Tag: lyrics

Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #12

Continuing with the recent weeks talking about making artistic comparisons, a songwriter can do so with a simile.

A simile is a comparison of two different things using “like” or “as”

You can compare two similar objects like:

  • Soft as a pillow
  • Hot like fire

Or compare two different things in a contrasting (almost sarcastic) juxtaposition:

  • He’s as alive as a tombstone
  • Strength like a feather

Regardless of how you choose to use a simile, be sure it enhances the creative and descriptive poetry of the song.

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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #11

Sometimes, before starting a song a band might say that they are going to play in the key of something. This is so everyone is in the same realm of pitches and everyone can play together cohesively.

That being said, a lyricist should attempt to do the same idea by writing in the “key of a word,” to create cohesiveness.

Now, what exactly does that mean? Well, when writing a song, try picking one overarching word or message – and then make a word bank that directly or similarly relate to the main idea.

So, if your main idea is “how tough work is,” you would probably see words like “sweat,” “tired,” “exhausting,” instead of “fluffy.”

One helpful way to organize ideas and process them is to use a spider-chart, and how all the connecting words branch-off from each other.

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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #10

What’s a verbal metaphor and how can it be used in a song?

Take a look at the stanzas below:

My heart reaches out, clinging to you

Waiting for these shackles to be loose

Can you spot the verbal metaphor?

It is when the song says that the heart reaches and clings to another person. We all know that the heart’s function is to pump blood through the body, so the conflict of giving this personification to the heart is what creates this beautiful verbal metaphor to describe the longing of another.

Basically, the verbal metaphor is the conflict between the verb and its object/subject that it is associated with.

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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #8

Metaphors. They are a comparison between two ideas that don’t really belong together. “Figure of speeches,” as one may call them.

Today, we will be discussing one type of metaphor that can be used in your lyrics to create symbolic imagery and descriptive expression.

An expressed identity metaphor is a metaphor that asserts an identity between two nouns. Below are some typical outlines on how to for them (using variables “x” and “y” as the two different nouns of your choice):

  • (x) is/are (y)
  • the (y) of (x)
  • (x)’s (y)

Here is a way on how to use them! Instead of saying a work like “rain,” you can alternatively use a metaphor like “the cloud’s blood” to give a darker shade to the word while expressing the same meaning.

Play around as you are writing lyrics. But word of caution – try sticking to one metaphoric idea when writing a song. This is so you don’t clutter with an overabundance of imagery… or maybe that is your goal.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #7

Another blog post

To which can help so many

Falls upon deaf ears

This post can also work as a way to break from the chains of writer’s block – but today’s topic is using haikus to improve your lyrics.

The beauty of the traditional Japanese haiku is the limitation of syllables per stanza.

As you can see, the pattern of the traditional haiku is 5 – 7 – 5, and is strict to it. Because there is now a level of consciousness about the amount of syllables you can use, one is more mindful to preventing a run-on of words in the song lyrics.

While using a lot of words to create a story is great, using a small amount of words to still get the same effect is by far better.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #6

If you have either the joy or pleasure of remembering your days in kindergarten (I don’t so much), you will probably recall the activity of “Show & Tell”

The idea is that you first show the class the really cool object that you have, and then you tell the story behind it.

Doing this in your lyrics when songwriting can help a lot!

While we may be tempted to “tell” first in our lyrics by coming strait out of the canon by saying how we feel, what happened, etc., but it is wiser to “show” first in order to enhance the depth of what you eventually will tell the audience.

So, in summation, use descriptive and creative imagery before hitting with you “punchline” of tell the audience what you are trying to get at.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #5

Talking to some songwriters, some say that they want their lyrics to tell a story – to be almost cinematic. To be so descriptive that a person can easily understand the meaning of the song.

In the case where you want to make your lyrics absolute – meaning, without confusion as to what it is about – and story-like, don’t forget to add words to describe:

  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Why
  • How

We take these for granted, associating them with what your elementary literature teacher repeated nonstop. However, these points are critical when trying to convey an absolute story-like lyrics nature.

As you are revising your lyrics, look and see if you (or someone else) can easily tell the who, what, when, where, why, and how.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #4

Use a non-lyrical vocal hook!

“What is that?” you ask.

You’ve probably have heard it a million of times in songs on the radio. It is when the lyrics (or lack-there-of) resorts to a sound. Like: ah, oo, oh, yeah, eh, ay, hey, etc. And perform that catchy repeated melody to those non-lyrical vocal sounds.

This helps a song writer by not only making the melody catchy and easy to sing, but breaks the language barrier allowing anyone that can make those sounds sing along.

You probably don’t want to include it on every song you write, but it is a great tool when you are in a pinch to make some ear-candy.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #3

Here is a little reminder of a tip to use when going back and revising your lyrics:

Aims for emotional/psychological consistency. Meaning, the emotional connotations and suggestions of the words (literal or symbolic) all portray roughly the same thing. This might be tough and useless if you are planning on writing an epic poem of a song – but for short singles, this is really effective.

For example: if your song is about happiness and love and you say “I’d kill just to be with you my love” – well, there is some inconsistency. You have a song about love, but a word in the middle the suggests anger.

Look to be consistent ahead of your rough draft by making a word bank of words, and research common symbolism in literature as well as music.


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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #2

Say you are in a group and need to get some lyrics done really quick for your next gig or recording session. What do you do? Where do you start? You have some topic ideas in mind and maybe some cool song titles, but the stress is crippling you.

Here is a step process you should use that aids in getting the work started:

  1. Imagine your concept. Begin brainstorming and come up with a word bank.
  2. Free write with no hesitation. Let this flow be your first draft.
  3. Edit what you have. Pick out lines that you like and start forming what you’ve written into stanzas.
  4. Repeat the process again, but with more focus and self-evaluation.

Seems easy as you read it, but it is an amazing process that will improve your lyric writing in a time-crunch.


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