Feb 2022 s021522a skirmish songskirmish folk americana
Wow, skirmishing is the best for me! I sit down with a blank page, grab the prompt and...MAGIC! I dunno where this song came from and I am amazed to think it did not exist less than an hour ago! And, I like it!
Overcome Myself
February 15, 2022
https://www.johnstaplesmusic.com/FAWM2022/JohnStaples-OvercomeMyself.mp3
I built these walls
around myself
a prison cell
for one
I needed
this small dreadful space
in which to come undone
I climbed these walls
all by myself
in blackest nights
while numb
the whole world
was dark outside
my panic had begun
I thought I had to fight
against the monsters and the night
but in fact to save my health
I had to overcome myself
obliterated
all these walls
I hoped to see
the sun
to breath that
fresh sweet air again
my healing had begun
© 2022 John Staples
JohnStaplesMusic.com
@nancycunning Mar 2022
Well, wow. That is one successful skirmish. I like how the individual images are so clean and clear, and there's a lot of space for me to fill in the details of the story. Like letting the listener co-write the song and fill in the monsters and other life experiences. And the music is so good.
@liz561 Mar 2022
Great production, great lyrics-fantastic work on a skirmish. Like the way the rhyme pattern shifts between the verse and not-verse.
@sherrycanary Mar 2022
Hard to believe this was a skirmish!
Love the concept of overcome myself!
So much passion and drama in the lyrics and your vocals, which are always strong.
Tear down the walls!
This is a keeper
@kathym Feb 2022
I love the adventure of the skirmish and how lots of times it takes me to a place I normally wouldn't have explored. I could have used this message a few years back when it would have told me a large part of why I was where I was and what I needed to do at that time.
We hold more power than we give ourselves credit for.
@sw1n3flu Feb 2022
The guitars are slick, sweet, dare I say beautiful.
But it's the words man, aw yeah. I really love em and the way you've sung them - the trembling(?) of your voice. Long live the skirmish!
@writeandwrong Feb 2022
Ohhhhh this is AWESOME!!! Hope you do something with this one as well post-FAWM!!! So very relatable! I always said malls and/or spas would make a lot of dough if they had solitary confinement rooms where people could go in there and scream their hearts out until they have released all that toxicity and are ready to begin their healing was ready to begin. "I thought I had to fightagainst the monsters of the night but in fact to save my health, I had to overcome myself" Truer words have never been spoken. Beautiful connections that the world really needs to hear right now with so much toxicity everywhere!!! Kudos on another winner!
@odilongreen Feb 2022
Pretty terrific lyrics, especially for a skirmish! There's a lot of thoughtfulness in these words, and the music and your impassioned vocals do a great job of giving weight and substance to the words. Outstanding, skirmish song or not!
@elesimo Feb 2022
Oh, wow... this is lovely, John. So good!
@rev Feb 2022
Love it..I dig the shifting perspective at the top of each verse!
Great guitar stuff as well!
@jibbidy34 Feb 2022
Ooh wow! That’s a skirmish?!?! Holy cow that’s good. I love the pressurised creativity of skirmishes. You just never know what your brain is going to come up with. Yours clearly is so talented! Nice one John!
@grayland Feb 2022
Damn that's great song! I always love your vocals, and these are superb indeed, but what drives this song is the lyrics.. I mean I'm as amazed as anyone that you could come up the music in that short a time , but to write these compelling and deep lyrics all the sudden, also is stunning to me!! That's a God given kinda talent you got there my friend. How relatable is a self-inflicted "small dreadful place in which to come undone"
@ductapeguy Feb 2022
That is a great write John. The raw emotion of the lyric is well suited for your vocal style.
@zeekle1998 Feb 2022
Nice guitars. The minimal strumming of the second with nice little notes played. And all in an hour.
@robynmackenzie Feb 2022
I love that beat, and the chord progression is really cool. Powerful lyrics. Skirmishes have the tendency to produce some great stuff and this is no exception! Really well done.
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
just realised i dropped by a skirmish. have not done as many this year. i like the little guitar frills and you take your time with your vox to accentuate the words. good story song!
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
The words are powerful, the music works well with them, and this sounds a lot more polished than most of my skirmishes.
@seemanski Feb 2022
I'm well impressed with your song and you did this so quickly. Sounds like you managed to find your groove early on, this sounds complete and pretty damn polished. I struggled to find my groove and then just kind of threw it together. Nicely done
@blindsheepdog Feb 2022
love the dual guitar stereo
@musicsongwriter Feb 2022
Beautiful song, John. Very interesting, inspirational and so wonderful to listen to. Very relatable and special.
@mikeb Feb 2022
Awesome skirmish work! It has an old-timey americana feel, yet also sounds completely modern.
@berni1954 Feb 2022
Totally agree with you about how songs can appear magically during a skirmish. That's commonly my experience.
This is an amazingly polished song for a skirmish. That first verse really draws the listener in, as does your seductive vocals and the structure is perfect for a tale of self-redemption like this. My hat is firmly off to you, sirrah!
@ajna1960 Feb 2022
"I climbed these walls
all by myself
in blackest nights
while numb" These lines, for me, make up the worst moments of my life. No panic or such, as in this song, but pure heartbreak and fear (each at different times).
This is one stunning song John, I adore it. Every aspect of it.
@keithcuts Feb 2022
glad this prompt inspired you!
intense vivid imagery in chorus 1
great tale of overcoming
metaphors serve you purpose masterfully!
@tunecat Feb 2022
The song feels as of it’s been around for ages. A bit of a classic. Just smooth and lots of imagery
@tunecat Feb 2022
The song feels as of it’s been around for ages. A bit of a classic. Just smooth and lots of imagery
@sheilerk Feb 2022
I'm with you! I love that this song didn't exist a few small minutes ago, and you magicked it into existence. It's fascinating. And this song really goes deep. "This small dreadful space in which to come undone" is such a great phrase, and I like the hopeful ending. A really great one!