Original sentence: Usually composing the music while others handled the lyrics, Silver wrote for almost half a century, starting with World War I-era songs such as 1918's "You Can't Blame the Girlies (They All Want to Marry a Soldier)," and continuing through the decades with such classics as 1921's "I'm Going South"; "Chasing Shadows" in 1925; and 1940's "How Did He Look
Edited sentence: Usually composing the music while others handled the lyrics, Silver wrote for almost half a century, starting with World War I–era songs such as 1918's "You Can't Blame the Girlies (They All Want to Marry a Soldier)," and continuing through the decades with such classics as 1921's "I'm Going South"; "Chasing Shadows" in 1925; and 1940's "How Did He Look