Kory Murphy Discusses the Art of Penning Lyrics

“Getting into lyrics is more recent for me,” admits musician Kory Murphy. “It seemed very unnatural when I first started writing.” Photo by Len Villano.

Kory Murphy sets aside his frosty mug of beer, opening a notebook scribbled with incomplete sentences, thoughts, ideas, and lyrics. The indie-folk musician apologizes for his handwriting, “I’m a lefty,” and skims the pages. “Some songs are so personal – you put them down in lyrics, but never want to talk about them. It’s like the lyrics are trying to get out of you, a form of release,” he says. “Some songs just spill out. Fifteen minutes and you’re done. You pick up a guitar and start saying words and playing music and it’s done. That’s nice,” he laughs, “but it’s usually not that easy.”

Murphy spent the early part of his music career focusing on song arrangements, the instrumental elements rather than the lyrics. “Getting into lyrics is more recent for me,” he admits. “It seemed very unnatural when I first started writing.”

Murphy released his first album, Quiet Cities, in April of 2012. “The first album was a lot of heartbreaks, relationship, traveling,” explains the primarily solo musician, who is currently working on his second album. “The next album will be less of me whining about my own issues,” he laughs, “and telling more stories. I’m taking a different style of writing – more abstract, more poetic – telling other people’s stories.”

Murphy is finding inspiration at the most unlikely places: “It’s very random, at a bar, out to eat, at a movie theater. ‘I need a napkin and a pen!’ I’ve taken coasters and written down one-line ideas,” he explains. “Some get used, others I’m like, ‘Why did I think that was a good idea?’”

The spark for one of Murphy’s more personal songs, “When the Morning Comes,” came from a single sentence an ex-girlfriend wrote in Murphy’s notebook: ‘You may not be perfect, but you’re perfect for me.’

“That was a very special song for me,” admits Murphy. “I was dating a girl from England, we were in a two-piece band together. She had to go back, I was here. That was me secluding myself one night thinking about her. I started playing music and the lyrics just spilled out. If I could write songs like that I’d be on my tenth album.”

Another song that appears on his first album, “Lion and the Mouse,” was co-written with musician Geri X at “Dark Songs,” a writing intensive hosted by The Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay. “We wrote it at 6:30 – 7 am,” explains Murphy. “I had been up all night and was about to get some sleep in my van, she stopped me: ‘Hey, do you want to write a song?’ I grabbed a cup of coffee and some whiskey.”

Murphy opens his notebook to the final lyrics for “Lion and the Mouse,” co-written with fellow musician Geri X.

Murphy had the music written, played the arrangement for Geri X, and “we started writing lyrics,” he says. “It was a unique song-writing process – we were both barely awake and kind of spitting out lines.”

After they filled two pages with words, “It just wasn’t fitting,” admits Murphy. “Then she took a pen and just started cutting. As she was singing, she would cross out the words that were coming next. That was inspiring.”

Though Murphy has penned many songs, “I don’t have a secret – it just kind of happens,” he laughs. “I thought by this point I would have it figured out.” One lesson he has learned: “Not to be scared to write a bad song.” He has also found a supportive community of fellow musicians to “bounce ideas back and forth,” he says. “pat [mAcdonald] is a really important person in my life. He will listen and suggest one little word to change and it makes it ten times better.”

Murphy often tries his new songs at open mics throughout Sturgeon Bay – Untitled Used and Rare Books, Glas Coffeehouse, and Poh’s Corner Pub. “Winter is a good time to be writing,” he says. “I’m locking myself away a bit.” Come the busyness of a Door County summer, Murphy will have little time for writing and recording. “I’m constantly doing shows,” he explains. “Summer is performing.”

To learn more about Murphy, visit korymurphy.com.

When the Morning Comes
By Kory Murphy

How could anyone love this mess that I am
How could you be so sure that you’d make this your plan
I whispered that I love you
And that we would always be
I hope this is the way that you remember me

You may not be perfect but you’re perfect for me
I could see it in your eyes as you feel to sleep
Hold you a little closer until this nights done
I’m so glad that you’ll be here when the morning comes

How could anyone stand for all this shit that you do
All those words you said, they were never true
I convinced myself I love you and that we would always be
Now you’re just a memory

You may not be perfect but you’re perfect for me
I could hear it in your voice as you said you loved me
Hold you a little closer until this nights done
I just hope that you’ll be here when the morning comes

I believed every word
What a sorry excuse

You may not be perfect but you’re perfect for me
I could hear it in your voice as you said you loved me
Hold you a little closer until this nights done
I’m so glad that you’ll be here when the morning comes

You may not be perfect but I thought you would be
The one who’d be perfect for me

Lion and the Mouse
By Kory Murphy and Geri X

I don’t know you love
But I can see the blood in you simmer
Kill all the lights
Unwanted bright shadows follow you

And I’m a lion not a mouse
Fishbones you know are the strongest ones
I’m a lion not a mouse
But you know how to get around me

I can try and bring you by
But you’re not the kind that would do a favor
So set back your clock
In middle of the winter

And I’m a lion not a mouse
Fishbones you know are the strongest ones
I’m a lion not a mouse
But you know how to get around me

On a train to you I’ll come
And I just hope that you’re alone
And there’s no one there with you
‘Cause you know how to get around me