Donna Devine presented by IndieMusicPeople.com

I'm an ex-pat Canadian, living now in the Netherlands. Primarily a lyricist - who also writes melodies - I've always been involved with words. I started life as a journalist and a teacher of English literature and creative writing. My early interests lay in writing/publishing poetry and short stories, but I later felt compelled to write songs, despite not being able to play a musical instrument.

Dilemma. ;)

Then several years ago, I had the good fortune to cross paths with a handful of fine composers/musicians on a couple of songwriters' collaboration sites. And that was the start of it all.

I now write mainly with two or three of these guys (though am open to other co-writing possibilities). All of our songs/tracks are a result of online collaborations, via emails and Skype.

The power of the internet is wondrous indeed. :)

	Three Crows Probably one of the things folks don't want to see or hear in their lifetime. ;)		bluegrass
	Green Leaf Trilogy (Instrumental) Instrumental version of a three-part prog-rock-opera song called 'A Green Leaf in Its Hand', based on the old sci-fi movie 'Silent Running'.		Progressive Instrumental Rock
	Don't Look Back (Instrumental) Part 11 instrumental version of a three-part sci-fi-based prog-rock-opera entitled 'Dont Look Back'.		Progressive Instrumental Rock
	Don't Look Back (with vocals) Part 11 of a three-part sci-fi-based prog-rock opera called 'Don't Look Back'.		Classic and Progressive Rock
	Old Enough to Kill a Man In November 2007, I visited a number of locations where battles had been fought in WW1 at Ieper/Ypres (Flanders, Belgium). The image of the simple grave of a 15-year-old British soldier, Valentine Joe Strudwick, haunted me for months. I wrote the lyric to honour him and all "child" soldiers who have died anywhere and at any time in senseless wars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brzq2ME1dek		Alternative
	Mommy and You I'd read Cormac McCarthy's harrowing post-apocalyptic book 'The Road'. After seeing the movie, I felt compelled to write a lyric.		Acoustic Alternative
	Run, Habibti, Now Run! (Instrumental) INSTRUMENTAL track of a song regarding the tragic circumstances faced by the tens of thousands of Syrian asylum seekers pouring into European countries over the past several months. The ongoing and distressing news stories and photographs led to the writing of the lyric. Though the current track is instrumental, I've included the text. I thought it might help listeners to know the story that the music is reflecting. A vocal track from a female singer is in the pipeline. *The word 'habibti'		Alternative
	Sevastopol A harrowing tale, but an authentic piece of - probably not widely known - history. After the Crimean War, and the siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855), the bones of thousands of British soldiers were gathered, ground to powder, and shipped back to England to be used as fertiliser. What a poignant chain of events. (This practice, however, had stopped by the time of WWI.)		Alternative
	All of the Trees A tender ballad about a lost love. (The Danish words 'jeg elsker dig' in the bridge = 'I love you'. The 'dig' rhymes with 'sigh'. Though the singer is Swedish, and pronounced things a little differently.)		Alternative Ballad
	The Final Note Sounds Songs about youth and beauty and living and loving forever become boring, do they not? ;) I knew the lady in question, and wanted to honour her.		alternative folk
	Miriam the Magdalene Possibly the world's first Scottish Contemporary Alternative Christian Gospel Rock Rap song. :) Based on my reading about the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.		Rock
	A Near-Life Experience (Instrumental) Longing & regret. Who can't relate to that?		Alternative
	The Beast of the City (Instrumental) Perhaps a metaphor. Read into it what you will. :)		Progressive Instrumental Rock
	The Cowry Shell (instrumental) Instrumental track written for the song 'The Cowry Shell' (in the current list of songs).		alternative folk
	By Lake and By Lee Folk tale in the Celtic tradition.		Acoustic Celtic Folk
	The Reader of Palms There are times we could all use a gypsy. :)		alternative folk
	I Wrote You Three Poems Little folk tale with a darkish twist.		Dark Folk
	Tangled in My Hairbrush Acoustic/piano/singer-songwriter		Miscellaneous
	Dancing on Bleeding Feet Wanted to capture some of the Big-Tent Revival Gospel flavour. (According to the tradition, Raguel is the Archangel of Justice.)		Southern Gospel
	Welcome at the Shady Saviour A couple of years ago, a title generator threw out the surreal 'Welcome at the Shady Saviour'. Immediately a noisy little pub/bar I often pass sprang to mind. The door is usually open, revealing the dark interior, the men, the women, the rituals.		Alternative
	Miranda Many, many people are old and alone. Perhaps some have a story like this.		Singer Songwriter
	Insomnia Anyone who has spent time still wide awake at 3am or later will be able to relate to this one.		Alternative Rock
	Blah-blah Blah-blah Blah-blah Tongue-in-cheek, based on an actual dinner occasion. The event made me realise yet again how important it is to stop often and smell the flowers at our feet. (-:		Alternative
	Rag and Bone Man In the UK - and no doubt other places - rag-and-bone men used to travel with a cart from village to village. They collected rags, bones, and other items that owners hoarded but really had no further use for. I liked the notion of some kind of symbolic character who scavenges in people's hearts, relieving them of haunting memories, of the pain associated with poor decisions they've made, or choices they've been afraid to make at all.		Alternative
	Become the Rock Inspirational, I hope. :)		Alternative Rock
	Yard Sale		Blues Jazz
	The Cowry Shell A hybrid prog-rock/folk-ballad/new-age, swashbuckling drama of love, deceit, regret, and tragedy.		Alternative Ballad
	Her 'Tude 'n Her Twang A country-style rockabilly toe-tapper.		Rockabilly
	Heart Please Break Love - or our notions of love - can be complex indeed. Who's to know what's real or imagined.		Blues Jazz
	The Beast of the City The title is from a film-noir movie. Billy came up with gripping mediaeval/theatrical/metal-type music to draw you into the darkness of the psyche. ;)		Dark ambient
	Velvet Dark Instrumental track with a large serving of Celtic melancholy.		Dark Ambient
	What's Better Left Unseen		Progressive Rock
	Leave Your Mind at the Door		Jazz
	Sharpen Our Teeth on Your Bones		Hard Rock
	Candlelight Becomes You		Jazz
	A Stone's Throw from Rock Bottom		Rock
	Addictions Speak Louder Than Words		Hard rock
	Into the Light		Progressive
	Chicken of Depression Blues		Blues

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Two Silo Complex	2/19/2016 8:31:36 PM Liked velvet dark nice work.
Bryon Tosoff	1/23/2016 10:03:05 AM Fellow Canuck eh Donna, that is why you are so good , congrats on 'Run, Habibti, Now Run' on the winning of Instrumental category in the SongDoor International songwriting competition. kudos! continued success and much respect....bryon
Black Velvet Lace	1/3/2016 8:36:17 AM Velvet Dark is just beautiful. I must listen to your others. ~Lace
Bryon Tosoff	12/30/2015 10:04:08 PM Congrats on your Golden Kayak nominations Donna, good luck to you! from bryon
Dave Elwert	11/5/2015 7:10:58 PM Thanks for listening, Donna! I'm digging the songs on your page. Keep up the good work!
Vincenzo Pandolfi	10/23/2015 4:12:42 AM Thank you so much for your nice words Donna. I truly appreciate you stopping by my page.....
Richard Scotti	10/14/2015 7:51:31 AM These are the best lyrics I've heard on this site in 10 years! It's so refreshing to see really literate and meaningful words used in this way. Thank you for keeping the art of language alive at a time when it seems the main goal is to abbreviate, not communicate. (OMG!)
Vincenzo Pandolfi	9/27/2009 7:50:47 PM Donna, congratulations for being in the semifinals and best wishes!! Ciao, Vincenzo
Donna Devine	6/15/2009 11:04:01 PM Thanks for dropping by, Bryon. (-: I'm pleased you like Leave Your Mind. It was heaps of fun to write and to watch/hear the song come into being. (-: Donna
Bryon Tosoff	6/15/2009 9:36:18 PM Grooving, Very good to see all this material coming along here...very nice.....and leave your mind at the door is a seriously cool piece of work with a great vibe and superb musicianship and stellar singing bryon
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