World Next Door Music™

Hour of Life © 1999 Geoffrey Hamilton & Gerry Davenport

Gerr‘s Story
I wanted to write a song with Geoff Hamilton, a very close friend of mine that happens to write poetry and is also into music. Although he never actually wrote or recorded a song before, he agreed to try it.

Since Geoff worked odd hours and lived in Sacramento, it was hard for us to get together; therefore, his first draft, that was sent to me via e-mail, fit so well with the music that I had started writing. I told Geoff that was perfect and enough to write two songs, he still sent me more. The first draft was basically the song with a little rearranging. He wanted to hear it; writing lyrics to a melody and rhythm that you haven't heard is tough, although I have never tried it, Geoff did well, very well in fact. We only had one minor change in the chorus.

I am proud and honored to have been able to write with Geoff, we have written other things together since. He his quite talented and a very good friend.
gerry

I am pleased with the song; it is simple yet complicated in its presentation--I do not get bored of it. Aria was to sing it, and play specific guitar parts on it, but he opted for me to sing, but he did play guitar on it.

The majority of the bass track is me, since Connor was having difficulty getting it down and I was impatient about getting it finished, so I asked to show him, of course I recorded it, but I did mess up, I just used the parts he did not mess up over my parts I did mess up, it worked out well.

- gerry

Geoff's Story (August 28, 2002)
Gerry asked me to say a few words about writing Hour of Life. I hadn‘t done any song writing prior to this, which is the reason this little project interested me. I approached the writing the same way I‘d start a poem or short story — I wrote every thought that came into my head. A few pages later, I stopped to sift through the endless ramblings and garbage. One phrase, “...for another hour of life...” stood out. We eventually crafted the song around that phrase.

I have a problem with songwriting — the rhyme and meter expected of a pop song often leads to a songwriter trying to satisfy musical requirements at the expense of storytelling. Compromise is the only real solution for a hack like myself (after all, I‘m not Sting) but finding that level of lyrical compromise is a difficult thing. I could easily write a song with a powerful story and no musical sense, or a nice ditty with no meaning.

This is where Gerry comes in. He prevented me from wandering off into musical badlands with frequent suggestions and critiques. In the end, I think the song works well for the movie it was written for and is highly listenable. Gerry's music suprised me — I had no clue as I wrote lyrics what the finished song would sound like. Now, after a couple years passed, I still like hearing it and playing it.



Geoffrey Hamilton: Lyrics - Gerry Davenport: Music & Lyrical arrangement
There you were looking tired.
Like a child running away.
I was wondering where you‘ve been,
I was hoping you could stay.

Just another hour of life.
It‘s your choice, don‘t throw it away.
One more hour of life.
You‘re leaving now, I know I will follow someday.

I am haunted every minute by something I didn‘t say.
About the way a watch runs down at the end of the day.
At the end of an hour of life!

As the watch runs in circles, the clouds undo the sun.
Is God even listening to the pleas of every one?

Must go now? Won‘t you stay?
I know I will follow someday.