How to Figure Out a Song's Meaning
Listen to the song while reading the lyrics., Read the lyrics on their own to decipher their meaning., Focus on concrete imagery and senses., Unpack unusual or poetic phrases one at a time., Check a lyric annotation site for additional clues...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Listen to the song while reading the lyrics.
Pull the lyrics up online to make sure you're not mishearing any of them.
For now, just focus on your first impressions.
What do you think the song is about? What parts confuse you, and what parts seem perfectly clear? There are no wrong answers, as your first impressions help decide the feel and theme of the song.
What is the overall mood of the song? How do the lyrics match up with the instruments? Do they have a similar feel or are they conflicting with each other? -
Step 2: Read the lyrics on their own to decipher their meaning.
Great lyrics are a form of poetry, and reading them without the distraction of instruments can help you parse out their intent.
When reading the question, ask yourself the same questions you might ask about a poem:
Who is the speaker? Don't just assume that the speaker is literally the singer
-- they could be playing a character or referencing a larger issue.
If there is a "you" or a "we" in the song, who does this refer to? A lover? A friend? A politician? What are the major images or ideas that keep popping up. , Good lyrics have a "visual" component as well.
They describe a scene or feeling with images, not just vague ideas or phrases.
If you were making a movie of the song, what are the images that keep cropping up? By visualizing the song as a scene, do any of the most confusing lines start to make sense? Where does the song take place? This could be a very specific location, like Kent State in Neil Young's "Ohio," or something vaguer, like a girl's bedroom in Tailor Swift's "Love Story." "New Slang" by The Shins starts with the line "Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth // only I don't know how they got out, dear." This may seem confusing, but later lyrics show that he was being rude at a bar.
He got punched in the face for saying his "curse."
Metaphors and figurative language are when the words don't literally mean what they say.
When Bob Dylan suggests that "the answers, my friend, are blowing in the wind," he doesn't actually mean the answers are flying in a breeze.
He means that the answers are simple and all around us if we just take the time to stop and look.
When faced with unusual sections, ask yourself if they may stand for something other than what they appear.
Look for comparisons and commonality.
Most metaphors aren't perfect, they simply draw a simple line between two things. "My love is a rose" doesn't necessarily mean a woman is red, slender, etc.
It likely means she is beautiful but also dangerously thorny.
Search online for images or ideas you don't understand.
They may come from movies, other songs, old myths, etc. , Sites like Genius.com allow anyone to annotate lyrics with interpretations, explanations, and definitions of each line.
Even better, the actual lyricists often write their own notes on the site, which are labeled and verified to help you understand more oblique lyrics.
Try out SongMeanings, SongFacts, and LyricInterpretations, as well.
Note, however, that you don't have to agree with every annotation put up by other people.
These sites are great places to start breaking down complex sections, however., The Eagle's "Hotel California" is one of the most debated songs of all time, because so many people have so many interpretations of it.
Some think it references the music industry, which traps you with promises of wealth.
Others think the hotel is a gateway to Hell, trapping wayward sinners.
A few believe it is just a fictional story of a dangerous place.
None of them are totally wrong and none are totally right.
What is most important is that you can defend your position with evidence from the song.
As long as you can back up your meaning with actual lyrics or stories, it is a valid meaning.
Most artists will even admit that they don't know the song's full meaning.
Writing lyrics can be subconsciousness, and the meaning people get from listening to a song is just as important as the meaning when writing it. -
Step 3: Focus on concrete imagery and senses.
-
Step 4: Unpack unusual or poetic phrases one at a time.
-
Step 5: Check a lyric annotation site for additional clues.
-
Step 6: Remember that there is rarely one "right" meaning.
Detailed Guide
Pull the lyrics up online to make sure you're not mishearing any of them.
For now, just focus on your first impressions.
What do you think the song is about? What parts confuse you, and what parts seem perfectly clear? There are no wrong answers, as your first impressions help decide the feel and theme of the song.
What is the overall mood of the song? How do the lyrics match up with the instruments? Do they have a similar feel or are they conflicting with each other?
Great lyrics are a form of poetry, and reading them without the distraction of instruments can help you parse out their intent.
When reading the question, ask yourself the same questions you might ask about a poem:
Who is the speaker? Don't just assume that the speaker is literally the singer
-- they could be playing a character or referencing a larger issue.
If there is a "you" or a "we" in the song, who does this refer to? A lover? A friend? A politician? What are the major images or ideas that keep popping up. , Good lyrics have a "visual" component as well.
They describe a scene or feeling with images, not just vague ideas or phrases.
If you were making a movie of the song, what are the images that keep cropping up? By visualizing the song as a scene, do any of the most confusing lines start to make sense? Where does the song take place? This could be a very specific location, like Kent State in Neil Young's "Ohio," or something vaguer, like a girl's bedroom in Tailor Swift's "Love Story." "New Slang" by The Shins starts with the line "Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth // only I don't know how they got out, dear." This may seem confusing, but later lyrics show that he was being rude at a bar.
He got punched in the face for saying his "curse."
Metaphors and figurative language are when the words don't literally mean what they say.
When Bob Dylan suggests that "the answers, my friend, are blowing in the wind," he doesn't actually mean the answers are flying in a breeze.
He means that the answers are simple and all around us if we just take the time to stop and look.
When faced with unusual sections, ask yourself if they may stand for something other than what they appear.
Look for comparisons and commonality.
Most metaphors aren't perfect, they simply draw a simple line between two things. "My love is a rose" doesn't necessarily mean a woman is red, slender, etc.
It likely means she is beautiful but also dangerously thorny.
Search online for images or ideas you don't understand.
They may come from movies, other songs, old myths, etc. , Sites like Genius.com allow anyone to annotate lyrics with interpretations, explanations, and definitions of each line.
Even better, the actual lyricists often write their own notes on the site, which are labeled and verified to help you understand more oblique lyrics.
Try out SongMeanings, SongFacts, and LyricInterpretations, as well.
Note, however, that you don't have to agree with every annotation put up by other people.
These sites are great places to start breaking down complex sections, however., The Eagle's "Hotel California" is one of the most debated songs of all time, because so many people have so many interpretations of it.
Some think it references the music industry, which traps you with promises of wealth.
Others think the hotel is a gateway to Hell, trapping wayward sinners.
A few believe it is just a fictional story of a dangerous place.
None of them are totally wrong and none are totally right.
What is most important is that you can defend your position with evidence from the song.
As long as you can back up your meaning with actual lyrics or stories, it is a valid meaning.
Most artists will even admit that they don't know the song's full meaning.
Writing lyrics can be subconsciousness, and the meaning people get from listening to a song is just as important as the meaning when writing it.
About the Author
Lori Bishop
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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