How To Write Song Lyrics

When learning how to write song lyrics there's a few fundamentals to consider such as; viewpoint, song plot, timeframe, prosody & meter, and theme.

These are the basics and getting a grasp of them is essential if you want to improve your lyric writing.

Remember what a song is made up of, 2 things... Music and Lyrics. A lot of songwriters find writing music a lot easier than writing lyrics.
And because they struggle with writing song lyrics they tend to write any old rubbish just to get it over with, as long as it rhymes they're happy.

Don't let this be you!

Having great lyrics is what makes a good song a brilliant song.
If a lyric can sound good on it's own without any music then you know you've done a good job.

So let's take a look at some of the basics of writing lyrics.

First things first, what exactly is the purpose of a lyric?

To express a feeling or an emotion

To provide a common voice about societies issues and problems

To tell a story, describe an experience

To express a thought, an insight
A song usually focuses on one of these, sometimes it might use more than one but not very often.
Keeping the purpose of your lyric in mind while writing will help keep your lyric focused, and a focused lyric
is a great lyric.

So what else is there for you to keep in mind while you're writing?

The Viewpoint

First Person - I/We

Second Person - You

Third Person - He/She/They

The Timeframe

Past

Present

Future

The Theme

There are many different themes to write about, here are a few examples

Love

Sex

Hope

Faith

Drugs

Life

Dancing

Partying ETC...

When learning how to write song lyrics the important thing to remember is to keep your lyric focused.
So if your writing in the present tense and from the first person viewpoint,
make sure your entire lyric stays the same.

Parts Of A Song Made Easy

This article will take a look at the different parts of a song, i.e. intro, verse, chorus, bridge etc. It will describe each section in detail and by the end of it you should be able to identify the different parts of a song and understand each ones purpose.

Intro

This is the introduction, always appearing at the start of the song. In popular music this typically lasts between 4 - 8 bars, this works best for radio airplay since most songs usually only last between 3 - 4 mins, short and simple, that's the way they like it. Other genres of music, such as rock and dance, generally don't apply this rule.

The main job of the intro is to grab the listeners attention, it should pull them in and make them want to hear the rest of the song. It is usually an instrumental form of the verse or chorus.

Verse

The purpose of the verse is to tell the story of the song. Every song has a story or a message to convey and the verse is where you do it. Musically the melody of the verse is the same each time. Lyrically it differs, with each verse developing the story.

Dynamically, verses are usually a little quieter than the chorus. Remember, the amount of verses you use depends on what song form you are using.

Pre-chorus

The pre-chorus happens between the verse and the chorus. It is used to add an additional level of dynamics. Not all songs use a pre-chorus, it tends to be used on a "only if needed" basis. Its main function is to build tension up to the chorus and then the chorus provides the relief. It can really help make your chorus stand out. A pre-chorus is usually kept fairly short, between 2 - 8 bars.

Chorus

This is without a doubt the MOST important part of a song. It is where you convey the main message of the song. It should be the same each time, both musically and lyrically, and the title of the song should also be placed within it. A great chorus is catchy and memorable. After hearing your song only even once, the listener should walk around all day with it stuck in their head.

Bridge

The bridge comes after the second chorus of your song and its main purpose is to add contarst. This could be either a new chord progression that breaks up the repetitive verse/chorus structure, an instrumental solo, new lyrical message etc. Typically not lasting longer than 8 bars.

Outro

The end of a song can sometimes be reffered to as an outro. This is when the song fades out gradually or has some kinda of big finale.