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Get Started in Songwriting: Lyrics

by Sam Inglis

There are musical genres that don't necessarily involve singing, like jazz and post-rock, but for most of us, a song isn't complete without words. The words to a song have two main functions. The most obvious one is that they mean something. The lyrics to a song convey a message to the listener: lyrics can tell stories, implore lovers to return, celebrate good times or bemoan bad ones.

The other thing a strong lyric needs to do is to sound good, regardless of the meaning. When the singer sings the words, what comes out should be a series of noises that pleases the ear.

The key to writing good lyrics is to balance the two considerations. At one extreme, some songwriters get so involved in the political or personal message of their song that they ignore issues such as rhyme and scansion. At the other, there have been hits which use nonsense or gibberish lyrics, which mean nothing but work purely on the level of sounding 'right'. Either approach can still produce the kind of 'hook' that makes a song memorable, but if you can bring a strong message together with a striking rhyme or pattern of syllables, you'll really strike gold.


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Get Started In Songwriting: Teach Yourself

Get Started In Songwriting: Teach Yourself
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