Writing Song Lyrics

WRITING SONG LYRICS

You are a songwriter but you constantly struggle to come up with new and interesting ideas for songs. What can you do? Through time I’ve discovered several avenues that consistently lead me to good, strong ideas that act as springboards for the songs I write. I want to share a few of those with you and hope that you might also find them beneficial.

First, learn to listen! Listen not only to those around you, but also to the utterances that come from your own mouth. When I look back over the songs that I’ve written, I realize that I’ve written at least three songs based solely on an off-the-cuff remark I’ve made. No sooner did I utter the words then the thought struck me, ‘This would make a great title for a song.’ Then it was simply a matter of fleshing out the lyrics because I already knew where I was heading. Listen also to the utterances of others. This means being aware of those around you when you’re out in public. Your ideas might come from snatches of conversation at the table next to yours.

Be observant as well. What do you see happening between those two people across the way? Are they happy or sad? Do they seem to be on the same wave length or in separate worlds? If you were to tell their story, what do you imagine it might be? And being observant doesn’t mean that you limit your observations to people. Be aware also of your surroundings. When you passed that old building down the block, what did it remind you of? Did it conjure up images of a past that you’d all but forgotten? If so, is there something about that situation you would like to revisit?

Think about situations that stir strong emotions in your heart. What emotions are evoked? If the emotion is love, was it good or bad? What lessons did you learn and how do you feel about that situation today? And if you choose to write about a particular emotion, what can you say that will lend uniqueness to a story that is likely as old as time?

Since I’m always on the look-out for new songwriting ideas I’ve come to rely quite heavily on the Internet and have found some great resources there. Just run a search for lyric ideas and you’ll be surprised at the amount of information that is available to you. Some sites offer lists of ideas that are updated on a daily basis and even though you may not find an idea that is a total fit, you may be able to use one of their ideas to generate ideas of your own. I know I have. These sites generally provide instruction and resources on improving the various aspects of your song, whether melody, lyrics, instrumentation, etc. Be sure to check out the Internet as it really is an invaluable resource to you as a songwriter.

Lastly and maybe most importantly, I have found and purchased a program called Masterwriter. It is an excellent writing resource as it has a rhyming dictionary, a Thesaurus, and deals with word families, phrases, parts of speech and much more. Before I owned this program I frequently felt stone-walled when attempting to find that perfect rhyme. That is no longer the case because one’s rhyming options include slant rhymes, thus opening the door to many more rhyming words for me to use. Once I’ve selected the word I choose to work with, I can also use that word to generate phrases. This option is terrific because some days when I’m really stuck and can’t come up with songwriting ideas I merely type in a word, click on rhyme, and then phrase. Invariably one of the phrases that is generated will lead me to the idea I need in order to write a new song. I strongly recommend that if you’re a serious songwriter you consider purchasing a similar program. The cost is definitely out-weighed by the benefit.

These are just a few ideas that I’ve found beneficial. I hope that you will give these suggestions a try and that if you do, you too will find the help you’re looking for.