https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:50:33 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384577 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 05:02:18 +0000
1. I agree on the pronouns - good call, it will make it flow better. I'm toying with a slight ending tweak while incorporating that change - perhaps weaving my opening lines back into the end.

2. Re: "false flag": the Gulf of Tonkin incident that really led to the Vietnam War as history knows it is still seen by many as a"false flag" operation, where essentially what the public was told about the incident wasn't the whole truth. Looking at my lyrics, should probably change the plural "flags" to "flag".

Working on slight rewrite - thanks again for the feedback!]]> Sunday Songwriters Group ChaseMartin https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384577 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384573 Sun, 23 Feb 2014 21:15:03 +0000
Interesting that you wrote this from the perspective of seeing it now and not really understanding what went on. My own (unfinished) attempt to write about 1964 also deals with not understanding what was happening, but from the perspective of being a kid at the time.

One clarification, what do you mean by "false flags?"]]> Sunday Songwriters Group Hobson https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384573 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384568 Sun, 23 Feb 2014 11:57:33 +0000
Welcome to SSG :D

Looks like you're off to a good start on this one. I like the idea in theses lines:

If what happened then
Was happening now
I’m sure it'd look different somehow


Suggestion:

Consider taking out the personal pronouns of "we"/"our" as you stated early in the lyrics it was before your time.

example.....


To show we were wrong......To show WHAT WAS wrong

Didn't war in THE streets

Maybe the sound of silence
Had gone on too long
And in the end all we wanted....And in the end all THEY/THAT WAS wanted
Was to hear a new song

Maybe in the end we all want.....Maybe in the end all THAT'S wantED IS
To hear a new song

Take or toss the suggestions as you see fit.


Thanks for sharing.

James]]> Sunday Songwriters Group jamestoffee https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-384568 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-45108 Sat, 22 Feb 2014 08:12:50 +0000
1964

If what happened then
Was happening now
I’m sure it'd look different somehow

But in black and white
It barely seems real
And I still can’t understand how

It took crosses burning
To get the tide turning
I guess the sound of silence
Had gone on so long
It took a freedom summer
To show we were wrong

If what happened then
Was happening now
Maybe I’d see the other side

Didn't war in our streets
While dodging war overseas
Overshadow the ones who died?

But with the false flags
Came thousands of body bags
I guess the sound of silence
Had gone on too long
It took a war at home
For the other to be wrong

One thing I’ll always wonder
And maybe never know
How an invasion overseas
Came in second to one at home

Maybe the sound of silence
Had gone on too long
And in the end all we wanted
Was to hear a new song

Maybe in the end we all want
To hear a new song

###]]> Sunday Songwriters Group ChaseMartin https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/week-16-1964/#post-45108