You never know when or how an idea is going to hit you, or where it will come from. Ideas are subconscious fruit that should be picked immediately so that they don't disappear. There are only 12 notes to create music with, but those 12 notes can be molded, knitted, caressed, pounded, coaxed, and nurtured in infinite ways. The results can impact emotions and mood, spawning joy and sadness. It is such an awesome and powerful gift that God has given to us.
Sometimes a story is born from the music, and sometimes music can trigger an idea for a story, not unlike "the chicken or the egg" paradox. I had composed a sexy piece of music and was daydreaming about an underlying story to go with it. This came out of nowhere, and all the words came to me within 15 minutes. Music can take you to places that you would never go in real life. This was a fun adventure that I enjoyed taking in my mind, but I've seen too many hitchhiking movies to ever really play the part.
Lyrics
Dark Shoulders Jeffry R. Rothrock
I-35 from Tulsa… Central Time 3 a.m…
White lines fade into the distance. Hypnotically, I follow them.
I’ll be in Dallas by daybreak. That’s when the deal goes down.
My lifestyle hangs in the balance. Grab my money and get out of town.
Up ahead in the distance… a figure comes into sight…
…walking along the shoulder… all alone in the dead of the night!
There were no cars that were stranded. No “on” or off exit ramps…
No motorcycles were crippled. No underpass for hobos and tramps.
A grey shadow comes into focus... with legs like I’ve never seen.
Long hair shines in the headlights... like something out of a dream!
…………………………………………..
So I pulled up quite slowly… but was ready to peel away.
Was this a lady in danger… or would I be the "victim" today?
She had the face of an angel… but eyes with darker stories to tell.
Was this a present from Heaven… or an Express ticket to Hell?!
.................................................
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So I pulled off on the shoulder. She hopped in without saying a word.
Was it the constant beat of the highway, or my pounding heartbeat that I heard?
She reached right over the console… and flicked the radio on.
Sat back… and breathed so deeply. She closed her eyes and was gone.
We drove for nearly an hour… but soon I felt her looking at me…
…so I turned my head for a moment… and was stunned at what I would see!
…yeah…yeah…yeah…
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Instrumental break
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Her beauty was m-m-mesmerizing… a vision nonpareil.
I was overcome by attraction. Yeah, you could say that I was under her spell.
There were no words necessary. The temperature was rising with time.
As I lay my hand on the shifter… she placed her hand over mine!
…………………………………………..
She stayed in the car in the morning. I had the deal done before it was dawn.
Threw my money into the trunk space. She hit the gas and was gone!!!
I couldn’t believe what had happened… how my life’s plan had been blown…
...when she left me there on the roadside… and standing there all alone…
…no, no, no…
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It was a cold… cold shoulder…
….dark shoulder….
(fades)