Speak from the heart– the things you really feel strongly about are usually the easiest to write lyrics for. Don’t judge or throw out your work yet – this is the drafting stage, you’ll be perfecting as you keep writing.
What would you rather be doing than school (“I’d rather be picking apples and swinging from trees”)? How do you know the teacher is no smarter than you (“My paper on quantum physics only got me a C”)? Most song verses are only 4-6 lines long, so this is already halfway to a verse!
Choruses should be simple so that they are easy to remember. Hooks don’t even have to rhyme, as seen in the famous Rolling Stones hook: “You can’t always get what you want / But if you try sometimes you might find you what you need. "
Action words. Don’t rely on “is,” “love,” and other commonly used words that everyone has heard. Try to use unique, precise words to convey the song’s emotion. Trimming. How can you re-write a line to make it shorter and more to the point? Where are the lyrics vague? Instead of saying, “we got in the car,” say the type of car. Instead of talking about going to dinner, say what type of food you ate. [1] X Research source
Simple Rhyme: This is simply rhyming the last syllables of two lines, like “I’ve just seen a face / I can’t forget the time or place. " Slant Rhyme: This is when the words don’t technically rhyme, but they’re sung in a way that makes them appear to rhyme. It is surprisingly common in all forms of songwriting. Examples include “Nose” and “go,” or “orange” and “porridge. “[2] X Research source Multi-syllabic rhyme: This uses multiple words or syllables, all of which rhyme. Check Big Daddy Kane on “One Day,” where he raps “Ain’t no need for wondering who’s the man/ Staying looking right always an exclusive brand. "
If you’re writing a full song, just think of each verse like a scene in a short movie. Since most songs have three verses, this simply means a beginning, middle, and end.
“Blowin’ in the Wind,” which examines lots of issues, grounds itself with a simple question in the beginning of every verse – how long can an injustice last before it must change? “Tombstone Blues,” one of Dylan’s more expansive and out-there songs, is about a worry about what written and remembered on our tombstones after we die.
Prolific songwriter Paul Simon claims that all of his songs are composed of these loose pieces. As he finds some that match up, he slowly builds up lyrics to a song. [3] X Research source
That said, don’t make a complicated title if you don’t have to. Most songs use the chorus lines for a reason – the chorus is already stating the main theme of the song. [4] X Research source
ABAB, or “alternating rhyme” is also common, and is easily written by splitting two long line into four ones. Really technical writers might try to rhyme 4-6 lines in a row. This could be an AAAA BBBB rhyme scheme, or even AAAA AAAA if you’re feeling extra complicated. Some writers will try extending out a rhyme over multiple verses. Like an AAAB CCCB scheme. For an example, tune into “Tombstone Blues. "
Choruses/Hooks are the repeated sections of the song, and the catchy area you hope everyone remembers the song by. They are usually short, and identically repeated. Verses are generally the longest, most unique sections, where you expand on the ideas of the song and make your point, tell your story, etc. Bridges, also called “Middle 8s,” are sections with different instrumentals. They often transition between a chorus or verse, or provide one section of differing texture and sound. This can be an instrumental solo, or cue a change in the mood or theme of the lyrics.
Another popular trick is to use multiple bridges to get from each verse to each chorus– something like verse / bridge / chorus / verse / bridge / chorus / etc. Bridges can also be instrumental breaks like guitar solos. [5] X Research source
Paul McCartney of The Beatles famously found the melody to “Yesterday” by just repeating the words “Scrambled Eggs” until he found the notes. The lyrics were put in later. [6] X Research source
A good way to start with internal rhyme is to cut your lines in half, treating a rhyming couplet like 4 short lines instead of two longer ones. Internal rhyme doesn’t have to be regular, like regular rhyme. Even one or two in a song can have a wonderful effect. You can even have internal rhyme in the same line, like another MF Doom line, “never will he boost loose Philly’s with the bar code. “[7] X Research source
A good way to start with internal rhyme is to cut your lines in half, treating a rhyming couplet like 4 short lines instead of two longer ones. Internal rhyme doesn’t have to be regular, like regular rhyme. Even one or two in a song can have a wonderful effect. You can even have internal rhyme in the same line, like another MF Doom line, “never will he boost loose Philly’s with the bar code. “[7] X Research source
A good way to start with internal rhyme is to cut your lines in half, treating a rhyming couplet like 4 short lines instead of two longer ones. Internal rhyme doesn’t have to be regular, like regular rhyme. Even one or two in a song can have a wonderful effect. You can even have internal rhyme in the same line, like another MF Doom line, “never will he boost loose Philly’s with the bar code. “[7] X Research source
Another strategy is to rhyme the last line of each verse with the last line of every other verse. Check out “Simple Twist of Fate. "
Assonance is when you use the same vowel sound multiple times, such as “awesome apple” or “evidently envious. " Alliteration is just like assonance, but with consonants. Examples include “slippery slope” and “washed out water polo women. "
Metaphor is when one thing is implied to stand in for another, like the song “Firework” by Katy Perry. She doesn’t literally mean that “you’re a firework,” she means that you contain a beautiful interior life waiting to explode into the world. Simile is a more direct metaphor using the word “like” or “as. " “She was like a rose,” for example, implies that she is beautiful, but may be dangerously thorny. Synecdoche is when a small part represents a bigger whole. For example, “the pen is mightier than the sword” actually means that “ideas are stronger than violence,” not that pens literally beat up swords. [8] X Research source
From “Tombstone Blues:” “My advice is to not let the boys in” // “You will not die, it’s not poison. " Very few other people have rhymed “boys in” with “poison. “[9] X Research source
Keep the old copies of your drafts, that way you can always return to an old version if you want to try something new and it doesn’t sound great. Use gigs and shows to test out new songs in lyrics. Where did they feel good and where was it awkward to sing through? What sections did people seem to like?[11] X Research source
Details, images,and specifics will almost always go better than broad generalities.
