Jerry, I don't really consider myself a songwriter, maybe because I'm guilty of minimizing the importance of children's songs and chants like the rest of American culture..
But songs lyrics do come to me out of the blue without any prompting from me, or in response to my mental request to the Power above for help with the creation of a song.
For instance..in 1997 I started a children's group in Pittsburgh, PA called Alafia [ah LAH-fee-ah]Children's Ensemble. The purpose of that group is to explore the creative and performing arts potential of traditional, adapted, and originally composed African American game songs, rhymes, and cheers.
The children usually perform these songs & chants with handclapping, and foot stomping. A percussionist who plays the {West African} djembe drum, and an electric keyboardist also join in this music making in a selective, innovative way... One keyboardist the group has used added a decidedly gospel flavor to the compositions. Another keyboardist that added accompaniment to the children's voices, handclaps, and footstomps played the songs with more of a jazz sound..
To promote group unity several of the songs I wrote include the word "Alafia', a Yoruba {Nigeria, West Africa} greeting word [and, I was recently told, also a Hebrew family name that means "power" {that was a happy coincidence!}
One of the tidbits of cultural information that some African Americans in my area have picked up is the affirmative Akan {Ghana, West Africa} phrase "Ase! Ase!" pronounced 'ah-SHAY ah-SHAY'. I have read that "Ase" is life giving energy from God. However, the way it is most often used seems to be similar to the religious phrases "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!"
There is also a Nigerian/Liberian/Ghanaian{??}song called "Alafia Ashe Ashe" that is reasonably well known among Afro-centric African Americans [in my area at least-though as you can see I'm not certain which African culture it comes from}.
I wanted to use that relatively familiar phrase "Alafia Ashe Ashe" in a song for the Alafia group. But when I tried to write something, I kept being unsastified with the results. So I decided that since the seed was planted-or the thought was out there in the ether-I should just leave it alone, and let it come when It willed and not when I willed it.
Not long afterwards, when I was in a relaxed mood- the words and the tune 'just' came to me. As it turns out the song was more mellow than I had originally 'planned' for it to be. Instead of using the song in their more uptempo community performances, the Alafia group has sung it during their sessions as an inspirational song.
As I'm sure any performer can attest to it's such a good, indescribable feeling when a song you wrote 'works' and you see other people singing it and enjoying it...
But my view is that I didn't really write the song-or anyway I didn't write it alone. I see myself as a conduit for Energy that uses me to create the song. The words and the tune come because I'm receptive to that Energy and I've learned not to force creation.