Tag: lyrics

Today we are going to talk about the different points of view (separately) when writing lyrics.  It is important to be conscious of the song’s/story’s point of view because you want the intended message to come across to the audience.  For example: if you want to talk about a personal subject, would you be using the word “you?”  Probably not.

For this post, we are going to talk about First Person.

First Person has some intimacy to it, but can become objective.  It is also used to talk to the audience about other people, depending on if using and outsider narrative. 

The following are words used to convey the First Person point of view:

• Subject – I, we
• Direct Object – me, us
• Possessive Adjective – my, our
• Possessive Predicate – mine, ours

So, if you want to convey the First Person point of view, keep in mind of using those words above.

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One thing to be mindful of when writing your lyrics is (trying) to keep everything within the same tense… either being the past, present, or future tense.

Of course, you can switch between these with every verse, such as if one verse is in past tense, the next one is in present tense, and finally the last verse is in future). However, having different tenses within the same verse section can sound really awkward and ununiform.

So, here are simple ways on modifying verbs to match the correct tense you are going after:

• Past: has, had, -ed
• Present: is -ing, -s
• Future: will

Another thing you can do is “neutralize” the tense. This is by strictly using the -ing form of the verbs, the to form of the verb, or avoiding all verbs completely. This will accurately make sure everything is in the correct tense, but the audience will have a harder time telling if you are in the past, present, or future.

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A quick mindfulness tip when writing and revising your lyrics:

Say that the purpose of your song is to have a “build-up” of thematic material or a load of hints before the final reveal at the end/chorus.

The best way to make a flow with continuity before the big reveal is to make sure one thing is carried over from one verse to the next. This allows for connectivity as well as continuous exponential growth in the thematic details before everything is pieced together in the end/chorus.

Think of each verse as an opportunity to dig a bit deeper into the details of the story. You start at the surface and work your way to the core.

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Most songs have a structure using verses and choruses/refrains.

The chorus or refrain is a repeated section that typically doesn’t change (or if it does, it is minimal and still keeps to a basic theme) so that everyone can sing along. Hence the name – chorus.

The purpose of the verse is to tell a story that will bring out the central meaning of the chorus.

We can think each verse section as a “box” – containing ideas in lyrical form to compose the overall message of the song.

When you are brainstorming how you want to construct your verses, keep in mind this “box rules” for your verses as to how much you should say/reveal to create a good flow in lyrical storytelling:

• Box 1 – the first verse should be where you introduce the audience into the world of the song, giving a good flow of ideas
• Box 2 – the return of the next verse should be a continuation of the same ideas, but in a new creative angle/viewpoint
• Box 3+ – any other verses should get to the point of the theme, but in your own angle or combining ideas from previous verses.

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