1) At the event held for the person or thing being honored:
• You, or someone you know, can sing or read the new lyrics while the prerecorded MP3 instrumental version of the song I sent you plays on a CD boombox, iPod/MP3 player, laptop computer, iPad/tablet, or on the venue's amplified sound system.

• You, or someone you know, can sing the new lyrics while the musician(s) hired for the event plays the song.

• The musicians hired for the event play and sing the song with the new lyrics.

• Invite everyone to sing the lyrics with you or with the event's musicians...by printing the lyrics on a large poster or in the event's paper program, or put the lyrics in software like Powerpoint & use a projector to put them on a screen or wall.

2) Are you singing-challenged? That's ok...just read the new lyrics as a poem to the person you are honoring.

3) Print the new lyrics in a greeting card you give to the person being honored.

4) Use a character voice or accent while singing or reading the lyrics. For an example, listen to the tribute song "Good Luck in the Army James" on the Samples page, which is sung in a typical "sergeant" voice.

5) Record the song on an iPad or digital audio recorder by singing the lyrics while the MP3 instrumental plays on a nearby computer, then (a) email the song to the person being honored, (b) post the song on your Facebook page, or (c) use part of the song as your phone ringtone.

6) Record part of the song into a "recordable gift" or "talking" item, by singing the lyrics while the MP3 instrumental plays on a nearby computer, then mail or give the item to the person being honored.  Items with special recordable chips inside (10+ seconds) include greeting cards, stuffed animals, key tags, & picture frames.  You could also buy enough recordable gifts to give them to everyone as party favors at the event. Do an online search for "recordable gift" to find these items.

To help you select that perfect song from which I will base the new lyrics, each lyric order form has different categories of drop-down menus with copyright-free (public domain) songs.  Most people already know these timeless, hum-able tunes, so hearing new words related to themselves sung or read will be delightful and surprising!  In fact, they probably grew up hearing these songs as background music in cartoons, movies or tv/radio/online commercials.

To avoid paying copyright fees, my new lyrics are based on songs written prior to 1922. These songs are no longer covered by copyright, so they can be used without paying fees to the songwriters and/or publishers. Using or altering songs copyrighted after 1922 requires adhering to strict usage guidelines and paying fees to the copyright holders.  The  music and new lyrics I compose for you can be used any way you want.