I have been writing and performing my own songs for many years and the process of trying to make the bits fit together remains as confounding as ever. The songwriter Harlan Howard said a song only needs “Three chords and the Truth”. But which three chords and how much truth is needed? There does seem to be some instruction provided to help with assembling a song - avoid cliches, bad rhymes and the obvious nicking of other people’s tunes. Assembling some chords into something that resembles music is often the first step. Then trying to fit in potential lyrics - Getting A into slot B while C cannot be found means the whole things may fall apart - especially if trying to force 15 words into a single bar. This creates an unstable structure making it very difficult to sing (nod to Mr B. Dylan) And of course the allusive inspiration you need to hold it all together is refusing to show up. Some of the best song assembly work done tells stories. There are some wonderful songs that I think create a clear picture and story of people and places in just a few perfect verses. I call these songs IWIWI - I Wish I had Written IT and I am sure that Some Assembly was Required.