My friend is a songwriter/singer who is in the process of composing and finding those who can play his music. Anyone know of a poem in praise of songwriters?

These Little Songs
by William Allingham

These little Songs,
Found here and there,
Floating in air
By forest and lea,
Or hill-side heather,
In houses and throngs,
Or down by the sea -
Have come together,
How, I can't tell:
But I know full well
No witty goose-wing
On an inkstand begot 'em;
Remember each place
And moment of grace,
In summer or spring,
Winter or autumn
By sun, moon, stars,
Or a coal in the bars,
In market or church,
Graveyard or dance,
When they came without search,
Were found as by chance.
A word, a line,
You may say are mine;
But the best in the songs,
Whatever it be,
To you, and to me,
And to no one belongs.

Les

The Poet and His Song
by Paul Laurence Dunbar

A song is but a little thing,
And yet what joy it is to sing!
In hours of toil it gives me zest,
And when at eve I long for rest;
When cows come home along the bars,
And in the fold I hear the bell,
As Night, the shepherd, herds his stars,
I sing my song, and all is well.

There are no ears to hear my lays,
No lips to lift a word of praise;
But still, with faith unfaltering,
I live and laugh and love and sing.
What matters yon unheeding throng?
They cannot feel my spirit's spell,
Since life is sweet and love is long,
I sing my song, and all is well.

My days are never days of ease;
I till my ground and prune my trees.
When ripened gold is all the plain,
I put my sickle to the grain.
I labor hard, and toil and sweat,
While others dream within the dell;
But even while my brow is wet,
I sing my song, and all is well.

Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot
My garden makes a desert spot;
Sometimes a blight upon the tree
Takes my fruit away from me;
And then with throes of bitter pain
Rebellious passions rise and swell;
But ญญ life is more than fruit or grain,
And so I sing, and all is well.

Les

The Aim was Song
by Robert Lee Frost

Before man came to blow it right
The wind once blew itself untaught,
And did its loudest day and night
In any rough place where it caught.

Man came to tell it what was wrong:
I hadn't found the place to blow;
It blew too hard--the aim was song.
And listen--how it ought to go!

He took a little in his mouth,
And held it long enough for north
To be converted into south,
And then by measure blew it forth.

By measure. It was word and note,
The wind the wind had meant to be--
A little through the lips and throat.
The aim was song--the wind could see.

Les

And of course, this song about songwriting comes to mind:

I write the songs
--Barry Manilow

I've been alive forever
And I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music
And I write the songs

[Chorus:]
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

My home lies deep within you
And I've got my own place in your soul
Now when I look out through your eyes
I'm young again, even tho' I'm very old

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

Oh, my music makes you dance and gives you spirit to take a chance
And I wrote some rock 'n roll so you can move
Music fills your heart, well that's a real find place to start
It's from me, it's for you
It's from you, it's for me
It's a worldwide symphony

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I am music and I write the songs

Les

Thanks Les. I'll pass these along to my friend.

Was that Barry Manilow song ever a popular one? I'm a bit after his time, so not real up on it, but I do remember him being interviewed on the Terry Gross show on NPR and was suprised at all the jingles he wrote, includeing "Like a good neighbor...state farm is there" (probably only an American jingle). But very well known.

Talia, the song written by Bruce Johnston, was a #1 hit in 1976: [en.wikipedia.org]


Les

Yes, it was popular, so popular that it will be running in my head the rest of the day.

pam

Pam, don't just let it run through your head, sing along: [www.radioblogclub.com]


Les

I love how Barry Manilow, a talented songwriter, didn't write "I Write The Songs."

but he DID write "I'm stuck on Band-Aid, cause Band-Aid's stuck on me "