How to Write Song Lyrics.

In this tutorial I’ll try to help guide within the art of song writing with 7 steps.

Keep a Note Pad/Book.

Just like writing poems, you should keep a note pad or book handy to write down any random ideas you get so that you don’t forget them. Most smart phones and iPod Touches let you keep notes on them however I feel that paper works best as there is no chance of anything being accident deleted. Also a lot cheaper as you can get A4 or A5 Note Pads/Books out of the ‘£1 Shop’ or ‘Poundland’ (Or one dollar shops for those in the U.S.A.) and under a fiver in supermarkets. Don’t be afraid to fill it up, you can always buy a new one. Where you go with paper or computer is up to what you prefer at the end of the day.

Live Life.

“What the feck are you talking about?” I hear you ask, well before you write you need inspiration. “But where do it find it?” Well that’s the easy yet overwhelming part. Inspiration can from anywhere; TV, books, music, movies, what happened at school, on the bus, train, the sound of the sea on a beach, anything!

Write. Cut. Switch About.

So you’ve written a song and you feel that some line could be moved about but just don’t know where to put them? I find that is you copy what you have down on to a (or more) sheet of A4 paper then cut each part out. Once you’ve done, move them around, this will help you see when you putting things a lot better than drawing lines over the place. Also takes up less time than writing in different arrangements over and over again. This works for just about anything really, great for poems and essays alike.

Pick a Subject.

A useful way to write a song is to pick a subject. You’re best to write about what you know first, for example if you’re having family issues, friend issues or issues at school or work write about that. You know it so you really don’t have get into a mind-set of someone else. But just because you not going through something doesn’t mean you can’t write about it. Let’s say a friend is being abused by someone and you have strong feeling about it (Why won’t you?) then right about that (Just try and not make things worse). An example of this is ‘Face Down’ by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. A good subject to pick is bullying cause must have either been bullied or have seen bullying happen.

Use Your Emotions.

Have you ever listened to ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence? Or ‘Roses’ by Poets of the Fall? Both two different songs by two different bands but yet they have one thing in common. Emotion. Ok so not every good/great song has emotion(s) in them – like ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns ‘n’ Roses – but the best songs do. Why? Because they speak to us on an emotional level. Not only will putting your emotions on paper make for a great song but will be good starting point for your first song. You know how you feel, just find the words to show others.

Don’t Over Think.

Same rule here for everything else. If you over think things you’ll become stressed. When you become stressed you can’t think straight. That’s really all to this part.

Ask a Friend (Or 78).

So you’ve written your song, but how do you know if you’re reading it through rose tinted glasses? Well ask some of your closest friends what they think of them. Why more than one? Cause different people have different tastes and what one friend thinks is crap the other may think is great. When you give it them ask them to be honest and constructive. If they tell you it’s crap, it may be crap. Never be afraid of anything that may be suggested.

That’s it.

Well that’s all I’ve got for this tutorial. Just put together the steps and that’s you good to go. I really hope this helps and if not tell me what wrong and I’ll fix ASAP. Also please keep in that this is my first ever tutorial.

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