RENEWAL (album lyrics & concept)

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Tracklist: 1. Genesis 2. Monday Mornin' Song 3. Undercover Smiles 4. Before I Forget (Mike's Story Part I) 5. Me And My Big Ideas 6. Losing Touch (Mike's Story Part II) 7. Eyes In The Dark 8. Winding Down 9. Renewal (Genesis Reprise)

Author's Note: Before going any further, three things must be understood:

First, I am nearly exclusively a prose writer, so this represents my first major project in verse and my first attempt at songwriting. I'm just developing a feel for the endeavor, so any advice/reviews are appreciated.

Second, this album is a work of fiction. I didn't write songs about my life - I don't feel the need to sing about myself. Rather, I set out to invent people who did need to sing about themselves, and it's their story I tell here.

Third, this album is less a collection of many songs than it is a single idea manifesting itself in multiple forms. Every individual tale contained in this body of work is a tile in a larger mosaic - the cycle of birth, promise, failure and renewal that permeates all aspects of life and love. I chose to express this pattern as a function of the most basic cycle known to us all: the endless march between night and day. In examining this album it is important to search for these designs; they may be traced throughout the entire body of work.