The art of lyricism is a double-edged sword: good, well-thought-out lyrics truly have little value, as proven by the history of Billboard Top-Ten best-selling songs. Really awful lyrics are, however, a different story: lyricism’s effects on the listener are so precarious that any obviously amateur lyric which stands out, distracting the audience from the flow of the song, can destroy a career.
Furthermore, some songs require wordy poeticism, and other songs call for simple, playful lyrics. Misplacement of these two aspects, and the lack of understanding of the song’s essence, will take away from the strength of the song.
Getting Started: Concentration and Preparation
Before covering the technical cornerstones of writing lyrics, future songwriters should note the importance of identifying the essence of the song. Many songwriters compose without any understanding of this concept. In terms of lyrics, defining the essence means asking “What do I want to say?” The answer to this may be clearly worded, or it may be more abstract; like other forms of writing, the artist may be unsure of the essence at the offset, and will use the songwriting process itself to discover it.
But whatever the case, the songwriter needs to identify the situation clearly and finally before delving into the lyrics. Now, to discuss the three cornerstones of lyricism. The sequence of these aspects are here listed arbitrarily and will change depending on the particular style of the song and songwriter.
Sometimes, songwriters write the lyrics first, and sometimes they write the melody and chord changes first. Sometimes the two aspects are written simultaneously. This sequence makes a huge impact on the essence of the song.
The key throughout these decisions and processes is to ensure that the lyrics match the melody. Take Simon and Garfunkel's The Only Living boy in New York, for instance; both the lyrics and the chord changes prepresent longing, questioning, and a solitary contentedness.
Use the first step, whether lyrics or melody, and devote some listening time to discover what its essence really is. That way, the melody will more clearly align with the lyrics, or vice versa, and the song will be stronger and more comprehensive.
Three Cornerstones for Songwriting: Lyrics
Meter and Cadence — Meter and cadence refer to the rhythm and tempo set by the consonants of the lyrics in accordance with the song’s beat. In general, meter and cadence play a large role in subgenres such as classic hip hop and traditional folk music, and a smaller role in pop and art rock.
If the melody is written before the lyrics, the meter and cadence have for the most part already been determined, which will limit the songwriter’s lyrical freedom. If this freedom is crucial, write the lyrics first, thereby determining the meter, the melody and even the genre of the song.
Rhyme — The use of rhyming words should come second to the essence and message of the song. Communicating the true meaning of the lyrics to the audience is more important than finding words that rhyme; forced rhymes stick out like a sore thumb, greatly detracting from the strength of the song.
It’s very important to remember that a song’s lyrics do not have to rhyme. A strong song will have a consistent rhyme scheme, which means that it either does or does not consistently rhyme throughout the entire song. If the songwriter chooses to implement rhyming lyrics, it is useful to find a thesaurus or rhyming dictionary in order to have more freedom between synonymous words, maintaining the essence of the song. English, after all, has one of the largest vocabularies available, which leads us to the final cornerstone of writing song lyrics:
Word Association — It is one thing to shape all your lyrics around the appropriate meter while applying a catchy rhyme scheme. It is another thing altogether to implement the use of effective syntax. If the goal is poeticism, indeed, cadence, meter and rhyme should come secondly after word association.
For instance, if the desired image is of a street scene with autumn leaves falling, crisp air and a full moon rising, the songwriter could try to scrunch all of those descriptors into a phrase, or (s)he could invoke a term such as “October dusk.” The key is to devote a lot of time to wording, while constantly taking this question into consideration: “what does this word involuntarily bring to mind?” This will ensure that the songwriter’s true message is not only communicated clearly, it is communicated powerfully.
Isaac Darnall - I've made my home in Franklin, Tennessee as a writer/musician/photographer. I focused on fiction for about five years, and while it is my ...
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