06.13.07 She Don’t Know It Yet
The co-write with Brian White and Don Poythress went well today. I brought them a completed chorus melody with hook and the basic premise of the song and we wrote from there. The hook is “She Don’t Know It Yet.”
Apparently, grammatically incorrect is good in country music. But sappy is not. So we struggled with how to write a song about a girl at age two, age seventeen, and age twenty-something, about her transformation from a carefree child to a teen full of insecurities and into a confident woman in love. How do you do that without being sappy?
We settled on being a little emotional but not to a Butterfly Kisses degree. I learned that sap keeps songs off the heavily male influenced country radio stations these days. I also learned that positive is bad at country radio. We had to add some darkness to the first chorus because of that, which meant sacrificing some of my own preferences and plans for the song, but that’s co-writing.
You give and you give up and you hope you gave and gave up the right stuff. And you never know. That’s possibly the hardest part of a co-write for me. I always wonder if I could have done just as well or better by myself - not because I’m a great writer - I’m not - but because I’m a different writer from the guy(s) I’m in the room with. It’s hard to give up on my original vision and trust someone else’s vision instead.
This is probably why I don’t co-write often. OK, I haven’t co-written anything in seven years. I took a break. But I’m back. And I think what we came up with, when it’s finished next week, could be something great. We’ll see. I’ll post audio when I get it. For now, here’s the first verse and chorus. I forgot to write down the second one, which is my favorite.
She Don’t Know It Yet
Words and Music by Brian White, Don Poythress, Shaun Groves (Copyright 2007)
Verse 1:
A miracle in flip flops
In the yard Spinning like a top
Two years old and not a care
Golden hair
Wonder in her big brown eyes
Purple snowcone smile
She stands on daddy’s feet to dance
Around her room
She’ll grow up so soon
Chorus 1:
She don’t know it yet
Ponytails don’t last
Or games of hide and seek
And riding piggy back
She don’t know it yet
This tiny heart of hers
Is gonna learn to love
Is gonna learn to hurt
Daisy chains and swings ain’t all we get
But she don’t know it yet
said:
Looks good so far. I’m anxious to hear the music too.
Beth
said:
I swear, if the third verse takes place at her wedding, I am going to point at you and yell BUTTERFLY KISSES! and a few yet-to-be-selected taunts at the top of my lungs the next time I see you. In the past, you have only heard my inside voice, my telephone voice and my radio voice. But I will use my outside voice, shrill and grating in a Jersey sort of way.
You have been warned.
Of course, you will make heaps of money off this song, so you’ll be laughing and pointing at me in the end.
Shaun Groves said:
There is no third verse at the moment. But there is a bridge with a proposal in it. Does that count?
Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the cha-chings in my head.
said:
That was a pre-emptive strike on my part to prevent a wedding verse. There aren’t going to be little white flowers all up in her hair too, are there?
You stinker. I know what you’re doing. You’re creating the song that every country girl will want played for her dance with her daddy on her wedding day. I can hear those ca-chings from 700 miles away.
said:
OK, call me sappy, but I like “Butterfly Kisses.” It was sung at Mackenzie’s baby dedication by the father of the other little girl being dedicated that day. That was the first time I’d heard it and it was wonderful. Nothin’ wrong with the ca-chings ringing this way either!
Beth
shaunfan said:
Shaun, I like it so far. Personally, I’d love a Shaun Groves co-written “sappy wedding song” to dance to with my daughters (I have 3 of them) as the existing sappy songs will be at least 40 years old by the time they get married (hopefully). My youngest is 1 next month and Butterfly Kisses is 13 years old already, so if she gets married at 27, there is my math. Meanwhile, “She Don’t Know it Yet” will only be a spry 25 or 26 years old at that point, making it “old school sappy”.
By the way, I’m sold without even hearing it as all 3 of my girls have golden hair and brown eyes.
Kevin
said:
I like it Shaun - concept is great..not bad guys to be in the room with either that’s for sure...youre in my part of the musical world now...its good to see a successful writer like you wanting to stretch yourself...I think brilliant things happen when we’re forced to see how far our abilities go, and how many different ways they can be used...was the idea for the hook from the blog on here about your daughter? real life man...that was country music is and always will be...and I love it...good luck…
Arkadiy said:
Excellent song, simply class!!!
Rezak said:
Excellent clause, but I not in forces to reflect above this complex theme.
Music lesson said:
I like this lyric. I am eager to listen it with music.
mick said:
nice lyrics, must be a good one
Arkashka said:
Very much it was pleasant to me, I shall necessarily advise to esteem it all!! Thanks for a post.
Declan said:
Pretty well written lyrics on out of time subject.
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