding Black Friday for many years, it was common for 

retailers to open at 6:00 a.m.on Friday morning after 

Thanksgiving. But in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or 

4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several 

retailers opened at midnight for the first time. In 2012, Walmart 

and several other retailers announced that they would 

open most of their stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, 

prompting calls for a walkout among some workers. In 2014, 

stores such as JCPenney, Best Buy, and Radio Shack opened 

at 5:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day while stores such as Target, 

Walmart, Belk, and Sears opened at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving 

Day. Three states, Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts, 

prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores, and 

department stores from opening on Thanksgiving. 

some quality time with their loved ones. My belief is that 

those who want to work on Christmas, due to necessity or 

religious beliefs, should be allowed. But those who want to 

stay home with their families should be allowed to do that as 

well -- without fear of losing their jobs (like the man in the 

song). 

Rollin Jewett bio 

Singer/songwriter Rollin Jewett grew up in South Florida 

and has lived in New York, Los Angeles and Phoenix, to 

name a few influences. Music has always been a priority in 

Rollin’s life and he’s been writing songs for as long as he can 

remember. In addition to singing and songwriting, Rollin 

has also written and acted in several films and is a published 

poet, playwright & short story writer. In 2016, Rollin’s outlaw 

rocker “Ride Tall” was a prize winner 2016 IMSTA FESTA 

International Songwriting Competition in Chicago. In 2015, 

Rollin’s heartfelt love song “Arizona Sun” was also a finalist 

in the same competition. Rollin has licensed several songs in 

top platforms and is featured on several international compilation 

albums. His musical influences range from rock to 

country to folk to alternative to pop. An avid world traveler, 

Rollin currently makes his home in North Carolina and is 

presently working on new songs for an upcoming album. 

For website follow this link.... 

My thought was “What’s next?” Christmas, of course! And it 

seems to be happening. More and more retailers and restaurants 

are now open on Christmas day, forcing workers, many 

who would rather be home enjoying quiet time with their 

families, to be on duty so their employers can make a few 

extra holiday dollars. So…the song is a reaction against that 

materialistic mentality and an outspoken retort on behalf of 

the working men (and women) who simply want to spend 


Real Chris 

We’ve been together for a long time 

We’ve spent together very good and bad times 

It’s time we can afford a better ride 

And I hope could be now 

We could enjoy real Christmas time 

Let’s set the table like we used to do 

Bringing the wine and set the meal too 

Let’s stick together and bring back the joy 

And spend again real Christmas time 

Bridge: 

(Ahhhhh) If we keep together with the lights 

on 

(Ahhhhh) If we hold together our love 

everyday strong 

(Ooohhhhh) If we keep the faith around our 

hearts 

Kissing each other under the mistletoe 

We’ll go beyond in real christmas time 

We’ll be together wishing for hope 

Finally we have the house of our dreams 

Now it’s time we can afford a better ride 

For you and me 

For our kids 

For our Moms 

Rejoice the love with the miracle 

In real Christmas time 

Let’s keep peace in the world and raise the 

love 

Beyond the real christmas time 

Let’s keep the friendship around us all 

Beyond the real christmas time 

Share compassion around the world 

Beyond the real Christmas time 


Real Christmas Time 

(Music + Lyrics By 

Bamil Gutiérrez Collado 


Bamil Gutiérrez Collado 

tmas Time 

Sacred Healing Songs/ASCAP©2019 

All Rights Reserved) 

‘Real Christmas Time’ is a soft rock song about 

bringing back to present the old things, subjects that 

caused emotions and joy on our Holiday lives like 

things used to be. 

The expression of things that used to be the special 

times, memories, peace, love and kindness to all 

living beings. What we wish to have for our closer 

loved ones like our Moms, our Kids, ourselves in a 

relationship. 

Being good people to our projim and the deserve to 

enjoy better things and have the right moment to 

reach for good. When we could have all those things 

that fill our special moments and as we get closer to 

the Holiday seasons enjoy a ‘better ride’, which for me 

is meaning of ‘wishes for happier moment’. The gift of 

giving to the world softer times is part of the purpose 

of this song to carry a message to society and share 

not only love, but the spirit and the real Christmas 

spirit meaning that is hope. 

In a whole, live the moment beyond the christmas 

time. Was written in soft mode considering the 

lyrics and to give a more nostalgic ambience. This is 

a kind of message that catch us all in any moment of 

our lives bringing back the memories. Christmas is 

a very strange yet at the same time beautiful season 

where it looks like we are opening a chest of 

reminiscings. ‘Real Christmas Time’ the best way I 

felt to show how we enjoy reviving our wishes and 

makes them come true asking Jesus for a Holiday 

miracle. 

Happy Holidays Everyone And Lots Of Blessings!!! 

You can find more about BAMIL Music and Updates 

in: 

https://www.mixposure.com/bamil/audio 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/FANSBAMIL 

http://www.facebook.com/JazzElements 

https://twitter.com/bamilMusic 

http://ourstage.com/profile/Bamil 

To listen to this 

click this link... 


Christma 

Chorus: 

It might be a holiday to you but it’s, Christmas to me 

A time filled with tradition love and family 

I put it on display each year for all the world to see 


Verse: 

I remember as a child every Christmas Eve 

We’d sing our favorite carols as we decorate the tree 

Mom would tell us stories; we’d bow our heads and pray 

Jesus our saviour was born that holy day 

We’d pray for peace in the world so all can enjoy 

The true meaning of Christmas, the birth of a baby boy 

Chorus: 





Verse: 

Politicians try to tell us, take Christ out of the day 

To hide all the symbols we use to celebrate 

They say it might offend those who don’t believe 

Let me tell you mister now you’re offending me 

Chorus: 





Bridge: 

Why must everything be politically correct 

All we need to do is treat each other....with some respect 

Chorus: 





Tag: 

It might be a holiday to you but it’s Christmas, Christmas 

to me 

Merry Christmas Everybody!!! 

To listen follow this link. 

Christmas To Me 

Words and Music by Don Murdock (SOCAN) & Brian 

Dolph (SOCAN) 

Copyright © September 02, 2013 by Don Murdock & 

Brian Dolph 

Christmas To Me – The Story 

Christmas To Me is a song that takes a stand on the 

political correctness that has now become associated with 

the season. Some would argue there is a “War on 

Christmas.” If that is the case, then Don Murdock is 

battling back. Christmas To Me expresses what a lot of 

people feel. “It might be a holiday to you, but it’s 

Christmas to me.” 

Don was raised a Catholic and as a youngster has 

memories of attending Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, 

of carolling door to door, and of Christmas concerts at 

school. Like many Canadians he grew up with traditions 

of decorating Christmas trees and spending time with 

family and sharing Christmas dinner. He recalls fondly 

wonders and excitement of children on Christmas 

morning. And of course, he always remembers the true 

meaning of Christmas, the birth of a baby boy.... 

Over the past few years Don has seen these beliefs, these 

values he holds dear chipped away at by bureaucrats and 

CEO’s. Bit by bit and piece by piece, traditions he grew 

up are being dismantled and tossed aside. Greetings like 

“Merry Christmas” being replaced with “Happy Holidays.” 

Christmas concerts and plays replaced with “Winter 

Solstice Celebratory Pageants.” It is his opinion that by 

trying NOT to offend others by using traditional greetings 

we have begun to offend those who celebrate Christmas. 

Christmas To Me is Don’s way of saying, celebrate what 

you want to. If you celebrate Kwanzaa, then have a Joyous 

Kwanzaa. If you are Jewish have a Happy Hanukkah. But 

don’t tell him that he cannot say Merry Christmas!! Quit 

telling him he is buying a holiday tree!! And stop forcing 

employees to greet customers with Happy Holidays rather 

than with Merry Christmas... 

Like the song says, all we need to do is treat each other 

with respect! 

• Fun Fact: 4 days before the song was to be 

recorded Don Murdock and Brian Dolph decided to 

completely rewrite the music and lyric. The pressure was 

on as the studio and musicians were already booked for 

24 58 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk

Don Murdock 

s To Me 

the session in Nashville. 

Christmas To Me – The Release & Controversy 

“Christmas To Me”, by Don Murdock, flew in under the 

musical radar and landed at #3 on the Canada Country 

Aircheck Top 10 list of favourite Canadian Country 

Christmas songs. The song was co-written by Don 

Murdock and Brian Dolph, who also produced the 

track. 

Released for the 2013 holiday season, “Christmas To 

Me” had an immediate and controversial impact. News 

organizations from across the country, including The 

National Post and CBC Radio One, featured the song in 

news stories and radio programs. Don also performed 

the song live on the prime time SUN News TV program 

The Source. Each time an online story featuring the 

song appeared the comment section filled with debate 

about the “War on Christmas” and the song. 

“Christmas To Me” has now become a regular part of 

the syndicated holiday program, A Country Christmas, 

heard annually for over 30 years across Canada, the 

USA and Europe. Each year the song grows in 

popularity here in Canada and around the world 

bringing Don Murdock new fans to his brand of honest 

country music. 

Don Murdock – Mini Bio 

Born and raised in Oshawa, Don Murdock is a former 

firefighter who was awarded Canada’s Medal of Bravery 

by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé. He also established 

the firefighting training program at Durham College 

where he was a professor. Music has always been part of 

Don’s life. He has been playing guitar and 

performing from the time he was a teenager. It is only 

in the past few years, however that Don began writing 

his own songs, eventually recording an 8 song EP. He 

has released a number of songs to radio and his music 

has appeared on thousands of radio playlists around the 

world. 

https://www.reverbnation.com/donm 

https://www.facebook.com/don.murdock.319 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 25 59

Signs Of 

Signs of Christmas 

Copyright @2017 by Mike Turner 

All Rights Reserved 

Chorus: 

Presents wrapped in paper 

Ribbons, bells and bows 


Hanging mistletoe 

Tinseled tree in window 

Wreath upon the door 

All the signs of Christmas 

Here again once more 

Verse 1: 

Lights in festive colors 

Wink in falling snow 

Visions of reindeer and sleigh in flight 

Carolers on our doorstep 

Voices high and low 

Singing songs of peace and joy so bright 

[Instrumental Break] 

Verse 2: 

Snuggling by the fire 

Holding you so near 

Wrapped in a soft blanket warm and tight 

Words of love and caring 

Whispered in your ear 

My favorite gift is in my arms tonight 

Chorus: 

Presents wrapped in paper 

Ribbons, bells and bows 


Hanging mistletoe 

Tinseled tree in window 

Wreath upon the door 

All the signs of Christmas 

Here again once more 

Tag: 

Yes, signs of Christmas here for us once more 


“Signs of Christmas” 

by Mike Turner 

My musical interests, as a songwriter, performer and 

listener, are to say the least eclectic, ranging from the 

blues to folk, country, jazz, pop and gospel. A small 

sub-genre of my songwriting catalog are pieces in 

the, “Great American Songbook,” tradition – think 

melodies and lyrics by such luminaries as Gershwin, 

Porter, Berlin (at least those are my goals – not that I 

have fully realized them!). 

So with the Christmas season closing in, I found 

myself wanting to write, not just a holiday song, but 

one in the “Great American Songbook” tradition. 

I was particularly drawn to the idea of a song that 

recalled some of the great Christmas albums and 

singles of the past by artists like Bing Crosby, Frank 

Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland. 

I also wanted a song rich in imagery – partly because 

the Christmas season, with all its decorations and 

colors, lent itself to such imagery; and partly because 

the lyrics of many of my songs tend to “tell” rather 

than show, and I wanted to challenge myself to 

produce a piece that led the listener to “see” and 

experience the story, not just “hear” it. 

In crafting the lyric, first, I went for simple scenes 

and symbols that many could relate to having seen, 

and which would readily evoke both images and 

pleasant memories – things like ribbons, bows, 

wrapped presents, wreaths. Second, I brought in 

some other senses – primarily, hearing, with references 

to carolers and their songs; and touch, with a 

mention of soft, warm blankets. 

And, third, I wanted to capture some of the romance 

of the season – snuggling with a partner by a fire, 

sharing love together – the goal, again, being to get 

the listener not just to “hear,” but to “feel” the warmth 

and joy of Christmas. 

The structure follows the genre, particularly in beginning 

and closing with the chorus. Musically, the piece 

is mid- to up-tempo, intended for a “crooner” style 

delivery. 


Mike Turner 

Christmas 

I’m happy with the result – to me, the song captures 

the vibe of the genre and the scenes of the holiday I 

was aiming for. My recording of the song has 

garnered some radio and Internet streaming play 

over the past two holiday seasons – but I’d love to 

hear what a more accomplished vocalist, with a fuller 

arrangement, might bring to the piece. All you classic 

pop/jazz vocalists/recording artists out there, you 

know the present you can give me – and, Christmas 

is coming… 

Bio: 

Mike Turner retired to the U.S. Gulf Coast after a 

27-year career as a Federal law enforcement 

executive. While he grew up in a musical family, 

Mike had never pursued performing or 

songwriting – until an adult education class in 

ukulele ignited long-dormant musical yearnings, and 

he’s never looked back. In the past 7 years, Mike’s 

completed over 120 original songs, from blues to 

folk, country and gospel. His recordings have 

received radio and Internet streaming play in the 

U.S., UK, Europe, New Zealand and on the Armed 

Forces Radio Network. Mike was named 2016 Male 

Gospel Entertainer of the Year by the Alabama Music 

Association; and 2017 Male Gospel Entertainer of the 

Year by the North America Country Music 

Associations Interantional (NACMAI). 

You can follow Mike’s music at: 

www.MikeTurnerSongerwriter.com 

and on FaceBook @MikeTurnerSongwriter 

YouTube https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCEnNxm0y6KELGPo6k7oMajg 


Christmas 

Lullaby 

Christmas Lullaby 

Close your eyes until the day breaks 

Rest your head upon your pillow 

Hear the whisper of the snow flakes 

Dancing soft across your window 

Let your dreams begin to take hold 

As you wander with the Sandman 

Through those memories of pure gold 

To when Christmas magic began 

Silent night (Peace on earth) 

Holy night (Harmony) 

All is calm (Peace on earth) 

All is bright (Let it be) 

Once in royal David’s City 

Stood a lowly cattle shed 

Where a mother laid her baby 

In a manger for his bed 

Round yon virgins (Peace on earth) 

Mother and child (Harmony) 

Holy infant so (Peace on earth) 

Tender and mild (Let it be) 

Mary was that Mother mild 

Jesus Christ her little child 

He came down to earth from Heaven 

Who is God and Lord and all 

And his shelter was a manger 

And his cradle was a stall 

Sleep (Peace on earth) 

In heavenly peace (Harmony) 

Sleep (Peace on earth) 

In heavenly peace (let it be) 

Jane Shields (C) 

Christmas Eve 

Silent Night 

Christmas Eve (Silent Night) 

It’s all so very still tonight 

The night air is crisp and clear 

Snow is laying pure and bright 

It’s Christmas Eve now everywhere 

Snuggled up safely in warm beds 

Children dream sugar plum dreams 

Fantasies run through their heads 

As tomorrows happiness streams 

On Christmas Eve (Silent night) 

On Christmas Eve (Holy Night) 

On Christmas Eve (All is calm) 

On Christmas Eve (All is bright) 

Outside the magic fills the air 

The atmosphere comes alive 

Silence strains through winters ears 

For Christmas day’s yet to arrive 





Every child awaits their treats 

Toys and books and games and sweets 

Cinnamon and candy canes 

Barbie dolls, electric trains 





Round yon virgin Mother and Child 

Holy infant so tender and mild 

Sleep in heavenly peace 

Sleep in heavenly peace 



Jane Shields 

Merry Christmas 

Merry Christmas 

It’s Christmas time so lets all pray for peace 

Families together and all wars to cease 

Light up your candles for loved ones above 

Share laughter and joy with those that you love 

As you sit together beneath the tree 

Exchanging gifts wrapped in fine frippery 

The Christmas cheer begins to come through 

Remember each moment, it’s special to you 

Christmas is time for families to share 

Drawing them closer to show that they care 

Bringing smiles and laughter to young and old 

With family traditions for you to uphold 

Please take a moment from your Christmas day 

To offer a prayer for the homeless today 

May they find some peace, 

and hope and good cheerAnd may C 

hristmas be special for them next year 

So here’s my own wish to one and to all 

Christmas is joy for the great and the small 

But for those on their own it’s a sad sad day 

Perhaps you can brighten it in some small way 

Merry Christmas everyone. x 

singing to her child in the bedroom on Christmas 

Eve, trying to get the child to sleep. I’m really not at 

all musically minded, but I kind of like the thought 

of mixing a few Christmas Carols that might 

compliment each other as a lullaby. 

Likewise, Christmas Eve (Silent Night) is also a 

mixture, this time four verses with the chorus 

constructed with the addition of the Christmas 

Carol Silent Night at the end of each line. In my 

mind I hear that part of the chorus sung by an 

angelic voice. After the final chorus is the 

remainder of the first verse of Silent Night, again I 

‘hear’ this sung by an angelic voice. 

Merry Christmas is the very first Christmas lyric I 

attempted to write, in late 2017. I tried to end it 

with a message to all, to remember those less 

fortunate than ourselves on Christmas Day, 

because there are so many people all across the 

world who are not and perhaps never will be as 

fortunate as we are. The least we can do is to look 

out for each other over the Christmas period, and 

perhaps a short visit or telephone call to someone 

who is spending it alone is a small way of 

brightening their day for them. 

Wherever you are in the world, I wish you all a safe 

and happy Christmas day. xx 


Hi to all, I’m Jane Shields, and I have been 

writing lyrics for three years now. I thought since 

it’s a Christmas issue I would include three 

different Christmas lyrics I’ve put together over the 

years. None of them have, to my knowledge, yet 

been recorded, as I am not a musician, and my 

singing leaves much to be desired... 

My first offering, Christmas Lullaby, is a bit of a 

mash up of a couple of Christmas Carols, starting 

off with two verses in which I imagined a mother 


The Biggest T 

I want it to surprise 

I need it to be spectacular 

Im looking for tremendous 

This time to be huge 

I want it to be massive and 

I need it to be strong 

Im looking for enormous 

This time in Extra large 

I want it to be magnificent and 

I need it to be grand 

Im looking for voluminous 

This time to be immense 

I want it to be beautiful 

ohhh I need significant 

Im looking for attractive 

This time to be impressive 

Chorus 

I want it, to look good on facebook 

To be the best on instagram 

Ohh yeah I want our pictures 

to be in magazines 

I only want the biggest 

The biggest tree of all 

I like it to be huge 

huge and really tall 

I bought the rings already 

now all I need is snow 

I will put them in a present 

and once you found them 

I’ll propose ! 

Oowoohh, I bought the rings already 

Now all I need is snow ! 

I want it to be greater 

I would like it to be stunning 

Im looking for the best 

This time to be incomparable 

I want it to be dominant and 

I need it to be capital 

Im searching for exellence 

This time to be superior 

I want it to be celebrated and 

I hope it will be famous 

Im looking for distinguished 

This time to be amazing 

I want it to be wonderful ohhoww 

and I would love supreme 

Im looking for superb 

This time to be magnificent ! 

Chorus 

I want it to be marvellous and 

I would love incredible 

Im looking for sensational 

This time to be most exceptional 

I want it to be dazzling 

I need most beautiful 

Im looking for extreme 

This time to be unbelievable 

I want it to be premium 

and I’m dreaming of sublime 

Hoping for supernatural 

This time to be unthinkable 

Chorus 

End 

A short introduction. 

I’m a songwriter for a year n 

I wrote about 50 lyrics in 1 y 

I have had my up and down 

My tips when you’re stuck: B 

you’re stuck on a sentence: d 

whole verse and start over, i 

once got stuck for 2 hours an 

your really stuck you should 

My tips for a writersblock: I 

assignments like: 

• Has to be funny and have a 

• Write something where yo 

of four 

• Write using a storytelling s 

The Story Spine: Pixar’s 4th 

https://www.google.com/am 

com/2013/03/22/the-story-s 

Or use this link, this one is v 

https://www.aerogrammestu 

ars-22-rules-of-storytelling/ 

In short a short version: 

1. Choose a character who’s 


Richard Solleveld 

ree Of All 

ow. 

ear, mainly cause I’m in between jobs. So 

s and wanted to share it with you. 

elieve me, I got stuck a lot of times. When 

elete not just the sentence, delete the 

nstead of looking for a word to rhyme. I 

d got moody looking for a rhyme. When 

consider this option. 

work a lot with 

long chorus 

u only use three sentences in verse, instead 

pine, for example this one. 

Rule of Storytelling: 

p/s/www.aerogrammestudio. 

pine-pixars-4th-rule-of-storytelling/amp/ 

ery helpful 

dio.com/2013/03/07/pixeasy 

to indentify with 

2 Descripe the current situation 

3. Descripe a goal 

4. Descripe how to accomplish this 

5. Create a situation which is very recognisable 

My results were surprising, didn’t know I had it in me. Go ahead and 

try it. Good luck with writing! 

Now on to Christmas. 

I wrote a Christmas song and I wanted it to be 

different from the rest and to be about now: 2019. 

1. It’s about showing off, a need to have the most beautiful, expensive 

tree and decoration, totally 

forgetting what Christmasmas is all about. 

2. Then also, the opposite, its all because of love, in the chorus. 

The question for the listeners will be: 

1. All this showing off is crazy, waste of money. There are other ways to 

prove this. 

2. Or it’s ok, cause this persons aim is to make the other person see 

how big his/ her love is. 

Wanna read more lyrics? 

http://www.geencovers.nl/ 

Then go to Lyrics-English (at the bottom) 

and choose a category 

Or follow me on facebook 

https://m.facebook.com/geen.covers?refid=8 


Just 

Here it is Christmas Eve and I sit here all alone 

Retired from the working world 

senior living my new home 

Seeing visions of some special days 

of the past I still know 

They dance around inside my mind 

as I watched my children grow 

I remember each one had a flare 

trying hard to get things done 

So my kids have a memory each one a special one 

Time has a way of giving life to us to call our own 

When the holidays roll around 

don’t forget to call your Mom 

(chorus) 

Just call to say I love you just call to say you’re there 

And let me know that memories 

are more than my gray hair 

Just call to say I love you just call to say you care 

Wish your Mom a Merry Christmas 

and a Happy New Year 

Hours I spend waiting 

you know sometimes they seem so long 

Surrounded by ceramic gifts 

give to me from everyone 

The telephone hanging on the wall 

and the doorbell never rang 

Both of them alone with me 

where a single stocking hangs 

And there’s a card that came two weeks ago 

stands on my old tv 

Says mom we’ll be opening gifts 

serving dinner around three 

If you want you can come early 

if you need a ride it’s free 

Just call I’ll come and get you just call if you need me 

I lost my mom at an early age 

before a family of my own 

And I would give you anything 

to hear her called grandma 

Neglected I could never be too busy to call my Mom 

And never would that well run dry 

the well that I called home 

(chorus) 







Here it is Christmas Eve and I sit here all alone 

Words n music 

Nellie Zold & Ric Angus 

2003 


( chorus) 








Ric Angus 

Call 

This song was written one particular 2002 Christmas 

for my Mom. I was living in Menomonie, 

Wisconsin at that time about 300 miles away from 

her place. And so I called my Mom about 11:30pm 

and we talked into the New Year. Mom sounded at 

that time to be in the Christmas Spirit. 

I had a doctors appointment in March of 2003 close 

to my Mom’s so I arrived towards the evening kinna 

tired. So time being a little later into the evening we 

called it a day after a brief visit. 

I had sat down in her easy chair and noticed to the 

one side of the chair a spiral notebook. It read (Here 

it is Christmas Eve and I can’t believe not a one of 

my five kids called to wish me a Merry Christmas. 

I would give you anything if I could call and talk to 

my Mom and wish her a MerryChristmas.) 

You see, my Mom found her Mom on the kitchen 

floor with a shotgun wound to her head two months 

pregnant with me. It continued (Well, Rick called at 

11:30pm.) 

As I was reading this I started crying and started 

writing this song called ‘Just Call’. 

The rest of the song would be continued with 

collaboration from Mom. We dedicate this song 

every year for all Mom’s. 

Coincidence, I dunno, however at the release of this 

song Nora Jones released one of her songs and in it 

said ‘I don’t know why I didn’t call’..... 


Christmas Whe 

68 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk.

Linda Harborth 

re Did You Go 

Seems oh, so long ago… 

Memories of softly falling snow… 

Excitement and anticipation, 

Of what was to come, 

Danced in my mind… 

Guess I moved on – left Christmas behind. 

Where did Christmas go, 

Seems like a lifetime ago, 

Where did it run, 

I’ve searched high, 

I’ve searched low, 

Christmas - where did you go? 

Why can’t I find you… 

I need to start anew… 

Where’s the spark, the joy, the magic… 

I use to know… 

The ties that bind… 

Find what I’ve left behind... 







 

Will I learn or will I fall, 

Life without Christmas is no life at all, 

Change my world one heartbeat at a time, 

Undo my wrongs… 

Run back to where I belong, 

Remember my Christmas song... 







I wrote “Christmas Where Did You Go” during a 

particularly low point in my life. 

It seemed as though nothing mattered in my day to 

day life anymore. It all boiled down to a daily grind 

to make a buck. 

I had lost my emotions and humanity. My world had 

turned black and white. I had lost my rainbow of 

colors. 

I thought back on what where my highlights in my 

life were and it always came back to my childhood 

at Christmas time. The birth of Christ. The wonder 

and excitement that stirred at this time. 

The thoughts of what was to come. It was always a 

magical time. 

Back story: 

I am a songwriter only. Others re-record my work. 

I started writing in 2010 on a whim to see if I could 

do it. I recorded my songs in Nashville. 

My work has been used in various cable TV shows, a 

trailer for an award winning indie movie “Three Of A 

Kind”, by The Little River Band “Forever Me, Forever 

You” on the album “Cuts Like A Diamond” and 

various up and coming artists here in America and 

Worldwide. 

My publisher is Ken Barton Publishing. 

My work is out on SoundCloud 

https://soundcloud.com/goldie-locks-1 

Click this link to listen... 

Copyright 2011, Ken Barton Publishing, L.A. 

Harbort 


Beneath Th 

There’s a Snowman in the front yard, 

The lights are all strung on the tree, 

The presents are wrapped and in their place, 

And the kid’s are being good as can be, 

The caroler’s winding their way 

down the street, 

Are all making a joyful noise, 

The smell of the coffee and the pumpkin pie, 

Add flavor to our holiday joys... 

Evergreens are bowing to pressure, 

From branches that are laden with snow, 

Smoke from the chimney’s all over town, 

Swirls wherever the wind does blow, 

Should the temperature fall 

a little lower tonight, 

By only three or four more degrees, 

We’ll probably get 

a little more snow on the ground, 

And the pond’s are all sure to freeze... 

Family gathers ‘round the fireplace, 

Waiting for the stockings to be hung, 

The feeling of Christmas is in the air, 

It brings excitement to the old and the young, 

Soon Santa will be making his visit, 

So off to bed all the children will go, 

But before we turn in for the evening, 

Why don’t we meet beneath the mistletoe, 

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, 

Beneath the mistletoe 

Words and Music by Gary Snead 

Copyright © 2006 

To listen click this link.... 


Gary Snead 

e Mistletoe 

I’m a singer songwriter, living currently in 

Metro NYC, in the sub genre of country 

music known as Trop Rock. As a performer 

and frontman for over 20 years in the genre, 

it can best be described as Jimmy Buffett 

inspired songs about Beaches, Bars, Boats 

and Ballads, to steal the title of his box set! 

It’s fun music. 

This song comes from my love of all things 

Christmas. It truly is my favorite time of the 

year! 

To hear more of my music, please feel free to 

visit: 

https://garysnead.bandcamp.com/music 

I started this song on the way to a club gig 

in Charlottesville, Virginia, and finished it 

while awaiting my flight home in the 

Departure Terminal at JFK after a trip to 

Long Island. It was inspired by Nat King 

Cole’s version of The Christmas Song. 


The Spirit O 

Christmas comes but once a year 

A day of gifts, a day of prayers 

We share our love with next of kin 

We greet our friends...the smiles begin 

The Spirit…...Of Christmas 

Colored lights adorn the trees 

Icicles sparkle from the eaves 

Dreams of palms, dreams of snow 

Dreams fulfilled under mistletoe 

The Spirit……Of Christmas 

We sing, we dance...we raise our glass 

A toast to Peace...may it ever last 

Then to the table for the feast 

For later on...we all will sleep 

(Short solo: humming first line of Jingle 

Bells) 


Christmas night is cold and clear 

Our hearts are full of warmth and cheer 

Endless stars now grace the sky 

I make a wish...on one so bright 

I hope that soon...we’ll find a way 

Our gifts ‘n smiles...our love ‘n prayers 

Will be a part of every day 

The Spirit Of Christmas...every day 

The Spirit Of Christmas…every day 

(Hum the Jinge Bell Line again) 



To listen please click this link... 

“TheSpirit Of Christmas” © 2013 Stanley 

Thompson aka: Sydney Westan 

People are always saying how they wish 

the love of family and the joy of the 

season should be shared more often than 

just around Christmas...that was the 

inspiration for this song. 

Family, love, celebration, peace and 

prayers should be shared every day of the 

year , not just on Christmas Day. 

Sydney Westan - Singer/Songwriter, aka 

Stan Thompson 

Music from the heart of our land... comin’ 

from a Country music man. 

Singer/Songwriter Sydney Westan is 

committed to all original works of 

Country, Blues, Folk, Americana and 

Western music. His songs are crafted into 

heartfelt ballads, intriguing love songs, 

bluesy shuffles and some ‘just for fun’ 

songs. 

Sydney has studied at Berlee College of 

Music in Boston, M.A., and has been 

writing songs, lyrics and poetry since the 


Stanley Thompson 

f Christmas 

‘60’s’. He has performed in the Santa Fe 

/ Taos area for over a decade now. 

His shows blend dynamic 

acoustic/electric guitar playing with 

varied vocals, from a deep Country 

growl to smooth tenor and lively 

falsetto. 

He wears his heart on his sleeve, bears 

his soul in his lyrics and leaves you with 

a song to remember, so please ‘don’t just 

come to hear some music! Come and 

listen to the song!!’ He’s available for 2 

or 3 hour shows in the Santa Fe, Taos 

and Albuquerque area. For info on rates 

and bookings or to receive a promo CD 

505-699-5135 

AmericanSongspace.com/SydneyWestan 

YouTube.com/sydneywestan 


Little Pi 

December 23rd not too many years ago 

the TV weatherman was promisin snow. 

I was tuckin my angle in after bedtime prayers. 

We’d bumped into Santa just a couple days before 

ringin a bell outside the hardware store. 

He wasn’t takin orders, but little hearts don’t care. 

She climbed right up on old Saint Nick’s knee 

smiling back at her momma and me 

and told him the treasures 

she’d be lookin for Christmas morn. 

That night in her bed, she was goin down her list, 

when out popped something her mom and I missed, 

our baby girl’s holiday wish we hadn’t heard before. 

“He’s bringin me a little pink kitty 

and he’ll bring it right here, 

with pretty green eyes, and soft furry ears. 

I know he’ll remember me. I’ve been a very good girl. 

I want a little pink kitty, 

more than anything in the world!” 

O’Dark Hundred, me and Poppy had a mission. 

I didn’t have to work and we weren’t going fishin, 

just tryin to help Santa 

make a Christmas wish come true. 

We put a hundred miles on my old truck. 

A couple rusty elves runnin low on luck 

with one more chore to check off 

before we were through. 

Spent the whole day… every store in town… 

not a single toy aisle I didn’t walk down. 

I was out of options, and losing my Yule Tide cheer. 

With daylight fadin, Poppy said “Boy, 

no big deal just buy another toy.” 

So I shook my head and said 

“Maybe I haven’t been clear! 

I need a little pink kitty, 

and I need it right here 

to keep Santa Clause in business 

for just another year… 

keep those reindeer flyin in her pretty little world. 

I need a little pink kitty for my pretty little girl.” 

One last stop at the grocery store, 

I was kicking myself… 

thought I could have done more 

to fill that empty wish waitin under our tree. 

Then across the street, peakin through the trees 

twinklin lights just as pretty as you please 

caught my eye, and I felt my spirit soar. 

There in the window, starin at me, 

the cutest little Kitty Cat you ever did see. 

But the lights were going out, 

so I made a beeline for the door. 

The kind old lady, on hearing my tale, 

said “Son you’re in luck, that kitty’s on sale,” 

then hugged my neck and said 

“On second thought, it’s on me!” 

I had a little pink kitty for my girl the next morn. 

I thought about that little barn 

where Grace was born. 

I realized then the lesson we’re meant to share. 

It’s not about the toys or the things we’re given. 

It’s all about the stuff that makes life worth livin, 

If you’ve got love your rich beyond compare! 

A few days later, thought I’d try to repay 

that sweet little shop keep who saved the day 

and invite her to help my family ring in the new year. 

I went back to that very same spot. 

There was nothing but a “pay-to-stay” parking lot. 

So I asked the attendant 

“Man! What’s going on here?” 

He said “There hasn’t been a toy store here…. 

for 20 years.” 

Click here to listen... 

This song, which still gets me all misty when I sing it, tells 

a story about a modern-day holiday wish that the parent of 

any child who celebrates Christmas has inevitably made in 

desperation at one time or another: A youngster asks Santa 

for a present, but by the time mom and dad learn about it 

it’s not available anywhere. They desperately want to help 

Santa make that eleventh-hour wish come true, and to keep 

the magic of Christmas alive in their little girl’s heart, but after 

a daylong search… no luck. Late in the day, with the sun 

setting, when it seems unavoidable that disappointment will 

be lurking among the gifts under the tree Christmas morning, 

dad finds it! 

The song, “Little Pink Kitty,” which should be available 

on all major retail and streaming sites on November 25, is 

based on a completely true story from my own life. You can 

read a little more about at: 

https://www.thisislifesong.com/little-pink-kitty 

Whenever I feel stress creeping into my holiday season, I 

think back on that story, and it reminds me that just best 

because you grow up doesn’t mean you have to leave behind 

the awe and magic of Christmas. 

Spotify playlist link... 

Our website link... 

You Tube Video/lyrics link..... 


nk Kitty 

Pete Marksteiner 


Christma 

Verse 

Gran and granddads 

on the cheese and wine, 

The family’s here 

because its Christmas time, 

Lights and baubles hanging from the tree, 

And the mistletoe’s there 

just for you and me 

Verse 

Santa’s been and had his sweet mince pie, 

He came in the night and we all know why, 

Down the chimney with his big red sack, 

Put presents by the tree and went right back 

Chorus 

So come on everybody put your blues away, 

That time is here it’s Christmas Day, 

Get the old tunes playing on the stereo, 

We all know the words 

we’ve heard them all before 

Verse 

We got Slade and Wham and Wizzard to, 

Grab the one you love 

dance the whole night through, 

There’s a twinkle there in your granddads 

eye, 

As the songs take him back to years gone by 

Bridge 

Ain’t about the turkey 

the roasties or the sprouts, 

Spreading love is what it’s all about, 

Time for family having fun with friends, 

Such a good time hope it never ends 

music interlude 

Chorus 






Verse 

The icing on the cake 

is when the snow falls down, 

And a snowman grows 

right up from the ground, 

In your hats and coats 

having snowball fights, 

Just having fun in the winter night 

Chorus 






Here is my attempt at lyrics for a Christmas song, I decid 

and music are added will be along the lines of classic up b 

the ilk. 

How the lyrics for my Christmas song came about is quit 

the No1 Christmas songs really have had nothing to do w 

tor so I thought it would be a good idea to write somethin 

important message which I hope the lyrics convey. 

I also write and am vocalist for the ‘4 Owld Codgers’ cou 

friends and known each other since school (we are now a 

performing for the last few years. We have had airplay wi 

International song writing competitions (4th and 7th). I c 

Susanne Waldbrunner from Germany,but also Knoll Bud 

Link to revernation songs... 

Link to Facebook page... 


Ron Todd 

s Is Here 

ed to go for something which when melody 

eat songs like those by Slade, Wizzard and 

e simple. Over the last few years a number of 

ith the festive season mainly due to X-Facg 

traditional with an up beat feel but also an 

ntry band and all of the members have been 

ll over 60 years of age) but only been 

th stations in America and done well in 

ollaborate with other artists too. Mainly 

dy an artist in America. 


THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS 1940 

Set during the Blitz, The Spirit of Christmas 1940 is a Christmas 

ghost story that actually started life off as a musical drama. The 

inspiration for the story came from one song, ‘Echoes of Home’. 

Echoes of Home 

Got your letter yesterday 

Told me you were far away 

You said you were doing fine 

But I can read between the lines 

I hear the sounds of echoes of home 

Both the kids are doing fine 

Running round at Christmas time 

Mrs Brown’s still telling tales 

Of drunken wives and baby wails 

Still I hear the sounds of echoes of home 

Got your letter yesterday 

Saying you’d be home today 

But the station’s cold and bare 

Cause your still not standing here 

Where are the sounds of echoes of home? 

Got a telegram today 

It told me you had passed away 

You died quick and you died brave 

All the soldiers you had saved 

To hear the sounds of echoes of home 

Pictures of a distant time 

Reminding me when you were mine 

I guess that I’m now doing fine 

But you can read between the lines 

There’s no more sounds of echoes of home 

Lyrics & Music arrangement 

Paul Michel 

I can’t remember where the mental image actually came from 

for ‘Echoes of Home’. All I can say is that at the time I was 

writing an awful lot of war songs and poetry. I had also written 

two musicals, one of which was very much written about 

conflict. What I can remember is picturing a soldier’s wife 

waiting for her husband to return on a station platform. That 

was the basis of everything about the story. 

Of course, it was destined to be a ghost/ love story but in reality 

they were just sidelines that would carry the story of a time 

when a country faced its most challenging test and some of it’s 

darkest times. That was the main point I wanted to make. 

The song is just that. It tells the sacrifice, the sadness. the 

courage and the love of that awful time. I think so much so, 

that more had to be written. Song after song was written to try 

to capture what I was trying to say and I have to say, I came very 

close. But more than music and poetry, the story itself had to 

be told. 

To give a brief outline of the story, without trying to give too 

much away, the story centres around three main characters. 

Rosie, an innocent young flower seller who makes a meagre 

living with her stall. Jimmy, an over-confident newspaper 

vendor with the gift of the gab, a dodgy deal never too far away 

but a very large heart. Finally, Billy Snow. Billy is the ghost of 

a soldier who’s purpose is to comfort the heart of the bereaved 

on Church Street station. In doing so, he takes on the pain of 

those he comforts to the point that he can no longer endure the 

suffering. 

In a relatively short period of time, a love triangle forms and a 

powerfully emotional situation develops in which a forbidden 

road comes dangerously close to being travelled. How that is 

negotiated one way or the other, I will not tell. 

The story is set on a ficticious London Train Station during 

the Blitz as mentioned earlier. My inspirations for this station 

has come from a very real station today. I must give thanks to 

the Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster for their very kind 

assistance with the development of the story and the production 

of my book which is the first step in telling the full story. 

The beautiful Kidderminster station is a period set station 

with every detail reflecting life during those days of the second 

world war. The engines that run there are beautiful vintage 

locamotives with carriages looking as new as the day they rolled 

off the lines all that time ago. How could one not be inspired. 

In fact, the background sketch you see is actually a photo I took 

of the Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway station and edited it 

to a sketch. A similar picture is on the cover of the book, again 

taken at the station. 


Paul Michel 

It is as if everything is being provided for me to get the most 

from this story. My original idea of telling the story as a 

musical still stands. I am still writing the musical sections and 

ideas are still flooding in as I put the book together, in fact I’ll 

go as far as to say the musical aspect will add new dimensions 

to the story. Humour for example. Jimmy, our newspaper 

vendor is meant to be the cheeky cockney lad full of mischief 

and charm which is difficult to portay in the book although not 

impossible. In the musical version, the songs really bring this 

out in the character. 

The same goes for Rosie, our flowergirl. The music allows for 

her tenderness to come out in a way the pages don’t allow. This 

is something that is really important to the story in several parts 

especially towards the end. 

On the other hand, musical elements can sometimes dominate 

the story rather than enhance it. In the early stages of the 

development of the story I needed to avoid that. 

So what else can we expect from the book? Well, telling the 

story of life in London during the Blitz is, as I said earlier, the 

main aim. To that end I needed to bring in actual events that 

took place during the time period. That took some research. 

One of the big events I picked up on was the fact that towards 

the end of the year (1940) the Luftwaffe started bombing the 

city earlier and earlier in the evenings. I took some time to 

think about how it would have actually affected life especially 

around our station, even though it is ficticious. I imagined 

how the raids would have disrupted and devasted lives on a 

station around early evening when trains were coming and 

going. Hopefully you may get why I chose this time period 

and location. 

walking in somewhat of minefield in many areas. Something 

which has demanded respect and discipline. Hopefully I have 

achieved this. 

So there you have it, a Christmas ghost story set in war torn 

London on a ficticious railway station. All I can say is read the 

book when it is released next year and please do let me know 

what you think. 

I cannot say when the story will appear on stage but I will be 

looking for producers once we are in the appropriate position. 

Let’s see what the future brings. 

On a final note, I would like to thank Jane for featuring ‘The 

Spirit of Christmas 1940’ in Write Away magazine. The only 

real connection I had here was the lyrics to the song that gave 

birth to the idea. I hope, by the way, you liked the lyric at the 

start of this article. Again these are my own work. 

Also I would like to encourage you to visit the Severn Valley 

Railway Station in Kidderminster. It is a truly amazing place. It 

is right outside the main Kidderminster station so very easy to 

find. It also has an outstanding pub on the grounds with some 

of the best beer I have ever tasted. Well worth a visit. You can 

also ride the trains into Shropshire for a wonderful day out. 

Thank you all and have a very Merry Christmas. 

Another aspect of the book I feel I should try to explain is 

our ghost, Billy Snow. To begin with you may ask yourself 

why I chose this particular name. Well, William Snow was 

my great, great uncle who died during WW1. To all intents 

and purposes he is mostly forgotten through nobodys fault 

except time. But being an ex-military man, I searched my 

family tree only to find this hero who fought during the 

Great War. After his death at the Battle of Guillemont in 

1916 he was buried in La Neuville British War Cemetary, 

Corbie, France. His family members have all but passed 

on now except for a few. To my knowledge, I am the 

only one who keeps his memory. 

Although our character is not my relative, I found that 

using his name would immortalise his name. There 

will be a short paragraph on the characters inspiration 

that will pay tribute to the late William Snow 

containing all of the fact that I know about him. 

Using a ghost in this story was very much influenced 

by the musicals. Of course, the classic A Christmas 

Carol also influenced me for the good although I 

would never put myself anywhere near the great 

Charles Dickens. But I did feel that using the ghost 

of a soldier in a sensitive way would add a little 

magic and mystery to the story. 

On the subject of being sensitive, I felt like I’ve been 


Next months issue.. 

It’s Yesterday 

Once More..... 

With The Wonderful 

Karen Carpenter 

Subscribe for free 

The only lyric writers magazine 

you’ll want to read 

www.writeawaymagazine.co,uk

Write Away Magazine Dec 2019

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