52 Weeks of Art - Week 08 "Stars"

I've been listening to the new Gretchen Peters release, Blackbirds, along with her previous release, Hello Cruel World. And for this week's writing assignment, I decided to try something completely different... and more than a little presumptuous.

I started with the title track, "Hello, Cruel World." It's an amazing song that really can't be improved, so not sure why I decided to add my own spin on it. But I did. Here's the original song and video:

It's an amazing song that really can't be improved, so not sure why I decided to add my own spin to it. But I did. So here is my own lyrical take on it, written for this week's writing challenge and the theme of "Stars."

Rise And Fall 

Let me share with you a cautionary tale

That starts out good but don’t end well

Every word is true

Take a dreamer’s heart, remove all sense

Make the pressure so intense

And that boy is through

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

He came from a tiny little town

No stop lights for miles around

And options were few

But he had a dream and he had a voice

And when it came time to make a choice

He knew what to do

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

From a cover band to an opening gig

To a headline show and his name on a rig

He was on fire

From “who is that guy” to top of the charts

Newcomer to big name, he played all the parts

He walked the wire

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

It was such crazy place to be

A megastar of stage and TV

Yet he was afraid

He had everything and each kind of sin

He had all that but not one real friend

The price he paid

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

For some folks it’s a slow decline

But his crash came in record time

He lost it all

A painful mix of anger and booze

A super star no one would refuse

Death came to call

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

He left this world in a heartbreaking way

And folks lined up to have their say

“We loved him so”

But where were they when he needed someone?

When his life unraveled and all came undone?

We’ll never know

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

If there’s one single lesson in all of this

It’s beware of the green grass and its bliss

It isn’t real

Know who you are and what you want

Beware of the sparkle that others flaunt

And know the deal

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star

And ooooooh – so high up and down so far

Yeah ooooooh – the rise and fall of a star