6♣ You can’t write that

6♣ Six of Clubs in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song

The Six of Clubs demands that you break every rule and taboo that constrains you. Write your forbidden songs, the ones that you're not allowed to write.

Depending on who you are and what your hangups are, these could be songs that are rude, pornographic, scatological, sexist, politically incorrect, illegal, ugly, cloyingly sweet, or just plain wrong.

Don't worry — you don't have to share these songs with anyone else unless you choose to do so. It's okay if you run them through the shredder as soon as you're done writing them. The point is not to shatter your social identity. Indeed, it's wise to deliberately cultivate a social identity that serves your purposes, even if it's not 100% authentic.

But you should shatter any constraints that limit your creative expression. There is no need to limit yourself in the privacy of your own songwriting studio. You always have the option of editing or censoring things before you let other people hear them, but don't pre-censor them before you even create them. That results in what we sometimes call creative constipation. Where everything is blocked.

By breaking down the walls, you may discover reservoirs of creative energy that you haven't been using.

Just this week, go ahead, be bad. You know you want to.