BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Compose a Lyric

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Most popular songs are written about people who want to be in love, who are currently in love or who used to be in love. "God Bless America" is one of the exceptions, though it could be said that this song is about love of country. But, by and large, the love topic is most frequently selected - probably because it gives you a reason to sing.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Guitars
Pianos
Dictionaries
Sheet Music
Thesauri
Erasers
Paper And Pencils

Step1

Select a topic - love or a humorous or novelty theme like "Never Hit Your Grandma With a Shovel" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which are other exceptions.

Step2

Select your approach - compose your lyric and melody simultaneously; write the lyric, then find a melody to fit; or fit your lyric to a melody previously written.

Step3

Write both the lyric and the melody yourself if you possess the musical skills. This may be the most advantageous route. Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim and Irving Berlin, for example, worked more productively alone.

Step4

Collaborate with a partner if you work best this way. Gilbert and Sullivan, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe are collaborations made in heaven. Choose wisely - the two key requirements are creativity and personal drive.

Step5

Select a form. A working knowledge of form and structure is an absolute necessity for composers, arrangers, orchestrators and lyricists. (See "How to Study a Lyric's Form," under Related eHows.)

Step6

Work out your rhyme scheme. The most common practice is to rhyme the last word of each section, but the better lyricist will display his or her skill with a generous helping of interior rhymes as well.

Step7

Write. If you wait around for divine inspiration to drop the completed product in your lap, it's doubtful you'll ever write a note. Put something on paper. Word by word, note by note, change by change, your ideas will gradually take shape.

Step8

Be disciplined in your work habits. In the musical comedy "No Strings," Broadway composer Richard Rodgers penned this phrase: "The sweetest sounds I've ever heard are still inside my head." Without a solid, sustained effort to get it on the page, your "sweetest sounds" cannot become a reality. Best wishes and welcome to the club!

Tips & Warnings

Rhyming can be a pain, especially when rhythms demand a rhyme with a specific number of syllables. Buy a rhyming dictionary and a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms to assist in finding the right word when your overworked, creative mind runs into a brick wall.
You may not aspire to create sophisticated and grammatical lyrics, but a great deal can be learned from analyzing the work of lyricists who have made a significant contribution to the art. You may choose to express yourself in an entirely different manner, and that's the way it's supposed to be.
Avoid song sharks - don't fall for advertisers "looking for lyrics." To be sure, they'll write a tune to fit your lyric and even send you a tape or CD of a workmanlike performance. It's a lucrative business that preys on lyric writers and remains just barely within the law by providing an actual product. A better bet is to try to locate a composer through local high school and college music teachers.

Comments

TheNEWBobDylan said

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on 10/6/2008 Show don't tell...exemplify something through images rather than saying it straight out.

Anonymous said

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on 3/6/2006 The easiest rhyme scheme is: A/A/B/B/C/C/D/D but another good one is: Verse: A/A/A/A Chorus: B/B etc.
Of course, if you can, try to keep a theme with how your words sound and what level and kind of vocabulary you use. A metal song will not have the same vocabulary as a punk song, which will not have the same vocabulary as a rap song.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If you're like me and always manage to compose lyrics at inopertune times (at a party, on the bus, in the toilet etc.) it might be a good idea to buy yourself a pad and pen so you can jot down your wonderful lyrics as soon as they come rather than forgetting it all when you finally get to a PC or note pad. (Does not always work in shower)

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 I recently reached a songwriting kick this summer. Last summer I would try forcing a song, but it just didn't work. Well recently, I developed the above mentioned kick when my emotions about a boy were changing (because he's now a jerk) Anyway, since then I went on instinct and let the words flow out (if I can tell they are coming out in the current sitting). If words aren't coming easily, wait for your song. I can easily flow words as I imagine a tune and free-style sing, in a way. It helps with syllables and can make riding unimportant, as not every song needs to rhyme if it has a beat, message, and can pull it off. I suggest not trying to think of a subject if you don't have to, as things that are deeply on your mind will reflect in your writing. After your song is done, read through it and decide what it's about and what title would fit. After that, try playing the song in your mind or singing it and edit any uncomfortable parts. That's how my best songs are made. And I'd like to add that sometimes you might develop a feeling when you need to write a song(since writing out problems helps while making a song). Or if my mind starts making verses randomly, I know to get my pen because my head is ready to turn out a song to me.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Tell a story through your song, or describe a person or place. Either way, make sure it is attractive to other people even though they haven't gone through what you have. Metaphors and symbols are also great, I think. Hide your ideas behind pretty words.