Ripples of Joy

[Vicki]

I'm working on a song called Ripples of Joy that a couple others and I will be using for a series of short (one afternoon) conferences we're offering over the next year. We're calling the conferences "Ripples of Joy" and this will be our theme song. It's about making the world better by doing little acts of kindness which will then spread to others.

When I first wrote it, it was pretty bad, but I think I've improved it a lot (I'm not showing you the original!) and would like some feedback. There are two spots where I've marked off choices in brackets because I don't know which words I want to use. And maybe even something totally different would be better. I hope I can get some feedback on what I have now. I don't have a recording yet, but I do have a melody and will start working on that next.

Here's the lyric:

Ripples of Joy

V1-I drop a stone in a quiet stream
And watch the circles spreading wide
And I wish that every ring
Finds a wrong and [sets it right/brings it light]

Ch-I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
Ripples of joy, ripples of joy
I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
And the world grows brighter every day

V2-It only takes one simple deed
To fill a heavy heart with cheer
And it plants a little seed
And more ripples soon appear

Ch-I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
Ripples of joy, ripples of joy
I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
And the world grows brighter every day

Bridge-So find a pebble, let it splash
Watch the ripples spreading fast
We can fill the world with love
Cuz there can never be [too much/enough]

Ch-I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
Ripples of joy, ripples of joy
I'm a pebble in a pond, spreading ripples of joy
And the world grows brighter every day


Copyright 2025 Vicki Morrison Goble

[icystorm]

@Vicki — Those are cool lyrics for your noble project! Your description of the project made me think of the movie Pay It Forward (2000). I think your lyrics are great as they are. For the two lines you're debating, I prefer:

— Finds a wrong and sets it right # in verse 1

...and...

— Cuz there can never be enough # in the bridge

Those seem to fit the meter and cadence best as I imagined a melody and chord structure.

Nice work! I look forward to hearing you sing your song. 😃🎵

Cheers,
Joseph 😃

[JohnS]

Lovely sentiment Vicki. "Right" and "enough" would be my choices. You might also want to consider pond instead of stream - creates a more tranquil scene in my mind. Also more consistent with the chorus and gives you an internal slant rhyme with drop.
You might also consider "hope" in place of "wish".
V2 - Could consider "a single kindness".

Keep or sweep, as they say!

[Vicki]

Thank you, Joseph and John. I do like "sets it right". I'm having trouble working with "enough" rather than "too much", so I'll think about that one a bit more. Using "pond" (with drop) instead of "stream" should have been a no-brainer. Not only more tranquil, but the ripples make more sense. I like "hope", too. Not convinced on "a single kindness". I'll let that one percolate a bit for now.

Thanks again! I really appreciate your input.

Vicki

[Seriousfun]

I like but there is an issue I think you should look at resolving.

The majority of the lyric is delivered from the perspective of the pebble, nothing wrong with that, it's great.   But the first verse is delivered by someone unknown third party. A lyric should be consistent in almost all cases with who is telling the story. ( duets being an obvious exception )

I would rewrite the first verse to something like...

I am a stone dropped in a stream,
See my ripples spread
And wish that every ring
Finds a wrong and sets it right

Enough/too much.  They both work so you could run with either. I am comoletely undecided here. You will notice in my verse edit I swapped out the word circles and included ripples instead to help reinforce your lyrics theme.


Hope that feedback is of some help.

[Vicki]

Good catch @Seriousfun   
I haven't looked at this for a few days. I need to get back to it.

Thanks!

Vicki