May Songwriting Challenge- Day 17: Settlin’ Down

After all that no-rhyming hullaballoo yesterday, today was the day to fix it. Fix it all. Every little piece of it. As much as I hate to admit it, the exercise may have had some benefit. I write for the rhyme so often that I restrict my lyrics. By writing completely unrestricted, it made me think outside of the box. During this re-write, I had some ideas which lines/ideas that I would carry over, but it was a matter of filling in the rest…and it came easier than I thought! I did mix up my format a little…can you have a prechorus before a verse? I’m just feeling it!

I re-wrote “Full Throttle” into “Settlin’ Down”. The second line has been eating at me for a few months. I had a dream, after first moving to Nashville, that I was sitting with Gary Allan (A.K.A. – my dream cut) and, I don’t remember what we were talking about, but he said “Whoo, I felt my guardian angel fly a little too close that time”. I woke up and typed that line into my phone, determined to use it at some point. So…I guess you could say Gary co-wrote this with me! Haha, I wish. I totally imagined him singing during the writing process though. # FanGirl.   I’d decided earlier this month to use that line in one of my challenge songs, so I threw it into “Full Throttle” then pulled it into “Settlin’ down”. It’s probably my favorite line in this one!

Settlin’ Down

© 2018 Chelsey Sears

V1:

Done my share swerving dead ends roads

Felt my guardian angels fly a little too close

From time to time, dangled my feet off the edge

Know what I like, tall, dark and neat

Both my women and whiskey

Walk a fine line ‘tween pleasure and regret

PCH:

But, crazy as it sounds

I’m settlin’ down

V2:

Burnt midnight oil, chuggin’ on fumes

Lord, things I’ve put this body through

But the deepest wounds leave the coolest scars

Like tattoos etched in my soul

Telling my story through an old film roll

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, though it’s fallin’ apart

PCH:

But with time, I’ve found

I’m settlin’ down 

CH:

I’m settlin’ down in a tailspin, goin’ full throttle

Find home in a whirlwind, bottom of the bottle

Where the sun don’t shine, straight neon light, bare bones ghost town

I’m settlin’ down, in a ball of flames

Yeah, strike a match, let it rage

Only got one life, so I’m livin’ mine, in the here and now

I’m settlin’ down

BR:

I’m settlin’ down, at the devil’s deal

Deck is stacked, fate is sealed

Still hope and pray, I’ll get an ace, maybe after this round

I’m settlin’ down

Yeah

CH:

I’m settlin’ down in a tailspin, goin’ full throttle

Find home in a whirlwind, bottom of the bottle

Where the sun don’t shine, straight neon light, bare bones ghost town

I’m settlin’ down, in a ball of flames

Yeah, strike a match, let it rage

Only got one life, so I’m livin’ mine, in the here and now

I’m settlin’ down in a tailspin, goin’ full throttle

Find home in a whirlwind, bottom of the bottle

Where the sun don’t shine, straight neon light, bare bones ghost town

I’m settlin’ down, in a ball of flames

Yeah, strike a match, let it rage

Only got one life, so I’m livin’ mine, in the here and now

I’m settlin’ down