2025 Competition Lyrics Entry:

The Land of You and I by Matthew Mayerchak

Lyrics

There’s a picture in the river, of a river in a picture
Trees beneath a half-remembered sky
The water must be going, but the river keeps on flowing
Where no one lives, no one has to die

You can’t find it on a map, you can’t call it on your phone
You can bring along a friend, but you get there on your own
The slower that you travel, the quicker you may find yourself
Lost inside the land of you and I

In the town of broken dreams
Stores are burstin’ at the seams, full of
Big ideas nobody will buy
Horses made of wishes run through
fields of hugs and kisses
To be happy all you have to do is cry

You can’t find it on a map, you can’t call it on your phone
You can bring along a friend, but you get there on your own
The slower that you travel, the quicker you may find yourself
Lost inside the land of you and I

On the hill of missing pieces,
Where the children go for recess
They are free to lose whatever they might find
Maps are trading places, and
Clocks are making faces
at the drummers who are keeping all the time

You can’t find it on a map, you can’t call it on your phone
You can bring along a friend, but you get there on your own
The slower that you travel, the quicker you may find yourself
Lost inside the land of you and I

Houses tell their stories
To a flock of morning glories
Who fell asleep and woke up in a song
I went hunting for a reason
But the truth was out of season
Nobody’s right; no one’s ever wrong

You can’t find it on a map, you can’t call it on your phone
You can bring along a friend, but you get there on your own
The slower that you travel, the quicker you may find yourself
Lost inside the land of you and I

You can’t find it on a map, you can’t call it on your phone
You can bring along a friend, but you get there on your own
The slower that you travel, the quicker you may find yourself
Lost inside the land of you and I

Author

Matthew Mayerchak

Bio

Matt Mayerchak was inspired to begin writing songs in 2023, at age 65, after attending the Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW) music camp sponsored by WUMB radio in Boston, MA, USA. Since then, he and other music camp alumni have formed the band Better Late and perform regularly at various establishments in the Boston area.

Co-author(s)

Lyrics Competition Results

Emotional Impact:
9/ 20
Technical Skill:
8/ 20
Memorability:
9/ 20
Storytelling:
12/ 20
Imagery:
8/ 20
Total Score:
46/ 100

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