Writing Song Lyrics Quickly

WRITING SONG LYRICS QUICKLY

Writing songs is no easy task.  Sometimes the simpler you want them to be, the longer they can take to write.

There are many different ways to write songs, and to incorporate your words with a beat and instruments.

These days a lot of prospective poets turn to songwriting for work when they are unable to make a living off writing poetry.  Writing a song is in essence, adapting a poem into a song.

Let’s go over some of the basics of songwriting:

Format:

A format is the song’s basic shape, or content.  People also refer to it as “structure” or “form”.

• Verse – the verse is what tells you about the song.  It also sets up the chorus.  Lyrics should contain different information from verse to verse.
• Chorus – is sometimes referred to as a “refrain”.  It speaks more towards the meaning of the song and the emotion that went into writing it.
• Bridge – This is also called a “release” or “shock”.  The bridge does many things in a song.  It keeps the beat going, helping listeners to not become bored with the song.  Often a bridge is strictly instrumental (ie., Led Zeppelin drum solo, anyone….)
• Pre-Chorus – This is also referred to as “climb”, “lift”, “B-section”, and “setup”.  A pre-chorus comes directly before the chorus, but may only be used one or two times in a song.

To write a good song you need to make the listeners see/feel the following:

• Visual imagery – see what you are singing about
• Compelling Storyline – you need to write about something that will move people, without feeling like they’ve heard it before.
• Emotional Response – make the listener feel that your song relates to moments in their lives, or to feel the angst, or joy, that you are singing about in your own life.
• Originality – any writer knows this can be the hardest part of all.  The way media is being “recycled” in this day and age shows exactly how hard it can be to have an original thought.

You need to make your lyrics connect with your listener.  It is essential that you capture their hearts, and their imaginations.

When sitting down to write a song, don’t try to write it in the format of the song.  Start with a single thought, feeling, or memory that is moving you at that time and just start writing.  Once you do, you will be able to pull lines off the paper and make them fit together into something beautiful.  Unless a catchy chorus comes to you during the process, wait until you have the general foundation of your lyrics and they will move you to where the chorus needs to be at.  But, your end result must be in a format where they can be converted into music.

If you’re still having a hard time, sit down and listen to some of your favorite songs and pay attention to how the words are put together, they are bound to move you in the right direction.

If you liked the content of this article please check out my website at www.thestartingpointpodcast.com – David Grimes II, Writer

About the Author

David Grimes II is a writer and artist currently living in San Francisco California’s beautiful East Bay. He is a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English, specializing in Creative Writing and Technical Writing. David has written for print publications in New England, written advertising copy for many Massachusetts-based businesses, written content for multiple websites, written sketches for internet-based video sketch groups, written for live sketch comedy companies, and written songs for a handful of rock bands. David also worked at UMass as the sole writer/producer of the UMass Amherst Annual Fund Newsletter.

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