How to Create Unique Lyrics for a Song
Unleash your muse., Practice this daily: First thing in the morning, when you're sitting down with your cup of coffee, tea, or diet soda, pull out a pen and paper., Pick the main subject of the song., Begin to develop your song., Put together the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Unleash your muse.
So many times we start out writing a song by trying to squish what we want to say into four or eight bars with a couple rhymes and hopefully a hook.
If we're lucky, we'll get the message out.
This is all well and great, but it's also not a very inspiring or unique way to write a song: we're locked in before we even begin.
Instead, try just writing what's on your mind without the structure of a song. , Pick something in the room.
Anything.
It might be the coffee pot, or the mosquito that just landed on your arm.
Write for ten to fifteen minutes about that object, in as much detail as you can.
It can be accurate, or fanciful—but be as freely creative as you can be.
Don't spend too long on this—you're not writing a song; think of it instead as exercising your creative brain so that when it's time, your brain will be ready to help you write a song. , When you're ready to write a song, use the skills you've been developing by practicing every day.
This time, instead of an object in the room, pick that which the song is about.
It might be a girl, it might be a car.
It could be an abstract concept like love, or a situation like riding on a train.
Now, instead of cramming that into four rhyming lines, write a story about it, and use all your senses to describe the story.
It doesn't have to be well written, or even grammatically correct.
Think of it more like a stream of consciousness "thought poem," and write what comes to mind.
When you're done, examine your writing.
What parts strike a particularly strong emotional chord within you? What parts are expository, and what parts bear repeating? , Some songs tell a story, while some songs are small vignettes with a central theme.
As you worked the writing exercise, you probably had a sense of which way your song would go.
If your song is a story, get it all out in the exercise.
If it's vignettes, write several short stories that tie to that to the central theme, and another story that is all about the theme itself.
For example, Bob Dylan's Shelter From The Storm, while having some elements of a story, is more a series of vignettes that paint a picture of a time and place, and a life of hardships, but always come back to his benefactor: "Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm." Another Dylan song, Lily, Rosemary, And The Jack Of Hearts, is a sequential narrative, and like Shelter From The Storm, always comes back to the focus: the Jack of Hearts , These will form the backbone of the lyrics, the reason for each verse, the chorus, or both.
Don't overdo it—you could end up with a 20-minute song! We'll stick to standard formats for now.
With your ideas for each verse sketched out, work out a verse that makes each point.
Commonly, the point is made in the last line, with the first three lines building up support, reason, or rhyme for the last line.
Continue filling in the "blanks," until each verse is complete.
You may find that there are rhymes that can be reused in other verses, and some verses that stand on their own.
Remember, this is your song, and the goal is to be unique.
Don't worry if it doesn't follow a fixed formula—even rhymes can be tossed out if they don't fit! , Generally, a song is about something.
A good way to organize your song so that "something" is the highlight is to make it the chorus.
Each verse feeds into the chorus, helping to lead the listener there and enabling them to understand.
For example, listen to Better Together from Jack Johnson.
The chorus is simple: just a simple statement that's "It's always better when we're together." Each verse paints a picture of how everything else going on always leads to being back together, where it's better.
You can write a song about something that you have been through or about your friends or about someone else's life.
Good Luck. -
Step 2: Practice this daily: First thing in the morning
-
Step 3: when you're sitting down with your cup of coffee
-
Step 4: or diet soda
-
Step 5: pull out a pen and paper.
-
Step 6: Pick the main subject of the song.
-
Step 7: Begin to develop your song.
-
Step 8: Put together the key points of the song.
-
Step 9: Develop the chorus.
Detailed Guide
So many times we start out writing a song by trying to squish what we want to say into four or eight bars with a couple rhymes and hopefully a hook.
If we're lucky, we'll get the message out.
This is all well and great, but it's also not a very inspiring or unique way to write a song: we're locked in before we even begin.
Instead, try just writing what's on your mind without the structure of a song. , Pick something in the room.
Anything.
It might be the coffee pot, or the mosquito that just landed on your arm.
Write for ten to fifteen minutes about that object, in as much detail as you can.
It can be accurate, or fanciful—but be as freely creative as you can be.
Don't spend too long on this—you're not writing a song; think of it instead as exercising your creative brain so that when it's time, your brain will be ready to help you write a song. , When you're ready to write a song, use the skills you've been developing by practicing every day.
This time, instead of an object in the room, pick that which the song is about.
It might be a girl, it might be a car.
It could be an abstract concept like love, or a situation like riding on a train.
Now, instead of cramming that into four rhyming lines, write a story about it, and use all your senses to describe the story.
It doesn't have to be well written, or even grammatically correct.
Think of it more like a stream of consciousness "thought poem," and write what comes to mind.
When you're done, examine your writing.
What parts strike a particularly strong emotional chord within you? What parts are expository, and what parts bear repeating? , Some songs tell a story, while some songs are small vignettes with a central theme.
As you worked the writing exercise, you probably had a sense of which way your song would go.
If your song is a story, get it all out in the exercise.
If it's vignettes, write several short stories that tie to that to the central theme, and another story that is all about the theme itself.
For example, Bob Dylan's Shelter From The Storm, while having some elements of a story, is more a series of vignettes that paint a picture of a time and place, and a life of hardships, but always come back to his benefactor: "Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm." Another Dylan song, Lily, Rosemary, And The Jack Of Hearts, is a sequential narrative, and like Shelter From The Storm, always comes back to the focus: the Jack of Hearts , These will form the backbone of the lyrics, the reason for each verse, the chorus, or both.
Don't overdo it—you could end up with a 20-minute song! We'll stick to standard formats for now.
With your ideas for each verse sketched out, work out a verse that makes each point.
Commonly, the point is made in the last line, with the first three lines building up support, reason, or rhyme for the last line.
Continue filling in the "blanks," until each verse is complete.
You may find that there are rhymes that can be reused in other verses, and some verses that stand on their own.
Remember, this is your song, and the goal is to be unique.
Don't worry if it doesn't follow a fixed formula—even rhymes can be tossed out if they don't fit! , Generally, a song is about something.
A good way to organize your song so that "something" is the highlight is to make it the chorus.
Each verse feeds into the chorus, helping to lead the listener there and enabling them to understand.
For example, listen to Better Together from Jack Johnson.
The chorus is simple: just a simple statement that's "It's always better when we're together." Each verse paints a picture of how everything else going on always leads to being back together, where it's better.
You can write a song about something that you have been through or about your friends or about someone else's life.
Good Luck.
About the Author
Paul Evans
A seasoned expert in education and learning, Paul Evans combines 11 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Paul's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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