Erin H: “Alive” – a compelling lyric sung to a melody that moves our listeners

Erin H describes herself as “a mommy songwriter”. She is specifically a Lyricist, who has just collaborated on a song called “Alive”. Writing lyrics is different from writing poetry, fiction, or any other type of creative writing. So what makes a lyric a lyric, instead of a poem or something else? Lyrics are usually: written to be sung, written in lines, organized into song sections, short and condensed, rich in rhyme, repetition, and other poetic techniques. The biggest skill a Lyricist must learn is how to keep a song simple, relatable, and interesting. Of course, the only way to gain these skills is from writing many songs and learning from others.

People want something when they listen to a song that they can relate to. It should be simple. The hardest thing to do is to write a simple song. It’s very easy to write a long, rambling complicated diatribe that goes on and on and has endless words and verses. Whether a song’s lyric or music comes first, the end goal is the same: each syllable of the lyric is joined to one musical note. Each word becomes part of a melody, and each note is given meaning. In the end we hopefully have a compelling lyric sung to a melody that moves our listeners.

Erin H applied those rules to “Alive”, starting with the title which is brief, to the point and clearly descriptive. She goes on to keep her words and lines simple, so everybody can understand and relate to it. Yet at the same time she is able to remain poetic. Good examples may be the lines “There is no second chance to breath / When your heart stops beating” or “If your life is a picture book / Time to take another look”, and “The mirror is your friend / If you give from your heart till the end”. Erin H. can also be absolutely direct and cynical, as in “You only live once / Don’t screw it up” or in “You’ll never see the sunset / With eyes closed”.

All in all, “Alive” is an ode to just that…being alive, and living life to its fullest, but in a just, ethical and loving way. She warns us about life’s difficulties – “Can’t wish upon a shooting star / With a mind that’s scarred”, and then gives us hope – “Smiles reach up high / Like a rainbow in the sky”.

Put to music, “Alive” works well enough as a completed song. The male vocals are clear precise and emotional, while the acoustic driven music carries an air of uplifting hope throughout. I personally may have enjoyed having the choruses more intensely inspirational, both musically and vocally, in that Erin H’s lyrics in those sections ignite an elevating emotional experience, which the music does not completely capture and translate, in my personal opinion. All in all however, this is a job well done, considering “Alive” is a first, and casual collaboration between perfect strangers.

For the moment Erin H does not have mammoth pretenses as she states that her current intent is for people to hear her lyrics and be moved by them. Clearly she is working her way towards achieving just that, and when she finally finds clicks with her perfect musical partner, who knows just where her words will take her!

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The full lyric sheet of “Alive” by Erin H:

Alive

You only live once

Don’t screw it up

There is no second chance to breath

When your heart stops beating

You’re done dreaming

Alive

The sky is always blue

Alive

Clouds are for fools

Alive

Tomorrow may not come

Make your world a world of fun

Alive

If today were your last

Have a blast

If your life is a picture book

Time to take another look

It should be a memoir

Make an ocean

Out of a puddle

Hang a hammock

On a willow tree

Then swing on the branches

Don’t care what others think

The mirror is your friend

If you give from your heart till the end

Alive

The sky is always blue

Alive

Clouds are for fools

Alive

Tomorrow may not come

Make your world a world of fun

Alive

If today were your last

Have a blast

You’ll never see the sunset

With eyes closed

Can’t wish upon a shooting star

With a mind that’s scarred

Frowns face down

Like dirt on the ground

Smiles reach up high

Like a rainbow in the sky

Alive

The sky is always blue

Alive

Clouds are for fools

Alive

Tomorrow may not come

Make your world a world of fun

Alive

If today were your last

Have a blast

Don’t let the clock decide your fate

Ticking away until it’s too late

It’s a great time to be alive

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