One thing I've had confirmed by other songwriters is that dreams sometimes have "soundtracks." I've had several songs come to me in great part in a dream, to the point where I wake up and write the lyrics down on a pad near the bed. One specific example:

I had played at a nursing home that day, and I was very touched by a woman who was sitting directly in front of me, no more than three feet away. She apparently had had a stroke because she was strapped into her wheelchair because she couldn't sit up on her own. Her face was completely paralyzed with no sign of life in there, except her eyes. The only movement she was able to make was to tap one finger in rhythm to the music. I was deeply moved by that, and had a dream about her that night. A beautiful line which I can't claim to have written came to me in the dream as part of a song:

"And somewhere inside her, there's still that young girl, with a tortise-shell comb in her hair." I don't believe I would ever have "written" that line while I was awake. Most of the two verses were in my head when I work up and I wrote them down. Then, I drifted back to sleep and got the rest:

Tortoise Shell Comb

She remembers the sweet smell of freshly baked apples
That came from the wood-burning stove
And the songs that her Mother would sing to herself
And the laughter when Father came home
And somewhere inside her, there's still that young girl
With a tortoise shell comb in her hair
And somehow the memories come back with a song
As surely as if she was there


She moves to the music, although she can't dance
With a far away look in her eye
And she's back once again on that warm summer night
As if none of the years have gone by
He bows so politely, and asks her to dance
And she smiles as she offers her hand
Then they balance and turn in three quarter time
And you swear she can still hear the band


And all of that came out of one finger tapping.

Jerry