I recently heard an old story that goes something like…
An old medicine man and a young warrior were out walking…
“There are two wolves fighting inside your heart. One evil. One good,” the old man said to the young warrior.
“Which one will win?” the warrior asked.
“The one you feed.”
I think there’s a lot of truth to that. And I’d like to point out some other wolves that fight in my heart. Maybe they fight in yours, too.
The wolf of despair vs the wolf of hope.
The wolf of laziness vs the wolf of discipline.
The wolf of sleeping in vs the wolf of productivity.
The wolf of fear vs the wolf of faith.
The wolf of jealousy vs the wolf of celebration.
The wolf of self-criticism vs the wolf of self-acceptance.
The wolf of apathy vs the wolf of love.
The wolf of settling vs the wolf of striving.
I’m trying to feed the right wolves. I hope you are, too.
What about you? What wolves are fighting in your songwriting heart? Which one have you been feeding, and how have you been feeding it? I’d love to hear from you!
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God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,
Brent
Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.
Ive always thought of myself as a wolf…a wolf with no pack; no external pack. I wont go into the why’s because it’d be a lengthy write, and this aint the forum. But yeah, a wolf indeed. A couple or them, internally, yes. Im aware of the flesh versus the spirit; so, yeah, to call them wolves seems fitting in my case. My crazy, impatient, strong and emotional wolf has always scrapped with my sensitive, candid, weaker wolf. Yeah. But The grace of THE LORD knows this sole wolf’s heart longs for HIM to guide my lyrics.
Happy New Year.
Trying to figure out the wolf analogy in my own life. For DECADES I fed the wolf of practicality and necessity and let the wolf of creativity starve. I worked for 35 years in the River Transportation Industry when I longed for a more creative way to earn a living. I had great benefits, great working conditions and co-workers who were wonderful people, but it left me frustrated and worn out at the end of the day – no energy left to create. My time is running out – I will be 66 next Monday. I am trying to make up for lost time, which is impossible, but it is the best way for me to live at this point – trying to stimulate my creativity and enjoy the things I feel God gave me a measure of talent for. One of my greatest failings, and greatest regrets, is that I did not work to develop my gifts. I may never achieve great fame or financial success, but I am enjoying this new, creative part of my journey very much! Songwriting is an important part of this journey! I must confess, however, that there is a lone wolf stalking me every day saying “you can’t do this…you’re not good enough…what makes you think anybody would want to hear your songs…”! I choose to ignore the wolf.
Hi, there! First of all, it’s never too late! Songwriting can continue for a lifetime. I’m 63 and know exactly what you’re talking about. I have spent 40 yrs and am still working in the banking business. I have built an awesome career and was able to take care of my daughters as a single mom. Blessed to work with lifelong friends, I know God had me where I needed to be. But always lurking beneath the surface was a deep seated need to sing, write and perform music. It constantly tugged at me as if I were standing in a cool stream of water with undiscovered life firms swimming gently by, brushing against my bare feet. I had been in bands back in the day, was very active in my church choir, and had music in my life to some degree.
Now that I’ve matured, I have gone deeper into the stream. I’ve been officially writing for about 18 months. I’m obsessed with it. I just finished an album, Dare To Dream, which was produced by my lifelong friend and Nashville producer, Penn Pennington. Although they are cover songs, going through the process has taught me a lot! The next album will be my songs or songs I’ve co-written.
Just remember we are the generation that re-defined “Senior!”
Okay, but dont ignore my (good) wolf…cuz I would buy, and I can, and I shall listen to your songs; if you point me in their direction.
???
I probably fight a couple of wolves! One of despair and one of fear. Especially living far outside of the Nashville network. However, I try to always feed a good wolf of FAITH and just realize that with the challenge of not being in Nashville, my songs have to be stellar!! Better than writers in Nashville! 🙂 So that’s what I keep focused on and feed that good wolf of faith and just keep striving to get better.
And Thanks for all you do Brent! Your stories and short comments are very inspiring and encouraging!
Thanks Brent. I needed to hear about my wolves inside and yes I fight the fight everyday. Thanks for giving us the truth! Happy holidays!
Allen Paulson
Songwriter/poet
I have definitely fought the wolves of jealousy and self criticism. I have tried to make a real effort to not compare myself to others. I’ve also tried to celebrate the little successes no matter how small. This year I’m trying to feed the wolves of faith and productivity. I know it will be tough as life always tries to get in the way.
I’ve never thought of it in terms of ‘wolves’, but maybe I DO have one or two inside of me! I’m in my early 70s, and I’ve written hundreds of songs (lyrics only). I’ve had a couple of minor successes…heard a couple of my songs actually played on the radio…but not nearly enough yet! Am I too old to keep on trying? I hope not. I won’t let THAT wolf into my door. He can huff and puff…but he’ll never blow my house down!!!
Carole…
May God continue to bless you. May I ask, since you said you wrote hundreds of lyrics, how, how were you able to get them heard on radio?? Im a lyricist and everywhere, everywhere, I look and I turn to, its music and vocals thats required along with my dumb old lyrics…?????
Yes, I am a lyricist, and throughout the years I have collaborated with many different composers.Sometimes I give them my words…and sometimes they give me their melodies or tracks. I made it my business to connect with a local AM radio station several years ago. They played Sinatra, Streisand, and similar new artists, and I would bring my CDs to them in the hopes that they would play them on the air…AND THEY DID.Unfortunately, the program director retired recently, and the new people are ONLY interested in playing “oldies”. But I’ll keep on trying to get my songs out there! Never giving up!!!
