[titan9]

Considering I haven't seen any proof of Mark writing the majority of MOP's lyrics(meaning posts by Michael Tremonti, or interviews), I don't subscribe to that belief.....ESPECIALLY after taking AB's lyrics to heart. How anyone can think a song like My Own Prison is comparable to ANY song on ODR(from a lyrical standpoint) just boggles my mind.

As far as lyrical style is concerned, AB's lyrics are far more simplistic than Creed's were. Look at a song like "Faceless Man" and compare that to "Open Your Eyes". No comparison, as far as style and complexity is concerned.

"Torn" sticks out like a sore thumb on MOP...for it's lyrical simplicity. Let's look at the lyrics, shall we?

"Peace is what they tell me
Love am I unholy
Lies are what they tell me
Despise you that control me
(chorus)
The peace is dead in my soul
I have blamed the reason for
My intentions poor
Yes I'm the one who
The only one who
Would carry on this far
Torn, I'm filthy
Born in my own misery
Stole all that you gave me
Control you claim you save me
(chorus)"

And let's compare it to a song that we know Stapp wrote most of(excluding the chorus).....MOP:

"A court is in session
A verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin
The walls cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Screams fill the room
Alone I drop and kneel
Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn......

I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burdens
And grant me life eternally
Should have been dead on a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time.....

I cry out to God
Seeking only His decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison".

Let's then compare MOP to "Broken Wings":

"Fight the fight alone
When the world is full of victims
Dims a fading light
In our souls

Leave the peace alone
Now we all are slowly changing
Dims a fading light
In our souls

In my opinion seeing is to know
The things we hold
Are always first to go
And who's to say
We won't end up alone

[CHORUS]

On broken wings I'm falling
And it won't be long
The skin on me is burning
By the fires of the sun
On skinned knees
I'm bleeding
And it won't be long
I've got to find that meaning
I'll search for so long

Cry ourselves to sleep
We will sleep alone forever
Will you lay me down
In the same place with all I love

Mend the broken homes
Care for them they are our brothers
Save the fading light in our souls

In my opinion seeing is to know
What you give
Will always carry you
And who's to say
We won't survive it too."

Let's now compare "Broken Wings" to "Faceless Man":

"I spent a day by the river
It was quiet and the wind stood still
I spent some time with nature
To remind me of all that's real
It's funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone
And remember that you feel

Again I stand against the Faceless Man
Again I stand, lord I stand, against the Faceless Man

Now I saw a face on the water
It looked humble but willing to fight
I saw the will of a warrior
His yoke is easy and His burden is light
He looked me right in the eyes
Direct and concise to remind me
To always do what's right".

Given Stapp's strict religious upbringing, the fact that he was often "forced" to read the Bible as punishment, and the fact that many of Creed's lyrics were quite spiritual(such as "Faceless Man"), it would appear that Stapp was responsible for the vast majority of Creed's lyrics. Remember: lyrics are a VERY personal thing. That much, as a lyricist, I can attest to. Stapp's spiritual struggles, his upbringing, are reflected in Creed's lyrics. That leads me to believe that he, not Tremo, wrote the majority of the Creed lyrics....especially when I see what Tremo has written for AB.