Clever can be fun and it can also be entertaining but when the choice is between clever or clear, always go for clear. If you feel that you absolutely must change your chorus lyric, I’d recommend that it be the final chorus once your listeners have had time to learn the original chorus so the difference has real impact.Īs songwriters who love words, there is always the temptation to make your lyric clever as a display of your verbal skill. Since this is the case, a rule that I’ve found works most of the time is NOT to change your lyric from chorus to chorus in an attempt to further your song’s story. Another way to put this is that the chorus is what you’ve been leading up to in your verses.
Given that it is the job of the verse (through details and visual imagery) to tell the story of your song, your chorus is designed to summarize your song’s message or theme.
Keep your chorus lyric the same for all your choruses It’s all about setting up an expectation and then delivering on that expectation the next time a verse comes around.ģ. If you’re rhyming the lines next to each other in the first verse, you should do the same in your second verse as opposed to, say, rhyming every other line. In other words, it’s not enough just to rhyme wherever you can. The danger is in not paying close attention to the rhyme scheme in your verses. The strategic use of rhyme is designed to help your listeners learn your song and remember it. Make sure your rhyme schemes match in your verses The trick, however, is to be certain that once you’ve chosen a metaphor, each image is related back to the metaphor’s theme and not simply random visuals or expressions that feel good while you write them.Ģ. Metaphors are a wonderful way to make your song’s message more memorable by conjuring vivid and meaningful details inside of the framework of an overarching theme. I addressed seven of those elements in my previous article, “ 7 Tips for Instantly Better Lyrics,” but I’d thought I’d bring up four more for your consideration. The reality, however, is that there are lots of factors at work “behind the scenes” that go into a seemingly simple lyric. When a lyric is at its best, it seems to effortlessly tell the story of your song using memorable imagery, great details and an unforgettable message. Good lyric writing is, most often, a deceptively simple endeavor.