The Songwriter's Handbook

"I remember when I first got to Nashville," says Tom T. Hall. "I would have like to have had a book like this. It would have saved me a lot of time finding answers to questions." To help other songwriters, Tom T. Hall has put the answers in this book. "Songwriting is as much a craft as it is a talent," he says. "In order to write songs, you have to be able to recognize what a song is. You have to recognize the importance of something that is entertaining, and you have to say what you want to say very briefly." In this down-to-earth handbook, the Storyteller teaches the secrets of becoming a successful songwriter. Among the important topics treated are: also includes stories of how he wrote some of his own hits, such as "I Flew Over Our House Last Night," "Ravishing Ruby," "I See," and "Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine." He analyzes the songs, showing how he uses his own rules for successful songwriting. Included in the book are words and music to many of Tom T. Hall's most successful songs along with personal photos. An earlier version of was published as