How to make good lyrics?
Melisa
Member Posts: 10
I tryna make a song for my band, kind of hybrid genre. I get trouble when I finished my lyric but couldn't get a good feeling to make the riffs. Then I made the riffs first but I couldn't get feeling for the riffs if there's no lyrics LOL. It's my first time to write a song, so I still want to get your help about it.
Thankyou~
Thankyou~
Comments
you can read dozens of books about it. or you can also analyze your favourite lyrics. you can also "copy" the rhyme scheme and rhythm of a song that you like, basically using the reference song as a skeleton to make your own.
for me, i am pretty slow at writing songs, and i find that the process is different every time (do i start with lyrics or instrumental, do i write the chorus first, or the verse etc.)
stay consistent, try to write a little bit every day, it gets you in the flow over time a bit more.
some other random tips:
*use simple chord progressions first (C Am F G etc) so you understand what you are doing
*try to mix general statements and personal feelings/impressions so that it is relatable to people that aren't you
*end the verse with a strong line that is in keeping with the theme of the song and makes a statement people can relate to
*if you have one weaker line and one stronger line, use the weaker line first, so that it resolves into the stronger, rather than the other way round (think of it as a pun that needs a strong ending)
*try to make it sound as if someone would actually say this, use everyday phrases and don't use unusual words or change the order of words just because the pattern calls for it
*don't expect the lyric to come out in one stream, i find writing quite tedious, i write down lots of stuff and then edit over and over again until i am happy. be prepared to write down hundreds of lines in order to finish a normal 3 minute song
*force yourself to finish what you start as good as possible (this is probably the hardest part for me)
good luck!
by weak and strong i mean that if a word is a bit construed because you needed it for the rhyme, then you should use this line first.
look this is a green day lyric, end of a verse in "Brat", after this it goes into the chorus:
"i'm a snot-nosed slob without a job but i know i damn well should
mum and dad don't look so hot these days but my future's looking good"
if you turn this around it is:
"mum and dad don't look so hot these days but my future's looking good
i'm a snot-nosed slob without a job but i know i damn well should"
and the last rhyme just does not "explode" in the same way as the original one, because it is not really a powerful statement or a strong rhyme, more like a filler. the song is about the "brat" waiting to inherit money from his parents, so "my future is looking good" really wraps up a lot of the general meaning of the song, whereas "i know i damn well should" has little meaning on its own.
Now I can choose lyrics for verse or chorus, though I do slowly, using the good slang words like you said.
Thankyou, Klaus~ 😊