When I Wrote My First Song

When I wrote my first song, I was 17 wide-eyed, headstrong

No internet, just a notepad and pen Dreamin' up verses again and again

Gordon Lightfoot spinnin' on vinyl grooves Strummin' that G chord, findin' my moves

I had no idea where I'd belong But I knew it the moment I wrote my first

song

A long-haired kid with a second-hand guitar Brown locks flowin' like a rock and roll star

Halfway between heavy metal and folk Jimmy in the night, but mornings were woke

With Joni, with Paul, with Cat and Neil Tryin' to figure out what was fake, what was

real

Ogilvie Brothers and Black Sabbath on blast Stealin' dad's smokes, drivin' too fast

The Berlin Wall was crumblin' down But in my own world, I was just breakin' ground

High school lockers with posters of Rush Scribbled out lyrics in a teenage hush

We'd ditch at lunch for the place down the road

Windows down, Zeppelin on overload Playin' pool at Mayfair Lane, smokin' in the

cold

Felt like a rebel, but mostly just bold

And the world was spinnin' faster than me But I had my six strings and my melody

I didn't know girls, didn't know love Didn't know much, except chords and a bus

When I wrote my first song I was seventeen wide-eyed, headstrong

No internet, just a notepad and pen Dreamin' of verses again and again

Joni Mitchell spinnin' on vinyl grooves Open heart tunings, findin' my moves

I had no idea where I'd belong But I knew it the moment I wrote my first song

Triplicate forms mailed in to SOCAN Believin' one day I'd be part of a band

Recordin' on tape decks, rewindin' it back Hearin' my dreams in the stereo track

Dad wasn't thrilled when the band got too loud But I swore one day I'd make him proud

The folk in my heart, the rock in my veins The innocence mixed with the teenage refrains

Rollin' bead necklaces, jeans ripped at the knees Vest wearin' dream shapes and feelin' the breeze

Didn't know what the future would bring Didn't care, just had to sing

And the world was spinnin' faster than me But I had my six strings and my melody

I didn't know girls, didn't know love Didn't know much, except chords and a bow

When I wrote my first song, I was seventeen wide-eyed, headstrong

No internet, just a notepad and pen Dreamin' of verses again and again

Bruce Cockburn on vinyl grooves One man finger-pickin' band, findin' my moves

I had no idea where I'd belong But I knew at the moment I wrote my first song

And now after hundreds more I still feel the same at my core

A kid with a dream, a world to explore Still writin' songs like I did once before