Lyrics

By Richard Matheson

Collected song lyrics penned by the celebrated author of What Dreams May Come and Bid Time Return.

Few of Richard Matheson’s readers know that he had hopes for writing popular music. At a very early age, Matheson taught himself how to write sheet music, but his family could not afford the supplies and so he had to give up composition. But music never left his mind and when Matheson found a creative new outlet through his writing (cheaper than music, requiring only a pencil and paper), he quickly began composing both prose stories as well as poetry. He picked up music composition again at the age of seventeen, adding music to his poems. Here in Lyrics are the compositions that Matheson created, in publication for the very first time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9780795316913

Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson was one of the great writers of modern science fiction and fantasy. A New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter, his novels included I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man and many others. Stephen King called Matheson 'the author who influenced me the most as a writer'. A Grand Master of Horror and past winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, He also won multiple other awards including the Edgar, the Hugo, the Spur, and the Writer's Guild awards. Richard Matheson passed away in June 2013.

Book preview

Lyrics

Richard Matheson

Copyright

Lyrics

Copyright © 2011 by RXR, Inc.

Cover art to the electronic edition copyright © 2011 by RosettaBooks, LLC

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher or the author.

Electronic edition published 2011 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York.

ISBN e-Pub edition: 9780795316913

Contents

IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN

I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU

WHEN YOU’RE FLOATING DOWN THE VOLGA WITH OLGA

ONLY A DREAM

LA VALSE DE MÉMOIRE

MY HEART IS TAKEN

ABNORMAL YOU

RIGHT FROM THE START

A PRINCESS HAS A FULL TIME JOB

IN KING ARTHUR

LAUGHING IS EASY

GLORY BE!

FOR A BOY WHO COULD CARE

I COULD BE

IF I CRY

IN THE NIGHT

HERE IN THE DARKNESS

WORDS

FIGHT ON MISSOURI!

BECAUSE OF YOU

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

MY HEART TELLS ME DIFFERENT

MARY

WITHOUT ROMANCE

PITY MY HEART

BLUE TEMPTATION

ANYTIME

I TRIED TO SMILE

THE BEAT IS BLUE

EVERYDAY

LOVE

I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS

DO YOU REMEMBER ME?

I WANT A BARBARIAN

WHAT I NEED

GOLD IS LOOKING AT AMERICA

LOVE IS GIVING

I L-O-V-E Y-O-U

DEDICATION

To Carol Burnett

With gratitude for the

many years of wonderful

entertainment she gave to

my family and me.

Lyrics

by

Richard Matheson

Few of my readers (probably none) know that, for many years, I wrote songs, (words and music) hoping they would be popular – a hope I rarely achieved. Why I did this, I have no idea. Well, maybe I do.

I believe that a fortunate few are born with a creative inclination. How they take advantage of this inclination depends on physical circumstances. I don’t mean bodily health so much as family conditions. For instance, if my family had consisted of artists, I might have been inclined in that direction. My mother did paint charming miniatures and I had a first cousin who drew very amusing cartoons. I even did some pencil drawing myself but not enough to matter. At any rate, I grew up during the Depression (1929-1938) and couldn’t have afforded art supplies anyway.

If my family had consisted of professional actors, I might have gone into that. I did perform in a few amateur theatre productions but never with much dedication. Also one word in a major film – SOMEWHERE IN TIME. In brief, acting was out. Encouragement in that field was nil.

If my family had consisted of composers and musicians, I might have concentrated on that creative area. My older sister played piano very well, my mother taught me how to play the piano (I taught myself how