I just had a very intense dream. I was in a room full of people. Each of us had to take a very advanced test that was geared toward our natural talent, so each person was doing something different. The teacher told me that I had to choose between words or poetry or love and represent that choice in a song.
I had a large notebook pinned to the wall to write on. I kept flipping through the pages, but someone's lyrics were already printed on them. So I started my song. I decided I would not choose between words or poetry or love but instead choose them all. I started scribbling over some of the words in the book, and using others, shaping the existing lyrics to fit my need.
When I reached the bottom of the page I still needed to say more. The wall next to my book had three floor to ceiling wood panels. I carved the rest of the words to my song there.
When the teacher came to evaluate my work, the students also participated. There was some argument over whether it was really "my" work because I had used existing lyrics as a starting point. One of the girls in the class disagreed, and sang a melody to my new lyrics to demonstrate. In the end, the teacher thought that my choices made the song all the more unusual and I passed the test.
I woke up this morning and I could still remember the melody and the dream, so I immediately got out my guitar and worked out the song. I dream in music so often, but the words and melodies usually elude me, even when I think I remember.
I'm not sure what all of this means, but I have a new song called Don't Come Down. These are not the lyrics from the wall in my dream, but it is the same melody, and the message of the song is the same.
DON'T COME DOWN
I had a dream, I took your words, scribbled some out,
replaced them with mine
I ran out of room so I carved the rest
into three wood panels
the wind will divide us, the tide will divide us
tomorrow we're going out to war
the tanks will roll and the planes will dive
we cannot prevent it, we can only survive
so don't come down
don't come down
don't come down
someone rewrote our history, like I took your words
and shaped them to me
so we forgot the lessons, the loss
and honor a past idealized
a man on a hill, a hero so brave
backlit by red light from a village blaze
but that was our land, that was our home
they'll leave us with ashes, grieving alone
so don't come down
don't come down
don't come down
you don't have to go, we could run away
or i could come up there if you'd only stay
but don't come down
don't come down
don't come down
to this war