By The Landlord
"All poetry starts with geography." – Robert Frost
Hello. So where in the world does this theme go?
To which location might your ideas flow?
Well, let's open the atlas, unfold the map,
focus on lyrics' locations that tap
into riverbanks, views, landscapes and mountains,
forests, or lakes, bridges or fountains,
a county, a region, a city, town, street,
a bar, hotel, house, garden, or seat?
Somewhere of harmony and joy and of longing,
evoking in songwriters a sense of belonging.
Somewhere for feelings to fit like a glove,
warmer emotions – memories, and love.
Songs may be short, or long and prolific,
in whatever form, but must be specific.
Not vaguely on 'home', 'my town' or such format,
Not any old place where it might lay its hat.
Instead inspiration comes in the details:
Sights, sounds and smells, specific tales,
expressed in the lyrics but perhaps in sound.
Odes instrumental may be also profound.
Big cities? New York, London, Paris, LA?
But whereabouts in them? Precisely which way
might lyrics then lead us? What cranny or nook
will a verse or a chorus evoke with a hook?
Here at the Song Bar’s mind-ear convenience,
first here’s a fantasy travel experience.
Songwriting places in this brief vignette
of a whistle-stop world tour in alphabet.
So first, take that road down to Amarillo?
Arran, Alice Springs, Antwerp, Acapulco?
Anselmo, Arlandria – oh there are so many,
Albuquerque, Andorra, or Abergavenny?
Belfast, Barcelona? Where might this play?
Buffalo or Baltimore, Berlin or Biscay?
Bobcaygeon, anyone? Walk on to Bleecker Street?
Brownsville, Brighton, a toot around Baker Street?
Chautauqua, Chattanooga or Chattahoochee?
Camden, Cologne, Chennai, Canajoharie?
Where shall we go? What is the plan?
Down to Chicago? Cadiz? Yes, we Caen.
Dallas, Detroit, Dusseldorf, down to Dixie,
Let’s speed it up now … Delhi to Elstree,
Fire Island, Galway, to Guantánamo,
Grimsby’s on route, but not before Idaho,
Or Halifax, Husavik? Which is your manor?
Hollywood? Houston? Honolulu? Havana?
Feeling the Illinois? Try Kalamazoo?
Kokomo, Kingston? Kyiv, Kathmandu?
Escape or return to places like Kansas?
Manila or Moscow, and there’s always Memphis –
Muscle Shoals music flows out in a rush,
Milwaukee, Montreal, Madrid, maybe Nutbush?
Oklahoma, Omaha, let’s pray for Odessa,
Phoenix, Pyongyang, Paris, Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh to Reno, Rockferry, Richmond,
Springfield to Stockholm, Sapporo to Saigon,
Coeur de Voh, New Caledonia.
Salt Lake to Streatham? Swanee, San Diego,
Music’s got Seoul, Soweto, San Francisco,
Tiger Bay, Tucson, Talahassee, Tijuna,
Taree, and Tralee, Tasmania, Tacoma,
Tobacco Road, Uppsala, Virginia,
Wichita? Warsaw? And oh yes, Vienna.
Waterloo views, but what’s to compare?
Winnipeg? Woolongong? Weston Super Mare?
So then it’s time to wind up our travels,
Before inspiration slowly unravels.
Crossroads to Xs, we’ve come very far,
Youngstown to Zagreb. Last drink? Zanzibar.
Place then your songs into the boxes below,
Justified links to help with the flow,
After the bell goes – Monday 11pm, then
Puns. Later playlists? From our great Uncleben!
Lough Order, County Wicklow, Ireland
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