Writing Your Own Lyrics

Ok you have a problem with thinking up of lyrics, your brain just isn't working at the mo. There are two solutions to this; say whatever comes to your head and write it down, or, write down what other people are saying.

Right, lets start with solution one: Say whatever comes to your head and write it down.

This does actually work, believe it or not. Most of the lyrics that I have come up with are from the top of my head. I once wrote a song that was based on not being able to come up with lyrics. Alright, I admit, it was a crap set of lyrics, but at least I had managed to write a whole song.

The best thing to do, is to pick a subject, any subject, and write down your views on it. for example:

Subject: Banks
Ideas:
Your always quequeing up,
The machine is always out of service,
Talking about service, it's crap

It's a bit of a rubbish subject, but you should get the idea. Ofcourse you may feel strongly about world peace (which I have nothing against) and you could write your views on that.

The next best thing is to write down other peaples conversations. When you're talking to your mates you could write down what your saying. This way you could get pages and pages of lyrics real quick. You could always listen to your parents arguing about money and, well, just their general arguments really. You never know, it could be an interesting (heated yet interesting) conversation. If it's not interesting then still write it down, remember, real life is what makes good lyrics.

You could also make a mental note of the things your parents say to you when they find out that you've eeves dropped on them (it could come in handy!)

Thats all I can really say on the subject of lyrics. Hope it helps!

Comments

[page59]

Last night I thought of a cool guitar progresion and couldn't come up with lyrics, so I wrote about the room I was in.

[Mark]

I don't know if this is the best way to write a song.

[frigginjerk]

^

but is is ONE way to write a song. songwriting is a weird thing, in that nobody does it exactly the same way.

my favorite way to write is when i am inspired with a catchy "hook" lyric, and i can build a song around that.

good article though. well-written, and you didn't just say "this is the only way to write songs! i'm right and you're all wrong."

[azerty_66]

cool article, short but true.
they're maybe not the methods to come up with lyrics like "and she's buying a stairway to heaven..." but you do always get lyrics doing this.
thanks man

[iampinkfloyd]

not that this has anything to do with this, but i read that Plant actually wrote most of the lyrics to stairway at a campfire jam at headley grange,on the spot, and that he was pretty mad when he did it.

[Steph Bets]

i wrote a song about putting on my friends glasses and tripping out cos everything was wack, then it sounded like a stoner song hahahaha. oh well.

[guitar36]

great articule I never thought about people's conversations like a song inspiration. What usually happens at night/morning when I am sleeping, I just wake up and for some weird reason I have a great idea for a song!Its weird but cool.

[Drumsolo14]

Coming up with the actual music for a song is easy to me, but I have had a hard time thinking of lyrics for songs. This advice sounds good and I think it will help me out a lot.

[Drumsolo14]

By the way... on my last comment, although it IS easy to come up with music on the drums (since my name clearly shows that i'm a drummer), i was talking about music on the guitar since i play that too. I just wanted to say that to prevent confusion and to prevent someone from telling me, a drummer, to get out of a guitar web site... heh heh.

[bryon]

you can't usually write good lyrics if you sit down and TRY to write a song, you just have ot let them come to you, i'm usually doing something not thinking about anything much and all of a sudden a good lyric will come to me, and if i have paper or anything around, i can usually write it down and itll just flow, but its hard to acutally TRY to write a song it just doesn't feel thee same, or maybe its just different for people

[ohdarn323]

Imagery. You need imagery, and figurative language entices the reader to contemplate the lyrics instead of letting them ramble on through his head.

[danc446]

Ya know, there isn't one way to right a song, but the above is a good thing to try. Hey, it just may work for ya. (nice job!)

[patriot_73]

Great article man, now u've made everything (like in writing lyrics) much easier for me... And ya, Rufi... could I use ur idea of writing lyrics about not being able to write lyrics... I mean I won't do it if you won't accept, since it's your idea .

[Kick Me]

I wonder how ozzy thinks of lyrics? Most likley muumbles some crap that sounds cool. then fills the rest of the song with biting off various animal heads.Or maybe not.

Anyways.....good article.Well writen.And i agree. Bank service SUX.

[nirvanaboy]

this is how i usually write lyrics about random crap its like nirvana i mean pennyroyal tea what the hell is that (i know its an stomach pain remedy so stay off my case u nirvana geeks i do love nirvana tho) what im saying is im in a band and i have random songs like one called hanging hillary whitch is about an executions lyrics can be about anything

[morningview4]

the biggest problem i have with lyrics is the fact that im so concerned about whether or not they suck that im blind to what they really mean. this will help, i think

[Zechs]

I tend to come up with one line (usually ends up being the first one) and build the poem around that (i haven\\\'t really tried writing songs yet but it\\\'s pretty much the same). This isn\\\'t always the best way to do things, but it works out pretty well usually.

[orestm]

sometimes after ive written the melody of a song, ill just sing whatever words come to my head (instead of just humming or singing 'la la la.') You can usually get some good starting points this way.

[rufi]

thanx for ur comments! and if u want 2 write a song about not being able to write a song then go ahead cuz i'm not bothered

[Towlie]

I just got on
Rufi has posted this song
About a bank
Its really wank

All you guys gotta do
Is press exit
Up in the top corner
In order to
close this shit
And get a life
Write your songs
All 1337 like me

;-P LoL. Sorry about that, i got bored. That took about a minute. WHat a waste of a minute lol. I am only joking, its a pretty good article.

[Darkpsyde213]

I usually write the music first, then listen to it over and over until something comes to me or I'll replay the song in my head and hum a tune to match it. Try to find/develop two or three places in which you like to compose your lyrics. It seems that my best place to think is while I'm in the shower. I guess it's like I'm washing away all the "dirt" that I've accumulated during the day. That allows me to relax and think more clearly, or not think at all (which can sometimes be better for writing).

[Bombdizzle]

this isn't that great a way to write songs. and you can't just write a good song (99% of people anyways) just by "flowing" or "making it up as you go"... obviously plant had mad talent, but unless you see life from a very moving point of view, you're not gonna write moving music on the spot either

[Jessen]

You can't sit down and write moving music, so Its gotta come from somewhere, and I think thats a great place to start!

Great Article man! Well done!

[SBC_lead]

Yeah, nice article rufi. Actually, I think I'm gonna go write something right now...

[mr Mcgeetar]

i wrote a song called last train home and then lost prophets brot out one with the same name lol

good article.

[JB-Punkrocker]

some nice ideas in that article, sometimes i listen to lyrics and there just about nothing but the song kicks ass

[alaskanbassist]

This is a really tight article and will help me out.

[SURFraptor7]

Thanks for writing this, I liked when you said write down anything that comes to mind. I was just sitting around and started singing random stuff that sounded cool and I was like "I shoulda written that down!" Nice article man, right on!

[Alien_from_a_cd]

yea maybe you actually got a point but I can never write a lyric this way. I think that the best lyric comes out when something really pisses you off or makes you feel really bad or just some strong emotion. I tried that and it works for me. U guys should try that too. Don't get me wrong, this is defineatly (sp??) not a bad article, it's great, but this technique just doesn't work for me.

[rufi]

Coolios I never this one would help out!!!

[super666fender]

dude. less is more definatly applies to this article. Short and sweet and right to the point. excellent statements and suggestions dude. i give u 5 stars, uz this is probably the most straight forward article about lyric writing that i ever read.

[ror]

the article helped me a little bit but more so all the good comments on how people come up with thier lyrics, if you want the song to have meanin you have to have insperation though defiantly. and it is also a great idea to have a pad and a pen lying around i have 1 in my drawer next to my bed and at night when im about to go to sleep lyrics come and i just jot them down.

[BoBzombIE16]

this is nice. i was just trying to think of something to write about ...one of those krazy koincidents...

[BoBzombIE16]

... and i was wondering HOW the heck those rock bands like 3 doors down and shinedown write such good songs!
AAA..GGHHH!!!!
actually, im starting to write my thoughts down 4 a change... maybe that'll help

[smb]

Kick Me - Ozzy didn't write the lyrics in Black Sabbath. They were mostly written by crazy satanist bassist Geezer Butler.

[punkrocker_336]

nice tips and good ideas i'll try them thanx

[shags]

thanx a lot ,you've been a great help. i sing as the lead for my college band. i want to write lyrics too for the band but don't coz i simply dont feel confident enough . i mean like, what if they just dismiss it as crap(the members).but you make it sound as if the simplest thing in the world. alien from a cd is the one. full scores to her/him, i mixed both of your advices and wrote a song about how the band makes me feel like puking on their faces with their crap politics. of course we're never gonna perform it. but hey i trully realized ,the importance of listening to your inner self and letting it take control. besides its a real stress-buster.once more -thanks a lot

[rufi]

well it's good to know that these ideas still work for people.
I gotta do some more articles like this. I'm thinking of dooing emotional topics for lyrics.
Anyone agree..?

[AcousticYeller]

Mhhm. Good article.

I just write lyrics from what I'm feeling. I'm mad at certain people alot, so alot of my lyrics are angry, or 'emo' even.

I just have to figure out a way to put it with my guitar, which I'm still learning how to play...so yeah.

[Ratman9513]

[This is a song I wrote]

Well I was at the park with my friends
We were at the lake fishin for fish
Caught something really big

Such a noisy fish
Such A Big Thing
Gonna lose my mind reelin it in
Can control my hands
It took control of me

There are mountains all around me
And my friends ran away
I am stuck here
Because I can’t control
My Body

Himalayan Eels are not for real
But I caught one and it yodeled
It took over my body

I can’t control my body

Oh No

When I go back to the hotel
My friends are there laughin like hell
Hey man what the hell
Why’d ya leave me there
I can feel they really despise me
They think I’m a sissy

Oh No its happened again
I can’t control my body
I Can’t control, control, control my body!

I’ll beat ‘em up
I’ll beat ‘em up

With a Himalayan Eel Yodel!!

Yoahhaaohsa
Yoahhaaohsa
Yoahhaaohsa

[manly_rule]

Nice article, for some reason i can only think of lyrics while i'm trying sleep.