It's possible to make or break a song with strong lyrics.The take away message of a song is often contained in the lyrics, which give the audience something to relate to.Learning how to write meaningful lyrics can help you craft a strong, successful song, whether you're writing a protest ballad, a song about love and heartbreak, or simply the next big pop radio track.
Step 1: Decide what the song is about.
To begin writing meaningful lyrics, you have to decide what you want your song to mean.If you want your lyrics to be meaningful, you should choose a subject that is relevant to you.There are topics that are important to you.Think about what's happening in your life, then expand to include your culture, your city, or even your country.Think about the times when you really struggled with a topic.Think about how you feel about yourself or another person when you've been abandoned.Think about a single moment that captures your experience with a cultural issue.Think about how you felt in the moment and what you've learned from that experience.
Step 2: Write about your subject.
When you're having writer's block, freewriting is an easy way to start.Set a timer for five minutes once you have a general subject for your song.Write for the entire five minutes without stopping until the timer goes off.Don't think too hard about what to write.When you think about your subject, write down the first word, idea, image, or sound that comes to your mind.Don't worry about spelling, revision, or even if the words make sense.To generate as many ideas as possible, the goal is to keep writing.Write until the timer goes off.If you have to write nonsensical words until the next one pops into your head, just keep moving your pen across the page.
Step 3: You need to narrow down your list.
When the timer goes off, you need to review what you've written and choose the best words.Think about which words are the most evocative, most image heavy, and most emotional.Pick the best 10 to 12 words from your list.It's okay if you have over 12 really good words.You don't have to use all of them, and it may be helpful to have a few extras that can be cut.Try repeating the freewriting exercise if you don't have a lot of words.
Step 4: You can find connections.
Now that you have a list of words, look for connections between them.Think about the associations you have with each word and where they come from in your life.You lend emotions to the words when you come up with associations.As you build implicit and explicit associations to go with the list, each word becomes meaningful.Write a few words, a phrase, or even a sentence about each word and the associations you have with them.These won't necessarily be your lyrics, but having written "explanations" may serve as building blocks to your actual song lyrics.
Step 5: Short phrases can be written.
If you're comfortable with this stage of the writing process, you can build your words and explanations into a series of short phrases.They don't have to be perfect, or rhyme or even make sense at this point.You can turn one of these phrases into a verse or a central line in the refrain.You should not be thinking about the complete song at this point.Just let these incomplete/partial ideas come from your list, and keep the subject of your song in mind as you expand on and play with these short phrases.
Step 6: Prepare for the hook.
The chorus calls it the hook.Look over the list of phrases you've composed before you start writing this part of your song.Do you know which phrases contain the most powerful, vivid, or significant words that relate to your chosen subject?The chorus usually starts with a line or two.The chorus doesn't have to rhyme, but it should be engaging.Expanding on the phrases that you feel are the most representative of your song's subject is a good way to do that.Don't worry about being perfect at this stage.Try to elaborate on what you've already written.
Step 7: Do you have a point of view?
It is your job as the writer to decide what point of view is best for the song.If you want to tell your own story, you may need to try different points of view.One of the most popular points of view is the first person singular.Someone is listening to the song.She will be able to substitute herself for the song.It doesn't mean that a first person point of view is the right fit for a song.Maybe your song is about witness, rather than being a participant.To see what feels right for you, play around with different points of view.
Step 8: The chorus should be built around the emotion.
The basic emotion at the heart of a song is expressed in some of the strongest song choruses.Unless you're comfortable doing so, you don't need to make the chorus complex.The key is to make the chorus meaningful and emotional.As you write the actual lines of your chorus, try to keep this part of the song centered on one emotional point of focus.If your chorus tries to cover too much ground, it will be hard for people to understand.If you can't decide what the central emotion of the song is, go back to your list of words and look for common themes.If your subject is specific, you shouldn't have a hard time coming up with related emotions.
Step 9: Play with the structure.
The chorus has between four and six lines.It doesn't have to rhyme.A refrain is a phrase that is repeated at the beginning or end of each chorus line.There are no hard and fast rules for how your chorus should be structured, but at least knowing the basic format can help you craft a more structure-coherent chorus.AABA means the first, second, and fourth lines of a four-line chorus are either rhyme or have a repeating phrase.The third line should be similar to lines one, two, and four but with a twist.
Step 10: Take a moment to review what you wrote.
If you have a few lines of the chorus, you can see if it makes sense.The chorus should condense your emotional reaction to the events, people, or places mentioned in the verse.The chorus at this point should still describe a clear reaction to whatever the song is about, even though you haven't written the verse yet.The emotional reaction to losing someone should be discussed in a song.The chorus should be very emotional, image-based, and contain your reaction to the relationship's aftermath.A protest song should have a chorus that deals with what it all means, for example, the execution of an innocent person who's been wrongly accused, but it may contain outrage, horror, grief, or something else entirely.
Step 11: Determine what action to take.
You will need to narrate the events that led to your reaction now that you have a subject.The action that drives the song's story is one of the most important components of a song verse.Without having to explicitly speak your thoughts or feelings, action helps you show the reader what you're thinking.The adage "show, don't tell" applies to writing."I write your name inside of every single heart I see" is more powerful than simply saying I love you."I love you" in a love song is boring to the audience, whereas some descriptive action that indicates love is more meaningful.Look back at your original list, read over your chorus, and think about the central subject of your song if you're having a hard time with the action of the verse.You should be able to come up with some action phrases.If you're having trouble writing the narrative of your song, try writing a short story about it.It could help you figure out what the proper course of events would be, or it could just give you more ideas on paper.It will make your song stronger in the end.
Step 12: Pick your imagery.
Descriptive words can be used to create imagery for the person listening.Your imagery should build off of the action you've described, and the two should work together.In a song about losing someone you love, you might include a line that describes falling on your knees and weeping.A strong visual cue that lets the audience know the extent of your relationship while also supporting your emotional reaction in the chorus is what this is.Your audience won't be able to see the way you're feeling in the song, but image-laden lyrics can help the audience have a visual of what you were doing when you felt that way.It is easier for the audience to understand the meaning of the song.It personalizes the story you're telling.
Step 13: Add more detail.
There are details that bring imagery to life.While also adding to it, you can use strong, captivating adjectives and adverbs to build off of your imagery.In a line that describes you falling on your knees while crying after losing someone, you might describe how the ground felt, or the wind felt.Specific details make an otherwise generic event personal.If a reader lost someone, she probably wouldn't have fallen to her knees in the mud on a cold November morning.Don't say "lonely" or "beautiful" in a generic way.To make your song stand out from the crowd, try to be as unique as possible.It will lend a lot of meaning to the verse and make them even more relevant.Make your song unique.Tell us about the weather, the time of year, or the person in the song.Making it all about that event will help bring the song to life.
Step 14: Look for the right arrangement.
Your verse might describe the central event chronologically (in the order that that event unfolded), or it might be a general meditation on the event that led to your emotional reaction.To find an arrangement that works best for your song, you might need to play around with the structure of the verse.If your song is about the death of someone important to you, chronological arrangement is the most logical.If it's about a general life event like a break up, you can play around with the order of events a little more so that each verse builds toward the chorus.The most important line in the song is the first line.It is what will make the listener listen or turn off your song.The opening line of each verse should be used to catch the attention of the listener and establish the mood of what's to come in the song.This can make your message more clear from the beginning.Load the early parts of your song with some really good phrases or concrete images.This can help hold a person's attention.If there is some variation throughout the song, repetition is fine, but steer clear of cliche.If the audience can predict what the next line will be without having heard the song before, they won't find it interesting.Don't forget to stick to one major theme for the entire song!It's okay to talk about a few different things in the verse, but they should all relate to the single event that the chorus describes.
Step 15: Should you use a pre-chorus?
The pre-chorus leads from the verse to the chorus.The emotional response of the chorus is often taken into account by the narrative descriptions.The pre-chorus can indicate the emotions of the chorus, or simply bridge the two parts.You don't have to have a pre-chorus.Not every song has one.A pre-chorus can help set the stage for the chorus in a really effective way.It could feel incomplete if you jump from the narrative verse to the emotional response without a transition.It is up to you to decide whether or not to include a pre-chorus.
Step 16: It needs to be put together.
You will need to think of the song as an operational whole now that your lyrics are descriptive and your chorus is a vivid emotional response.The emotional center of the song should still be the chorus, but your verse should set up that emotional response.The chorus might be off-putting to your audience if they don't see it as an understandable reaction to the verse.Even if the verse moves through multiple events or a single event, they should all work together to address or build toward the emotional reactions that make up the chorus.The emotions should be kept to a minimum.The song might be difficult to listen to if there is too much emotion in the place.Make the words concrete.They should not show any emotion when describing people, places, circumstances or situations.If you're having trouble coming up with a line in your verse, try humming the melody that goes with the rest of the song.You should have a rough idea of what the song will sound like from the lyrics.If you sing "la la la" to the rhythm of your verse, you can get a better feel for what might work in that line.
Step 17: Reconsider and evaluate.
It can be hard to tell if your lyrics are meaningful.It's almost certain that they are meaningful to you, but if you've written them vividly and honestly, they will most likely ring true with your audience.You can either show your lyrics to a friend or sing the song for someone who values your opinion.Ask for honest feedback.Ask your friend to let you know if there is anything out of place in your song.Revisions should be made as needed.If you get feedback from your friends, you can decide what parts of the song need to be reworked.Follow the process again to strengthen the part that needs work.
Step 18: Know how to show determination.
Depending on the subject matter of your song, you might want lyrics that show your strength and determination.Changing your singing voice is one of the easiest ways to convey that strength and determination of character.Start your song with a really strong, consistent beat on the first beat of each bar.You should start the song in either a lower or higher range.It adds a noticeable emphasis to the lyrics when you raise your range during the chorus.
Step 19: It's a good idea to add emotion to a song.
If you're singing about love, you probably already have a lot of that emotion in your lyrics.The way you sing those lyrics can make them stronger.The majority of your song's melody should be sung in your vocal mid-range.To give more emotion to what you're saying, you can add leaps in your vocal range, either upward or downward.There is a good example of this in Janis Joplin's version of "Me and Bobby McGee".She sings a lot of the song in her central vocal range, but whenever she raises or lowers her pitch, it immediately adds a sense of longing and sorrow.
Step 20: Find your natural falls.
Speak the lyrics to yourself as you shape the melody of your song.It can help you find where in your vocal range a given line should rise or fall, and it can also help determine which words to accent, drag out, or cut short.There are different accentuations and rises.It's okay if you don't get it right the first time.Your lyrics are very meaningful and evocative, and the performance should come naturally once you are comfortable and confident with what you're saying.