how do you recognize when a song is going south?

[cyanogen]

Listening is the key, from my experirence. What I like to do is listen to the entire song after a complete series of edits. This shows me how it flows or doesn't, as the case may be. Also, I've found that listening to each idea before I make any edits is a huge help. Before I'd say, "Oh, I'll just read the sheet music." Then I'd tear my hair out because I couldn't make it work. Doh.

One more thing...I like to take one day off per week (usually Friday). It helps to clear my head.