Pieces of Her Past + Brock Goodwin

[ande]

here's a song Donna Aylor and I cowrote with Brock Goodwin
Brock moved to Nashville last year and signed a publishing deal with Clay Walker's Publishing company

several artists have asked to record it

you can hear it at:
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/view...?trackid=13728

you can read the story behind the song at:
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthre...&Number=188358


PIECES OF HER PAST

(c) 2004 Brock Goodwin, Donna Aylor, & Ande Rasmussen

Verse 1
Here's the quilt she stitched
It goes to my sister Tess
I'll keep the poems and letters
Left in this cedar chest
Since Grandma went to heaven
I want to read each page
And listen to the records
From her younger days

CHORUS:
THESE are the PIECES OF HER PAST
They MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME
SENTIMENTAL SOUVENIRS
OF HER HISTORY
SOMETIMES I CRY when i think of her
And other TIMES I LAUGH
BUT I'll ALWAYS HAVE
THESE PIECES OF HER PAST

Verse
Back of this photo reads
"A day I won't forget"
Grandpa's headin off to war
Waving from a battleship
Here's the necklace that he gave her
The day when he came home
Beside an old champagne cork
and dried petals from a rose

REPEAT CHORUS

BRIDGE
There are many questions
I wish I would've asked
N' Though she's gone
she still lives on
cause I have

REPEAT CHORUS
(the pieces of ... )

[BuzzsawMusic]

Ande,

This is one of my favorite tunes from 'writers I know trying to make it' -- I'm glad to posted it again. Brock does a great job with the performance as well.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned it before, but I shared this song with one of our State Representatives that I know loves undiscovered music, and he shared with me how it was an especially touching and important song to he and his wife. They were cleaning out his mother's lifelone home, deciding what to get rid of and what to keep...when they tossed on some music, one of them being this song, and he said they ended up spinning it several times in a row. After sitting, crying, holding each other for a while, they made some changes to be sure to keep some important pieces from her past to share with the kids.

Anyway, one true song story that will really connect with many, many people who will go through this sad, and common true life situation.

Best of luck!
Paul

[Zan]

I love the story to pieces, the melody sounds an awful lot like Collin Rayes, "Love, Me". Good luck with it

[teleman58]

Real nice story. I think everybody goes through this when someone close passes away.

[dkraut]

Beautiful song -- the chorus flows so smoothly. A good example I think of writing conversationally -- doesn't seem like you tortured any words to get them into the power or rhyme positions -- I could imagine someone saying them.

Small side note -- why such a long musical break after the first chorus? Throws the listener a bit.

[Nan Cassidy]

Ande,
Thank you for posting this.
I spent the day yesterday cleaning out my Father's home. He moved to assisted living and was only able to take a few posessions. As we packed up the memories from all his 87 years it really surprised me all the things he and my mother(who passed in 1999) had kept. Every card they ever recieved, newspaper clippings of births, deaths and important events. So many family pictures, old records, 8 track tapes, cassettes etc.
In this throw away disposable world it is good to know my parents kept a remembrance of the good things in life.
When I listened to this song I said..yeah..that was my day yesterday.
I wish you all the luck in the world with this.
Say hello to Donna for me.
Hugs,
Nan

[The Moon In The Man]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the other posts. His voice was nice.

But I felt the lyric was kinda weak. It wasn't written in a strong enough way to move me emotionally.

I'm actually shocked that you said "several artists have asked to record it" hmmm... hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that stuff like this could get someone a staff writing deal, but I guess people get deals for all sorts of reasons. (I've seen that happen here many times)

JMO

I'm gonna get bashed for this, but I just don't think this measures up to the current standard on music row. sorry.

(Please remember that I'm speaking based on- "Nashville Bound")

[Nan Cassidy]

Al,
Why would anyone bash you for your opinion. It is fine for people to disagree on how a song affects them. It happens all the time especially on Music Row.

I actually lived every word of this song just yesterday so needless to say my emotions took hold when I listened. It didn't have that affect on you, that's ok.
You are one of the best I have ever known at song analysis but sometimes you forget that some lyrics that may be weak in your opinion still generate the emotion the writers intended to the people the lyrics resonate with.

I can see this being a hit song when I compare some of the ones in the top ten right now. It blows the doors off most of them..BUT that is just my opinion..........

To me this is REALITY..it isn't contrived or forced in to an acceptable fantasy mold that sounds "almost" believeable like most of the junk we are fed.

[The Moon In The Man]

My problem with this lyric (as far as being a cuttable song) is that the lines were not set up in a way that it drags the emotion out of me, maybe we have different standards, I don't know. I've lost grandparents too, and this just ain't doin' it for me. If it works as well as the current top 10 you, God bless ya. We can agree to disagree about this lyric. No harm, no foul. (hugs)

[Al C]

I think this is nicely crafted overall, but I'm kinda with Al D on this one, and I'll tell you why.

It sticks too rigidly to the idea, totally emphasizing what's left behind. While that does paint a nice picture of the departed, there is something missing that could make this song kill.

When we lose a loved one, we are forced to deal with a huge hole in our lives. We can't reconcile the existing love that remains with the absence of the person we lost. When we see the artifacts left behind, its a constant reminder of that emotional hole. All thats left can't fill the emptiness--it only makes it hurt more.

Maybe such sentiment could wait until the bridge. I dunno.

In the chorus the singer tells us he cries sometimes, but he never shows us the emotional hole. It needs to get to the bottom of that somewhere.

Like I said, I think its a good song, but I was hoping it would drag me to the place where tears come with no control.