The secret to lyric writing in audio music is this: There is no secret. You heard that right!
All of your favourite musicians have their own methods of songwriting; some of them are natural at it. However, it does not mean that you can’t be better with practice.
As a form of artistic expression, writing lyrics is all about you. The subjectiveness of your feelings and your unique point of view is reflected through the words you put down.
While there are no wrong answers to songwriting, there are certain things that can help you start your journey and be better at it. Here, we have compiled the tips you can claim as “secrets” to lyric writing.
1. Focus on Ideas and Themes First
Everything starts with an idea. At the heart of every great lyric, the artist is trying to convey a message or a theme. As a result, you also have to find what you want to convey.
Are you going to tell a story about a love interest? Explore a societal concept? Or will solely focus on expressing whatever emotion that’s flowing through you? As mentioned before, there are no wrong answers here.
Remember, your writing is a reflection of your life or your personal experience. As Leonard Cohen once said, “If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash”.
Don’t worry if the topic seems too common; the secret lies in presenting your unique perspective. A love song, for example, has been written a million times, but it’s your personal experience, detail, and twist that will make it stand out.
Tip: Ideas & Themes
Start by brainstorming. Think of a memorable moment, feeling, or situation, and build your theme from there. Let your theme guide your lyrics and give the listener a glimpse into your world.
Specificity can make your song resonate more with listeners: instead of saying, “I’m sad,” say “I’m staring at the empty coffee cup you left on my counter.”
2. Play with Word Choice and Imagery
Your feelings are complex. Just saying, “I’m happy” does not fully convey the totality of your emotion. And when it fails to capture the right feelings, your listeners also find it hard to connect with the lyrics.
As a result, one other “secret” to songwriting is being true to yourself. Describing how you feel in a more vivid manner.
Use concrete, sensory words that bring a scene to life in the listener’s mind. For example, instead of saying, “I’m happy”, describe something that shows joy: “I’m laughing with the summer wind brushing through my hair”.
Tip: Word Choice & Imagery
A powerful rule in songwriting and poetry is “show, don’t tell.” Avoid directly stating how someone feels; instead, describe actions, environments, and small details that evoke those emotions naturally.
3. Structure: Verses, Choruses, and Bridges
Almost all the songs you love that have lyrics implement a common structure consisting of verses, choruses and sometimes bridges.
- Verse: Think of a verse as the storytelling part of a song. There are usually multiple verses that explore different “chapters” of your theme.
- Chorus: The chorus, on the other hand, often sums up the core message of the song and should be simple, repetitive, and catchy.
- Bridge: The bridge (if you use one) acts as a contrast or a shift in the song, breaking the pattern for a moment before returning to the chorus. It’s a great place to introduce a new perspective or emotion that adds depth to your story.
It is completely your own decision how you want to structure your song to guide your listener. The most common structures in pop music are:
- Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus
- Verse-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus
Tip: Lyric Structure
Experiment with different structures and find what fits your song. If you’re working on an emotional or narrative-driven song, you might want to build toward a climax in your lyrics through the bridge.
4. Rhythm and Melody: How Lyrics Fit Music
Lyrics are fundamentally poetry. The major difference lies in the rhythm and melody.
Basically, the goal is to match the lyrics with the song’s rhythm. However, while this may sound simple, many songwriters struggle with it at first.
Understand the Rhythm Like an Instrument
Think of the vocal melody and lyrics as part of the instrument ensemble. Just like drums or a guitar follow rhythmic patterns, the words need to align with the beats. This rhythmic structure is what helps a song flow smoothly. Treating your voice like another instrument makes it easier to conceptualise how the words need to fit.
One approach is to practise singing gibberish or scatting over your music. By vocalising nonsense sounds (“tata” or “dada”), you can create a framework for rhythm and melody without worrying about the exact words yet.
Once you’ve nailed down the rhythmic pattern, it becomes easier to replace the gibberish with words that fit naturally into the flow. It’s a technique that many experienced songwriters use to find the perfect sync between rhythm and lyrics.
Break Down the Phrases
One of the most common pitfalls is trying to fit too many words into a small musical space. It’s essential to break the lyrics into manageable phrases.
Rests and pauses in your vocal delivery are just as important as the words themselves because they give the listener time to process and reflect. These pauses also allow for more dynamic and expressive phrasing.
For example, in the iconic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the lyrics are broken into distinct sections:
- “Somewhere over the rainbow…” (short pause)
- “Way up high…” (longer pause)
- “There’s a land that I heard of…” (phrase continues)
Each of these units exists in rhythmic harmony with the melody, allowing the singer to emphasise certain words and deliver them at the right moments.
Pausing at the end of a phrase lets the listener absorb the meaning while continuing without enough pause, which can make the song feel rushed or cluttered.
Experiment with Rhythmic Patterns
Your lyrics don’t always have to follow the standard beats of the music. Try experimenting with different rhythmic ideas, like starting on the offbeat or using triplet rhythms, which are common in genres like rap.
Syncopation (emphasising beats or parts of a beat that aren’t normally emphasised) can add an interesting twist to your lyric delivery.
For example, rather than starting every line directly on the beat, you might push the beginning of a word slightly later or earlier, creating a syncopated effect.
Tip: Rhythm & Melody
Don’t hesitate to hum or scat-sing over your instrumental track to find a natural melody, even if the words are nonsense at first. This approach allows you to explore the rhythms and cadences before committing to specific words.
5. Rhyming: To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme?
Contrary to popular belief, not all lyrics have to rhyme. However, rhyme schemes can create a satisfying sense of closure for listeners.
Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes, a highly talented songwriter, mentioned how flexibility can be more important than finding the perfect rhymes – “My favourite rhymes are sort of half-rhymes where you might just get the vowel sound the same, but it’s not really a true rhyme. That gives you far more flexibility to capture the feeling you’re trying to express. But sometimes it’s best not to have any rhyme.”
Rhymes can be simple or complex, and multisyllabic rhymes can add a level of sophistication, especially in rap or lyrical music.
- True Rhymes (like “fire” and “desire”) can sound clean and catchy.
- Slant Rhymes (like “heart” and “car”) can give a more conversational tone.
- Internal Rhymes (rhymes within a single line) or multisyllabic rhymes (like “overcome” and “become”) can add complexity and richness to your lyrics.
Tip: Rhymes
Avoid “forced rhymes,” where it’s clear the rhyme was chosen just to fit the scheme instead of conveying the right meaning. Rhymes should serve the song’s theme and emotion, not the other way around.
6. Use Repetition for Impact
A big part of what makes a song catchy is repetition. Repeating key phrases or hooks can help solidify your song in the listener’s mind.
A well-placed repetition in the chorus or bridge reinforces the main message, giving the audience something to remember.
Tip: Repetition
Think of classic songs like “Let It Be” by The Beatles. The title phrase is repeated, but each time it carries more weight as the song progresses, reinforcing the overall message.
7. Draw Inspiration from Other Songwriters
One of the best ways to improve your lyric writing is to study songwriters you admire. Learn cover songs from your favourite artists and pay attention to how they structure their lyrics.
What themes do they explore? How do they arrange rhymes, and what emotions do they evoke?
Borrowing techniques and then tweaking them to suit your style is a great way to develop your voice. Remember what David Bowie said – “The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from”.
Tip: Drawing Inspirations
Write songs “in the style of” other artists. This practice helps you experiment with different writing techniques and styles until you find your own.
8. Confidence is Key
No matter how you feel about the quality of your lyrics, confidence in your delivery can transform a song.
Believe in the words you write, and perform them with conviction.
The energy and confidence behind the lyrics often make the difference between a good song and a great one.
Tip: Confidence
Sing your lyrics like you mean every word, even if you’re unsure about them. Sometimes it’s all about the delivery.
9. Have Fun and Don’t Overthink It
Lyric writing is an evolving process. Sometimes, the best songs come from spontaneous moments where you let go of perfection and allow the words to flow naturally.
And don’t force it if you don’t have a specific idea to write about. As Neil Young said:
“I don’t force it. If you don’t have an idea and you don’t hear anything going over and over in your head, don’t sit down and try to write a song. You know, go mow the lawn… My songs speak for themselves.”
Don’t get caught up in trying to make everything perfect on the first draft. Edit and refine later.
Tip: Having Fun
Play with language, try new things, and most importantly, have fun with it. When you enjoy the process, the results often shine through.
Final Thoughts
To sum it all up, it’s important to give yourself time and enjoy the process of writing songs. When it comes to true artistic expression, songwriting can help you deal with emotions – both positive and negative ones. It should be beneficial for you and you only.
