I wrote this one a while ago – right after I completed downtime – but put it away for a while (explanation below).  Picture a rocking Old 97s-type arrangement (blistering telecaster and driving, shuffling drums) when you listen:

Gwendolyn

So I submitted this to Nashville Songwriters Association for a song evaluation right after I wrote it.  As part of your membership, the NSAI allows you to send in a tape of your compositions.  A “professional” will listen to the song, record their thoughts on the tape and send it back.  All in all it’s a great service and one of the main reasons to pay your dues.  When I first completed this one I was a member and dashed off a recording of the song, anxious to get feedback.  When the tape came back, the reviewer said it was the worst song he’d heard all day.

It was then that I realized I wasn’t mature enough to handle criticism of my music.