I've just completed a month of lyric-writing workshops at the YMCA. It was a satisfying set of sessions; in my experience it's generally true that the more streetwise people are, the more they know what they think and what they don't like, which helps the energy of the sessions because you can make more definite decisions with them about what to write rather than essentially putting your words in their mouth.

With lyric workshops I always hope they offer anyone a window into their…