How To Write Lyrics in 5 Easy Steps

Perfect for those who want a Blue Print for Writing Fantastic Lyrics Time and Time Again…

For the songwriting critics, it is always the great lyricists that receive the most acclaim, and whilst one can write a popular song with arguably poor lyrics, the conscientious songwriter would surely rather achieve the same or similar success with lyrics to be proud of.

Getting critics to go wild for your great lyrics is certainly an achievable dream and the best thing of all is you don’t have to be a genius poet to do so!

“Learning how to write lyrics is one of the most important elements of songwriting, as a good lyric can make a song stand out above the rest.”

I am going to share my Top 5 Strategies on Lyric Writing with you that will transform the power of your lyrics and provide a blue print for creating great lyrics on a more regular basis

All you have to do is follow these 5 simple strategies and I guarantee you will come away feeling proud about your lyrics. You will undoubtedly feel that they have been written in a way that serves the song very well.

How To Write Lyrics – STEP #1: Base the Lyrics around the 4 Main Principles of Songwriting…

Each separate section of a song will usually contains lyrics, however each section has it’s own style of lyric writing that has generally been found to be most appropriate.

1. Verses: Storytelling

The verse is a section of the song where the writer tells a story, informing the listener of the situation and the surroundings of it.

When writing lyrics for the verses try to breakdown your story into about 3 or 4 sections and use each section as a verse. This allows you to get the whole of the story across in the song and will help give you specific material to write about in each verse.

2. Bridges/Pre‐choruses: Conflict

The pre‐chorus introduces something new into the mix. This can be a conflict or a realisation, something that’s different lyrically to the verse and excites the listener by building a sense of anticipation, leading well into the chorus of the song.

3. Choruses: The Main Point or Concept

The chorus is where you should make your point. What is the underlying message of your song? You need to make that point here. (Try and touch on something that people can connect with.)

4. Middle 8: The Revelation!

The middle 8 is where you should be introducing something completely new lyrically. It can be a twist in the tale, something unexpected. Think about any great film that you’ve seen where there has been a twist that has made everything that much more exciting. This is where you have an opportunity to come up with something completely new. Go mad!

How To Write Lyrics – STEP #2: Make Your Chorus as Simple as possible…

The chorus is the part of the song that people are most likely to remember and is an essential component of writing a great song.

This is the part that people sing along to, the part that people can connect with, so it is massively important that you get this right.

You want it to emotionally connect with as many people as possible. The simpler you can make it, the better. The more specific you become, the less people you are likely to reach out to.

The more general it is the more people can use their imaginations to decide on the specifics of the underlying message. Whilst they may not always be right in guessing your specific inspiration for the words, the fact that they can imagine and relate to those words themselves is hugely important.

This is one of the factors that can make or break a song as the more people that can relate to the song the more popular it will be.

Example: “We Will Rock You” by Queen

This chorus is so simple. Anyone can sing it and it gets across the point of the song. There’s no surprise this song was a huge success!

How To Write Lyrics – STEP #3: Make an impression with your very first line!

“Your main goal as a songwriter is grabbing people’s attention and maintaining it…”

By making an impression with your first line you should grab the listener’s attention, so you will then have won half of the battle. The next job will be to maintain that attention. Regardless, by making an impression with your first line you will have bought yourself some time, as they will be intrigued to see what will follow.

People become interested in a song through a number of different factors that work on a subconscious level. These will vary based on the genre of music they like.

But getting their attention through a strong, intriguing or controversial lyric at the start of the song is a very powerful technique that will dramatically increase your chances of people listening to the whole song.

Example: “Library Pictures” by Arctic Monkeys

The Arctic Monkeys can definitely be described as a successful band and Alex Turner is a pretty well critically acclaimed songwriter too. This song from their new album begins with a really strange first line and it really hits you from the off, making you want to listen to the rest of the song.

The funny thing is that each line that follows seems to surprise you as much as the first one, you just don’t know what’s coming next. (Keeping your attention and maintaining it! Exactly what we’re looking for! He’s cracked it!)

How To Write Lyrics – STEP #4: Make sure your song is All Killer and No Filler.

“If there’s a line that you think is throw away, then throw it away!”

It’s as simple as that really; try not to fill in the blanks. Make sure that you’re happy with every line. If there’s any line that you’re unsure of or unhappy with, re‐write it until you find something that you are happy with.

By repeatedly going through your lyrics and using this process you will inevitably come out with a song full of lyrics that you are pleased with, which must mean something.

From this you have every chance of writing a song that is very strong lyrically and this will provide a sturdy pillar in your songwriting arsenal. The famous Bruce Springsteen would go through pages and pages of re‐written lyrics before he settled on something he was happy with.

Example: “I Knew Prufrock Before He Was Famous” by Frank Turner

I think Frank Turner is fantastic at this. Each line, whilst mostly rhyming always seems like it adds something to the song. Have a listen to this track as an example. (Although I’m sure you can find many more, I thoroughly recommend his album “Love Ire & Song”, it’s a brilliant album from a songwriter’s perspective.)

How To Write Lyrics – STEP #5: Put the title in the lyric…

A key to the success of your song as a whole is that people can remember it. You also want people to know how to search for it and find it so that they can (purchase it!) and listen again.

By including the title in the lyric, people are more likely to know how to find your song and remember its title.

A lot of the time the title of the song tends to be in a lyric from the chorus section of the song, although this isn’t always and by no means has to be the case.

Also, if people listen to your song already knowing the title, then that lyric will stand out that much more when it is included in the lyrics, which again makes at least that part of it more memorable.

Anything you can do to make your song more memorable (not infamous though!) is a good thing!

Example: “Mr Brightside” by the Killers.

The words “Mr. Brightside” don’t arrive until the end of the chorus. By including the title in the lyrics here it makes the words much stronger when it reaches that point in the song, which is the climax of the chorus. (Again, think about how the lyrics create imagery in your mind as you’re listening. It really is important for a successful song.)

Learning how to write lyrics is just part of learning how to write a song…

Sign up for my daily songwriting tips and advice and receive a FREE eBook as welcome gift

NOTE: Your details will NEVER be shared with anyone. I hate SPAM as much as you do!

Check out my Ultimate Songwriting eBook for Full Tuition and Expert Tips on Lyric Writing