Bert, LOL at your "Home on the Range" story. The author of "Danny Boy" was having no luck selling the thing. Then someone suggested that he scrap his original tune and just use the tune of "Londonderry Air." You know the rest.

I've done both, not that I write many songs. For a couple of songs, a key line/lines and the tune came at about the same time.

I wrote a song for the memorial service of my friend Linda Lieberman. I wrote three verses first. Then I had to work really hard on the tune. The problem was I kept coming up with "pretty" tunes and that was not at all Linda's style. She was a beautiful person, not a "pretty" one. [Have I spelled that right? It looks funny if I look at it hard....]

The final tune was strong, very original, and a bit difficult to sing. That kept me from falling into the trap of making it pretty when I sang it. And actually, Linda was a bit difficult herself. It was one of the things I loved about her. A woman of strong opinions, as well as much courage and determination. All that comes across. My friend Carly listened to the tune over the phone and said, "Oh, Rita, you've got it. It's Linda."

I added a verse as the last step. I realized I needed it, once I sang it through a few times.

So it's not an either-or sometimes. Tune and words can evolve together.

Just my 2 cents.

Rita