Nick Cave has been interacting with a forum of his fans via The Red Hand Files. He has been using the platform as a chance to engage with lovers of his music and answer their questions.
A fan used the opportunity to request some song advice from Nick Cave, writing: “I’m a songwriter. I’m seriously blocked. Do you have any spare lyrics I can have?”
Amazingly, Cave actually obliged and shared some of the lyrics he has been working on for a song called “Incinerator Man.”
“There is not a hell of a lot of structure to it, plus the last verse may need a bit of work – but all that aside, there is some nice symbolism in there and if you chuck on a simple chorus, like ‘Wo! I’m the Incinerator Man!’ and throw it on a lean circular chord formation, with lots of space and air, so that you can really creep the vocal and tell the story, then brother, you may be able to make something worthwhile out of it,” he wrote. “I couldn’t.”
After sharing his lyrics, Cave gave the songwriter some advice: “throw my song away.”
You are not the ‘Great Creator’ of your songs, you are simply their servant, and the songs will come to you when you have adequately prepared yourself to receive them,” he explained.
“They are not inside you, unable to get out; rather, they are outside of you, unable to get in. Songs, in my experience, are attracted to an open, playful and motivated mind. Throw my song away – it isn’t that good anyway – sit down, prepare yourself and write your own damn song. You are a songwriter. You have the entire world to save and very little time to do it. The song will find its way to you.”
He added: “If you don’t write it, someone else will. Is that what you want? If not, get to it.”
