Songwriter’s Association of Canada 4×4 Songwriting Challenge: Week 1

I have submitted my song & blog to a 4 week challenge with the Songwriter’s Association of Canada. The challenge is to write, record, and blog about your song with different challenges that we are surprised with at the beginning of each week. I have never joined a songwriting challenge before, so I was nervous and excited. This first week our challenge is to write a 2 chord song, or a song with a repetitive vocal riff. Since a lot of my songs only have 3 chords, I thought this will be a breeze. WRONG. This was one the most difficult, inspiring, emotional things I have ever done as a musician. My version took 7 rewrites, many variations of melody, strumming, picking, and singing. I don't read music...so my songs are about what I feel, and I play notes, or chords that I don't know the name of, but I like the way they "feel".

(A weird thing about this song is....I am married to an amazing woman, who I love with all my heart. She is my muse and my everything.) Another songwriter posted recently that its easier to write about sad things, and that writing happy upbeat songs are harder. I agree with that.

This song is about loss .

Lyrics

You don’t know me

Words and music David Shackleton 2016

This is your mess, you will have to face

Disappear without a trace

You never knew how to say goodbye

Left a trail across the sky

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

Tired of the pain that you put me through

What about the things we said we'd do?

If this is the end; I thought there’d be more

Don't know where to go, or what I'm waiting for.

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

Bridge

When it falls apart

How do you sleep?

All those vows too hard to keep

Always thought that I‘d be happy now that I'm free

But all I think about, is you don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me

You don't know me