“I find second verses really hard. Third verses are sometimes like pulling teeth, but by then you’re in the home stretch, you just hit the wall and go through” —Janis Ian
Be careful not to fall into the common trap of writing a great first line and then, without realizing it, simply restating that line in different ways throughout the rest of the song.
Every word in every subsequent line should be carefully chosen to move the song forward, rather than merely creating nice word pictures that don’t actually lead any- where.
Approach each new verse as if you were a screenwriter creating a sequence of movie scenes. Build on your central story line by focusing on a specific scenario in each verse so that it ties in with the previous ‘scene’ and the one that follows. Adding new and relevant information in each line of every verse in this way is essential to progressing the story.
In other words, the second verse and third verse (if there is one) should not just say the same thing that you said in the first verse. They must tell the listener what happened next, or provide more information about the central characters in the song, or expand on your description of the singer’s state of mind.
The best way to make sure the various sections fit together and give your lyrics a linear flow is to produce a ‘map’ of the song.
Create a simple flowchart on a piece of paper by drawing a separate box for each different part of the song, with an arrow leading to the next section (e.g. Verse 1— Chorus—Verse 2—Chorus—Verse 3—Chorus—Bridge—Chorus). In each box, insert a phrase that summarizes the main point that you want to convey lyrically in that section. The lyrics should be the same in every chorus; so only the verses and the bridge will change as the story moves forward.
If you find you’re struggling to come up with something new to say in the second and third verses, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Even top songwriters often find the lyrics for the second verse are the hardest to write. They call it “second verse hell”.
However, experienced writers have a simple way of overcoming this block. If they’ve completed the lyrics for their first verse and chorus—and there seems to be nowhere else to go because everything they wanted to say has already been said—they simply make the first verse their second verse. This means they have to come up with another first verse!
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