Chase Your Dreams, Love Mom - A Message For Our Children

 

Your Destiny, Your Way by Drageda Lyrics

This lyric video is one I wrote and produced, titled "Your Destiny, Your Way." At its core, it's simple: chase your dreams, love Mom.

I created this piece with my sons in mind, but truly, it's for sons and daughters alike. I just naturally wrote it from a son's perspective because that's the life I've lived as a mother.

And while this message comes straight from my heart and my own experiences, I write knowing that this isn't just my story. It belongs to so many of us. The way we love our children, the way we hope for them, the way we quietly stand behind them wanting them to build a life that feels like their own, that's something most mothers understand without needing it explained.

I wrote this for all of my sons. But if I'm being honest, there is one in particular who is out there chasing his dreams in a big, bold way. This song leans toward him. It's inspired by him, and it's for him.

That said, I already know this won't be the only one. I have ideas for each of my kids, what I want to say, how I want to say it, and how I want them to feel when they hear my words. This is just one piece in something much bigger I'll create over time.

At the end of this post, I'll include the full message I shared alongside the video, because it ties everything together.

How I Wrote These Lyrics

I don't often have songs come together this quickly.

Actually, that's not entirely true, but it is rare.

Most of the time, I think deeply about the story I'm trying to tell. I map out where it's going, how I'll move into the chorus, what I want the bridge to say, and how it all ties together in a meaningful way. I'm very intentional when I write.

But this one, it just poured out of me.

The idea came to me on the night of April 30, 2026. As with most of my inspiration, it hit me while I was sitting in my room watching TV. And then suddenly, there it was, that feeling of I need to write this right now.

So I did.

I started writing that night, and before I knew it, the lyrics were there. Not forced, not overthought, just flowing. The story unfolded as I wrote it, rather than me trying to guide it into place.

I finished the entire project the next day, on May 1, 2026, and published it that same day.

From start to finish, I would say I spent about 18 hours on it.

And I'll be honest, once I start something like this, I can't stop. I have to see it through. I feel this deep pull to get it out of me and into the world. It's not pressure exactly, but it is a kind of urgency. Like something inside me is asking not to be held onto.

And I've learned to listen to that.

The Lines That Mattered Most to Me

There are so many personal meanings woven into these lyrics, but there are a few lines that I really wanted to land.

"Dance in darkness, cry in lights."

Interestingly, I originally wrote this the other way around.

But it didn't sit right.

It's easy to celebrate in the light and hide in the dark. That's the natural way most of us move through the world. But I wanted to flip that.

Dance in your quiet moments. Celebrate your wins without needing an audience. Let those moments belong to you.

And when it comes to the harder parts, don't be afraid to let them be seen. Not everything, not your whole story laid bare, but enough to be real. Enough to show that the path wasn't effortless.

There's strength in that kind of honesty.

"You can't buy any chances; they already belong inside you."

This one was important to me.

There's this idea that opportunity can sometimes be bought with money, influence, or connections. And yes, those things can open doors in certain ways.

But your real chances, the ones that matter, those are not for sale.

They come from within you, your drive, your courage, your willingness to take a step forward when you don't know how it will turn out.

You don't purchase that. You become that.

"The pressure to be someone you were never meant to be has been broken. Take the pieces to build your dreams."

This line comes from something I've seen over time and reflected on in my own generation.

There was a lot of pressure to follow certain paths, to choose what was considered stable, traditional, and expected.

And sometimes, people didn't take the wrong path, but they took a path that wasn't truly theirs.

That pressure can come from others or from within ourselves.

But what I see now, especially in my children's generation, is something different. There's more freedom, more openness, more willingness to build a life from the inside out.

And that's what this line is about, letting go of that pressure and stepping into something that actually fits who you are.

“Everyone of us knows our own way, but we fight it desperately, too scared to step outside of how we’re seen.”

This lyric is exactly what it says.

Most of us, if not all of us, feel a calling at some point in our lives. There’s something inside of us that knows the direction we want to go, even if we don’t fully understand it yet.

But stepping outside of how others see us can get in our way.

Whether we realize it or not, we allow those outside perceptions to shape our choices. We hesitate, we second-guess, we adjust ourselves to fit an image that was never truly ours to begin with.

And in doing that, we can slowly drift away from what we already knew deep down.

Final Thoughts

I wrote these lyrics on April 30 and completed the production on May 1, 2026.

What inspired me most was watching my four sons grow into their own lives, each one building something different, something uniquely theirs.

It also made me reflect on my own youth, growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the path forward often felt more defined and less flexible. There was a pull toward tradition that did not always leave room for something unconventional.

But the world has changed.

And while those pressures still exist, I've seen a shift, a beautiful one, toward creating a life that starts from within.

This message is for all my children.

But especially for the one who is out there right now, chasing something big.

I want him, and all of them, to know this.

I'm right behind you. Every step of the way.

The old rules only stay alive if we keep believing in them.

So don't.

Create your own way.

To my sons,

Chase your dreams.
Be brave.
Plan well, work smart,

Love Mom,

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I'm Not Done! Don't Count My Candles Count My Sparks

Those of you who know me know that I write lyrics about life. That has always been my lane. 

I’ve shared many different life moments through my words and then brought them into videos and streaming platforms. I write about motherhood, fatherhood, grandparents, humor, and life reflections. 

I write for special occasions like weddings, as well as for motivation and inspiration. I also write about quieter emotional states, like numbness, indifference, and the in-between feelings that are harder to define. Life is not one-note, so I never wanted my writing to be either.

But no matter what I am writing about, I try to end on a hopeful note. That matters to me. There is already so much negativity in the world, so much division and harshness in the way people speak to each other. I do not want to be part of that. 

I am not perfect, and I make mistakes, but I'm committed to contributing something better. When I write, I want to add a sense of understanding, a sense of connection, and something that lifts rather than divides.

These Lyrics are Very Personal to Me. It's The Anthem For Anyone Who is Not Done

This lyric video is different for me.

This lyric video, titled "I’m Not Done," has become my daily reset. It is the voice I turn to when I need to remind myself who I am and where I am still going.

When I wrote the lyrics, I made a point of speaking across the years. I mention the ages of 20, 30, 50, and over 60. That last one is me. I am living that line.

At the heart of it all is one message. I’m not done.

That's why I called it that. I needed to say it clearly and without apology.

There is a line in the chorus that says, “Don’t count my candles, count my sparks.” That line carries everything. It is the heartbeat of what I am trying to say. Life is not measured only in years. It is measured in energy, in passion, and in what still burns inside you.

“It ain’t over till it’s over.” That idea has lasted because it is true, but only if we decide it is.

And that is really what this lyric video is about.

I did have older women and men in mind when I wrote it. I thought about the quiet moments when people start to wonder if their time has passed or if they should begin to step back. But this message is not only for them. It is for anyone, at any age, who needs the reminder that they still get to choose.

Because that is what I believe. We choose.

We choose whether we are done or not.

And when we make that choice with intention and with passion, we begin to move differently. We show up differently. We go after things we may have talked ourselves out of before.

That is where this came from.

It is not just something I wrote.

It is something I feel and live, and I dedicate it to all of us still pushing forward, doing what we find joy in.

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The Child, The Boy, The Man — Through a Mother’s Eyes

I wrote these lyrics on April 17th, 2026, after realizing that while I had already created several wedding lyric videos, I had never really touched the mother-son dance. I have written about the father-daughter connections, and it pulled at something deep, but this… this felt different. 

I wanted it to feel like something a mother would quietly carry inside her. Not polished. Not perfect. Just honest. Almost like a page from a diary.

This One Wasn’t Easy For Me to Write

As a mother of four adult sons and a step-mom of two more, I thought the words would come quickly. But they didn’t. 

I sat there for a bit, unsure how to even begin, which doesn’t happen to me all that often. So I did what I always do when I can’t quite find my way in… I closed my eyes and pictured my boys.

Not just as they are now, but as they’ve been.

I let my mind go all the way back. To the moment they were first placed in my arms… to the baby years… the childhood years… the boyhood years… and then to the men they’ve become. 

And somewhere in all of that, the feeling finally came through clearly.

When I look at my sons, I don’t see one version of them.

I see all of them.

I see the scraped knees. The sleepy eyes. The laughter. The learning. The growing. I see everything layered together. And even now, after all these years, there are still moments when I catch a glimpse of the baby they once were. Not constantly, but just enough to remind me that those days don’t actually leave you. Not when you’re a mother.

And that’s really what this song became about.

Because life does what it’s supposed to do. Our children grow up. They become independent. They build lives that are their own. That’s how it’s meant to be. But none of that erases what came before. It doesn’t replace it… It adds to it.

So when I think about a mother standing on that dance floor with her son on his wedding day, I don’t see her dancing with just the man in front of her.

She’s the only one in that room who’s danced with all three.

The child.
The boy.
And the man.

That’s something no one else shares in quite the same way. A wife may know the man. Sometimes she might know the boy if they grew up together. But the mother… she’s the one who carries all of it. Every version. Every stage.

And that’s what I wanted these lyrics to hold.

That quiet, overwhelming knowing… that when she looks at him, it’s never just who he is now. It’s who he’s always been.

All at once.

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Grandpa's Advice Relayed in a Song Through These Lyrics

Since I write lyrics about life, I tend to cover many angles: motherhood, grandmothers, children, memories, reflections on growing older, and the emotional layers that come with it all.

The Story Behind The Lyrics "Grandpa's Diamonds"

Lately, I realized I've written quite a bit from those above perspectives, but I hadn't really shared the voice of a grandfather. Not deeply, anyway.

So I felt it was time to write something that touched that part of life, too, the relationship between grandfathers and grandsons, and the kind of quiet wisdom that can be passed down through that bond.

I wrote these lyrics on April 6th, 2026.

The Inspiration Behind The Lyrics

Dad lived into his late seventies. His life was like many, filled with goodness, trials, and tribulations. While he could be tough, he was always fair and had a rare ability to recognize others' potential and could spot those “diamonds in the rough.” If there was even a small spark of goodness in someone, he could see it, and many times he chose to acknowledge it. 

As his daughter, I understood that side of him well. I believe he knew we all have a purpose, even if we sometimes need guidance to find the right path. However, staying real here, he would never talk like this and would probably just nod and move on if I ever said this to him!

My father, like every Dad, had his own beliefs. He made his mistakes, like anyone, but he was also shaped in those early years by the people who saw something in him worth believing in. 

In his very early years, Mom told me stories about how certain people helped steer Dad in the right direction. But honestly, it was my mother who was his rock and motivation. I often wonder how different things might have been without those who chose to see his diamond in the rough. He was, in many ways, as my lyrics say, a recipient of grace, and he passed that grace along when he could.

This song reflects that perspective. Through Grandpa's voice, the quiet strength of a man who looks beyond a person's surface and exercises compassion over judgment. However, again, just being real, Dad wasn't a saint, and like all of us, he could be judgmental, but when it came to spotting something special in someone, he could see it.

The lyrics are a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful impact we can have is simply to see the goodness in others and help them see it in themselves.

Because one day, it could be us who needs that same grace.

That's the message in Grandpa's Diamonds.

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Dear 1975 – A Look Back Through the Years We’ll Never Forget

I sat down to write the lyrics and the song Dear 1975 as a tribute to us, to the older generation who lived through those times, and to the memories we carry. 

When we look back, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we didn’t know how good we had it. But the truth be told, I did know. I was fifteen years old, safe and secure in my parents’ home, in the same room in the house my brother now owns. 

I can still go back there if I want, but it’s never the same without my parents. Even so, I’m so grateful that my brother has the home.

1975 represents something bigger for us seniors. The world is moving so fast now, and it’s easy to look back through rose-colored glasses, but I think most of us who lived happy, healthy lives in the ‘70s will agree the decade was simply wonderful.

Life, The Music, and The Freedom in 1975

The culture in 1975 was amazing. 

The music was unbeatable. The sitcoms, the variety shows, the freedom. It’s funny to even use the word freedom to describe it, but that’s exactly what it felt like. 

On social media, so many of my peers who grew up in the ‘70s often reminisce about how free we were, and it’s true. I remember being on my bike from morning until night, riding to friends’ houses, calling my mom to say I wouldn’t be home for dinner because I was eating at Linda’s. Even when she moved across town, we biked there too, then on to the park, then to school, meeting our friends along the way. 

There were no cell phones, and our parents were okay with it. We were just on the move, living and breathing that kind of independence that seems almost impossible to imagine today.

Here's the lyric song video tribute I wrote for us who are of the generation of 1975:

Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?

And then, of course, there was the nightly reminder on TV: Do you know where your kids are? I think back to that now, and I can’t help but laugh. 

Ten o’clock at night, flashing across the screen were the words and commentary, "Do you know where your kids are?" I was always home by then, thinking, who actually loses track of their kids? But it was the ‘70s, and we had that notice, that little nudge from the world, as if to remind parents that yes, the kids were out exploring the world, and yes, that was okay, but time to come home!

Thinking About Mom and Dad in the 1970s

Some of my most vivid memories involve Mom and me watching movies together, or Dad coming home from long work trips. His briefcase would be filled with coins, which my brother and I would happily dump on the floor and divvy up. 

Dad would be sprawled on the floor in the living room with the eight-track playing country songs, the kind that I can still almost hear in my mind. 

Our vehicles had eight-track cassette tapes, and I begged for my first tape recorder for Christmas just so I could hear my own voice, and promptly discovered I didn’t like it. 

Our house was always full of people. Neighbors dropping in, friends hanging out, the laughter and chatter filling every corner. That, to me, was the ‘70s. Family, friends, security, and an unspoken understanding that life, in those moments, was exactly as it should be.

Writing Dear 1975 was my way of capturing that warmth, that freedom, and that sense of rootedness we sometimes forget to appreciate when we’re young. 

It’s a reminder of the simplicity we sometimes take for granted, the moments that feel small at the time but last a lifetime. It’s a diary entry to my younger self, and to anyone who remembers 1975 the way I do: full of music, laughter, love, and the kind of freedom that can only come from feeling safe in the world.

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A Powerful and Moving Father-Daughter Wedding Dance Lyric Video Review

I wrote these lyrics about a father-daughter dance on her wedding day, January 14th, 2026.

A Father-Daughter Lyric Story I Needed to Tell

This father-daughter wedding dance song came from a place that felt both deeply personal and quietly universal. I didn't just want to write words that sounded beautiful—I wanted to tell a story that would feel like a lifetime unfolding in just a few minutes.

When I sat down to write, I kept coming back to one idea: what if we could hear both of them? Not just the father standing there on one of the most emotional days of his life, but the daughter too—her memories, her voice, her heart woven right alongside his.

So I built the lyric from both perspectives. His love. Her reflection. His letting go… and yet, not letting go at all.

This song is available on various streaming platforms, including Spotify. Here it is on Spotify.

From Dad's First Moment to His Daughter's Wedding Day

There's a line early on that still sits with me:

"I remember when I found out you were you."

That feeling… it says everything. The moment a father realizes his life has changed forever, even before he holds her in his arms.

From there, the words travel through time. A newborn wrapped in a blanket. Sleepless nights. Growing pains. Teenage years. Quiet pride. Unspoken worries. And all the small, ordinary moments that somehow become everything when you look back on them.

I wanted it to feel like memory itself—how it doesn't move in straight lines, but in feelings.

And then suddenly… we're here.

A wedding day.

Grown-Up Shoes and a Wedding Dress - The Name I Gave This Lyric

The title came to me almost like a whisper: Grown-up Shoes and a Wedding Dress.

Because that's what this moment is, isn't it?

A father looking at his little girl, and at the same time, seeing the woman she's become.

She's standing there in grown-up shoes… ready to step into her own life.

And yet, to him, she will always be the little girl he first held in his arms.

The Words That Say So Much - Verse 2

There's a part in the lyric—verse two—that, to me, holds the heart of everything I was trying to say. It's the father speaking, but it's also something I think so many fathers feel and don't always put into words:

They say I’m giving you away today
That’s not true
You are forever my little girl
Even while dancing in these grown-up shoes
I hold you with my arms
But it’s my heart that carries you
For the rest of our lives and even beyond
I am your dad
And that’s our unbreakable bond

That idea… that love doesn't get handed off or replaced—it simply grows. It stretches to make room for new love, new beginnings.

Why This One Is Personal to Me

These words were shaped by the love I shared with my own father.

He didn't dance—at least, not until much later in his life. We didn't dance at my wedding. And he's no longer here. But somehow, writing this brought me closer to him again. It gave me a way to imagine what that moment might have felt like, had we shared it.

There's something about writing like this that reaches beyond time. It lets you revisit, re-feel, and even re-create moments you wish you could have had.

I know if Dad were here today, we would share that dance.

A Dance That Holds a Lifetime

In the end, that's what I wanted this father-daughter wedding dance song to be.

Not just a dance.

But a lifetime… held in a few minutes.

A father remembering.
A daughter reflecting.
Both of them standing in the same moment, carrying everything that came before it.

And maybe, for anyone listening, it becomes their story too.

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A Senior Woman's Life Story in a Song

I wrote the lyrics to this song, "Looking At My Hands," on March 19th, 2026, but in many ways, the story began decades earlier.

The First Verse Inspired By My True Story of Mom Helping Me Move Into My First Apartment in 1979 - But It Applies to Many Women!

The first verse is not just imagined — it's a memory I've carried with me all my life. 

I was 19 years old in 1979 when I moved to Toronto to go to school, sharing my very first apartment with a friend. 

It was only a few hours from home, but it felt like a whole new world had opened up in front of me. I remember the excitement, the independence, and the quiet realization that life was beginning to unfold in a new and exciting way.

And I will never forget my mother being there with me.

We unpacked boxes together, cleaned (we were cleaning maniacs lol), and set up that apartment piece by piece. There was something so simple about it at the time — just the physical act of lifting things, putting them in place, beginning a new chapter. 

But looking back now, that moment holds so much more meaning. It was the beginning of everything.

That verse, for me, is almost a diary entry. It takes me right back to that young woman standing at the start of her life, not yet knowing all that she would one day carry.

On a side note, I start the song with the words:

"Looking at my hands, remembering what they've lifted, my pens and my dreams, and how those early weights shifted"

These words reference what my soul knew it should be doing, writing, and how those dreams shifted to the practical side of life. 

Thinking back, it was the world we lived in: be practical, think about a career, not your artsy-fartsy dreams. 

Well, it ain't over till it's over! So here's my lyric video :)

The Verses About Youth and Ambition, Marriage and Family

From there, the song moves through the stages so many of us know.

The years of ambition and growth, when life feels fast and full; meeting new people, building a career, stepping into independence with excitement and hope. 

And then, as life unfolds, it brings love, relationships, marriage, and children. Each chapter arrives naturally, almost effortlessly at first. Yet, each one brings new layers of responsibility and new forms of "lifting" that we never fully anticipated when we were just starting out.

That's really what this song is about.

It's not just the events themselves, but what comes with them. The unseen weight. 

The emotional and mental strength required to hold it all together. The quiet resilience that builds over time as life becomes more complex.

In the beginning, the lifting is physical — boxes, furniture, the pieces of a new life. But as the years go on, what we carry becomes much deeper than that. It becomes about people, about love, about responsibility, about showing up again and again for the life we've created.

And then something shifts.

The Verse About How The Lifting Will Now Be Experienced by Our Grown Children

We begin to see the next generation stepping into those same roles.

Our children begin to carry their own weights, to build their own lives, to face their own challenges. And in that moment, there's both a sense of understanding and a quiet passing of the torch; a recognition that this is the rhythm of life.

The thread that runs through it all is that simple image: looking at our hands.

All that they've held.
All that they've lifted.
All that they've carried — often without us even realizing the strength it took.

I Gave This Song, These Lyrics, A Positive Ending

And in the end, I wanted this song to land somewhere peaceful and positive. Not in hardship, but in reflection. In that later chapter of life where we can look back — from that young woman in her first apartment in 1979, to the woman we are today — and recognize the fullness of it all.

Not perfectly lived, but fully lived.

And in that reflection, there is a quiet kind of victory.

Not the kind that needs to be announced, but the kind you feel when you realize… You did it. You're still standing. That's a win in my books.

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How I Wrote the Lyrics for “You Stood Me Up”

I wrote these lyrics on March 8th, 2026, as part of a compilation of couples' love songs I'm putting together. 

Writing couples' lyrics has always been a challenge for me — not because I don't believe in love or feel it, but because it's so easy for the love words to slip into greeting-card territory and sound cheesy.

Last Week's Song Lyric Debut

As I mentioned last week in my article about Marry Me Fool, I try to tell a story in every lyric I write. That's how it feels real to me. 

I've been writing since I was eight years old, and for me, everything has always come from a real and human perspective.

Sure, I can write more roundabout lyrics — the kind that are less on the nose, more metaphorical or flowery, and make you think. I do that sometimes, too. But when I'm telling a story, it has to hit my spirit first. That's the only way I can put it down on paper and eventually shape it into music.

I still question myself sometimes about whether I should write differently. Every writer has their own approach, and many styles work beautifully. But I'm old enough now to know who I am and how I write best.

Even if I haven't lived the exact experience I'm writing about, I need to find the realness inside it. Once I feel that connection, the words start to come to life.

How You Stood Me Up Came to Life

So, back to You Stood Me Up. 

This is a story lyric. The only way I could write it was to imagine the story and place myself inside it.

That's when the words begin to take shape for me.

They don't always come easily. Some people have lyrics pour out of them, but for me, it's work, the best, most fulfilling work! 

I'm always trying to tie everything together from beginning to end — making sure the verses lead somewhere and that the chorus carries the heart of the story.

With these lyrics, I worked on it carefully from verse one through to the outro, ensuring everything connected.

The story itself came to me as a simple moment between two people.

They had planned a date. She was sitting in a restaurant by the window, quietly sipping her tea and waiting for him.

When he arrived and saw her, he suddenly felt like he wasn't good enough. His nerves got the best of him, and instead of going inside, he convinced himself he should just leave. In his mind, it would be easier to stand her up than risk disappointing her.

So he turned and walked away.

But as he was leaving, he tripped over the curb just as she was coming out of the restaurant.

She reached down, grabbed his hand, and helped him up.

That tiny moment — awkward and unexpected — became the beginning of a lifelong relationship. And that simple story is what became the heart of these lyrics.

Writing lyrics like this is always a balance between storytelling and honesty. But when a story feels alive, when it flows the way you hoped it would, it's one of the best feelings there is.

Listen to How I Put This Song Together:

Resonance and the Joy of Writing

My husband genuinely relates to the personal stories in my lyrics, especially those about my parents. He looks forward to every new lyric I write.

He was especially proud of my poetry and lyrics book — a compilation of over 50 years of my writing, dating back to 1968, that's available on Amazon. Of course, he's biased, but his opinion carries weight because he knows our life story and many of the experiences that shape what I write.

For me, though, I try to best myself.

I'm not interested in competing with other writers. I just can't. I'm simply not built that way.

I have always competed with myself.

Almost every time I finish a lyric, he'll say, "How did you write one better than the last one?" When he says that, I sometimes think, well… maybe I achieved my goal again.

But I don't write for compliments. However, validation from him means a lot because he knows our life and my heart, and that matters.

I'll Write Until My Last Breath No Matter Who Reads It or Doesn't Read It - I Have To.

I write lyrics because I love writing about the human emotional experience. I'll keep writing until my last breath because it's a part of my soul.

I have to write lyrics — stories about life. Or poems — stories about life.

If I were stranded on a desert island and someone somehow left me with a pad of paper and a pen, I’d write until the ink ran out. And when the ink was gone, I’d write the words in the sand.

That's just how essential writing the human experience is to me.

This particular lyric video, Echoes of a Quiet Room, meant something special because this is the lyric I wrote about my parents' passing. I cried from beginning to end just writing it.

It comes from a real place, so deep and painful that when my hubby and my brother heard it, they cried.

There's something beautiful about sharing this depth of love with someone else. A love and loss they feel along with you. You look into their eyes, and you both know the pain and the gratefulness.

So in my mind, that was the one to beat — and the only person I compete with is myself.

When I finished You Stood Me Up, I called hubby in and said, "Oh my God, you have to listen to this."

He listened, and his mouth literally dropped open.

He said, "Wow! That's the best one."

Of course, he says that every time I write something, but hearing it this time felt different. The story flowed exactly the way I had imagined it — the meeting of two people and the quiet suggestion of a lifetime together.

The Music and Creative Side

The music creation isn't easy either. 

Even with digitally produced music, composition takes structure, input, and attention to every nuance. However, if you want to hit a button and go with "whatever," anyone can do that. I can't do that since I'm bringing my own words to life.

For me, the message is everything. The words have to be paired with the right sound and emotional tone.

Sometimes I get lucky, and it comes together in five attempts. Other times it takes 18 or even 24 hours of adjusting and rebuilding until it finally feels right.

It can be frustrating. In fact, it's more frustrating than writing! Because it must reflect my personal intention on the meaning of the words I've written.

But when it finally clicks — like it did with You Stood Me Up — it feels like a gift.

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My Song About Love at First Sight - Marry Me Fool

I have always found love songs difficult to write.

Not because I don't believe in love — I absolutely do — but because it's so easy for a love song to slide into something overly sweet or just plain corny. A few too many dreamy lines, and suddenly it starts sounding like something that belongs inside a greeting card.

That's never really been my style.

Even when I was young, writing about couples' love wasn't what I naturally reached for. Most people enjoy writing poems or lyrics about romance, but I usually find myself writing about other parts of life, emotions, observations, and the things people quietly go through.

Lately, though, I've been pushing myself a little.

I decided to build a small collection of songs centered around relationships, weddings, and love stories. And when I sat down to write one, I realized the only way it would feel natural for me was to approach it as a story, not just a description of love.

That's how Marry Me – Fool began - It's become my husband's favorite so far of all that I've written:

A Moment on a Train Platform

I wrote these lyrics on March 3rd, 2026, as part of that little challenge I gave myself.

Since I've been married for over forty years, trying to step back into those early romantic feelings can feel a bit strange. Love deepens over time. It becomes steadier and quieter. It's beautiful, but it's different from those younger emotions when everything feels sudden and electric.

So instead of trying to recreate the feeling directly, I imagined a moment.

A crowded train station.

People are moving in every direction, all focused on their own lives. And amid all that movement, a man notices a woman standing on the platform.

Something about her catches his attention immediately. Maybe it's the way she carries herself. Maybe it's something he can't explain. But he knows he doesn't want to lose sight of her.

So he pushes through the crowd and boards the same train car she's getting on.

They don't speak during the ride. In fact, most of the story unfolds in silence — two strangers sharing the same space while he quietly hopes for a moment to connect.

That moment finally comes when the train reaches its stop.

He steps off, turns back toward her, and reaches out his hand, asking if she'd like help stepping down.

Those few words are the first time they have ever spoken to each other.

By the end of the song, five years have passed, and they're still together.

And it all started with a glance across a crowded platform and a quiet train ride where almost nothing was said.

I think stories like that stay with us because they tap into something many of us have wondered about at some point — those moments when someone walks into view and, for reasons we can't fully explain, they capture our attention completely.

Writing Marry Me – Fool reminded me that sometimes love stories don't begin with big declarations.

Sometimes they begin with something much simpler.

A crowded station.

A quiet train ride.

And a hand reaching out at exactly the right time.

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My Fun Wedding Dance Song Lyric with 19 Movie References!

I wrote Our Real Life Movie on February 22, 2026, and I'm smiling a little as I type that—because this song started as a challenge to myself, and I wasn't at all sure how it would turn out.

The Way I Was Able To Write This Kind of Song!

Writing songs about a couple's love is the hardest thing for me. Which is funny, really, because I've been married for forty years.

You'd think it would be easy. But writing about brand-new love, those early feelings, that fresh spark, feels far away sometimes. Not gone. Just lived-in. And trying to capture that without sounding corny, forced, or like I'm missing the emotional mark has always been tricky for me.

Originally, my goal was to write a first-dance wedding song. That was the intention. But once I sat down with it, I realized I needed a way in—something I could emotionally connect to. That's when the idea shifted.

Using My Crazy Knack For Remembering Movie Lines as That Spark!

I decided to approach it differently, drawing on something that has stayed with me my whole life: movie lines.

I'm Gen Jones, a late boomer (1954-1965), and I've been lucky enough to grow up with some incredible films—especially rom-coms from the 80s and 90s. 

Certain lines never leave you. They lodge themselves in your heart, your memory, your understanding of love. So I started weaving them into the song—some directly, some indirectly—until the project took on a life of its own.

Nineteen movie-related lines later, what started out feeling difficult became fun. Here it is! It's upbeat and fun.

It wasn't easy. Not even close. But it was the good kind of hard—the kind where you don't mind taking your time because you're enjoying the process. 

I didn't know if I could pull it together, and I didn't rush it. I let it become what it wanted to be. It took me about 2 days to write these lyrics; that's long for me. Oh, and of course, I design all the artwork and create all the videos. Lots of fun work. Lucky, I love it so much!

I've Been Writing Since I Was 8 Years Old - I'll Write Until I Drop :)

I've been writing since 1968, since I was eight years old, and I still never know where the next project will come from or how it will unfold. Some things arrive fully formed. Others need to be coaxed, challenged, and played with. This one asked me to stretch a bit.

I have written song lyrics from a fictional place before; this one, Elvis Saved My Life, was a fun project I gave myself in the late 1990s/2000s.

Creating the vocals and music took time. I'm fussy about emphasis. Certain words need to land just right, or the emotion doesn't work for me. When it finally came together, it felt right—like the song knew what it was doing before I did.

This song became a puzzle, and I love that part. If you feel like dissecting it and spotting the references, I've left the answers below so you can see how many you caught. I hope you have fun with it.

And if you're getting married—congratulations. Truly. If you choose to dance to this song, please link it for me. I would genuinely love to see it become part of someone else's real-life movie.

That thought alone makes the whole challenge worth it.

Here are the Movie Lines Referenced in The Lyrics (Directly or Indirectly):

1. "For a million tiny little reasons" – A Million Little Things

2. "I'll never let you go" – Titanic

3. "I'll never miss a thing" – Armageddon

4. "There's a time for everything, now it's our time to dance" – Footloose (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

5. "You'll never be in a corner" – Dirty Dancing

6. "Turning fifty shades of grey" – Fifty Shades of Grey

7. "We now write the script for our never-ending story" – The NeverEnding Story

8. "Etched in our notebook" – The Notebook

9. "Our tale of two cities" – A Tale of Two Cities

10. "Through pure serendipity" – Serendipity

11. "I jump, you jump" – Titanic

12. "I choose us" – The Family Man

13. "I wanted it to be you" – You've Got Mail

14. "Was like coming home" – Sleepless in Seattle

15. "It was like I had always known you" – Sleepless in Seattle

16. "We found our passion" – Flashdance

17. "We certainly made it happen" – Flashdance

18. "Oh what a feeling" – Flashdance

19. "Into our own ever after" – Ever After Bonus Musical Nod (not a movie)

BONUS: Old School Music Reference!

20. "Dancing on the Ceiling" – Lionel Richie

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