Never More

I wrote the lyrics and melody for Never More, but did not record my own version of the song. Instead I paid Lonna Marie to record it for me.

Song Title: Never More

Click Here to download the MP3 file for Never More

Never More

Verse 1:
In fields of whispering willows
a garden no longer grows
what started out a fairy tale
is now a chapter closed

Through time and space I wander
as our worlds drift apart
there are no easy answers
in matters of the heart

When the mountains start to crumble
and the rivers they run dry
all the fires that were burning
no longer touch the sky

We sit alone in silence
won the battle, not the war
like a distant faded memory
our love is never more

Verse 2:
Going through the motions
life has passed us by
I search in vain to somehow find
that twinkle in your eye

Forever means forever
but nothing stays the same
just people in a picture
surrounded by a frame

There's a darkness that is haunting
hope shatters in the halls
hanging on to nothing
ever slowly will I fall

When passion turns to anger
taking sides and keeping score
with a dying breath it whispers
our love is never more

With a dying breath it whispers
our love is never more

==================

Reviews of Never More on ReverbNation.com (song score: 6.9 out of 10):

I thought the beginning of the song was basic with the production and performance, and i think the beginning is a chance to make the song have more impression. I thought the timing of the vocals were good, but the support with more textured instruments definitely need to come across stronger. I think the song vocally could of been more uplifting, rather than sounding shaky and nervous. You could of used this vocalist more in a passionate and faster paced way, to really add value and interest.
There is fabulous depth in the creativity and idea of this song, the lyricist straight away touches my heart. I really feel the connection to her, it comes across like she is real and genuine. I am a man, and I feel like I am falling in love with her honesty in the voice. She has real tenacious abilities and great react. She sustains a note very professionally, her voice is rich and pleasant with a dominative mood and control of the audio waves. The guitar riff is good, I like the melody, it has sentimental chromatic flow, and nice harmonics but the artist is the star here. The over all recording is poor, and should definitely be taken again, I would suggest to change engineers or look for way more air, breath in the final master. My advice to the singer would be to stretch the vocal really wide before going for takes, and try to really find the balance between the head chest and mouth voice, focus on the vibrato in the nasal cavity and let it flow solid. You will control the air amount and give. Keep it up, I will look for you on You Tube. Would love to work with you, ashman at live dot ie
this is a low sounding flow, I like her voice, just needs a different beat, under her voice, I like the singing style keep that, just again change the beat rhythm and add a hip hop beat u have that voice for that, that will make u stand out and more noticeable, u don't want the same rhythm as the others sum have that same style, so I gave u at tip to gain the lead on a deal or contract, practice it and see.
The guitar is soothing at the start, having the vocals on top of one another brings out the guitar stums. The main vocal sounds a tad bit shaky as if the tone of the song didn't match the voice, nearer the end when it's more laid back matches the song.
Soothing sound of the artist's vocal kicked the introduction with an enchanting and lovely sound to it that is winsome and stimulating. With the acoustic guitar; with its mellow melody, it only enhances and show cases the artist's vocal ability even more. The other voice of the artist that joins in trying to harmonize with her, feels off as it is over lapping and not in sync.
I absolutely love the vocals.That duet is just amazing it makes the music sparkle.Timing is just right.This song is incredible made me have little scenes playing in my head.Vocals were awesome keep up the good work.
This song has potential to be good. I love her voice and the acoustic guitar. Her voice doesn't hit different chords though, in my opinion. It sounds repetitive and doesn't have any climax. Maybe she should hit some higher or lower notes to give this song more emotion.
I absolutely love your voice! The lyrics are amazing. Your songs can relate to everyone. I could sit and listen to your music all day! You have so much potential! Go out there and do big things!!
I absolutely love this song. it's perfect. the melody, vocals and instrumentals. everything about it is awesome! this artist has a lot of potential to be something big! the lyrics in this song really speak to me. nothing needed to improve this song, it's already perfect !
An often risky stylistic choice to use a lone acoustic guitar, this song carries through with well chosen harmonies and a strong lead singer. The lead voice has excellent timbre that does not need as much affect. Her quick vibrato and ending lilt works very well with acoustic performance. Don't sacrifice it to be trendy! She is moody enough on her own, reminiscent of Nora Jones with a little more attitude. Also, the harmony chose notes well, but needs to blend more with the lead singer. They should rest when she rests and try to emulate her pronunciation to help smooth out delivery and make a cohesive chord. This song felt like the live/acoustic performance of a radio hit. A studio produced version would be very popular.
This song was recorded at low volume so it sounds like inferior quality. The song itself is pretty good. I luv its raw emotional sound. The harmonies are really good. The song has a nice melody and positive lyrics. I can't hear much of the background but it sounds like guitars. The vocals sound so good that the background doesn't matter. The lyrics are very poetic.
As the arrangment presents itself, beautiful lyrical words flow pleasantly from the guitar and vocalist. I like the rythmic values of the words and theor harminic values. Great expression of the words and music. The arrangement builds nicely and is a well focused arrangement. More orchestrational dynamics and instrumentation should appear on the second verse, for a nice dynamic element. Good vocal pitch. You have a marketable persona and delivery in the industry. "Never more" needs harmonies.
The guitar starting the song alongside with the singer indicate this song is well on the guitar playing pop side. The female singer of the song sounds very powerful in her voice, very beautiful in her voice and well expressive in her emotion. The subject matter of the song comes off about how her lost love and her life are somewhat similar to her situations in her live. The melody comes off a song of good observations she notices.
Love the way she comes in this intro. Love her voice and how soft her vocals are. I love the even tone of everything. Everything seems so great together. The other girl that comes in just sings so perfectly into this and I love how natural and not so overplayed it sounds. The lyrics on this track are so expressive in the words. I love the second vocals though and how she isn't singing this alone because she makes the song sound so much better.
Nice sound of the GUITAR. The voice is okay. The song and the words blend. The guitar is strumming evenly. The strings create the steady pace. The duet is soft. The accompanying vocal is added flavor. The sound is even tempo. The words are melodic. The chorus when the duet comes in is gentle sounding. Nice song.
This track needs an eliment to stand out. It needs something to really make it pop. Having more background singers would sound better and improve this track a tad bit. Very gorgeous and beautiful singer she sounds amazing I really do enjoy her sound!
This is an interesting tune that keeps you listening. This artist has a distinctive voice that is very entertaining. She has a really tuneful voice that is captivating. The folk music arrangement has a freshness to it that is laid back but engaging. This is a gentle tune that ends quickly. It is amazing how it just cuts off in the middle of no where.
I think that the intro of this song was way just too mute and soft. I liked the vocals, they were couragous and really had a voice to them. I feel as if the artist made it sound beutiful also.
mesmerizing vocal of the artist started off the introduction of the song with a beauteous and relaxing feeling to it, that is stimulating and striking. The artist have a passionate and dynamic low vocal tone that can express the emotion through her lyrics well. The lyric is sweet and heart-warming, that will definitely send chills down your spine, from the captivating sound of the artist.

Below is a version of Never More by Chris Davidson:

Reviews of Chris Davidson's version of Never More on ReverbNation.com (song score: 6.9 out of 10):

I love the drummers sound in this track he got a good style. the guitar playing is awesome he a good lead guitarist, i will check these guys out. the keyboard chords are cool too, as i play keyboard myself i can scope out talent and these guys have it. i rate it 8/10.
The beat from the drummer is very catchy. The riff on the guitar goes a long very nicely with the song as well. The singer has a great voice and is good at what he does. I like this song and will listen to it again and show it to some of my friends.
Nice beat. Good start. And the guitar was slightly off from my hearing. I do not like the echoing note that was played in the beginning. A good melody. The singer sounds as if his lyrics are speaking for us which sounds odd. The song sounds like it's trying to be a 90's like song, which is very odd.
The beat is slower with the guitar that comes in with the song. The guitar with the song really goes together nice job. The vocals are perfect with the song and the guitar in the background. I would not listen to this song on a regular basis because this is not what i enjoy listening too. I still enjoy the song though.
The beat of the drum gives off a rocky feeling then in comes the guitar. It is slightly weird that they've used the organ in the song. The voice of the singer is weird, uncanny - that was a bad choice of singer. The lyrics are ok, not the best as they don't have any meaning. He doesn't express any tone in his voice making most of the song meaningless. It great how the chorus is louder.
the open of the song are really good, and the same goes for the vocals, and the melody. the lyrics are well written, and i can sense a lighthearted meaning within it. the melody is amazing and is sure to put a smile on someones face. lastly, the vocals are outstanding, and also my favorite part of the song!
I really love the drum playing at the beginning. This in my opinion, really contributes to the bass noise. As this goes on, I think one thing that can really improve is the singing, which is not exactly on point with the melody of the background music. Other than that, everything else seems to be going fine. I would also say that background song is really good, and was expecting maybe to hear a female voice in this as well. Very good music however, overall deserves a 8.
Great song! I like the lyrics the most. So deep and meaningful, the writer definitely knew what he was doing, it turned out so good. The singer does a lot of hard work too, you can hear that he puts a lot of effort into the singing.
The heavy guitar and drums caught my attention. The vocals were nicely mixed and I'm impressed by the instrumental. The song is catchy and very nicely rendered. The song gave me nice vibes. The song has impressive vibes. The song is very good. This track is very awesome. Eight out of ten.
Drum beat was awesome. The guitar hits and really makes the song unique and one of a kind. The continues feel of the instrument build up really made the vibe of the song feel cool. The vocalist has a cool old school sound to his voice. Very classic feel to a newer song. Has an alternative or even a rock feel to it. I like it overall and think the singer had a great voice.
A fast paced ripple of drums and a grinding guitar of electric sounds start. A male sings about life and love in a clear folksy ballad. The notes sway and intertwine in a good fusion of highs and lows. It is fast paced and toe tapping. It is good for a movie background song.
i like the beats introduction to this song, it draws me in and is very interesting, the guitar and the drums combined together make a very good tune. the mans voice is different and unique which i like. this song has potential to go far, it doesn't have a very memorising tune but has a good beat.
Nice drumming at the start of the song, this melody is too cool! The vocals were a surprise, but I like how they have a little rasp to them. The lyrics are nice and meaningful. I could listen to this all day. Flows extremely well.
This type of genre is definitely what I am into but it's something I can start listening to. It's really mellow. I like the instruments he's lyrics are wonderful. He has an amazing voice this song is great. It has relax me. Very peaceful song. Not to mention the lyrics are wonderful. I see myself listening to this artist a lot more.
I like the solid beat intro, the instrumentation that follows. The mix is good; you can hear the vocals and lyrics which is very important. Rhyming lyrics! I like that. The driving beat behind it helps to keep the listener with you. Good vocal harmonies.
Up sounding and moving song. feel good indie sounding. very chill and polite, with actually really good lyrics! a classic heavy sounding acoustic guitar and pattern in the beat which i dig very much. I'm very glad I discovered this song and I am on my way to purchase it now!
His guitar goes well with his singing. The only annoying component of the song is in between when he's singing there is a beat I don't like much. I do, however, like his voice and the guitar with it. The echo on his voice isn't very good.
Good beat in the beginning, seems like something people would like to listen to, voice to the song goes with the beat perfectly and the tempo is very much on time. it keeps people interested and makes them feel like dancing to listen to a beat like that. never gets old and its so smooth and calming. i'm even dancing to it while typing this review and thats good.
The intro to the song is composed quiet well and captures the viewer's imagination. The vocals are very clear and easy to make out and I find them very interesting and the melody is quiet catchy. The rhythm is repeated throughout the whole song and there are no changes to it.
Excellent deep drum to start this track off with, then kicks in some great guitar music and percussion. Really great beat that carries on through the track. The song is romantic about a man wondering in the world in love. The vocals are higher pitched which I always find much more enjoyable to listen to. It has a modern sound to it, think of coldplay, except the singer in this track is much better. It has a country and western feel to it also, but combined with more modern indie rock. The lyrics are great also, and not repetitive, they tell a story that you enjoy journeying along with. I really love this track and would buy it. There is a sentimental and maybe even melancholic feel to this track which again is something I enjoy within music.
Right off the bat the sound production is good, decent instrumentation. The vocals are nice and clean with a soulful quality. The lyrics are well written and fit the sound of the track well. If I could say anything it would be that the tempo seemed off, slightly sluggish maybe but over all it was an enjoyable track that I would listen to again.
Hot beat but I recommend removing it. Get rid of the piano, use an acoustic guitar like Eric Clapton "tears in heaven". Slow down the rhythm, it's to fast. Good singer but to take the song to the next level, I recommend that singer mimic the vocalizations of the beatles.

Below is a version of Never More by Douglas Haines:

Reviews of Douglas Haines' version of Never More on ReverbNation.com (song score: 6.7 out of 10):

It sounds lovely and calm and it would go great for a background song for a movie about romance and the guy who's singing it sounds very passionate, and the lyrics are great, lovely song, I would give it 8 out of 10 because to me it sounds great!
There's nothing necessarily special about this song but it's not all bad. He's got a nice, soothing voice which calms me. I might listen to this in the bath or to relax. It's got nice, emotional lyrics which are quite sad and matter of fact. I might even have a cry to it if I was feeling sad.
Perfect opening to the song. This song is the quintessential thoughtful, regretful country song that of the past. The two singer's voice gel well together, and the lyrics are well thought out and follow each other well, and they tell a story of love (perhaps young love).
I love the sound of this song it reminds me of Green Day. This is a sad song and I think the tune and guitar strumming suits this style of song. The lyrics are clever and the metaphors are easy to understand and the rhymes are pleasing to the ear.
I really enjoy listening to the beginning of this song the voice and instrumental rally go well together. It is a nice slow tempo song, which builds up slowly. This is a nice effect because it doesn't make the song to boring. I love the overlapping of the voices because it makes the song more intriguing and less boring. I think the guitar is the best part of this song. Its nice slow riff is very sweet.
The rhythmic of the acoustic guitar had great resonant. The bright shapely chords of the acoustic guitar paints an picture in my imagination also to the listener was well. The clear vocal singing and meaningful lyrics will make you wonderful. The thought-provoking side of the lyrics was quite skillful to think of, for the creator side as an artist quite masterful for storying telling is your greatest skill. The solo of the unplugged song had memorable moment with the choir.
The guitar during the beginning has some very nice dark undertones. The lyrics only serve to maintain this dark colour. the melodies you sing are very nice and you use some beautiful written harmonies. I think your voice is okay, but it could be better. It's the harmonies and the lyrics that make this song great. It's also well produced and composed. Really good work.
He has a good voice and it sound very emotional. His voice matches with his emotions. It's a little bit depressing, the kind of music that you will listen to during a rainy day. Anyways, i personnaly wont listen to it because it's pretty depressing. It's not my type of song.
The guitar music moves along pretty much steadily as the singing starts not far behind and it sounds lovely. The easy listening style this artist has is right away recognized as something pleasantly played. He sings with his heart and not just with a desire to be noticed. Passion is in in harmonies, he sings slightly too soft for my tastes but his style is really charming at the same time. The guitar sound is somewhat weak in the background. But at the right level so it doesn't interfere with his singing, being he sings so gentle-like and easy going. The tempo and rhythm is a beat that is very soft and would be good to listen to if you are stressed out.
At the beginning the song doesn't sound very promising or interesting to my taste and as the singer starts to sing, the lyrics do seem to match the tune. The different tones of voice used makes it hard to contemplate and identify whether there is more than one singer, or whether the singers vocal range is just insanely good.
Intro Acoustic sounds like it has been produced on garage band. the song has clear vocals, and a nice steady rhythm. the harmonies are nice and clear, the harmony makes the song. The song mainly focuses on vocals which eventually becomes boring. there is no real climax the get the listener excite.
The song has a calm start to it, the techniques used on the guitar reinforcing this very well, there is no harsh strumming, the music is all finger picked which gives the song a more minimalistic feel to it. It is played with skill and there is no mistakes or falters in it which means that the song flows seamlessly. The lyrics are a little depressing but they are sung with passion and a controlled calm voice. The lack of pushing or exploring vocal techniques makes the song remain simplistic and makes the lyrics the focus rather than the music or the vocals themselves.
Very melodic peaceful guitar line. Sadly the vocalist came in with a very unattractive voice. The lyrics are well written. The vocals are unsupported, off key and unappealing. The harmonies are very pretty. This would be a beautiful folk song if someone else sang it. This sounds like someone who sings in bars but isn't going to go anywhere else. Have you considered a future as a song writer rather than as a singer. The guitar is absolutely beautiful.
Broken chords help the music flow through the piece. Harmonies help create interest and help the music too move on, words are meaningful and rhyme. Music sounds a bit bear as the guitar is playing all the accompaniment parts. The signer is in tune with the song and probably needs to vary his tone to put some emphasis certain parts of the song.
Another pleasant folksy country style tune. Very Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska. Very well composed, and played. Vocals are perfect. Production value is top quality. I would highly recommend this overall. Very catchy chorus harmonies. Hmm, need more words, well the title is great, and I enjoyed it to the end.
I thought the start of the song was the right balance to listen to, before the vocals were introduced. The overall melody was quite soothing to listen to, and the backing vocals and main male singer blended well. I am not sure this song would do well released on its own, but if was featured on an album of country music it would work well.
"All the fires that were burning no longer touch the sky," is just one of the many excellent lines. The singer and his guitar are both catchy. He certainly can sing, play, and also compose. This song should receive much radio play and one wants to hear it again.
Great guitar in the beginning, I love the calmness as the song progresses. The vocalist does an excellent job matching the delicateness of the instrumentals. I really enjoyed the duet part throughout the song it does a great job adding some variety. The two voices blend just wonderfully. I think this is a very good song and really enjoy the slower, sad sound throughout. Though it is a sadder sounding song I really like the hopeful sound in his voice.
It's a very singer songwriter style of track. There is a nice quality to the track but some of the lyrics are good and others a bit too shopworn. The melody is pretty good and I like the overall atmosphere on the track. It could do with a bit more musical content. maybe some strings at some point. production is good but maybe bring up the guitar a bit more.
Ok intro with the singer coming right through and goes off. Now let's get right into the lyrics, the lyrics sound pretty good to me, it makes sense as he talks about life, the river, the pond, the fire, ice and others. I can see alot of people liking this song just because of the things it talks about and how one can relate to it. great melody in the background and the way the singer sounds, just makes perfect combination with the beat.
The start of this track comes in really fluently and i feel the beginning vocals fall into place really well! The backing track of this song is really slow and has a really nice acoustic guitar tone with it which i feel complements the vocals really well too! Even though this type of music isn't really my type the level of talent used to produce this song is really good. Out of 10 i would rate 6.
The intro induces a sad kind of tune but the intro is nice, slow and relaxing. The melody is slow and using just a guitar gives the melody an important role in the song. The vocals are strong with the backup voice in the background harmonizing is calming. The song is much shorter than I expected. The song reminds me somewhat of a simpler Ed Sheeran type song.
The beginning of the soung with the music and the soung really makes me feel in love with the soung. the instamentals (guitar) is really awesome and catchy. the vocals is the best part of the soung. The signer have an awesome voice that makes us wanna liscend to all the soung he did. I love how the soung is basic (it only has guitar and singing, not a lot of instrumentals and/or sounds effects ). I think this soung can be appreciate by everyone around the word whatever the kind of soung they like but most of the people that will love this soung will be people who love guitar, country and pop music (I think). I really love this soung I wanna liscend to it again.
I like this song. The music goes well with the singer; i like it when someone else joins in and is singing a little delayed behind the main guy. it was a nice meaning about love and it made me happy because of the cresendo at the chorus. Im not a big fan of country but this song was good. it proved that some country songs have a good meaning without taking about drinking.

Below is Eric Yanis's version of Never More:

Below is Minstrelsmethod's version of Never More:

Reviews of the lyrics of Never More on the Muse's Muse songwriting forum:

Very well written, IMHO. Some nice alliteration in the beginning; very smooth, organic flow. - Stu St. Pierre
Straight-up, solid write. The redundancy of the use of "WE" seemed to speak of togetherness, so I'm not sure it totally works the way it's used, since it's obvious they're not together anymore. Still, a nice display of wordsmithing, and consistency. My only thoughts that may or may not help the flow at the very end, are to change "LIKE a dying breath" to "WITH a dying breath it whispers" and add "THAT" to the last line so it reads "THAT our love is nevermore". Oh, and nevermore would be one word, or even a contraction, for whatever that's worth. Again, good write. - Mortal_Soul
I absolutely love this verse:
Forever means forever
but nothing stays the same
just people in a picture
surrounded by a frame
The whole thing flows very well. :) I don't really have any suggestions. I do agree with Mark though, "with" would work better there at the end. - MyHaven
I'm kinda in the same camp as Beckett here. I think the reason for me would be that I have read so many lyrics here with many of the same lines, that they have lost any effect on me they may have once had. I do think it is woven together well, and probably sings well as well. It's a good start, and if it works for you, then run with it. - DinoRider
It sounds so darned nice that you can almost forgive the cliches. Almost. But there are just too many of them. Perhaps if the lyric had more dynamic. Right now it has an ABCB rhyme scheme right through... pretty much each line has the same rhythmn from start to finish. There's nothing to break up that space (a chorus, a bridge, a repeating refrain) so it just makes some of the cliches stand out more. But, man, it sure sounds nice! - Neal K
For a first post this is trmendously great. Hope to someday achieve this level - George Jones
Nice read, flows well. Some accents don't fit and I'll try to point them out, but first:
Forever means forever
but nothing stays the same
just people in a picture
surrounded by a frame

That's so good, I'd start over and use that as a chorus!
I think the "Never More" is bringing up too much raven for me, but YMMV.
Now to some stresses:
In FIELDS of WHISpering WILLows
a GARden no LONGer GROWS
what STARTed OUT a FAIRy TALE
is NOW a CHAPter CLOSED

So far, so good!
Through TIME and SPACE I WANder
as OUR worlds DRIFT aPART
there ARE no EAsy ANSwers
in MATters OF the HEART
The stress on OUR and ARE seem unnatural to me. When speaking we don't stress those words usually.
I would hear these lines:
our WORLDS just DRIFT aPART
there's NO real EAsy ANSwers
Anyway, it's always up to you. Nice write! - Bob
Reading through it a few times, it read like a lyrical poem. Be interesting to hear music to it - Helllsbells
Like, Neal said, " it sure sounds nice". You are well forgiven for all your cliches. I didn't mind at all and thanks for sharing. - DB76
The constant ABCB rhyme scheme makes me curious to hear how you hear this one, as is it reads less like a lyric and more like a poem. It's definitely got flow and rhythm, but it's just that same rhyme scheme over and over that makes it hard to hear in a more musical context. I'm in the "a little too heavy on the metaphors" camp as well. Especially when you get to "the mountains crumble, the rivers run dry" for me that's almost enough metaphor for one entire song. But that comes down to personal preference. And it's really hard to pull of "nevermore" in any context as an original idea. Poe's got a lock on that one I'm afraid. I would like to hear this one with the music you have in mind though - FunkDaddy