Using ChatGPT 4.0 to Craft Lyrics, and UDIO.COM to Put Them to Music
I take a poem, the Death of the Hired Man, by Robert Frost and use AI to make the poem into a song.
A Final Result
The Poem
The Death of the Hired Man By Robert Frost Mary sat musing on the lamp-flame at the table Waiting for Warren. When she heard his step, She ran on tip-toe down the darkened passage To meet him in the doorway with the news And put him on his guard. ‘Silas is back.’ She pushed him outward with her through the door And shut it after her. ‘Be kind,’ she said. She took the market things from Warren’s arms And set them on the porch, then drew him down To sit beside her on the wooden steps. ‘When was I ever anything but kind to him? But I’ll not have the fellow back,’ he said. ‘I told him so last haying, didn’t I? If he left then, I said, that ended it. What good is he? Who else will harbor him At his age for the little he can do? What help he is there’s no depending on. Off he goes always when I need him most. He thinks he ought to earn a little pay, Enough at least to buy tobacco with, So he won’t have to beg and be beholden. “All right,” I say, “I can’t afford to pay Any fixed wages, though I wish I could.” “Someone else can.” “Then someone else will have to.” I shouldn’t mind his bettering himself If that was what it was. You can be certain, When he begins like that, there’s someone at him Trying to coax him off with pocket-money,— In haying time, when any help is scarce. In winter he comes back to us. I’m done.’ ‘Sh! not so loud: he’ll hear you,’ Mary said. ‘I want him to: he’ll have to soon or late.’ ‘He’s worn out. He’s asleep beside the stove. When I came up from Rowe’s I found him here, Huddled against the barn-door fast asleep, A miserable sight, and frightening, too— You needn’t smile—I didn’t recognize him— I wasn’t looking for him—and he’s changed. Wait till you see.’ ‘Where did you say he’d been?’ ‘He didn’t say. I dragged him to the house, And gave him tea and tried to make him smoke. I tried to make him talk about his travels. Nothing would do: he just kept nodding off.’ ‘What did he say? Did he say anything?’ ‘But little.’ ‘Anything? Mary, confess He said he’d come to ditch the meadow for me.’ ‘Warren!’ ‘But did he? I just want to know.’ ‘Of course he did. What would you have him say? Surely you wouldn’t grudge the poor old man Some humble way to save his self-respect. He added, if you really care to know, He meant to clear the upper pasture, too. That sounds like something you have heard before? Warren, I wish you could have heard the way He jumbled everything. I stopped to look Two or three times—he made me feel so queer— To see if he was talking in his sleep. He ran on Harold Wilson—you remember— The boy you had in haying four years since. He’s finished school, and teaching in his college. Silas declares you’ll have to get him back. He says they two will make a team for work: Between them they will lay this farm as smooth! The way he mixed that in with other things. He thinks young Wilson a likely lad, though daft On education—you know how they fought All through July under the blazing sun, Silas up on the cart to build the load, Harold along beside to pitch it on.’ ‘Yes, I took care to keep well out of earshot.’ ‘Well, those days trouble Silas like a dream. You wouldn’t think they would. How some things linger! Harold’s young college boy’s assurance piqued him. After so many years he still keeps finding Good arguments he sees he might have used. I sympathize. I know just how it feels To think of the right thing to say too late. Harold’s associated in his mind with Latin. He asked me what I thought of Harold’s saying He studied Latin like the violin Because he liked it—that an argument! He said he couldn’t make the boy believe He could find water with a hazel prong— Which showed how much good school had ever done him. He wanted to go over that. But most of all He thinks if he could have another chance To teach him how to build a load of hay—’ ‘I know, that’s Silas’ one accomplishment. He bundles every forkful in its place, And tags and numbers it for future reference, So he can find and easily dislodge it In the unloading. Silas does that well. He takes it out in bunches like big birds’ nests. You never see him standing on the hay He’s trying to lift, straining to lift himself.’ ‘He thinks if he could teach him that, he’d be Some good perhaps to someone in the world. He hates to see a boy the fool of books. Poor Silas, so concerned for other folk, And nothing to look backward to with pride, And nothing to look forward to with hope, So now and never any different.’ Part of a moon was falling down the west, Dragging the whole sky with it to the hills. Its light poured softly in her lap. She saw it And spread her apron to it. She put out her hand Among the harp-like morning-glory strings, Taut with the dew from garden bed to eaves, As if she played unheard some tenderness That wrought on him beside her in the night. ‘Warren,’ she said, ‘he has come home to die: You needn’t be afraid he’ll leave you this time.’ ‘Home,’ he mocked gently. ‘Yes, what else but home? It all depends on what you mean by home. Of course he’s nothing to us, any more Than was the hound that came a stranger to us Out of the woods, worn out upon the trail.’ ‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.’ ‘I should have called it Something you somehow haven’t to deserve.’ Warren leaned out and took a step or two, Picked up a little stick, and brought it back And broke it in his hand and tossed it by. ‘Silas has better claim on us you think Than on his brother? Thirteen little miles As the road winds would bring him to his door. Silas has walked that far no doubt today. Why didn’t he go there? His brother’s rich, A somebody—director in the bank.’ ‘He never told us that.’ ‘We know it though.’ ‘I think his brother ought to help, of course. I’ll see to that if there is need. He ought of right To take him in, and might be willing to— He may be better than appearances. But have some pity on Silas. Do you think If he’d had any pride in claiming kin Or anything he looked for from his brother, He’d keep so still about him all this time?’ ‘I wonder what’s between them.’ ‘I can tell you. Silas is what he is—we wouldn’t mind him— But just the kind that kinsfolk can’t abide. He never did a thing so very bad. He don’t know why he isn’t quite as good As anyone. Worthless though he is, He won’t be made ashamed to please his brother.’ ‘I can’t think Si ever hurt anyone.’ ‘No, but he hurt my heart the way he lay And rolled his old head on that sharp-edged chair-back. He wouldn’t let me put him on the lounge. You must go in and see what you can do. I made the bed up for him there tonight. You’ll be surprised at him—how much he’s broken. His working days are done; I'm sure of it.’ ‘I’d not be in a hurry to say that.’ ‘I haven’t been. Go, look, see for yourself. But, Warren, please remember how it is: He’s come to help you ditch the meadow. He has a plan. You mustn’t laugh at him. He may not speak of it, and then he may. I’ll sit and see if that small sailing cloud Will hit or miss the moon.’ It hit the moon. Then there were three there, making a dim row, The moon, the little silver cloud, and she. Warren returned—too soon, it seemed to her, Slipped to her side, caught up her hand and waited. ‘Warren,’ she questioned. ‘Dead,’ was all he answered.
Initial Prompt to ChatGPT 4.0:
Take the text of the poem, The Death of the Hired Man, by Robert Frost, and turn it into a song. So the song will have the following structure. It will start with an intro. All sections will be labeled as such, and the labels will be enclosed within square brackets. So, as I said, the song will start with an intro, dash instrumental. The song will have three verses which will tell a narrative story based upon the ideas in the poem. The song will have a coda which will give the denouement, the end of the story, the aftermath perhaps. There will be a chorus which does chorus-y things. It will not advance the narrative so much as it will clarify some aspects of the narrative. So there will be a verse, a chorus, a verse, a bridge which will do bridge-y things, further enhance the story but not in a narrative fashion. Then it will have a last verse, and then it will have a final chorus which does the same chorus-y things as the first chorus did. It will be the identical chorus. Then it will have the coda, or the outro if you wish, which will sort of wrap things up, basically and lyrically.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Here’s how we can structure the song based on The Death of the Hired Man by Robert Frost, transforming it into a narrative song format.
*** Unsatisfactory version produced ****
Prompt:
You said:
… So, obtain the lyrics to that poem first, then process as a song as indicated in a previous prompt.
ChatGPT said:
*** Unsatisfactory version produced ****
This song transforms the narrative elements of The Death of the Hired Man into a structured lyrical format, with the intro setting a reflective mood, verses telling the story, and the chorus and coda focusing on the themes of home, death, and final rest. Let me know if you'd like any revisions or further elaboration!
4o
Some More Refinement:
You said:
I would like to have an ABAB rhyme scheme. Now you have, counting the beats, which previous versions of ChatGPT were not good at, you have 12 measures. I guess that would be okay for blues, but I think for more conventional songs, a measure, or a chorus, or a bridge, or a verse, or an outro should have either 8 or 16 measures. That's more conventional. So, I think we'll go with a little longer. We'll make it 16 measures, so that would be 8 lines per section, because the way you've done it, each line seems to have two measures, judging by the beats. That's an intuitive thing. It could be wrong. So, redo.
ChatGPT said:
*** Unsatisfactory version produced ****
Final Lyrics:
You said:
…I would like you to redo it with the following changes. Don't bother putting in the parenthesized A, parenthesized B notations. That's not of use to me. Also in the bridge, I want you to make the bridge reflect the regrets that Silas had with respect to the young man, that he wanted to show how to load a wagon with hay properly and how he found the young man's book-learning approach was not geared towards practicality and he lamented that he had not been able to teach him. That's all in the poem, so go by what the poem says, not by what I said. But the primary thing is to discuss the bridge, his regrets over the young man not learning how to do the farm work.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Memory updated
Thank you for the clarification. Here's the revised version with your requested changes, including the bridge that reflects Silas’s regrets about the young man and his inability to teach him properly.
[Intro - Instrumental]
Instrumental to set a reflective and somber mood
[Verse 1]
Silas returned, a broken man,
With no more strength to lift the plow.
He sought the fields where life began,
But Warren’s brow was furrowed now.
“He’s not the help we used to know,
Why should he come to rest with me?”
Yet Mary saw his final glow,
She whispered soft, “Just let him be.”
[Chorus]
Home is where you come to die,
Where old hands rest and memories fade.
No use to question how or why,
When all that’s left is peace to trade.
The work is done, the fields are bare,
Silas won’t lift a scythe again.
But in his silence, there's a prayer,
For weary souls and broken men.
[Verse 2]
Mary’s eyes, so full of grace,
Looked past the years that he had lost.
“He’s come to find his resting place,
No matter what the final cost.”
Warren sighed, still full of doubt,
But saw the truth within her eyes.
For death had come to seek him out,
And Warren knew it was no lie.
[Bridge]
Silas spoke of things undone,
Regrets that weighed upon his soul.
He tried to teach the younger one,
But couldn’t fill that learning hole.
He wished he’d shown him how to load,
A wagon full of summer hay.
For books could never bear the load,
That hands and sweat could show the way.
[Verse 3]
When morning light broke through the sky,
They found him still, his work complete.
No more to toil, no more to try,
He’d laid his head, his final seat.
Warren stood, though words were few,
For now, the hired man was gone.
He knew, at last, what Mary knew,
That love remains when strength is drawn.
[Chorus]
Home is where you come to die,
Where old hands rest and memories fade.
No use to question how or why,
When all that’s left is peace to trade.
The work is done, the fields are bare,
Silas won’t lift a scythe again.
But in his silence, there's a prayer,
For weary souls and broken men.
[Coda/Outro]
Now Silas lies beneath the ground,
A peaceful sleep, his work is done.
The earth, in silence, makes no sound,
But still, his name lives on and on.
The hired man who found his way,
Back to the place where roots had grown,
Will rest in peace at close of day,
Forever more, forever home.
This version reflects Silas's regrets in the bridge about not being able to teach the young man how to load a wagon properly, as per the original poem. Let me know if you'd like further adjustments!
4o
Consistency of Lyrics and Poem
You said:
I think that's pretty good. Now I'd like you to assess whether there are any discrepancies between the lyrics that you've produced and the actual poem. I want to make sure that you haven't added elements to the lyrics that are not implied by the poem, or the song, I mean. So, compare the lyrics of the song to the poem itself. Look for major discrepancies, where maybe you've introduced elements that are not at least implicit in the poem.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Let’s carefully compare the lyrics I’ve produced to Robert Frost’s The Death of the Hired Man to ensure that no elements have been added that are not at least implicit in the poem. Here's the assessment section by section:
[Verse 1]
The verse conveys Silas returning to Warren and Mary’s farm, worn and weary, which is true to the poem. Warren's skepticism about Silas returning is also present, as in the poem, Warren questions why Silas would come back in such a weakened state.
Discrepancies: There are no major discrepancies here. The verse is consistent with the poem's portrayal of Silas’s return and Warren’s doubts.
[Chorus]
The chorus speaks about the concept of home being a place where one comes to die, and the final resting of old hands. This is consistent with Mary’s sentiment in the poem, where she describes home as a place where one finds comfort in death, and she believes that Silas has returned to die.
Discrepancies: There are no major discrepancies here. The theme of home as a final resting place is central to the poem, especially in Mary’s view.
[Verse 2]
This verse focuses on Mary’s compassion toward Silas and her desire to offer him a resting place, while Warren is still hesitant. The poem emphasizes Mary’s kindness and Warren’s internal conflict over whether to accept Silas back.
Discrepancies: No major discrepancies. The verse mirrors Mary’s role in the poem as the compassionate figure and Warren’s reluctant acceptance.
[Bridge]
The bridge addresses Silas’s regret about not being able to teach the young man how to load a hay wagon properly and his disappointment in the young man’s book-learning. This is drawn directly from the poem, where Silas laments that he never got the chance to show the boy, Harold Wilson, how to work practically on the farm.
Discrepancies: No major discrepancies. The bridge directly reflects Silas’s regret, which is an important part of the original poem.
[Verse 3]
This verse describes Silas’s death and Warren’s realization of what Mary had understood all along—that Silas had come back to die. The poem ends with Warren finding Silas dead in his sleep, and Warren finally grasps that Mary was right in allowing him to return.
Discrepancies: No major discrepancies. The verse aligns with the poem’s conclusion about Silas’s peaceful death and Warren’s acknowledgment of Mary’s understanding.
[Coda/Outro]
The coda reflects Silas’s peaceful rest in death and how his name and legacy remain with the farm, consistent with the poem’s portrayal of Silas finding a final resting place after a life of work.
Discrepancies: The coda introduces the idea of Silas’s name living on, which is not explicitly stated in the poem. While the poem focuses more on Silas’s physical death and the immediate aftermath, it does not mention his legacy continuing. This is a slight embellishment in the song, but it can be seen as an interpretation rather than a major discrepancy.
Overall Assessment
The lyrics of the song stay true to the narrative, themes, and emotional arc of The Death of the Hired Man. There are no significant discrepancies in terms of plot or characterization. The only small embellishment is in the coda, where the lyrics suggest that Silas’s name lives on, which is not explicitly mentioned in the poem but could be seen as a poetic interpretation.
In conclusion, the lyrics reflect the main ideas and emotions of the original poem without introducing any significant elements that are not implied or consistent with the source material.
4o
Develop UDIO Prompts:
You said:
So I'm going to feed this into a music AI program called UDIO, U-D-I-O, uncaps, and I have some decisions to make as to how to prompt the program. I can feed in the lyrics, perhaps not all of them at once, but I can feed in the lyrics and try to get adherence to the lyrics. Sometimes that's an iffy project. But I need a title for the song. Although UDL will make up its own, I will want to provide the title. So I need you firstly to suggest some titles for the song. And we need to come up with a treatment of the song, in general the genre, and the emotional tone of the song. I need some descriptors that might be useful. Usually there are a number of prompts regarding genre, sub-genre, even emotional tone. I think the meter is probably going to be 4-4, or let's say quarter time. 4-4 is not a meter, that's a time signature. But the meter will be quarter time. And the emotional tone, I'm not sure it's reflective. Do I want a male or a female vocalist? I think I'll go with a female vocalist on this one. So I need a prompt that will say female vocalist, which may or may not be ignored. I think the genre is a difficult one, because you could probably cast this in any number of genres and have it work. That's been my experience so far, that I might conceive of a song in one genre, but in actual fact, I can have UDL put it into any number of different genres, and they all may work or may not work. One of the things about UDL is you don't like something, you try regenerating, it'll come up with a different result. Maybe you change prompts, maybe you don't. But it's like all large language model AI, it's quite unpredictable. I don't even know if you call it a large language model AI. In this case, it's a large song model AI. I haven't heard that term, though.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Memory updated
For the title, emotional tone, and genre prompts, let’s break this down:
Title Suggestions:
Silas's Return
The Final Resting Place
Home to Die
The Hired Man's Regret
A Place to Rest
Legacy of Silence
Fields of Silence
Where Silence Sleeps
The Hired Man’s Last Day
To Die at Home
Genre Suggestions:
Given the reflective nature of the poem, there are several genres that could work, depending on the mood you want to emphasize:
Folk – Emphasizes storytelling and introspection. This genre fits with the narrative and rural themes of the song.
Americana – Tied to folk but with a broader range of influences, including country, blues, and rock. This could capture the rural setting and the emotional depth.
Country – Works well with the themes of working the land, life, and death.
Blues – Reflects the sorrow and regret, with slow, emotional tones.
Acoustic Singer-Songwriter – This could give a very personal and intimate vibe to the song, emphasizing the lyrics.
Soft Rock – A more modern take that could provide some emotional resonance while staying accessible.
Indie Folk – Adds a more contemporary and alternative touch while keeping the introspective nature.
Emotional Tone Descriptors:
For the emotional tone, these descriptors could guide the feel of the song:
Reflective
Melancholic
Somber
Nostalgic
Poignant
Bittersweet
Gentle
Earthy
Pensive
Suggested Prompt for UDIO:
When feeding this into UDIO, you could craft a prompt like this:
"Female vocalist, quarter time, genre: folk or Americana, emotional tone: reflective, melancholic, and somber. The song should have a gentle and nostalgic feel, with an intimate vocal performance that emphasizes storytelling. Please adhere closely to the lyrics."
You can adjust the genre and emotional tone descriptors based on how UDIO interprets them, and since it allows you to regenerate the song, you could try experimenting with different combinations to see what resonates best. You could also try mixing in other genres like country or blues to see how the song feels in those styles.
Let me know if you’d like further refinements or additional suggestions!
4o
Looking for a Generic Prompt:
You said:
Prepare a comprehensive prompt that will take a public domain story or poem and turn it into a song with the structure described in this chat?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Here's a comprehensive prompt you can use to turn a public domain story or poem into a song with the structure we’ve discussed:
Comprehensive Prompt for Song Creation:
"Take the public domain poem/story [insert title of the poem or story here] and turn it into a song with the following structure:
Intro: Instrumental introduction to set the emotional tone of the song.
Verse 1: Introduce the narrative and key themes, keeping the rhyme scheme ABAB. The verse should contain 8 lines, adhering closely to the original text's meaning.
Chorus: Summarize or clarify aspects of the narrative, without advancing the story. The chorus should also follow the ABAB rhyme scheme and contain 8 lines. The emotional tone should be reflective or melancholic, depending on the source material.
Verse 2: Continue the narrative with the same ABAB rhyme structure and focus on progressing the story while keeping the verse 8 lines long.
Bridge: Use this section to express a specific emotional turning point or reflection in the story. In this case, reflect on any character’s regrets, realizations, or key emotions that don’t directly advance the narrative but provide depth. Follow the same 8-line ABAB structure.
Verse 3: Conclude the narrative, summarizing the final actions or the resolution of the poem/story, also in 8 lines with an ABAB rhyme scheme.
Final Chorus: Repeat the chorus from earlier in the song, adhering to the same length, structure, and tone.
Coda/Outro: Provide a lyrical wrap-up that reflects the aftermath of the story. The outro should be similar in emotional tone to the intro, maintaining the reflective or melancholic feel, with a final sense of resolution.
The time signature should be in quarter time (4/4), with the emotional tone set to [reflective, melancholic, etc.]. Use a female vocalist for the performance. Genre options can include [folk, Americana, country, blues, etc.], with a focus on storytelling and emotion. Keep the song structure conventional, with 8 lines per section and an ABAB rhyme scheme throughout."
You can easily modify the parts in brackets according to your specific needs (e.g., title, genre, tone) and feed this prompt into UDIO or another program to guide the song creation process.