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Rock ‘n Roll Lyrics: Poetry Prompt

By T.S. Poetry 17 Comments

Brett Foster’s poem ’70s Rock Show as Parable creates its own lyric, using rock song titles. Try it?

Choose a Rock song title from our playlist. Or choose your own favorite rock title or lyric, and put it in a poem here in the comment box.

Thanks to last week’s poetry prompt participants! Here’s a sample we enjoyed, from Richard Maxon:

SRV in the Parking Lot At the Quick Stop

No traffic,
light coming up
with the radio—
Lenny’s here, really here.
Do you cry
when you play her,
where the fret moves into the music box
I dance inside,
sometimes I risk it driving—
bow my head and shake
where the clear notes sound tenor up the neck,
bass in a tin can like a kick
oh my!
Margarine for my sweetheart, butter me—
whiskey’s too early, but those cigarettes
sleep in my heart like a snare vibrating
in the red rising sky like it’s all I’ve got left.

Here now, people come and go,
Lenny loud low, lingering me in the parking lot—
I can’t leave you like this radio,
staring into the space behind the world,
fingers walking like these vagabond birds—
not for sweet love or even neat coffee.

—Richard Maxson

Photo by Fernando Garcio Redondo. Creative Commons, via Flickr.

Sometimes we feature your poems in Every Day Poems, with your permission of course. Thanks for writing with us!

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Filed Under: Blog, love poems, love poetry, Poems, poetry, poetry teaching resources, Rock Song Poems, writer's group resources, writing prompts

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Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    July 8, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    The Day the World Went Away

    he fell Into the Void
    with 1,000,000 other Dead Souls.

    Running from Sin in the Echoplex
    was no longer The Perfect Drug.

    All The Good Soldier could show
    for his efforts were Hesitation Marks

    and that personal All Time Low
    in Discipline and Survivalism.

    The Eater of Dreams Came Back Haunted
    by the Black Noise of Nine Inch Nails

    in his Head Like a Hole. His could have been
    the Hand That Feeds each Wish

    but when Every Day Is Exactly the Same,
    you Burn, he said, and it is the Hurt

    that splits your heart In Two, denies each
    half its Various Methods of Escape.

    _______________________

    I used song titles from the group Nine Inch Nails. The group’s new album is out in September.

    Reply
    • L. L. Barkat says

      July 8, 2013 at 12:15 pm

      very cool, Maureen. Are you a fan? Or you just happen to know their new album is coming out 🙂

      I especially liked…

      “the black noise of nine inch nails”

      and the end part about the hurt splitting the heart in two, denying each half its various methods of escape.

      Reply
      • Maureen Doallas says

        July 8, 2013 at 12:20 pm

        I saw an item about the new album and went to the group’s Sound Cloud page.

        Re-reading, I see I could have ended with “that splits your heart In Two”.

        Reply
        • L. L. Barkat says

          July 8, 2013 at 2:19 pm

          Share their link? 🙂

          You could have ended there, yes, though I liked the desperation of the “no escape” that came as a result of the isolation/split.

          Reply
    • Richard Maxson says

      July 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm

      Maureen, I’m not a NIN fan, but I like how your poem works. I like your idea of ending at “that splits your heart In Two.” Structurally, the poem of couplets would begin and end with a single line.

      Reply
    • davis says

      July 8, 2013 at 8:12 pm

      I’m not familiar with the songs. Though you made a very cool poem from them.

      Reply
    • Donna says

      July 9, 2013 at 12:57 pm

      Wow… I love this line in here Maureen… it’s haunting. “All The Good Soldier could show
      for his efforts were Hesitation Marks”.

      Reply
  2. Richard Maxson says

    July 8, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    Seth, thanks for the acknowledgement.

    Reply
    • L. L. Barkat says

      July 8, 2013 at 3:01 pm

      you’re welcome 🙂 (I’m the one who scooped it up, since Seth is on break.) Loved the poem!

      Reply
  3. davis says

    July 8, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    Titles and lyrics…rock on.
    I like Richards poetic lines today.

    Reply
  4. Marcy Terwilliger says

    July 9, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Maureen, I think we are seeing perhaps a darker side of you coming out in this poem. All of us have one you know? What got my attention was “The eater of dreams came back haunted.” It all seems so wicked but then I see your raven black hair and think, why not?
    Plus, I’m happy today, trapped and relocated five raccoons. Fox hunt next, prizes everyone.

    Reply
    • Maureen Doallas says

      July 9, 2013 at 10:51 am

      Marcy,

      I wonder if L.L. is smiling at reading your comment. She once mentioned seeing that “dark side” in my poems.

      I suppose I should update my image. I’ve gone a bit grey.

      Reply
  5. Donna says

    July 9, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    Well, you see I have these fish who have been wanting to star in a poem for the longest time. Today they finally have gotten their lucky BREAK (inspired by “When the Levee Breaks”). Please visit my blog to catch their act. I can’t bring myself to just post the words here… it’s just not fun without the fish.

    Don’t Fight the Flow: http://thebrightersideblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/dont-fight-flow.html

    Reply
    • Donna says

      July 9, 2013 at 4:39 pm

      (LOL I might have done it “wrong” because I only used one song title, but with rock and roll if it’s wrong it’s right … and besides. I’ve got fish for back up… 😉 )

      Reply
  6. davis says

    July 13, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    i posted it… but, here is is, so you don’t need to go to my blog just to read it. revival, as in cc. ♡ nance

    revival

    let me remember things i love
    walking along the river road at night
    see how good the water tastes
    when you can’t have any at all
    it will rain a sunny day
    then who will take
    the salt from the earth
    till forever on it goes
    shinin’ down like water
    shinin’ down like water

    Reply
  7. Marcy Terwilliger says

    July 17, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Maureen, I was so impressed by what you did with the song titles that I wanted to give it a go myself, nothing can compare to you though.

    When we dance, it’s scared love.
    Whenever I say your name, be still my beating heart.
    All this time if I ever lose my faith in you, just send your love.
    We’ll be together, just forget about the future. For Inside the book of my life, Fields of Gold.
    If you love somebody, set them free but
    They dance alone so Fragile.
    It’s about a Stolen car, This War Inside of Me, Send Your Love.
    I’m never coming home, Like a Dead Man’s Rope but while I’m in this Fortress Around Your Heart, Why should I Cry For You?

    STING “Scared Love” and STING “Fields of Gold.”

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Rock 'n Roll Poetry Prompt: Rock in Place | says:
    July 22, 2013 at 8:01 am

    […] to our participants in the Blue Suede Shoes poetry prompt. Here’s one we […]

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