“Lyrics have elements that could be shared with poetry. But they’re not poems … They’re meant to be sung. They come out of the rhythm of the music, as opposed to creating your own rhythm of the words”
—Paul Simon
Many new songwriters don’t realize that poetry and lyrics are not the same thing. However great you or your collaborators may be at creating beautiful poetry, writing effective lyrics for hit songs is a completely different art and craft.
Of course, good poetry and great lyrics do share the same ability to use well- chosen words to reach people on an emotional level. And they can both create powerful imagery through the potent use of devices such as metaphor, simile and personification.
But the skilful use of language, rhyme and descriptive imagery in a poem does not necessarily make it a good song lyric. Sometimes it can just end up sounding pre-tentious and clichéd.
Lyricists have to work their magic under much tighter constraints than poets. A poet can pour out his or her feelings on page after page of dense and structurally complex text; the lyricist has to be more concise and work within the confines of a clearly defined song structure and rhythm.
“Lyrics are an unforgivingly compact form”, the lyricist Stephen Sondheim wrote in his book Finishing the Hat.
It is also important to remember that a poem is primarily visual. It is created to stand alone and connect with people by being read on the page. A lyric is aural and is designed to be sung and heard in conjunction with music.
As Bob Dylan told American Songwriter magazine: “You don’t write a song to sit there on a page. You write it to sing it.”
When people are listening to a song, the music moves quickly so they can’t dwell on a particular word or line. Unlike a poem—which is usually read at a much slower pace—they can’t go back and re-read it.
While some song lyrics may be deliberately obscure and ambiguous and still succeed (such as the early works of Bob Dylan), the majority of hit songs today contain lyrical images and descriptive phrases that are easily understood and can therefore connect with the listener’s ears immediately.
Lyrical language is simpler, more down to earth and gets to the point quickly. In a 3½ to 4 minute pop song, every word counts. So it’s vital to use as few words as possible yet still express yourself clearly, set the scene, and evoke a feeling in the listener.
Poems can feature rhymed or unrhymed verse, but most lyrics have lines that rhyme because it makes it easier for listeners to follow the song. As mentioned previously in this book, rhyme helps to meet the listener’s subconscious desire for symmetry. Rhyming patterns create a sense of predictability that is reassuring for the listener.
A poet can focus on the creative use of free-flowing language, but a good lyricist must learn to use the key structural devices of the craft of songwriting (including lyrical repetition). Lyricists must also understand how verses, pre-choruses, choruses and bridges work together to hold the listener’s interest.
In addition, if you aspire to be the wordsmith in a songwriting team, you have to make sure you use word sounds and phrases that are not difficult or awkward to sing. If you’re writing the lyrics first—rather than coming up with words to fit an existing melody—get into the habit of reading the lyrics out loud rhythmically as if you were singing them. If they flow well, your collaborative music composer should be able to set them to music successfully.
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