How to write a song. This is how I do it: bring words and music to bear on incipient thoughts.
Think of a title that encapsulates the idea
in your arms
when I go home
sweet water
Take a line for a walk
in your arms I am innocent, safe from harm
I’ll talk to the TV set, it’s bad company
sweet water without salt, for sailors who sail with their doubts and their faults
Open the curtains of your unconscious (honest!)
in your arms I’ll lay and I’ll stay all is calm
happiness will haunt me
not the pirates or sea dogs on their bitter sea legs
sweet or salt, what is your gold?
Roll out the rhymes naturally to direct and mirror meaning
the world falls away when I am in your arms
with love out of reach, I’ll be a torch burning oil for no one
a loner going home
a mutineer’s shipwreck or a fresh blue vault
what’s foolish in Spanish is a lilt of water, a filter…
my pleasure is the treasure of sweet water
Identify the best lines that repeat well – they are your chorus
in your arms
when I go home
sweet water
Then write the melody along the emotional line of the song, listening to your unconscious melody ideas