I Cannot Write Song Lyrics

[Zaphod B]

Just can't do it, and I never have been able to. Well, I should say that I never have been able to write anything that's not laughably trite.

I can compose music in my head, but there are never any words there. It's like I have a big hole in my brain where the "lyricist" function belongs.

I'm otherwise literate - in fact, I've made a living writing technical prose, and quite well I think. And I've done some free-form poetry that was OK, but could not have easily or naturally been formed to any rhthym pattern.

It's kind of like having an eye for color coordination or an innate ability to draw things from the mind's eye - you either have it, or you don't. And for lyrics - I don't!

That's my daily confession. As you were!

 

[logicaldove]

"I'm otherwise literate - in fact, I've made a living writing technical prose, and quite well I think. And I've done some free-form poetry that was OK, but could not have easily or naturally been formed to any rhthym pattern."

Ever heard Bernie Taupin's lyrics - some of them didn't seem to fit a pattern - Elton John did a great job putting music to them.

Good luck - don't give up (unless you want to).

 

[Zaphod B]

You're right about Taupin's lyrics. I have a great deal of respect for Elton John for his ability to fit those lyrics to music.

It's not something that bothers me overmuch, but I just don't seem to have the knack. Never had. And then I see artists like Dave Matthews and Alanis Morissette who have what amount to lyrical diarrhea, I wish I had just about 1/20th of their lyrical flow.

 

[HomeMadeHitShow]

I have the same problem. I mentally force all my lyrics to make sense as sentences and to flow from one line to the next. Many lyrics out there in the "hit" world don't make any sense if you look at them on paper.

Most lyrics are based around angst, I just don't have enough and feel like a phoney writing like I do.

Tony

 

[Zaphod B]

Most lyrics are based around angst, I just don't have enough and feel like a phoney writing like I do.

Excellent point, and that's part of it for me, too.

I'm not miserable enough or mental enough to produce much compelling prose. I mean, who wants to hear "I hate my desk job and I wanna quit"? Or, "Baby, I thought you were going on a diet?"

But even when I was younger and depressed all the time and full of post-pubescent angst, lyrical expression still didn't come naturally.

Oh well. At least I can do the music side!

 

[travelin travis]

Have you tried not trying to write? I mean, just pickup an instrument and play/sing whatever comes out. Don't worry about flow, making sense, wrong notes, etc. It's kind of a 50/50 thing. Half of it will end up being nonsense but alot of it just might surprise you.

 

[Emusic]

Ever heard Bernie Taupin's lyrics - some of them didn't seem to fit a pattern - Elton John did a great job putting music to them. (unless you want to).

I have allways soared with the impression that Elton wrote the music first. Then Taupin made the lyrics. I might be mistaken though.

 

[Hugo H]

Zaphod,

Unlike you, I have no problem writing lyrics. But I did once upon a time. I could write in a wide assortment of styles with a broad range of purposes, but lyrics? Ha. But then came a time when I had to write them simply because I needed them. So I did what so many refuse to do: I studied. There's a goodly number of decent books that helped me learn the skills required for this particular form of writing.

Just like I had to learn chord progressions and harmonization, I had to learn to structure my words. You don't have to not write lyrics, you only have to learn how.

Oh, one last thing. I disagree that all the good songs have angst, but then I suspect I've looked at more genres. Why some hits have lousy lyrics is a whole 'nother topic.

-Hugo

 

[Dogman]

I write tons of lyrics, all the time. They don't make sense initially, but you can always try and put stuff together in more order later. Just write stuff down as it comes to you, and see where it goes.

Of course, most of my lyrics never get put together into any real coherent anyway, but that's half the fun of writing. You know what it means, but a listener can have a whole different take on it.

 

[sweetpeee]

Just can't do it, and I never have been able to.
as far as writing good lyrics, I haven't a clue...

Well, I should say that I never have been able...
It's just not what you'd hear on any major label

to write anything that's not laughably trite.
I stare at a blank paper and stay up all nite...

I can compose music in my head, but there are never any words there.
Lots of color on the pallet, but the canvas is bare...

It's like I have a big hole in my brain where the "lyricist" function belongs like a vast black hole sucking words from my songs...


Um....sorry, I've completely lost my mind

 

[Zaphod B]

LOL @ Sweetpee!

Thanks, all, for the responses and support. Maybe there's hope yet!

(...now if I could only find a compelling way to express how my children's orthodontic braces are draining my bank account.....)

 

[Narnia]

i'm sure you can do it!

may be you just want to get away with the "technical prose" you made living with. Or may be you could try doing colloquial? i think sometimes more simple language you use will have better effects on people......

 

[IronFlippy]

Hmmm, I'm in the exact same situation as you. I've tried fitting my poetry to music, but it just doesn't work. I have a copy of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White, which seems to have good content, if I can convince myself to read it.

 

[Hugo H]

Hmmm, I'm in the exact same situation as you. I've tried fitting my poetry to music, but it just doesn't work. I have a copy of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White, which seems to have good content, if I can convince myself to read it.

The Elements of Style is not going to help you change poetry to lyrics. It's good for learning a lot of grammatical conventions and word usages. You'd be better off looking at something like Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison.

I've been puzzled for a long time about why songwriters think they need to study chord progressions but won't study writing lyrics. If someone plays random chords people don't think it's good music. Why should disconnected thoughts be good lyrics?

 

[Zaphod B]

The Elements of Style .....[snip].....I've been puzzled for a long time about why songwriters think they need to study chord progressions but won't study writing lyrics. If someone plays random chords people don't think it's good music. Why should disconnected thoughts be good lyrics?

Oh dear god, I had to live with The Elements of Style all though middle school and high school. It was the reference bible for every English class I had. Excellent resource for the rules of grammar, but I wouldn't think it would help with writing lyrics, where those rules don't necessarily apply.

Hugo, point well taken on the study of writing lyrics. I have been a student of music, in my own way, for over 35 years, yet I have never even considered studying writing lyrics. I guess, being a self-taught musician, I always assumed that lyrics come naturally and painlessly for those with the gift. Dogman and Sweetpee are good examples - lyrics just fall out of their pockets when they walk down the street!

We mere mortals could probably benefit from a bit of study. Thanks for the tip, and the reference to Pattison's book.

 

[Hugo H]

(...now if I could only find a compelling way to express how my children's orthodontic braces are draining my bank account.....)

anything's possible

[verse]
I feel pain, like you son
It's a world of hurt we live in
It's so plain that my one
Daily job is insufficient

[build]
But we're strong, you and me
When those screws of pain are tightened
It's so long but you'll see
Our time truly has been well spent

[chorus]
They can tighten their grip
They can laugh and make quips
But it's all been worthwhile
'cause we'll always be able to smile

 

[Hugo H]

There is another way to learn a bit about writing lyrics. It's more fun than studying a book and useful for some folks. Try writing a parody of a song you know well that has good lyrics. You'll quickly appreciate the internal structure of the lyrics. An example of one I did a bit ago is at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24279

It's a parody of Simply Irresistable, renamed Simply Uncritiquable. The point of the thing in this case was about how difficult it sometimes is to critique lyrics

But it's a good example of how you can learn a lot by rewriting the lyrics to a song.

 

[Zaphod B]

http://www.musesmuse.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24279

Very good!

 

[sweetpeee]

Dogman and Sweetpee are good examples - lyrics just fall out of their pockets when they walk down the street!

LMAO!!

I wouldn't quite put it that way...literally had me laughing out loud. I have some songs that stop dead.I write a few, put it down, then come back to it later.

Lately, my problem is that I'm 41 and in college.This girl is 22 and we hit it off. We write to eachother every now and then but she has a b/f.Don't know if she'd be interested even if she didn't. Anyway, I want to write a song about her be without spilling too much emotion/guts in it. It's tough holding back feelings when I'm writing. She'll probably hear the song at some point,but I don't want to say too much. Maybe I'll skip it altogether and move on.

J.P.

 

[Zaphod B]

Anyway, I want to write a song about her be without spilling too much emotion/guts in it.

So the Harry Nilsson approach won't work:

"You're breaking my heart
Tearing it apart
So fuck you!"