I really like this song, "In a Funny Way." It tells a fun story in a way that makes you have to think just the right amount to get what it's all about. You should record it. I'd love to hear it.

BTW, as I think I've said before, you would probably get a lot more feedback if you posted each song individually, rather than as part of a single post acting as a showcase. I can see the attraction of the showcase - if someone comes to this site and thinks, "This Gary guy, I really like that lyric of his, I bet he writes a lot of other good stuff as well," then that person can find more lyrics right there. Against that you have to balance the difficulty in making your way to the last lyric you posted. I always check out the Recent Posts. When I click on that, I come to the top of this thread and have to scroll through to the end to find the post I'm looking for. On top of that, if I want to post a response to an earlier lyric, it will appear nowhere near it. Then if someone reacts to my post, that reaction might appear after a bunch of intervening posts, making a discussion difficult.

Maybe, I'll have a word with the admin and suggest a separate Showcase section on the site, where members could post their lyrics and/or music and videos in one place. 

"All The Way To Texas" copyright April 30, 2020 by Gary E. Andrews. All Rights Reserved.
F D7 G7 C7 A7 D

I came All The Way To Texas, (Chorus Refrain)
to help you find your way back home.
I thought we were so in love,
I wondered what went wrong.
Now I know, you won't go,
back to Oh-hi-o-o-oh!
I came All The Way To Texas,
to find out what I should have known.

I spent way too much money,
I was savin' up to buy a guitar,

thinkin' I could play it and make some more,

to fix up this old car.
Now it's plain, Texas Jane's
been ridin' in the ro-de-o-o-o!
I came All The Way To Texas,
to learn what I already know!

(Bridge)
You're not the girl you used to be!
You used to be my world!
Now you're a flirty floozy!
A Texas party girl!

I came All The Way To Texas.
I drove all night alone.
(You know how I hate that!)
You could have told me all of this,

yesterday on the phone!
Now I see, I might be,

better off a-lo-o-one.
I came All The Way To Texas,
to find out what I should have known!
(Coda)
I came All The Way To Texas,
to learn,
what I al---ready know! 

Copyright, Publishing, Being A Company. July 27, 2020. by Gary E. Andrews.

When you write a Song, and put it in 'fixed form', your 'right' to 'copy' your Intellectual Property (IP) is 'bestowed' on you by Federal Law.
You 'own' that 'property' just as you own a pair of shoes, an acre of land, a painting, or the manuscript to a novel you wrote.
What you own gives you the 'right' to decide who will get to use your property. If you give someone the right to 'cut' (record) and release (put out on the public market) your Song, you, and they, should be interested in a formal contract, delineating what everyone expects to get out of the deal.
As the owner you may want to Register your Song with the Register of Copyrights of the Library of Congress. That Registration, dated the day they receive your application, affirms that you are the owner. If you are giving people 'access' to your IP there is always the chance someone unscrupulous could seize that opportunity to rob you. A Song can be worth a fortune. Copyright Registration is fairly inexpensive, and even easy in the electronic age. Copyright Law is Federal Law, and so, if you can prove 'access' and 'infringement', and you have a formal Registration, a Federal Judge will let your complaint onto his docket for hearing your case.

If you sign a contract with a Publishing Company they want to 'own' part of the Song, and the 'right' to collect Publishing Royalties.
You own those Publishing Royalty Rights.
You own Songwriting Royalty Rights too.
If you contract to 'assign' those Publishing Rights to a Publisher, a Publishing Company, the earning of those Royalties is what they are working for, their motive to 'Publish' the Song, pitching it to 'consumers', maybe Record Labels or other Industry organizations, maybe other Publishers, maybe artists or their management. That's the leg work they are offering as 'consideration' in a contract, what they are willing to do to earn those Publishing Royalties. Odds are they'll want 100% of those Publishing Royalty Rights. You might negotiate a different percentage, but odds are they're going to start at 100%, and may stay at 100%.

You own 100% of the Publishing Royalties Rights, and 100% of the Songwriting Royalties Rights.
Sometimes someone in the mix wants a piece of the Songwriting Royalties Rights too. They may ask you for a percentage. They may ask to change a word or two in the Song, making them a co-writer, gaining a 50% share of the Songwriting Royalties Rights.

The Publisher may not include a 'Reversion Clause' in the contract they offer you, specifying how long they have to get the Song 'cut' and 'released' before the contract ends and Publishing Rights 'revert' back to you, freeing you to contract with another Publisher. You should be sure there is a Reversion Clause. Otherwise, their 'right' to be paid if you ever do get the Song cut and released and it earns Royalties goes on forever.

As an adult you are 'bound' to whatever is specified in the contract you sign your name to. Since they write the contract, and they're in the business they're in, they're likely to make the terms favorable to them. An Entertainment Lawyer, well-versed in the nuances of that type of law, which may be different from commercial or criminal law, can be a good investment, to look over the contract, see that the Reversion Clause in in there and reasonable, and evaluate the 'reasonableness' of any and all other 'nuances' of your and their contractual agreements and obligations.

A Song used in a Movie or TV show is generally 'contracted' as a Synchronization License. A Christmas Song, popularized in a Movie, or TV show, might become a perennial favorite, playing every Christmas, and, depending on what the contract you sign says, may earn you a License fee every time it plays, year after year. If it pops out of the show and into perennial play on terrestrial radio, along with "White Christmas" and "Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer", that 'Synch' License can be very lucrative.

So, it is in your interest to find people who can 'Publish' your Song, putting it into the market to see if someone will cut it, release it, and get it played in revenue-generating venues. Not getting robbed of your 'ownership' is a matter worthy of your caution and legal representation.
A 'contract' can tie a Song up for the period specified in the Reversion Clause. If they're just playing the odds, contracting and hoping you somehow get the Song to market while they're contractually in line for a share of the profits, the period may pass and the Song reverts to you, and you've lost that time. So you need to know who you're dealing with, how to read the contract they write, and something about their track record.

This is something we generally have not studied. We start out as hobbyists, tinkering with Songwriting for fun and personal fulfillment. Transitioning into a 'company' engaging in 'commerce' with other companies, other people, is a new area of study for us. If we're uneducated we can sign our names to contracts and undo all the pleasant prospects we've been looking forward to, sometimes with permanent damage and no 'recourse' to rectify the situation.

If the contract is reasonable, and the contracting partner has a reasonable reputation, and you feel your Song truly has merit, it may be worth taking a chance, but that doesn't mean go blindly into it. If you're a legitimate 'company' you keep good records. Who did you give 'access'? When? Where? Details, documented contemporaneously, at the time, play very well in court, if you end up there.
You consult among your team. You let the lawyer look it over. You study the business you're getting into. It makes the difference of whether you're taking the 10% chance or the 50% chance or some other percentage, higher or lower.

@mediaresearch advises that:
The average length of a Song in 2020 is 3 minutes and 42 seconds, down from 4 minutes and 22 seconds.
Introductory Movements have decreased from 13.1 seconds to 7.4 seconds.
Hip Hop accounts for 6 of the top ten on Billboard.
The average number of Songwriters per Song is four.
"The times they are a'changin'."

"Enough", "Not Enough", "Too Much".

An Introductory Movement only needs to be long enough to serve that function. Its function is to 'hook' listener interest long enough for the main body of the Composition to begin, a Verse or Chorus, if it is a vocalized Lyric, or just the 'new' sounds of whatever you give them next. A short Introductory Movement leaves more time for everything that follows. I call that 'hook' element 'Hook Factor'. All parts of the Composition have, or should have, Hook Factor.
This principle of a short Intro is part of the 'rule' "Don't bore us! Get to the Chorus!"
Whatever follows the Intro, the Chorus, if your Compositions opens with the Chorus, or Verse I, if that's the next component, should have Hook Factor. That first Line of Lyric, or that first instrumental sound, individual Notes in a Melody, or other 'sounds', should capitalize on the Hook Factor of the Intro, and sustain Hook Factor, keeping them interested. How long can you do that? If you keep the Composition moving, instrumentally or with the Lyrical Storyline, you can keep them all the way through the 3 minute 42 second time span. The Human attention span can be longer than that if you have a longer Composition, but for 'pop', meaning 'popular' music, in any genre, staying short can be a virtue. Start, entertain, and end.
A Composition must have 'Enough' Repetition and 'Enough' Change.
Enough Repetition supplies Structure the listener can relate to. They recognize the Verse Movement, the Change to the Chorus, a more emotional intensity, usually a higher pitch, and then the Repetition of the Melody they 'learned' in hearing Verse I when you employ it again in Verse II. I contend that even in instrumental or Rap/Hip Hop or Jazz genres that adherence to Repetitional/Change Structure can be more successful at hooking and sustaining Hook Factor than a Composition that does not employ those elements.
The 'Enough' concept is the Songwriter's judgment call. How much Introductory Movement is 'Enough'? How much is 'Too Much'? How much is 'Not Enough'? With experience a Songwriter should begin to sense the timing of components, sensing when Enough Intro has been given and it is 'time' to begin the main body of the work. You should sense when Enough Verse has been exposed to set the scene and it is 'time' for the Chorus. Try your Songs with the Chorus to start and see if that works, in your judgment call. Examine the Verse Lyric and see if there's 'Enough' exposition, or 'Too Much', or 'Not Enough'. Remember, "Don't bore us! Get to the Chorus!"
How much Repetition is Enough? How much Change is Enough? Too much? Not Enough? A Song that is continually Changing lacks Structure. A Song that is continually Repeating gets monotonous; mono-tone-ous. Either can allow the listener to become 'unhooked'. They drift off to other thoughts, stop paying attention, and only realize it when the Song ends and they realize they haven't been listening, and may not be interested in listening again.
Terrestrial radio play used to earn Royalties, making money for the Songwriter(s) and Publisher. The reason they played music was not to promote the art; it was to keep listeners 'hooked' until they could play the commercial ads that pay the bills. Short Songs left more time for commercial ads. Songs used to be two minutes long. It is surprising to listen to those Songs now and realize they do not seem 'short'. They get done everything a Song needs to get done, in their two minutes and a few seconds. They are 'Enough'.
Who is 'buying' music now, and how? How are 'consumers' 'consuming'? Where is the market for your product? If you can supply their desires and demands you can sell in that marketplace.

I got a Lyric and settled at about 1:45 as a complete Song. I thought about the four Notes I chose for the first Line and how any number of other musicians might choose an infinite variety of Notes. The Prosody was a study too, how the words/Notes 'hit' on the beat, between beats, making it work the way I want it to work. Every Song is a learning experience.

"Shouldn't You Be Gone" copyright August 14, 2020 by Gary E. Andrews. All Rights Reserved.

G 32OOO3
Em O22000
C/G 332O1O

(Verse I)

I sold my soul,
to a love-ly devil!
She let me come in out of the cold.
She let me play the rebel.
I had a fee-ling,
somethin' was wrong.
A little voice inside my head said,
(Chorus Refrain)
"Hey! Shouldn't You Be Gone?"

(Verse II)
Don't sell your soul,
to a love-ly devil!
She'll ask, "Are you out of control,
or are you on the level?"
If you get a fee-ling,
something is wrong,
a little voice inside your head says,
"Hey! Shouldn't You Be Gone?"

(Coda)
I sold my soul,
to a love-ly devil.
She let me come in out of the cold.
She let me play the rebel.

I had a fee-ling.
I had a fee-ling.
I had a fee-ling.
Shouldn't You Be Gone?

"I Can't Tell Any More", the first Lyric in response to a K. C. Turner Songwriting Club website I stumbled into. The site offered that title and challenged its members to write a Lyric for it. I'm not a member but I did conceive a Lyric. It had a negative angle. A couple days later I wrote another one with a positive angle. It was just an exercise in trying to tell a coherent story.
This one employs a Refrain-Type Chorus, a single Line ending each Verse. It employs a Bridge to break the Repetition, enabling a Third Verse to complete the Storyline, and a Coda to end.

"I Can't Tell Any More", copyright March 25, 2020, by Gary E. Andrews.
(Verse I)
Everything I do is wrong, to hear you tell it.
The rose you gave me once is dead. I cain't smell it!
I keep tryin' to please you. I don't know what for.
Do you still love me? I Can't Tell Any More.

(Verse II)
Every time I hear that song we used to dance to,
It reminds me of the things that now I can't do.
I let you win the fights. I'm tired of keeping score.
Do I still love you? I Can't Tell Any More.

(Bridge)
I can't tell right from wrong.
I fight temptation.
Was it ever love,
of just infatuation?

(Verse III)
Well tonight you're in the mood. You snuggle to me.
I'd like to tell you that I'm not. You'd see through me.
So we go through the motions. You leave me wanting more.
Is this still love? I Can't Tell Any More.

(Coda)
Do you still love me? I Can't Tell Any More.
Do I still love you? I Can't Tell Any More.
Is this still love? I Can't Tell Any More.

And here's the other Lyric. It employs the same Refrain-Type Chorus, Bridge, a Third Verse and Coda.
Many Songs don't find a Third Verse and employ a Bridge to break the Repetition of Verse/Chorus, Verse/Chorus, and enable a final giving of a Stanza-Type Chorus to end. It's important not to go too long.

"I Can't Tell Any More" copyright March 27, 2020 by Gary E. Andrews.
(Verse I)
I can tell you 'bout her eyes, When she gets that 'come on' look.
I can tell you how she lies, 'bout what goes wrong when she cooks.
I can tell you 'bout the stories, she reads about in books,
But when we close that bedroom door, I Can't Tell Any More.

(Verse II)
I can show you 'round her garden, where she had me dig it up.
I can tell you 'bout the bargain, she got me on this truck.
I can tell you how I'm grateful, but it never is enough.
When we close that bedroom door, I Can't Tell Any More.

(Bridge)
It's private! It's personal! It's just for her and me.
It's something that we do, for only us to see.
It's a pact we don't ignore. I Can't Tell Any More.

(Verse III)
Let me tell you 'bout our vows, we read on our wedding day.
Let me tell you 'bout her house, where I stay out o' her way.
I won't tell you about her kiss, or the games she likes to play.
When we close that bedroom door, I Can't Tell Any More.
(Coda)
When we close that bedroom door, I Can't Tell Any More.
I Can't Tell Any More.

"She Was Marked"
Out Of The Woodwork
© 1980 by Gary E. Andrews
All Right Reserved for the Globe
Chords:
D XXO232
Gadd5 32OO33
A XO222O
G 32OOO3
A7 XO2O2O
Em O22OOO
C/G bass 332O1O

(Chorus)
She Was Marked,
Marked by her kindness,
Stark, naked, blindness,
True faith,
Faith that this time,
It was for real.

(Verse I)
On a lark,
I asked her for the time, Miss.
She parked,
And planted a wet,
Kiss on me,
I knew this time,
It was for real.

(Bridge)
So I laid aside all my preconceived notions.
I played everything by ear.
Ah, but too much time passed.
I knew I couldn't last,
So I called her up, said,
"Come over here."
As I started to talk,
She started to walk.
I knew she'd know just what I'd mean.
I started to kiss her.
She started to whisper,
Then, We broke clean.
As she walked out the door,
I knew I'd never see her no more,
That's, Just the way it's been.

She Was Marked,
Marked by her kindness,
Stark, naked, blindness,
True faith,
Faith that this time,
It was for real.

You can't hear this one on my website, but there are some others there.
www.garyeandrews.com

Enjoyed Da Read my friend

You Went The Other Way
Out Of The Woodwork IV
© 1994 by Gary E. Andrews
All Right Reserved for the Globe

Chords:
G 32OOO3
C/G bass 332O1O
D XXO232

I saw your hat,
On the street,
Today,
And I wondered,
Would you go for me
Or go the other way?

I heard your voice,
In the street,
Today,
And I wondered,
Would you talk of work,
Or would you talk of play?

I waited at the bus stop,
For you to catch up to me,
But You Went The Other Way.

I saw your picture,
In the paper,
Today,
And I wondered,
What the caption
Beneath it might say.

I saw your fingers,
Throw the ring
away,
And I wondered,
What your momma
would say.

'Cause she's one for a,
Platitude.
She,
Likes to keep a good,
Attitude.
She,
leaves a lot of,
Latitude for play.
She's good with a,
Quick cliche'.
Her
Smilin' face is a sweet bouquet.
I
wonder if she knows,
You Went The Other Way.

I bought a pistol,
At the pawn shop today.
I wonder if I'll use it,
Or just put the damned thing away.
If I'm going to be lonely,
I'll be lonely
alone.
And I wonder,
Will I have to pay?

It's not just a matter,
Of melting hearts of stone,
And I wonder,
Can I rock and roll it,
Can I rock and roll it away?
I waited at the bus stop,
For you to catch up with me,
But You Went The Other Way.

I saw your sister,
On the street,
Today,
And I wondered,
Would she go for me,
Or go the other way?
She called me 'Mister,'
And asked me to play,
And I wondered,
What her mother would say.

'Cause she's one for a,
Platitude. She
Likes to keep a good
Attitude. She
Leaves a lot of
Latitude for play.
She's good in her
cliques and cliches. Her
smilin' face is a
Sweet bouquet. I
wonder if she knows,
You Went The Other Way.

I bought a pistol,
At the pawn shop today.
I wonder if I'll use it,
I threw the damned thing away.
If I'm going to be lonely,
I'll be lonely alone,
And I wonder,
Will I have to pay?

It's not just a matter,
Of melting hearts of stone,
And I wonder,
Can I rock and roll it,
Can I rock and roll it away?
I waited at the bus stop,
For you to catch up with me,
But You Went The Other Way.

Sure wish I could hear this one... 🙂

"Give Thanks, Give Thanks"
Out Of The Woodwork V
© September 27, 2005 by Gary E. Andrews
All Rights Reserved for the Globe
Chords:
G 32OOO3
C/G bass 332O1O
D XXO232

(Verse I)
There are workers in the fields.
They bring the harvest in,
Send it out all over the land.
Look in your potato bin.
Do you see the hands of those
Who made it all begin?
(Chorus Refrain)
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.

(V II)
They work a long, hard day,
The sun upon their backs.
Overnight the rain,
Washes out their tracks.
They try to get some rest
So they can do it all over again.
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.

(Bridge)
For every bite you take,
Someone had to make,
The ground receive the seed,
And hope for the seed to take.
Until they leave this Earthly world
They'll make the earth serve them.
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.

(V III)
My folks all were farmers.
They farmed Kentucky hills.
Came out here from Prestonsburg,
Seeking fairer fields,
Left behind the coal mines,
And dust that sickened them.
When I Give Thanks, I Give Thanks for them.

(Bridge)
For every breath I take,
I've got Grandpa to thank,
For comin' up out o' the mines,
And movin' on down the line.
Until he left this Earthly world
He made the earth serve him.
When I Give Thanks, I Give Thanks for him.
(Coda)
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.
When you Give Thanks, Give Thanks for them.

I like it Gary, particularly these lines:

They work a long, hard day,
The sun upon their backs.
Overnight the rain,
Washes out their tracks.

The idea of the rain washing out their tracks really emphasizes the way we take these folks for granted.

I also like the way you move from the general to the personal. It gives the song momentum.

"Momentum". Interesting. I never thought of it. The alternative would be to repeat more examples of farming, but, inspired I guess, I made it tell of my maternal grandfather who was a sharecropper. They grew corn on hillsides you almost couldn't stand up on, Mom said. At harvest time they made three piles. The landlord came and tossing a few ears out of other piles, to 'even it up' to his liking, picked the one he wanted for the year's rent. 
He also mined coal, came home blackened with the dust, risking black lung, and got some of it. He sued but they just wait you out and settle with your next of kin. 
But the farmers. They make a living and work for every bit of it. They get squeezed at the bank and in the market place. And still they get up and go to work every day. Every day. There's something needing doing on a farm every day. We sit down and eat and don't think about the hand that planted that potato, cultivated it, harvested it. Essential workers, like most, pretty much invisible unless you give it some deliberate thought.