How do you go about the writing lyrics thing?

[miniGMgoit]

I fucking hate writing lyrics and will do almost anything to get away with not doing it. This obviously cause problems when your the singer and guitarist in a 2-piece rock band so I'm putting my feelers out to find way to do it.

One of the things I've discovered works quite well is writing about imaginary characters, all of whom are horrible, night crawling, deviates peddling there own brand of filth. Writing about these imaginary people has given me free reign to sing about all manner of unpleasant topics and its often quite funny as well. This also helps me avoid many of the cliches and schoolboy poetry sounding lyrics that my usual attempts at song writing often end up like.

I also find if it doesn't immediately come, as in with a couple of minutes it's not going to come and I just leave it for a few weeks/months.

How do you write and how do you avoid the cringeworthy lyrics?

 

[xenon]

I don't...I scribble some stuff that sorta fits the riff / tune or phrase that pops into my head. But I never get round to recording any vocals. I don't think I have the voice for the stuf that fits. Also, I need a working microphone.

So, I'm waiting for other peple to answer as well.

In general, I think everyone crittisizes their own words too much. If you read the lirics of loads of songs with out the music or a fresh memory of it, they're total gash.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

Just put down three words and repeat them over and over again. That's what a lot of modern groups do. It is obviously a common problem.

 

[BigTom]

When I've written lyrics it's been a case of me happening to think of a line or verse and writing the rest off that, never been in a situation where I have to write lyrics on demand.

 

[miniGMgoit]

Well yeah, when practicing in a band situation I will flounder around waiting for a phrase or line to materialize often by singing gibberish until something pops into my head. I then work from there. I also find lyrics hard to change once they are done meaning that if they are shite I often have to leave the song for a while and forget what I had come up with.

The character thing I mentioned in the OP has really helped guide my writing recently and has given me a focus away from "feelings" with more of a descriptive feel. It really suits the music we are doing.

 

[Bath]

I don't push myself into writing, I wait until the inspiration just comes. Or I'll scribble down bits and phrases until I like a certain line, and then build around that. I can't ever force myself into writing lyrics, though. I need that natural flow, otherwise I can't even fuss about it. If you really need to push that inspiration onto you though, go for a walk. Listen to other music. Draw. Carry a notepad around whenever an idea strikes. I'm sure you already do most of this though.

An art comes with practice, so if you don't like something you write one day, just keep messing around. Your final result will most likely look completely different from your first drafts.

I'm probably saying everything you already know but this works for me.

 

[ericjarvis]

Practise helps no end. These days I struggle to put together more than a fragment of a song. Back in the day my songwriting partner (Everett True as he now is) and I took on the challenge of writing a song in three minutes. It took him just over two and a half minutes to come up a lyric and me a few seconds longer to complete the basic music. We played the song pretty regularly for a couple of years. However at the time we were writing three or four songs a week.

 

[SpookyFrank]

In general, I think everyone crittisizes their own words too much. If you read the lirics of loads of songs with out the music or a fresh memory of it, they're total gash.

This is true. Unless you're Leonard Cohen it's probably better to write down any old rubbish that pops into your head rather than sit their and agonise about it for ages. If it scans properly and the delivery is good you can get away with all sorts of nonsense.

Mostly I'll just wait until a fragment of tune pops into my head with some words attached, use that as a basic hook and build round it by just free-associating stuff. I'm not that good at creating characters and stories and stuff but it's something I'd like to try more of.

 

[RubyToogood]

I think only one of my songs came from just outright inspiration. The rest have been mostly from having a stiff deadline.

 

[ericjarvis]

Best one I ever wrote appeared pretty much complete in my mind overnight. Had to tweak the lyrics a bit here and there but the bulk of it just appeared direct from my subconscious. Wish it would happen again.

 

[punchdrunkme]

When I'm writing lyrics I usually have about 4 lines in my head and the riff pretty much straight away. To fill in the other lines sometimes I'll just set the mic up start recording play the riff, sing the 4 lines and then just sing whatever garbage comes into my head. I'll record for maybe 10 minutes and play it back, although 80% of it will be shite, they is usually a few lines that are worth something esp if I tweak a word here and there.

I find it really works well, because your not having to stop and write things down and your kind of absorbed in the music so it all flows a lot better, rather than writing the lyrics and tryong to get them to fit after.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I either have a phrase that I have already based the song around or more commonly, that phrase just comes in naturally at the songs inception.
Then I just spout a load of bullshit based around that (in general) for a few rehearsals, while I am in the shower, or at gigs. Eventually something that roughly makes sense sticks by the time we record.

 

[miniGMgoit]

I either have a phrase that I have already based the song around or more commonly, that phrase just comes in naturally at the songs inception.
Then I just spout a load of bullshit based around that (in general) for a few rehearsals, while I am in the shower, or at gigs. Eventually something that roughly makes sense sticks by the time we record.

Ha. Yes I'm totally prepared to not have finished lyrics before we play a song live. No ones listening anyway

 

[Orang Utan]

you only need two words: ooh and baby

 

[Mungy]

take the fawm approach

 

[tar1984]

Imaginary characters and stories based on and merged with real people. Ie write about someone you know but feel free to embellish the hell out of it to make a more interesting story.

 

[tar1984]

That was a quick post because I was heading out. To expand:

I practically always write about people, making the person a character/protagonist.

It might be 90% real and 10% imagined (someone I know with bits added) or it might be 10% real 90% imagined (someone I walked past in the street and got an idea), but always a mix of fantasy and reality.

Try to paint images rather than be descriptive. What creative writers refer to as 'show, don't tell'. A patchwork of fragmented images is better than 'this happened and then i did this and then i felt like this'.

Try to have some sort of narrative progression though.

I am not saying I am good at any of these things, but it is what I aim for

 

[tar1984]

Basically what you already said

One of the things I've discovered works quite well is writing about imaginary characters, all of whom are horrible, night crawling, deviates peddling there own brand of filth. Writing about these imaginary people has given me free reign to sing about all manner of unpleasant topics and its often quite funny as well. This also helps me avoid many of the cliches and schoolboy poetry sounding lyrics that my usual attempts at song writing often end up like.

I also find if it doesn't immediately come, as in with a couple of minutes it's not going to come and I just leave it for a few weeks/months.

Usually a good song will come in a couple of minutes with a flash of inspiration. Once the inspiration has passed, trying to add more to that song is like pulling teeth. Hence why I have so many half finished songs. The key is to try to ride out the wave of inspiration when it comes and get as much down as you can, because thinking 'I'll go back to it later' is a disaster.

 

[Johnny.]

I fucking hate writing lyrics and will do almost anything to get away with not doing it. This obviously cause problems when your the singer and guitarist in a 2-piece rock band so I'm putting my feelers out to find way to do it.

One of the things I've discovered works quite well is writing about imaginary characters, all of whom are horrible, night crawling, deviates peddling there own brand of filth. Writing about these imaginary people has given me free reign to sing about all manner of unpleasant topics and its often quite funny as well. This also helps me avoid many of the cliches and schoolboy poetry sounding lyrics that my usual attempts at song writing often end up like.

I also find if it doesn't immediately come, as in with a couple of minutes it's not going to come and I just leave it for a few weeks/months.

How do you write and how do you avoid the cringeworthy lyrics?

This is my approach to writing lyrics. I write freely whatever thoughts come to mind in notepad. I don't think about where i am going with the song until i get lots of different lyrics down. I call it brainstorming. Once i get a bunch of lyrics down i go through them picking out the ones that kinda link to each other. I keep doing this until i get say a verse or a chorus lyric. I then sit at the piano and do basic block chords whilst trying to sing the lyric lines over the top to see which fit. Once i get it working with just piano then i look into the arrangement. This is my best advice..... NEVER do an entire arrangement first then try to force your lyrics/melody lines on top of it. It will always sound forced. It has to be working at the basic stage of piano or guitar and vocal. If it isn't working at the early stage it will never work later on by adding more and more parts. Lyrically i always put the title of the song at the top of the page and each lyric line i try to make point towards the title. Doing this creates stronger lyrics and keeps you focused. Another way to look at writing your lyrics is to think that you are trying to express your songs message to a 5yr old. This really helps you be more direct lyrically rather than trying to be clever using words that many people don't know. If someone is listening to your song and a lyric line comes along that they don't understand it does not matter how good the arrangement is the listener is lost because they have stopped listening and are now wondering what you meant with that lyric line. So keep your lyrics clear and clutter free. Clutter free as in remove things like... in and of it but. They call these fillers so use them sparingly.
Be descriptive lyrically. eg lets say one lyric line said... I got in the car. Seems ok but lets try a descriptive version of the same line. I got in the porsche.
Now the listener knows more detail which helps them to understand your lyrics better.
Johnny

 

[gnoriac]

As with all talents worth having, nobody's born with the ability to write decent lyrics. The more you do it, the better you get.

Still don't enjoy it though. My usual way is to put a demo of the track on my ipod and go down the pub and listen to it continuously while knocking back the ale. Often find a phrase will come to me which I can work the whole thing round.

 

[gnoriac]

And never allow yourself the luxury of 'it makes no sense but it rhymes' - that just makes you good at writing shite. Even though Dylan's done it (see 'Be My Baby Tonight').

 

[tedsplitter]

Words-wise, I've been finding it easier since I've been keeping a journal, easier to lift out sentences and expand them, put them together with other bits. I guess because words are already out of my brain and onto the page it's easier to rearrange and work them up into a structured form. I like finding rhymes and internal rhymes within lines and sometimes find that fitting a rhyme will send me off into another usable lyrical idea or theme in the song. What I do need to get better at is tunes, my problem is when I'm at the guitar by myself I habitually play the same few chords and runs and I need to stretch myself and learn some more about how melodies fit on top of different chords. Practice and discipline really, neither of which has ever been my strong suit.