Congratulations to all our Session One 2026 Lyric Contest winners. Read the winning lyrics for first through fourth place, below.
CLICK HERE to enter the 2026 Session Two Lyric Contest.
Videos by American Songwriter
1st Place – “Heaven Ain’t The First Place”
By: Chris Nelson
Verse 1
We were raised on dirt roads and reckless intentions,
Chasin’ taillights, prayers, and backroad confessions,
You could outdrink the devil, outrun the law,
And I still hear you callin’ with that Southern drawl,
Pre-Chorus
You left this world but never left my side,
I still hear your laugh in the dark of the night—
Chorus
Heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again,
You’re the reason I still raise my glass now and then,
You’re the story I tell when the long nights get long,
You’re the prayer I still whisper when the night feels wrong,
And I still talk to you like you might walk in—
No, heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again.
Verse 2
They say time heals, but the clocks been blind,
I still call your name when the tears cross that line,
You raised hell like it was second nature,
And I’d give my last breath just to raise it again later.
Pre-Chorus
You left this world but never left my side,
I still hear your boots in the quiet sometimes—
Chorus
Heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again,
You’re the reason I still raise my glass now and then,
You’re the story I tell when the long nights get long,
You’re the prayer I still whisper when the night feels wrong,
And I still talk to you like you might walk in—
No, heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again.
Bridge
I still ask you what to do when the road turns rough,
And I swear I hear you—it’s faint, but enough,
If heaven’s watchin’, I hope you see—
You’re still raisin’ hell right here through me.
Final Chorus
Heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again,
You’re in every fight I win and each loss I defend,
You’re the reason I’m standin’ when I’m broken again,
The voice in my head when I’m at my end,
And I still talk to you like you just walked in—
Yeah, heaven ain’t the first place I’ll see you again.
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2026 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
2nd Place – “Threadbare”
By: Brian Spahr
VERSE 1
After way too many winters
My wool is wearing thin
I’m patched up, frayed, dysfunctional
Barely keep the cold from coming in
But do you see the quiet pull?
The tension tugging at my seams?
Do all my threads bear witness that,
My life is in its final scene
VERSE 2
I wrapped you up in comfort
We weathered wind and change
I shielded you in every storm
I softened all your bitter days.
My pockets hold your calloused hands
They’re full of grief and memories
I held on to you with every thread,
Now you’re the one who’s holding me
CHORUS
We’ve shared the warmth of love so long,
That’s why I sing my threadbare song.
Though I will fade, I’ll stay with you,
Until my seams unravel too
VERSE 3
I hold you in my weakened arms,
Your laughter in my threads
We dance with one last autumn breeze
There’s no more words left to be said
Each scuff and tear, a badge of love,
Each fray, a mark of battles won.
As my fabric turns to dust,
I mourn the days I’ll miss to come.
CHORUS
We’ve shared the warmth of love so long,
That’s why I sing my threadbare song.
Though I will fade, I’ll stay with you,
Until my seams unravel too
Until my living days are through
OUTRO
So fold me up when I am gone,
Let every stitch still sing our song.
For in your warmth, my purpose stays—
a legacy of love, remains.
3rd Place – “Only Nineteen”
By: Dennis Gilkey
(V1)
Layin’ in the trenches, firin’ at the dark,
Bullets cutting back … I pray they don’t find their mark.
My life flashes by, what would Momma say,
If I don’t make it home and I die here today?
(PC)
My hands are shakin’, my heart’s runnin’ wild,
Hell, I’m just a kid … I’m somebody’s child.
(C)
Thought I’d be in college, chasin’ my dream,
Not in the blood and dirt of this ravine.
Caught between the silence and the death that I’ve seen,
Wonderin’ how I got here … I’m only nineteen.
(V2)
I watched a soldier beside me gasp his last breath,
I cursed the sky, I cursed the death.
I’m a boy whose life had a plan,
Now I’m just a ghost stuck in this foreign land.
(PC)
My eyes have seen things that can’t be unseen,
Old man’s nightmares in a boy’s dreams.
(C)
Thought I’d be in college, chasin’ my dream,
Not in the blood and dirt of this ravine.
Caught between the silence and the death that I’ve seen,
Wonderin’ how I got here … I’m only nineteen.
(B)
My friends back home … will they remember me?
This ain’t what they showed in the movies on TV.
Ain’t no glory here … just dust and screams,
And nights too long for a boy with dreams.
(FC)
Thought I’d be in college, chasin’ my dream,
Not in the blood and dirt of this ravine.
Caught between the silence and the death that I’ve seen,
Wonderin’ how I got here … I’m only nineteen.
(O – Soft, spoken)
Yeah… if this is my last breath, don’t forget me,
A nineteen-year-old boy who died for the free.
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2026 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
4th Place – “Red, Yellow and You”
By: Josh Parolin
First cold snap, sky turned clear
Leaves turned quick, you disappeared
One last look, then you drove away
Didn’t say much, that said everything
I stood there, hands in my coat
Tryin’ to hold on, knowin’ you won’t
Red, yellow, and you
Like the leaves when the summer’s through
You changed fast, and I fell too
Didn’t even fight that cold wind blowin’
You were gone before I saw it comin’
Red, yellow, and you
Your jacket’s still hangin’ in my backseat
Smells like smoke and that fall creek
I drive past the spot where you said goodbye
Leaves were fallin’, so was I
Thought I’d bounce back like I used to do
But the cold rolled in and so did the truth
Red, yellow, and you
Like the leaves when the summer’s through
You changed fast, and I fell too
Didn’t even fight that cold wind blowin’
You were gone before I saw it comin’
Red, yellow, and you
Every fall brings it back again
Same cold wind, same where and when
Red, yellow, and you
Like the leaves when the summer’s through
I’ve moved on, but I still miss you
Some things fade and some keep showin’
You still show up when the cold sets in, and
Some nights still feel
Like red, yellow, and you
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2026 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
Honorable Mentions:
“Beyond I Love You”
By Karen A. Dahlman
“Grace in the Mess”
By Gene Loveland
“How Far I Go”
By Chris Nelson
“I Missed You Last Night”
By Scotty Burch
“I’ll Trust in the Waiting”
By Krystal Adcock
“Letters I Have Never Send”
By Karl Schirmer
“LEXIE LEAVES”
By Julia Mathison
“Miss Missouri”
By Josh Howerton, AJ Mather and Josiah Schools
“Riding Shotgun”
By Matthew Lavan
“The Beauty in Letting Go”
By Rick LaMarche
“Wild One”
By Jennifer Katusha