Wes Ellis./ a personal notebook
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Writing / The songbook

The songbook.

Lyric sheets with the chords on top, plus chord boxes and a key changer for anyone playing along. 57 songs so far, and a dozen of them made it onto a real record. If you're curious how they get made, here's how I write a song.

Loose songs

52 songs

Songs I've written over the years, as lyric sheets with the chords on top. Nearly all of them start on acoustic guitar, and the oldest one is dated 2000.

  1. Key of B♭ · 120 BPM · capo 3At That First Sight
  2. Key of B · 86 BPM · capo 4 · GROUNDWORKAt the Edge of the World
  3. Key of G · 85 BPMAwkward Poses
  4. Key of E minor · 90 BPMBetter Days
  5. Key of F♯ · 96 BPM · capo 4Brothers in Battle WIP
  6. Key of C · 95 BPMBurn all the Dreams
  7. Key of E · 105 BPM · capo 4 · GROUNDWORKChoose to Change
  8. Key of D · 105 BPMComing Up
  9. Key of F · 77 BPMDestiny is Make Believe
  10. Key of D · 80 BPMDon't Give Away the Ending
  11. Song · capo 3The Ending of Innocence
  12. Key of E♭ · 92 BPM · capo 3 · GROUNDWORKEnding of Innocence II
  13. Key of CEnding of Innocence IV
  14. Key of D minor · GROUNDWORKEver-Young WIP
  15. Key of B♭ · 114 BPM · capo 3Familiar Love
  16. Key of B♭ · 114 BPM · capo 3Fish in the Jungle WIP
  17. Key of B♭ · 158 BPM · capo 3 · GROUNDWORKFollow Through
  18. Key of G · 120 BPMFrom Your Graces
  19. Key of D · GROUNDWORKGod Rest Your Soul
  20. Key of G · 80 BPM · capo 3Gone
  21. Key of D♭ · capo 1The Good Thing
  22. Key of D · 70 BPMGrey
  23. Key of G · GROUNDWORKHeaven Help Me
  24. Key of B♭ · 70 BPM · capo 3 · GROUNDWORKHold Me Down
  25. Key of E♭ · 85 BPM · capo 3I Will Go Down
  26. Key of D minor · 90 BPMI'll Find You on the Outside
  27. Key of A minor · 80 BPMIn Love with Years WIP
  28. Key of A minor · 90 BPMInto Blues
  29. Song · The Raven and the Writing DeskThe Jester
  30. Key of FJourneyman
  31. Key of CJulie's Song
  32. Key of B minor · 93 BPM · capo 2Last Song WIP
  33. Key of D minor · 85 BPMLove and Pain WIP
  34. Key of D · 93 BPM · capo 2Love in Vain
  35. Key of F♯ · 93 BPM · capo 4More
  36. Key of A minorNo Money, No Problems
  37. Key of CNo Time to Reflect
  38. Key of E · capo 4Now Would Be a Good Time
  39. Key of E · 142 BPM · GROUNDWORKOk Sarah
  40. Key of F♯ · 90 BPM · capo 2Old-Fashioned Love WIP
  41. Key of F · capo 5Once Again
  42. Key of D minorOut from Under
  43. Key of BPlease Stop Me
  44. Key of E · 90 BPM · capo 4 · GROUNDWORKSimple Words
  45. Key of E♭ · capo 3Sleep
  46. Key of F♯ · capo 4Stolen Thieves
  47. Key of A♭ · 88 BPM · capo 1Too Fast, Too Soon WIP
  48. SongThe Town
  49. Key of A · capo 2Two Days from February
  50. Key of C · 94 BPM · capo 5 · GROUNDWORKWalk With You
  51. Key of AWedding Song (Old and Gray)
  52. Key of B minor · 93 BPM · capo 2 · GROUNDWORKWhere Will

Analog: a musical

5 songs

Five finished songs from Analog, a stage musical I'm writing about young artists and service workers whose jobs get handed to AI, and who fight to prove the human part still matters.

  1. Key of F · 130 BPMSide Hustle Symphony
  2. Key of G · 85 BPMHold Please
  3. Key of E minor · 128 BPMOptimize Everything
  4. Key of C, then C♯ for the last chorus · 120 BPMDigital Revolution
  5. Key of G · 70 BPMAnalog Heart

ON THE RECORD

2 records

GROUNDWORK was my first full album, and all twelve of its songs are charted in here. The other record only left one track number behind in my notes.