I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Songwriting - Brad Hill

Songwriting was a very interesting process for me. To be honest, I've never tried to make up a song before, but I went for something completely original. I learned about how songs have certain patterns that help them flow and be successful, so I tried that layout.  I didn't want to make a love song because it is a bit overdone, so I took a random thought and tried to write a song about it. It was interesting because in my mind I was able to find melodies running through it that could work, but finding lyrics were harder.  With this struggle, I inquired of a friend who is a musician and asked her how she created new songs. She said usually she just tries raw lyrics then finds music to back them up. It was the opposite approach that I had taken, so I gave it a try. Inspiration came quickly with this approach.  Looking through my lyrics I found some things that could be ironed out, but creating a melody can help lyrics transform to be more smooth. Overall, it was  a great way to stretch my mind a bit and get my creative juices flowing.


Here are my lyrics.

Verse
The alarm goes off and I’ve hit the ground running
Knowing that the day’s got a bunch of stuff coming
I still need to learn how to be two places at once
Projects and work and activities for months
My friends and family say I’ve gone too far
But I am pretty sure I know what my limits are

Chorus
Cuz there’s so much to do
So many places to see
I don’t have time to lay in my bed
I guess I can sleep when I’m dead.

Verse
Today’s no different than a typical weekday
It feels like work work and hardly any play
The list of things to do is getting longer
How did I get in so deep?
The countless opportunities and options are too fun.
I guess i’ll get things done
If I need to cut anything out it’s gonna be sleep.

Chorus

Verse/Outro
Once the day starts to come to an end
I’ve done so much it’s hard to comprehend
Working and creating has such a great thrill
Some say too much of it can kill
I find a moment to sit still 
My eyes grow heavy and I start to lose sight
I guess I might find time to sleep tonight

Cuz there’s so much to do
So many places to see
But I think I have time to lay in my bed
And I should sleep before I’m dead.